SED Freightman

Bit later than the requested timeframe, however the following workings to or through Faversham were all shewn to be worked by a Class 71 in the BR SR Working Timetable Section M - Mandatory Freight Train Services 01/05/72 to 06/05/73. H/Code 5D - 0015 (MX) 7G51 Hither Green Sdgs to Faversham arr.0340 (MX) - Via Sole St, called at Chatham Gds 0146-0230 & Sittingbourne 0254-0324 H/Code 5D - 0505 (SO) 0K00 Maidstone West to Faversham arr.0600 (SO) - Light loco via Strood. H/Code 5D - 0814 (SX) 7G62 Ramsgate to Hither Green Sdgs arr.1227 (SX) - Called Faversham 0910-0935 & Chatham Gds 1012-1036, via Sole St. H/Code 4D - 0835 (SX) 7G70 Snowdown Colliery Sdgs to Hither Green Sdgs arr.1055 (SX) - Passed Faversham 09/17. H/Code 4D - 1154 (SX) 6K35 Dover Marine to Faversham arr.1238 (SX) H/Code 4D - 1154 (SO) 6K35 Dover Marine to Faversham arr.1238 (SO) - Air Braked. H/Code 4D - 1312 (SX) 7K56 Faversham to Dover Town arr.1505 (SX) - Called Snowdown Colliery Sdgs 1402-1440. H/Code 9D - 1318 (SO) 6K36 Faversham to Dover Marine arr.1406 (SO) H/Code 4D - 1616 (SX) 6K32 Hoo Junction to Dover Town arr.1758 (SX) - Air braked. Crew change Faversham 1657-1658 H/Code 4E - 1900 (SX) 7G64 Margate Gds to Hither Green Sdgs arr.2120 - Crew change Faversham 1940-1941 H/Code 9D - 2043 (SX) 6G42 Dover Marine to Hither Green Continental Depot arr.2310 - Air Braked. Called Faversham 2124-2144 & Chatham Goods 2218-2226, via Sole St. The locos that arrived on 7G51 & 0K00 presumably worked away light loco or on parcels / newspaper services that would be shewn in the passenger timetable.

As I understand them a key feature of Schnabel wagons is that the load is slung from bracket girders attached to the carrying bogies with the load effectively forming part of the wagon, the bracket girders being directly connected to form a shorter wagon when no load is being carried. Another key feature is the ability to move the load sideways whilst in transit. As Mark Saunders mentions, in the 1980's BR had Girder Wagon, Conger Wagon and Boiler Wagon Sets and there was also the Hot Core Tranporter Wagon MODA9570, although with the possible exception of the Boiler Wagon Set which did not (as far as I know) venture onto the SR in the 1980's none of these operated quite like a Schnabel wagon. For modelling purposes the Hot Core Transporter Wagon with its two support coaches (MODA99150/1 I think) would make an impressive special train and the empty wagon was also moved in normal wagonload services occasionally when going for maintenance.

Whilst not pre-grouping, the appended list of restrictions applicable to a batch of Hungarian Refrigerated Ferry Wagons may be of interest as although some are clearly axle weight related others will be gauge related. I wonder if anyone in Hungary had ever contemplated sending chilled goods to Leysdown ? More to the point, at the top of the restriction list is a reference to an "R.C.H. Pink Pamphlet" which might perhaps contain more detail of gauging restrictions if a copy can be located.

A former colleague has suggested it is a DB owned type Samms 710 wagon.

I'm sure you are correct, in anycase the loading gauges will only have been applicable to vehicles up to a certain maximum length and wheelbase / bogie centres. The BR W5 gauge did not apply on the Canterbury & Whitstable and Tonbridge to West St Leonards (latterly Battle) sections and the more recent W6A gauge also has a number of restrictions on the tighter sections of the South Eastern Division.

If the photo (31 + GUV's) was taken in 1989 then C&D parcels traffic can be ruled out as it finished in 1981. I would hazard a guess at mail traffic (maybe someone has a WTT that shows a terminating / starting service), which would not necessarily have been handled at the parcels platform. If the photo had been taken slightly earlier they could be newspaper vans waiting to go back to London, but I think this traffic ceased in 1988. Newspaper traffic would explain the retention of BRUTE's on the platform, although they were often just abandoned after C&D parcels and Newspaper traffic ceased, particularly if the space was not required for anything else, until eventually being sold for scap etc.

I think some of the HG crew's found the Angerstein Hotel to be a pleasant PNB point when working at Angerstein Wharf many years ago. I also remember one of the shunting staff having a very large alsatian, which was a little off putting as you had to step over it to enter the shunters lobby.

Alas, I have several editions of the Railway Year Book but they do not contain the table you mention. 1916 & 1919 have no loading gauge details as far as I can see, whilst 1920, 1921 & 1922 have the tables that I copied (see above) and the 1923 & 1926 editions only contain tables 1 & 2 of those I copied.

