SED Freightman

Here you are. SNCF 22404 + 22405 in Dollands Moor Yd on 09/02/1994 whilst being used for driver training.

Whilst true that a certain amount of storage is afforded by the high pressure network, the current woefull lack of UK gas storage capacity cannot have been helped by the privatised industries desire to dismantle holder stations and convert them into development opportunities. My local Holder Station (2 holders) was dismantled a couple of years ago after a period of disuse, the site also contained a pumping station and much valvework, so having watched the holders rise and fall for over 50 years, I believe they were not interlinked but operated as two quite separate storage vessels. Routine maintenance (painting and minor repairs), back in the days when such activity was carried out, was normally done with the holder full, it being quite interesting to see welding repairs being undertaken on occasions ! Of course when the older type of holder with three or four sections is at its lowest point, it still contained gas and would have needed to be purged before any internal work or examination could take place. There were no staff employed on site and everything appeared to be controlled remotely, not sure where from, although until closure of the Waddon Marsh (Croydon) gasworks their control room apparently monitored the Sevenoaks Holder Station.

Alas, I had no free trips to Bruxelles or Paris in BR days nor were they offered. If I remember correctly Trainload Freight South were allocated a block of tickets for the train on 11/06/1994, the primary purpose of which appeared to be to test the tunnel evacuation arrangements for a full train, which I think were monitored by observers from the Safety Authorities. Even further off topic, as holder of a cab pass endorsed valid on Channel Tunnel services I did get to have a ride through on the SNCF BB22000 locos and on the first revenue earning train hauled by Cl.92's, that said I still preferred trips on the Nord Pas de Calais (train ferry).

My trip was a few weeks later on 11th June 1994.

Having dug out my old diary, I note your trip was a few weeks in advance of mine (earlier post updated), which actually ended up in the Coquelles Emergency Platform. Other highlights of the trip were on the return when we were held at the tunnel entrance whilst a French steam loco emerged after being engaged in testing the fire detection system, followed by a stop and test evacuation into the service tunnel at some point below the Channel.

OT but prior to the commencement of normal services I travelled on a Waterloo - Coquelles ET Emergency Platform test trip on Saturday 11th June 1994, routed via Herne Hill & Maidstone East, one highlight of the trip was smooth passage over Swanley Junction at line speed, quite unlike travelling in normal stock thanks to the articulated coaches.

Looking again at the SR WTT, Section M (Freight), Mandatory Train Services, commencing 01/05/1972, I suggest your consist would possibly match 7W51 0100 (MX) Hither Green Sidings to Dover Town (arr.0530) which ran via Maidstone East with headcode 5C. For added interest, this service could also convey traffic for Folkestone (to be marshalled separately), which was forwarded on the 0512 (MSX) or 0712 (SO) to Folkestone East. The other three daily services from Hither Green to Dover, started from the Continental Depot and were therefore very unlikely to be conveying tank cars.

I have a company brochure issued by Transportes Ferroviarios Especiales SA (TRANSFESA) which dates from approx 1978/9, this depicts two types of 2-axle refrigerated wagon available for international traffic. Firstly, an older type that appears much like the second wagon in Lyddrail's photo, this is Italian registered with Interfrigo livery and is stated to be equipped with the Marelli refrigeration system producing a minimum temperature of 3C. Secondly a more modern looking wagon in Transfesa livery, stated to be equipped with a system of refrigeration by liquid nitrogen producing a minimum temperature of -25C.

Perhaps the former Harbour Station, parts of which still remained in use by the Marine Dept / S&ISD in the early 1980's.

Although relating to exports rather than imports, this document from the days (early 1980's ?) when BR were still trying to attract train ferry traffic gives an idea of transit times to various continental destinations.

Simon, many thanks for providing this information along with the additional comments on actual operation from John Linge. It would appear that several of the services shown to depart from Dover Marine in the WTT actually operated to / from the Town Yard or Bulwark St which makes a lot more sense considering the extent of 3rd rail and OHL within the various sidings.

So it would appear that Cl.71 hauled services could be dealt with at Dover Town Yd, but I would be interested to find out how those timetabled to run to / from Dover Marine operated. Were any of the Ferry Sidings electrified with a sufficient length of 3rd rail to accept a train arriving from the Dover Priory direction, or did the trains actually run into Dover Marine station and then get shunted to / from the ferry sidings ?

The question of trains starting / terminating at Dover Marine is interesting, I can only assume that as the distinction is clearly made in the WTT, the trains ran directly from / to the Ferry Sdgs accessed via Hawkesbury St Jn rather than the Town Yard. During more recent years (1980's) virtually all trains ran to / from the Town Yard with wagons being tripped to / from the Ferry Sdgs (and later still the New Admiralty Pier Sdgs) as necessary. Possibly Simon Lee can throw more light on this issue. The routing of services, in the absence of need to call at intermediate yards, would be determined by pathway availability, train crew route knowledge and locomotive haulage capacity, I will add the routings to my earlier posting. In the event of engineering work or other problems services could be diverted under control arrangements subject to the train crews route knowledge, etc.

The model I was given by the NTL rep is very similar to that in your photos, it is numbered 33 87 994 5 026-1, home station Valognes.

I wonder if the air braked on Saturdays was an error in the WTT as the 7K56 1312 (SX) / 6K36 1318 (SO) return service from Faversham was vac braked all week - were there any dual braked BSK's on the SR in 1973 ? 7K56 called at Snowdown Colliery Sdgs and was shewn to convey Ferry wagons for shipment at Dover and wagons for repair at Ashford. It would be interesting to see a photo of a Cl.71 + ferry wagons in the colliery sidings.

I can only assume that 6K35 was a convenient way of returning the empty BSK off the newspaper service and by publishing the move in the WTT it avoided the need to treat the movement as an exceptional load.

