West Junction

The vehicle between the Auto hoppers and the Tilting wagons is a modified Perch wagon to carry the Module S&C lifting beam which the Kirow uses to lift the S&C panels off. Most Module S&C from Beeston for a work site would be formed of the required number of Tilting wagons with a Beam wagon one end and a Bass/OCA the other for other materials.

I do have another slide of a crane from the other side, not the OOC crane, but another R&R crane DS1560 at Hither Green in 1967.

I've only this from October 1962

The larger central frame is the clamping frame. All the other frames on the imports just support the load. Similar to the Plasser LWRT's where the load is centrally clamped and free to move over the other frames/roller banks with the buffer/draw of the wagons. Corus 36m loads didn't use frames, see the previous photo of 60007 at Castleton, two wagons behind loco. Frame position depends on the actual position of the frames on the wagon for load bearing and length of rail to be moved to ensure correct overhangs.

That's the Corus frames, they just support the rails. Import flows use plain steel frames which including a clamp frame in the middle of the load.

There are differences between the wagons, most would not be easy to visually identify. Dimensions, tare weights and loading limits are slightly different for example. If I remember correctly the MK3 & 4's were at least marked by the wagon number on the vehicle. Corus just had MK2's to start with, believe they may now use some other MK's as well. The MK2 are the easiest to identify by looking at the bolsters. You can just see two in your photo, transverse wooden blocks fixed to the wagon deck. The other MK wagons had hinged turn over bolsters, which when not in use were flat to the wagon deck. When in use these often had additional timber fixed on top as they were not very high.

My memory for dates is not very good but I'll try and detail the traffic I remember post 2000 towards 2015. Corus hired IGA MK2 wagons for internal GB traffic. In 2004 there were Loading Patterns for 60' rails on a single IGA & 36m loaded over two wagons. Corus also had there own loading frames for loading longer lengths over multiple wagons. 73m over four wagons & 216m over eleven. Originally these were used for import flows through various Ports to welding depots, Castleton, Workington and Eastleigh, 36 & 73m. The three welding depots, Workington, Castleton (both Corus) and Eastleigh Network Rail (originally contractor was Mowlem's). Home produced rail (Workington) although rolled to a maximum of 72m, could only leave as 36m (geography of site). Network Rail wanted fewer welds for a standard length of 216m which led to the new plant at Scunthorpe (roll 108m rail) and Workington's closure. Castleton also closed as there was a new welding plant at Scunthorpe. 216m over eleven wagons were used for a time, until falling victim to H&S, for unloading on site by being pulled off the wagons old style. With the drive for 216m rails with only one weld, there were import flows of 108m rails loaded over multiple IGA MK3/4 in frames from Italy and Austria to Network Rail at Eastleigh. When Scunthorpe opened, 108m rail started moving to Eastleigh on Corus IGA's and Network Rail's stock rail carriers. Loading pattern for the now ex Corus IGA's have developed for export flows from Scunthorpe to Ports and through the CT. During HS1 construction 108m rails were imported from Germany to Beech Brook Farm. MK1 IGA's I think. Long S&C 43m was also imported from France, loaded over two IGA wagons with frames and an under runner, French 2 axle open with doors removed. While the Wembley - Gremberg wagonload services were running there was also the odd wagon of rail, special rails such as Tram Rail and S&C rails. I also remember imports of round bar from Dunkirk area, trails of round timber from Germany and IGA's used as runners with a support frame for Plasser MFS wagons from Austria. There were exports of sheeted steel sections from Teesside to Italy and I've loaded wagons at Bridgewater and Chittening Estate with conductor rail for European U Bahn's, Berlin I think it was. Probably other traffic but that's all I can remember at the moment.

There were sidings on the up side where the Warship was stabled along with an industrial shunter. Rail Centres Reading - Laurence Waters Steam naphtha reforming plant (New Works) was opened opposite the old works connected by new sidings to WR low level at Kings Meadow.

I first remember the workings in the 70's with ED's on Grain workings. E60xx in those days. Later there were Ripple Lane working usually with a 37. Trains would arrive on the down, with the assistance of the station railman operating the frame, would runround using the two trailing crossover, setback then haul forward into the headshunt. The train was then split into the two sidings with the loco waiting in the headshunt during discharge. D821 was stabled for a number of years in the Reading Gas Works (new works) sidings on the up side (north) of the GW mainline just west of where the Kennet joins the Thames. Just east (other side of the Kennet) was Earley Power Station.

The overheads went up at Iver on the Up Goods which then became the Up Iver Loop (UIL). East of the River Colne it was relaid along with W Drayton Loop (WDL). Adjacent to the old W Drayton yard a new facing and trailing crossover with the UR went in. West of the Colne the track is Bullhead rail on concrete/wooden sleepers. The UIL is shown OOU in the Sectional Appendix from at least 08/12/17. From the west end to just east of Iver station, track panels have now been lifted and the bed levelled.

Finally, and to complete some views of the various works, completed and ongoing, between Maidenhead & Hayes, Slough.

Maidenhead 30/09 Platform extension work. DR London end. All platforms country end (UM not shown, short extension to match length of DM).

