SED Freightman

Yet more vans this evening.

A few more vans this evening, I cannot locate diagrams VV 012A, VV 014B or VV 016D.

The 1926 Railway Year Book lists GWR steamships operating between Fishguard & Ireland (SS Great Southern, Great Western, St Andrew, St David, St Patrick) and between Weymouth & Channel Islands (SS Reindeer, Roebuck, Sambur, St Julien, St Helier).  Perhaps the Channel Islands services had onwards connections to France.

A few more vans for today.

A few more vans for this evening.

The start of the Ventilated Vans, I do not have a copy of diagram VV 004A.

44 minutes ago, Mark Saunders said:

Many years ago I saw an early copy with MDO types in and the LNER timber bodied Loco Coal and other all steel types were in it!

My copy of Book 320, Part 2 does indeed contain diagrams of numerous MDO's including wooden bodied long wheelbase ex LNER & SR wagons.

On 22/11/2020 at 22:43, HGR said:

Thanks SED Freightman. I'm guessing many of the ones you're missing in the initial issue of Book 320 could well be those that went in the '70s. Where no lot numbers are listed in the index against the diagram it often is for pre-nationalisation types, which could of course be early candidates for withdrawal. For VS 004A/B and VS 005A however these are later B.R. lots than the other SHOCVANs so not sure what would have happened to them ?

 

 

My copies of Book 320 indicate that they incorporate the Revision 1 amendments of February 1982, I initialed the amendment sheet but after 38 years I cannot recall the extent of the amendments although no doubt they contained diagrams to be added and other to be removed.  I do have a pile of diagram sheets, which presumably should have been destroyed and which may perhaps contain some of the missing diagrams, I will delve into these once thee inital scanning is complete.

Just a few Shocvans today, unfortunately I cannote locate diagrams VS 004A, VS 004B & VS 005A.

Another one to cross off your list is 47359, a photo of it working 6S45 1245 Northfleet to Uddingstone at Clapham Junction on 18th September 1974 appears in 'The Power of the 47's' by Brian Morrison.

Palvans next, I have been unable to locate diagrams VP 002A, VP 007A,VQ 001B, VQ 003A or VQ 004A.

Only just on the SED, however on 20/11/1983 47558 worked the 0956 Gatwick Airport to Manchester Piccadilly service from Victoria (Eastern) where the train had reversed due to engineering work.

I could not locate diagram VN 001A, so here are the fish vans.

Cattle Vans today, I am unable to locate diagrams VC 001B, VC 003A, VC 006A & VC 007B.

18 hours ago, Flood said:

Cement wagons for Northfleet would also have been stabled at Hoo Junction so once the boards were removed it would be impossible to tell visually which were due to go to/from Swanscombe or Northfleet.

I may be wrong (again) but wagons for Northfleet would not usually be seen at Hoo Jn. Northfleet dealt primarily with block trains which accessed the site directly from the Dartford direction, any odd Northfleet wagons at Hoo Jn would have most likely been going to or from repairs, although even these tended to be carried out in the Northfleet wagon repair sdgs.

A few odds and ends today before we get onto the vans.

Sand and Timber today.

I have now had the opportunity to speak to a former Hoo Jn TOPS clerk who confirmed that as far as he could remember the TOPS Commodity Codes were as described by Rivercider and that the Aberdeen traffic from Swanscombe was coded 604 / BMCMBL, he does not recall any specific code for Sulfacrete although it was a long time ago.  Futher to my earlier comments it now looks unlikely that the traffic was allocated a specific TOPS Commodity Code and therefore the receiving terminal must have relied on information passed via Blue Circle internal communications in the absence of the wagon signage.  One other thought that occured to me was that perhaps the wagons used were in a designated pool only to be used for Sulfacrete, although this appears at odds with the wagons in photographed at Hoo Jn in 1987.

China Clay and Pig Iron today. I have not been able to locate diagram UL 001A.

Second (and last) batch for today.  I do not have diagrams ST 009F & G, ST 010B, ST 011A & B or SW 002A.

2 hours ago, eastwestdivide said:

With a two blanks headcode I’d guess that photo was a Holborough (Snodland) to Hoo Jn trip working. I’ll have another scratch around for photos, but post-86 would be unlikely in my collection.

Correct, 6T44 1035 (SX) Holborough Sdgs to Hoo Jn, headcode should have been 4G, this was the return working of the 6T43 0905 (SX) Hoo Jn to Holborough Sdgs, which also served the RPC Sdgs at Halling, and could therefore convey traffic from both Rugby Cement and Blue Circle for onward movement via the Speedlink network.

6 hours ago, Flood said:

 

Basically I want to know whether to put Sulfacrete boards on six of my wagons.

So:

4. If not visually stated on the wagon, as the load would have to be kept separate from normal cement would this be stated on TOPS for BR staff purposes so they knew where to stable the vehicle and who to contact when it arrived?

 

Many thanks in advance for any information which may help.

There would almost certainly have been a specific TOPS Commodity Code for Sulfacrete so the wagon contents could be identified by anyone with access to the TOPS system or by looking at the printed train consist held by the driver / guard / travelling shunter, unfortunately I cannot locate a list of the various codes at present. With regard to the receiving terminal knowing what was in the wagons, they would probably have received advice internally within Blue Circle, either direct from the loading point or via their HQ rail planner/s based at Portland House in London.

First batch for today, I do not have diagrams SP 018A,B,C & D.

Another batch, I'm afraid I cannot locate a copy of diagram SP008B.

Todays batch