The following services from Dover appeared in the SR WTT, Section M (Freight), Mandatory Train Services commencing 01/05/1972, which I guess would have been similar to the service operated in the 1960's :- 6W41 0030 (EWD) Dover Marine to Hither Green Continental Depot - Air braked service worked by Cl.71 via Maidstone East. Convey Ferry wagons. Formation - Bricklayers Arms, Hither Green. 6E64 0110 (MSX) Dover Marine to Stratford LIFT - Air braked service worked by Cl.33 via Maidstone East, Hither Green & West London Line. Convey Ferry wagons. Formation - Stratford LIFT, Temple Mills. 6E64 0110 (SO) Dover Marine to Temple Mils - Air braked service worked by Cl.33 via Maidstone East, Hither Green & West London Line. Convey Ferry wagons for Stratford LIFT only. 6E64 0130 (MO) Dover Marine to Stratford LIFT - Air braked service worked by Cl.33 via Tonbridge, Orpington, Hither Green & West London Line. Convey traffic for Stratford LIFT only. 6W42 0810 (SX) Dover Marine to Hither Green Continental Depot - Air braked service worked by Cl.71 via Maidstone East. Convey Ferry wagons. 6R41 1120 (SX) Dover Town to Hither Green Sdgs - Air braked service worked by Cl.71 via Tonbridge & Orpington. Convey Ferry Wagons. Formation - Temple Mills, Willesden, Hither Green. 6K35 1154 (SX) Dover Marine to Faversham - Worked by Cl.71. Convey Ferry wagons and BSK. 6K35 1154 (SO) Dover Marine to Faversham - Air braked service worked by Cl.71. Convey Ferry wagons and BSK. 6G42 2043 (SX) Dover Marine to Hither Green Continental Depot - Air braked service worked by Cl.71 via Faversham & Swanley. Convey Ferry wagons. 7R61 2130 (SX) - Dover Town to Hither Green Sdgs - Worked by Cl.73 , called at Paddock Wood thence via Orpington. Formation - Paddock Wood, Temple Mills, Willesden, Norwood, Hither Green. 6R43 2220 (SUN) Dover Marine to Hither Green Continental Depot - Air braked service worked by Cl.71 via Tonbridge & Orpington. Convey Ferry wagons. There were corresponding return services. Of note is the importance of Faversham (East Kent Packers ?) for ferry traffic prior to the closure of Hither Green Continental Depot and opening of the Transfesa Terminal at Paddock Wood and A&RJ Wood's terminal at Sittingbourne.

Not sure I can add much to the details of varied traffic flows provided by hmrspaul and Simon Lee who was of course actively involved at Dover. I suspect the nuclear movements, with which I had an involvement in the mid to late 1980's, were not in evidence until at least the 1970's, these movements to and from Sellafield normally comprised one or two of the large international flask carriers operated by Nuclear Transport Ltd. Regular origins / destinations were Beznau and Gosgen in Switzerland, occasionally La Hague in France and also possibly (I think) somewhere in Germany. I remember one of the flask carriers being displayed in Platform 6 at Dover Western Docks, where due to my involvement with the regular movements the NTL rep presented me with a model of the wagon (or similar). Mention by hmrspaul of the wagonload garden furniture movements reminds me that similar traffic used to arrive occasionally at Canterbury West, an Italian ferry wagon consigned to EMU Garden Furniture, the consignee would then spend all day carting the load away in a van.

Just to complete the Southampton area picture, the local AFC / TOPS Office was located on the down platform at Eastleigh.

Yards, sidings and depots served by the Speedlink Network were allocated to one of three classifications based on the activities undertaken in 1984, these classifications, which were probably originally for financial purposes, became apparent to ground staff when certain locations were renamed in the SR Freight WTT commencing 14/05/1984. The classifications, in very simple terms, were NY = Network Yard (main yard handling Speedlink Trunk Services), SS = Section Siding (smaller yard or sidings where Speedlink trip workings were handled) and TC = Terminal Complex (a location where several customers were served by shunt movements). Taking the Southampton area as an example, Eastleigh East Yard became Eastleigh East N.Y. and Southampton (Northam) Down Yard became Southampton Down T.C. The term Area Freight Centre (at least by the 1980's on the SR) generally refered to the location where the local TOPS office was located.

Dunstable Cement Works was one of several that ceased production after opening of the Northfleet New Works, the site remained in use as a distribution depot until 1990.

If on the MML then the sun position would make this 6O93 1845 Dunstable Cement Sdgs to Northfleet BCI.

Ah the Kiln Cafe, very handy when attending fire training courses in the works. More to the point I suspect that Balfour Beatty inherited a long term peppercorn lease of their part of the old works, and it would probably be too expensive for a developer to buy out the lease and / or provide them with a suitable replacement rail connected facility elsewhere.

I think you may find the reason for Eastleigh Works continued existence is more to do with restrictions on what the owners (St Modwen ?) could potentially replace it with, bearing in mind its location in the danger zone directly under the flight path just off the end of the runway at Southampton Airport. Additionally, any significant redevelopment of the site for non rail related use would almost certainly require the provision of expensive new road access to the area. Following closure of the works, the subsequent resumption of railway related activities by tenants, Knights Rail Services and Arlington, will probably have been encouraged by the new site owners as a means of generating at least some sort of return on their property investment. I recall being involved in a scheme for the development of a small Royal Mail road / rail transfer facility in the Airport Sdgs (adjacent to the Loco Depot) where restrictions on what could be built and potential numbers of staff on site were very severe due to issues with the airport, the unaltered former Works would have benefited from certain grandfather rights in this respect.

Eastbourne, former signal box (LB&SCR) - 27/05/2022