Some photos of Hayes 30/09. 7 car 345 in the bay. Footbridge. Work has started on the station buildings with part of PL 4 OOU country end.

West Drayton 30/09. New footbridge and platform work.

New footbridges at Langley & Taplow 30/09.

State of station works Iver 30/09.

800113 5X96 Eastleigh to Doncaster this afternoon at Reading. 5Q96 ex Acton.

My main dealings with OOC was in the latter part of the 1990's. The Coronation sidings was part of the EWS lease area. This area later became the main area for stabling withdrawn stock. The van and field sidings, next to the Coronation, was at this time unused. EWS did use them one Christmas for stabling stock for a big S&C relay job at Southall. When the new FGW shed went up, I can't remember if any of the EWS area was taken. But there was a fence put up along the boundary. The container flats were maintained in the Pullman shed, mostly the smaller part on the mainline side. These were for the Binliner trains. There was an Acton turn, Loco Driver/TM, who would swap sets for maintenance between OOC and the Refuse terminals. Also at this time OOC was servicing Virgin XC 47 and coaches at night. XC loco and OOC fitter would run light to Padd and haul trains to the Coronation. 3 trains in total. While the loco went back to Padd for the next arrival, the EWS shed driver would shunt the stock into the Pullman shed and put the loco in the servicing shed. Simple versions, there was usually a lot of messing about. It was also not uncommon for Virgin to ask for a set to be reformed if a coach was the wrong way round. Usually turning the first class on the turntable so the buffet end was next to the standard class. I've also been asked to turn A FGW power car. They brought it across, I put it on the table and turned it, and off they went back FGW land.

Now back at Eastleigh. http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K02697/2019/08/01/advanced http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K02697/2019/08/02/advanced Hauled by 66719 arriving Eastleigh 02/08.

5Q83 Peterboro 1210 - 1229 800106 hauling 801111 from Eastleigh to Doncaster

Level crossing incident in Austria today, Essling Wien-Donaustadt. 16 injured. Article and some interesting pictures on ORF website. https://wien.orf.at/news/stories/2974010/

If required by operational circumstances, there is no reason Falcons couldn't be used on a Bulk working. Mussels however, as all high sided opens are prohibited on possession trains .

Another thing to bear in mind with freight vehicles is that the load can impose the "not to be loose shunted" restriction. Loads that require to be "Load Examined" are labelled as such.

Bon Accord's pictures of Marchwood remind me of many hours spent there from 2000 to 2015 for EWS/DB. For anybody that's interested, I can expand on some of the subject matter highlighted in the pictures. The Warflats ex Germany BAOR, although internal users wagons, some had been modified for use in this country and renumbered MODA 98xxx series. This was never followed through and they remain internal users. UK MoD warflats are MODA 952xx and Warwells MODA 950xx. The main use of the internal flats was holding cargo arriving by road for latter dispatch by sea. Lots of building material and agg bags for the regular Falkland vessel for example. I've also seen them used for boats and landing craft for moving around the site, as well as many Mexi floats. There were also a number of air braked internal user vans, some with blue curtains. They had been used for mainline work, but I only saw them in internal use for holding cargo waiting a ship. Some had curtains removed, and all were eventually sold off. The MoD PFA two axle container wagons were used for mainline work but became internal users. They saw little work then, and were later sold off. The EWS/DB wagon fleet for MoD container work changed over time. FCA twins & TIPH KFA wagons worked with PFA for a time. The KFA were later needed for other commercial work and were replaced by FKA wagons to work with the FCA's. The FKA were later swapped with FAA wagons off the NR cable train. FAA required for 9' 6" containers. The second picture of Marchwood shows a double stack of generators in ISO frames between the Land Rovers and Jackals. The MoD internal use opens came from MoD Bicester when they were no longer required there. They saw little use at Marchwood. They were moved from Bicester via Didcot on the MoD trip workings loaded on Warwell wagons. The picture showing loading of CVRT's on Warwells by quay crane was normally only done with dead vehicles. Runners were loaded via the ramp.

Most of the work previously carried out be SJC's is now done by various Road/Rail vehicles. There is a concentration of SJC's on the SR, due to the nature of the suburban railway with limited access points for RR vehicles, particularly for Maintenance work. These maintenance train normally run from/to Eastleigh, Hoo & Hither Green PAD. Balfour Beatty also has an OTM maintenance shed at Eastleigh and larger facilities at Hither Green in part of the old depot. They also have a depot at Ashford Kent. Hither Green PAD (NetworkRail maintenance depot) uses an SJC for loading/unloading, road and rail vehicles. Loading at Hoo and Eastleigh would be by road or RR vehicles. Maintenance trains normally have fewer wagons compared to relaying sites. They could be, just a crane and a Super Tench or Mullet loaded with rails/S&C or empty for scrap. There could be empty or loaded Bass wagons with short rails, bags of ballast, sleepers, bridge timbers, lighting towers etc. Falcons could also be conveyed, loaded ballast, or empties for spoil or scrap. Could even be a couple of Seacows, whatever wagons and materials are needed for the job.