lankyphil

Station Road level Crossing at March. LNER Beware of the Trains sign 3/8/21

Spotted these in Freightliner at Trafford park. They look to be open tops, judging by the row of eyelets just below roof level, but with an end tipping door (hinged at top not sides)?

Spotted this in the crane lane at Garston FLT (Sept 20). FLLU prefix isn't registered for international use anymore, but given that it appeared to have come off a train, I'm guessing freightliner were using it for inter-site operations. This is one of the old FL boxes that tends to move around Garston. Think they're basically stores boxes as far as I can tell

A quick snap from a storage yard. A Hapag Lloyd 40' high cube with a solid removable roof (as opposed to the tarp rooves that open top boxes normally have). 20 and 40' (tarpaulined) open tops are pretty rare, 20' hard tops even more rare, but I've never seen a 40HT anywhere. As a side note, when you get open tops or tank containers lifted off to go on a train at a railhead, they have the rooves inspected to make sure everything is secure, no danger of striking OHLE etc.

Bit of an odd one, sort of a double ended box? But only 1 door on the headboard? I'm guessing it's an end-customer specific designed box for whatever reason. (Apologies for the dodgy shot, taken whilst queuing in a container yard)

They're sort of common, if you know where to look... (Least helpful response ever, let me expand...) The current trend of using containers as storage units or site units, combined with the general one way trade from China to the west, quite a few companies buy a few hundred 20 or 40 foot units in China, lease them to one of the big Shipping Lines (Normally Maersk or CMA in my experience) who load them for a trip to the UK, then they'll go to a depot for sale or conversions. The double ended ones like that are usually cut in half to make 2 10 foot boxes. We also get side doored versions in 20 and 40 foot lengths as well as double ended 40 footers. They also have the door handles mounted higher up so they're easier to use in a ground mounted storage role. Not very easy to cut a bolt seal off when they're still on a trailer though!

With regards to how 40/45s are loaded, they're not loaded as close to each other as deep sea boats. best example I can find is a BG Freight boat (Afloat.ie pic below) which shows the gaps between stacks.

Almost. It's the dimensions of where the actual ISO castings are. A palletwide or a eurobox can be over normal length and width, say a 45 for example, but the ISO casting (where a twistlock attaches) are at exactly the same place as a standard deep sea 40HC. http://www.matts-place.com/intermodal/part4/cldu9615390.jpg If you look at the yellow painted castings, they're recessed a bit so that they line up with the standard ISO dimensions Cunningly, on most of the chemical jobs I do at least, people order in batches of 80 drums. Which fits perfectly 4 drums wide, 2 drums tall, 10 drums deep in a standard 20ft box and doesn't overload them either. IBC's are a little bit more awkward as they're mostly based on a UK pallet. That link shows the difference between a standard and a palletwide box best I think?

So, driving into work last week, I got stopped at the crossing by a GBRF 66 on a liner service. Strange, thought I, as the only container train out of Seaforth is the DBS service to Scotland. After a quick look through RTT whilst waiting for the wagon to warm up, shows the service to have been to East Mids Gateway. I know MSC have diverted a couple of boats to Liverpool from Felixstowe, is this the loaded boxes from that heading south does anyone know? Also noticed there's 2 Freightliner paths from Seaforth, one to Immingham and one to Tees Dock. Add into that the odd steel train for export, it's getting pretty congested up at Seaforth?! Bet Peel Ports are regretting getting rid of the gantry cranes on the railhead!

"Standard" 20s are 20' x 8' wide x 8'6", however, I have recently found a couple of shipping lines that use 20 foot High Cube Pallet Wides. So 20' x 8'2" x 9' (2DG1). An exception to the rule seems to be Huktra, who use 30' part framed tank containers When they're new... They don't last that long IMHO 3 (main) options. Reload for an export, Empty into a depot or port for storage , or for sale for conversions or use as storage units. Waste paper and carboard is a regular export to either Turkey or the Indian Sub Continent, scrap metal is also still commonly exported in 20 footers, mostly fragmented scrap from recycling centres to India/Pakistan where it is sorted and graded before moving onto the Far East. With respect to weights, Verified Gross Mass (as mentioned before) was brought in a few years ago, but I was told after a badly loaded ship capsized. If it isn't submitted to the shipping line, you will not be able to get the box lifted at a port or railhead (unless they're weighing it for you).

In my experience, the orientation depends on how the box has been presented to the train. If the train is loaded by a container handler, it's quite awkward to rotate even a 20, so they just get stuck on the train. Some wagons have a wedge fitted at the end, so even though it looks like the doors are facing outwards, the wedge (only and a foot high) physically stops the doors from being opened.