As Caradoc says Red Star was a timetabled delivery service using primarily passenger trains, originally it was for direct station to station movements, then scheduled cross London links were introduced and finally it became possible to have the parcels delivered by City Link. The main C&D parcels business operated with rail movements between PCD's (parcels concentration depots) and road collection and delivery. Unfortunately BR were forced to hire vehicles and drivers from NCL for the road legs and therefore lost control of costs and more importantly service quality, a situation which no doubt pushed the catalogue shopping companies towards setting up their own road based distribution networks.

I think main line rail traffic had finished by that time so removal of some rail was the easy option to prevent any further joyriding.

Not sure if it was the same one but Thames Metal had a private loco in their yard at Angerstein Wharf, one weekend in the early 1980's some locals took it for a trip up the branch along with a couple of their internal user wagons. When the reason for a track circuit showing occupied at Angerstein Junction was investigated, the loco was found, derailed, on the trap points at the end of the branch, fortunately not fouling the main line. After the loco and stock were recovered and returned to Thames Metal's yard a section of track was removed from their sidings effectively trapping the loco and preventing a recurrence.

Herewith British Railway Loading Gauges as published in The Railway Year Book for 1921. I have included the first page as the preamble may be of interest in view of the publication date.

Albeit currently disused, the Ridham Dock Branch passes through a floodgate before entering the docks.

Jim, I have a copy of the 1921 Railway Year Book which includes details of the principle loading gauges and will try and copy them when I get a chance. You are correct about the width of the Caledonian gauge - 9' 0" from 1' 0" ARL to 10' 9"ARL, but heightwise they are nothing special.

Any idea where the Gatwick end terminal might be located as it would need to be bigger than the former Salfords Terminal which could, I believe, only accomodate two sets of tank cars.

The scorpions have been there for years, living inbetween the stonework of the old dockyard walls. I was warned to watch out for them while loading automotive traffic in the Docks Siding back in the 1990's as they came out on sunny days (I know, very rare at Sheerness) and could be found under timber etc. adjacent to the loading siding.

[quote name="Mike Storey" But I still can't understand why so much new car traffic still comes into Sheerness port, yet none of it now goes by rail, after several decades of doing so. Simple answer is the demise of wagonload freight. Principal destination for the imported vehicles is London and the South East, all of which can be reached in easy out and back trips by road direct to dealerships. The smaller volume long distance traffic which used to be moved by wagonload sevices from Sheerness Docks and Queenborough are of no interest to todays rail operators.

As Mike Storey and the Fat Controller have stated, there were never any blast furnaces at Sheerness, all smelting was by electric arc furnace. The equipment in the Rod & Bar Mill and Melt Shop was auctioned in January 2016 by CJM Asset Management acting for Peel Ports (owners of the steelworks site). The lucky buyer was Liberty Steel who subsequently removed the equipment and I suspect a lot was used to enable the re-opening of the former Alpha Steel Works at Uskmouth. I think the chances of steel production or processing resuming at Sheerness are sadly now just about zero.

Tarmac Ltd terminal receiving aggregate from Whatley Quarry and Morton on Lugg (and possibly elsewhere), usually about a train per day.

In this instance the risk of damage to wheel treads was much greater than the risk of derailment and the siding needed to be used, however it would certainly not be acceptable for a running line or where speed exceeded walking pace. Presumably the standards will also have forbidden leaving the joint in that condition in the first place but maybe its just one of those standards which NR only apply when convenient.

Longest gap between rails that I have come across was approx 4.5" at a joint between two lengths of Bullhead rail (see photo below). Whilst not a running line, it was on an operational (and allegedly maintained) siding that my then employer was about to lease from Network Rail. I will not mention the location to save NR's embarrassment, although it was not south of the Thames. A short term fix was made by cutting the bottom half off a short length of rail and simply drooping it into the slot between the fishplates.

Sadly you are correct, I can only think of five active terminals for commercial freight (Allington, Cliffe, East Peckham (?), Grain & Hothfield) with stabling / recessing at Dollands Moor and Tonbridge West Yard. The de-industrialisation of North Kent and the Medway Valley along with the lack of Channel Tunnel freight have created a largely passenger only railway in Kent whilst the road network crumbles under a huge number of foreign registered HGV's.

Nice to see some photos of Hoo Jn, but a bit sad to see they are virtually devoid of revenue earning traffic (yes I know NR pay to have their wagons moved about) so no surprise that there has been talk of the yard becoming an EMU depot.

If a new connection is to be inserted into a run of BH track on wooden sleepers it would appear to make sense for the new turnout to be installed on hardwood timbers whether it is constructed from BH or FB rail. This would also eliminate any problems arising from the need to avoid creating a 'Hither Green Joint' by having two wooden or concrete sleepers either side of the joints.

Have managed to fill a few of the gaps in Covkid's list by reference to the June 1993 numerical list.