davefreight

Is it absolutely certain that loads never go north to Dounreay any more. At one time they certainly did since the RN had/have a testing facility there.

Sodium tripolyphosphate was loaded by Albright & Wilson at Corkickle, not discharged there. Davefreight

The Crewe BH to Runcorn Folly Lane trip is still a fairly regular runner and I believe ran today. Formerly operated by DB it is now a Freightliner job. The traffic, in tank containers, comprises caustic soda from Runcorn to customers in the Scottish Lowlands. The Castner-Kellner chemical complex at Runcorn has been producing caustic soda since the nineteenth century.

From old TOPS records known loading points for these grain vans when in main line use were Mistley and Ipswich, both RW Paul at Ipswich Docks and Ipswich Maltings at Ipswich Griffen Wharf, but there could have been other loading points in East Anglia. I have a notion that by 1976 they were lettered 'To Work Between Eastern Region and Burton-on-Trent'. In all these flows to Burton they worked alongside similar BR Grain Vans.

According to TOPS they were carrying "milk products" from the Continent to Buxton Freight Depot.

When working to the company's distribution depots the BOC block trains often featured mixed consists, some of the tanks loaded liquid oxygen and others liquid nitrogen. However, flows for a specific purpose would be confined to one or the other; eg. nitrogen to Falmouth for ship storage tank purging or to Inverness for fruit packaging, while Corby and Sheerness received oxygen.

A few additions to all the above. By the mid 1980's the Tarmac (ex Amasco) terminal at Pendleton was served by either the 'Super Train' formation (mixed Peakstone, ex Staveley, PGA's and Tarmac 149xx PGA's) or by a shorter rake comprising just TAMC 149xx's. Prior to that the earlier Tarmac 146xx PGA batch did the job before they left the Peak District for Cliff Hill. I'm not aware that the few 'Baby Salts' based at Dove Holes Quarry worked in the Salford Hope St. circuit but another type which did were the Cadoux built Tiger PBA's 135xx batch sans top covers. They would appear in mixed rakes with bogie Tiphook PIA and RMC PHA hoppers, although from memory such mixed rakes didn't last for long. The replacement PGA's mentioned as taking over from the ICI PHV's were those allocated to the Tunstead to Northwich circuit. As far as I'm aware they never troubled the Miles Platting to Dean Lane metals. David

I've no idea whether all had officially been transferred but a Class 50 appeared on the early afternoon Manchester Victoria to Preston portion of the Liverpool/Manchester to Glasgow working as late as May 1977. I recall being hauled by one on my way to an interview in Lancaster that month, and with just four coaches it was a sprightly run. Unfortunately though it was before I began taking photos.

Yes, VDA's were used for the Guinness traffic from Park Royal before being replaced by VGA's.

The scaffolding board photographed at Dallam had originated in Luxembourg but other originating point were available. The OP might also find my short article 'Cargowaggon's versatile flats', which appeared in Rail Express February 2018, of interest.

Yes, and also from Ince & Elton. From memory the yoghurt went to Young's at Glengarnock, one of the most under utilized private terminals I can think of, on a par with the Cory McGregor place at Warrington Dallam.

Mobile signal and excellent fish and chips all to be had in Hellifield !

Neville Hill still supplied on a Wednesday but in bogie tank wagons.

As the author of the Rail Express guide to Network Coal trains I can direct you to that article which you will find, complete with formations, in the July 2008 issue.

While there may be no technical arguments against it the ambition to switch entirely from oil to electric vehicles is probably a complete nonsense. It would appear to fall down when one considers the impracticality of charging electric vehicles, both in terms of the time taken to do so and the availability of charging points. Recharging times may come down but not until they are reduced to the equivalent of a petrol/diesel stop can I envisage the electric car being a practical proposition for the many.

MTV's carried sand from Oakamoor to the CWS Glassworks in Wigan

Air-braked vans numbers 200291-93 were painted in BOC livery in October 1970 while 200314/15 were similarly painted in July 1971. Although not mentioning the vans an informative article about the introduction of the BOC bogie tank wagon fleet appeared in the May 1970 issue of 'Modern Railways'.

Lovely shot. The tanks conveyed butane to the quarry where it was used to fire the lime kilns. This came from Shell's Stanlow refinery which is where the discharged (empty) tanks would have been returning to.

Exactly. For example the one time regular working from Port Clarence to Weaste was always composed of Class A tanks but the commodities they carried were Derv and kerosene.

Worth bearing in mind that just because its a Class A tank it isn't necessarily loaded with a highly inflammable product. DR

Apologies if my somewhat badly phrased previous post gave the impression that any VAA's or VBA's were repainted in Lovat Spring livery. As far as I'm aware they weren't, only two or perhaps three of the VGA's used for the traffic were done. However, also noted in the mineral water traffic in addition to VGA's in plain livery were some that had received other, non related liveries, such as the one that had a large 'Gi' painted on the side and one that was lettered for 'Iggesund Paper Board', as illustrated in my IA book BR Air-braked Wagons in Colour.

My understanding is that the prior permission of the magazine publisher is required before reproducing or transmitting such material.

In reply to the various questions/points raised by Dava, stovepipe, and woodenhead.... Yes the WTT also includes parcels trains that originated and terminated at Manchester Piccadilly without calling at Mayfield. The only service that did that was the one I included in the earlier table. In the WTT Mayfield is listed either immediately above or below Piccadilly dependent upon the direction of travel. There is no signal reference number. While not discounting the headshunt theory there is also the possibility (and in my opinion the very strong probability) that the outside platform road at Mayfield was electrified for its full length to accommodate arrivals.

Sorry to labour the point but the Working Timetable shows no trains arriving at Piccadilly and then being shunted back to Mayfield. For instance in May 1976 4H12, the 01.25 Parcels from Stafford to Manchester Mayfield, called at Stockport from 02.50 to 03.40. While there it was overtaken by 4H05, the 02.34 Parcels from Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly which arrived at Piccadilly at 03.24 with 4H12 following it down the slow line arriving at Mayfield at 03.39. The WTT then shows the electric locomotive from 4H12 leaving Mayfield light engine at 04.05 for Longsight.