SED Freightman

Cardiff Tidal Sdgs, East Usk and Newport AD Junction Sidings were included on the list of DBS leased sites that were proposed for sale (of the outstanding lease period) back to NR back in 2014. Assuming these leases were brought out by NR there will be no problem with any operator using the sidings with the agreement of NR as they will now form part of the Network.

VIBT = Vehicle Inspection and Brake Test PPM = Planned Preventative Maintenance

Plumstead Full Loads Depot used to receive reeled paper in air braked vans and sheeted opens from Corpach, some of which were then backloaded with baled pulp, until the depot closed in the early / mid 80's.

The Bat & Ball line could and did handle considerabley more than a half hourly service when necessary, on summer Saturdays when Orpington - Sevenoaks was closed for engineering work there would be a constant procession of diverted electric services, departmental movements, boat trains and inter-regional excursions, although the Hastings DEMU's ran via Redhill. During unplanned blockages on the main line everything ran via Bat & Ball except for the Sevenoaks- Charing Cross / Cannon Street slow services which would only run to / from Orpington.

The 1983-84 and 1984-85 freight timetables (Section WK) show the 7E47 WO Q path from North Camp to Ripple Lane running round in Guildford Yard thence returning to the ER via Woking, Feltham Jn and Kew East Jn. The loaded service, 6O32 WO Q Ripple Lane East Yd to North Camp, followed the same route in reverse, arriving at 0900. There was also another Q (as required) service from/to Llandarcy which was scheduled via Wokingham and Reading in both direcions.

The wagons were probably en route back to Ashford PAD following use in connection with weekend track relaying as seen in the appended photo showing work underway to relay the Up Line through Dunton Green station in 1973 (I think). The engineers train is standing on the Down Line and was formed Class 33, several open wagons conveying blanketing material (Meldon Dust / Sand ?), three tank cars, Toad and open wagons loaded with new ballast. In the photo, the blanketing material had already been unloaded and an oil / tar liquid was being sprayed onto it from the tank cars (note open manlid), presumably as a binding agent - hence the involvement of the Soil Mechanics Department. Permanent Way staff can be seen shovelling new bottom ballast from the open wagons beyond the Toad.

There was / is a loaded Grampus in the Down Bay at Maidstone West which was there in NSE days and was certainly still there a couple of years ago. There also used to be a Lowmac type wagon standing on a section of disconnected siding behind the Up Platform at Sole Street back in the early 1990's.

Diagram Nos. FN003C, FN003D and FN003F all of which relate to FNA wagons quote a wheel diameter of 953 mm.

Unfortunately I cannot recall or find any further details regarding train formation, although I agree with your suggested process of the failure. The coupling passed through my office en route for further analysis at Derby (I think), I had not come across a failed instanter before and took a couple of photos but either failed to record any details or more likely have lost them over time.

Instanter couplings did break occasionally, this one gave up whilst fitted to a loaded MGR wagon heading for Ridham Sdgs in about 1993.

This is the first time I have heard of loaded tank cars being delivered to Holybourne, so perhaps it was an irregular movement of some type of light oil for flushing out the pipelines, either to the wells prior to gas injection as mentioned by jamie92208, or the main pipeline now used to move the crude oil for refining. It is highly unlikely that any Liquified Natural Gas would have been delivered by rail as (to the best of my knowledge) the Holybourne Terminal is not equipped to handle this commodity and I suspect that it would now be difficult to find rail tank cars or operational loading terminals capable of handling this traffic. GBRf have not moved petroleum products to Holybourne but did operate one or two trial movements of crude oil to the Petrochem Carless Refinery at Parkeston Quay, however for whatever reason the trials did not result in any regular traffic. The tank cars despatched from Fawley today appear to be the two axle type previously used to supply gas oil to railway depots, at least some of the bogie tanks used for the crude oil traffic were still in the terminal at Holybourne on 7th July 2017.

Here is a photo from 26/11/10 showing a set of flat bottom points at Cricklewood Up Sidings (No.801A) secured for straight running by means of a wooden scotch inserted between the left hand switch and stock rails and a point clip (padlocked) holding the right hand switch closed.