I had a similar problem with surging on my Bachy Railtruck. Managed to mostly cure it by adding a "brake" on the front bogie from a bit of brass strip. It adds just enough drag so that it has to actually drive down grades so the UJ bevel box is always under a load of some sort?

Courtesy of Private Eye via Fb

Now that HS2 or whatever is taking over the old Washwood heath sidings, the ex Rover KSA have been cleared from the site. I'm pretty sure I saw some of them in Bescot yesterday? Anyone got any info on them? Are they going to be put back into use or are they simply the ones that weren't de-bogied and are just on their way to a scrapyard? Cheers

What page number was that on out of curiosity?

VERY INTERESTING FACTS ! ! Dead Penguins - I never knew this! Did you ever wonder why there are no dead penguins on the ice in Antarctica ? Where do they go? Wonder no more ! ! ! It is a known fact that the penguin is a very ritualistic bird which lives an extremely ordered and complex life. The penguin is very committed to its family and will mate for life, as well as maintain a form of compassionate contact with its offspring throughout its life. If a penguin is found dead on the ice surface, other members of the family and social circle have been known to dig holes in the ice, using their vestigial wings and beaks, until the hole is deep enough for the dead bird to be rolled into, and buried. The male penguins then gather in a circle around the fresh grave and sing: scroll down "Freeze a jolly good fellow." "Freeze a jolly good fellow."

The Cargowaggons may be on their way back from overhaul? I passed on that was travelling NB on the M57 this afternoon and there were 4 stabled on the cripples siding this evening as I finished (only 3 this morning). As I was leaving the docks tonight, I got stuck at the new Regent Road LC, which was occupied by a rake of TDAs, awaiting the Line Clear from Sandhills or Manchester to climb the branch. A quick check of RTT shows it to be heading to Carlisle Kingmoor. https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O55339/2019-11-04/detailed (Couldn't see the loco). It's described as an NR aggregates working, but it was definitely TDAs!

They were only being stored for a day or two at most, John Dickinson's Heavy Haulage wagons (escorted by an RSS van) were coming in and removing them two at a time. I assumed that they were going for scrap, but as you say, they've reappeared with freshly painted parts all over the underframe, suggesting some sort of overhaul somewhere. The 4w Cargowaggons also suffered the same fate, being roaded away, 3 at a time. They've only just appeared last week so I cant comment on their movements too much. They are all up in the cripples siding though, so when the tanks started coming back last week , there was a very bemused Dickinson's driver scratching his wondering where he was going to unload the second TDA, as the siding already had 3x Cargowaggons and a TDA in it!

Seen in Trafford Park by the exit from DBS/Maritime terminal. Surprised it was a BR crossing though? Thought it'd have been Trafford Park metals by then?

Disused as far as I can tell. Apparently the club asked for it not to be used citing health and safety. Narrow platforms and limited access/egress. The new Metrolink line currently under construction passes right by it so it'd be redundant soon in any case.

What gauge? I'm currently constructing a G scale line, part laid on blocks, part laid on roofing felt covered decking boards. The roofing felt is tacked onto the decking boards, the the track is laid. I drill a hole through the sleeper a little bit larger than the current odd pile of screws I've found in the "come-in-useful-one-day" box, then screw it down, but not tightly, so that the track can move a little, to allow for expansion/kids etc.

And so it becomes clear... Cheers Jim, Didn't realise the branch was steep enough to need a banker, hence that thought never crossed my mind!

My place of work has recently moved to inside Liverpool Docks. So i'm now treated to sitting at the Level Crossing when (loaded) biomass trains leave for Drax. A few questions though, 1. The train leaves the biomass sidings, and runs about 200m to Regents Road LC, where it stops for a minute, before returning to NR metals and setting off down the branch. I assume that the stop is to get permission off NR, but by that point the loco and the first 5 wagons are sitting on the single line access to the docks. So why don't they get permission before they leave the biomass yard? As nothing can come the other way till the biomass train has cleared the lead? 2. The incoming (empties) run along the Chat Moss line, turn right at Olive Mount junction and then up the branch. However, the outbound (loaded) trains run, top and tailed (complete with idling and manned rear loco), down the branch, into Tuebrook sidings, reverse, then straight back out to Manchester. How come they don't use the new chord at Olive Mount and save on running a light engine up the branch to fetch it back down? Cheers Phil

Yep

Yep, the level crossing at the Strand Road/Regent Road junction.