Rivercider

Thanks. I have always found mixed freight trains fascinating, there often appears to be a randomness about them, but when you study pictures you can sometimes identify patterns of wagon types and how they are formed that might vary around the country, cheers

We now go down onto Westbury Station for some views starting in the early 1980s. These views will show how the motive power situation changed in the Westbury area, after the withdrawal of the last Westerns the bulk of the stone haulage was done by Bath Road allocated class 47s until the first class 56s turned up around 1982/3. First is a classic stone train formation of the day, a class 47 with a train of former iron ore tipplers now coded MSV. A large number of MSVs were employed on stone traffic from the Mendips Quarries as well as Tytherington Quarry. 47284 a Bath Road allocated loco waits at Westbury with loaded MSVs 12/1/81 Here is another set of former bogie iron ore tipplers now coded PTA, these wagons were also very common on traffic from the Mendip Quarries at Merehead and Whatley but were not used out of Tytherington at the time. Cardiff Cantons 47233 stands in the platform at Westbury at the head of a train of 100t tipplers for Angerstein Wharf, after arrival from Merehead the train has run round and will depart via Salisbury, for this reason 47137 was at the rear ready to bank the train up to Warminster, 14/9/82 Vacuum braked services between Severn Tunnel Junction and the Southampton/Eastleigh area called at Westbury Yard. 47205 creeps along the Down Reception at Westbury with 6O48 Severn Tunnel Junction - Southampton 14/9/82 Although Bristol East Depot was the main engineers yard in the west Westbury Yard also handled engineers trains for the local area. 31297 draws a ballast train formed of a shark plough van and loaded sealion hoppers out of the up yard, 14/9/82 cheers

Very nice, that brings back memories. You have captured two of my former BR workplaces. In 1991 as a result of the Sectorisation re-organisation I moved to Westbury and worked for two years for Trainload Freight. For a few weeks the office was temporarily located in Farrs building as seen above 56031 in the distance, I then spent a few months in an office in the down yard as seen above 56038, the top floor of which was the TOPS Office, cheers

I did not want to suggest there was gridlock when shunting took place! But Avon Street forms a useful link beween Temple Way and Feeder Road so it was not deserted either. I seem to remember that in the 1980s the bridge got struck by road vehicles on a number of occasions, waste skip lorries I think were often culprits, in my photo of 08949 on the crossing in 1983 there is a Ford Escort waiting nearside, and what appear to be a car, a van, and a skip lorry far side, cheers

That is not a marshalling requirement I had previously been aware of. I do remember in later years that the pink pages of the Working Manual referring to dangerous goods had restrictions for marshalling certain steel traffic, like rods, blooms and plate that could not be marshalled adjacent to tank cars loaded with certain types of flammable liquids, cheers

Yes I think you are right Brian, they went from Quidhampton to Sittingbourne amongst other places, so would have routed via Severn Tunnel Junction possibly connecting into 6O50 01.50 Severn Tunnel Junction to Dover which called at Hoo Jn, cheers

And now crossing to the other side of the road bridge we can look down onto Westbury Station. To begin we have two photos when Westbury North Signal Box was still controlling semaphore signals. I think that at this time the multiple aspect signals at Westbury South were controlled by a mini panel in the North box which had been renamed Westbury Box, though I stand to be corrected. Firstly a view of a Salisbury - Meldon Quarry empty ballast train which has called at Westbury to run round. 50045 Achilles has been uncoupled ready to run round its train from Salisbury to Meldon, class 50s were not that common on freight services in my experience though I saw them a few times on Meldon trains, 14/9/82 Now another view of the ballast train we saw returning from Woodboro after a ballast drop. 31171 departs from Westbury on its way back to Bristol East Depot, I think these midweek trains often ran as 6Z10, 23/8/83 Now three views after the MAS scheme here had been completed. An earlier view of 6V83 the second of the two daily Speedlink services from Eastleigh to Severn Tunnel Junction 47312 departs Westbury for Severn Tunnel Junction, the PCA tanks next to the loco have probably originated at the cement works, 2/6/84 There were a few petroleum services passing through Westbury, bitumen for Cranmore and Frome has been mentioned. There was also traffic from Fawley to Plymouth and to Tiverton Junction. The Robeston - Theale service for Murco Petroleum ran via the Avon Valley then from Hawkeridge Junction to Heywood Road Junction then up the B&H route to Theale, returning discharged via Swindon. On odd occasions the train called into Westbury Yard to reverse, this sometimes happened before the MAS scheme was completed as Hawkeridge JUnction signal box was not always open. I don't know the reason for this working but the discharged tanks for Robeston are seen on the return working at Westbury. 56032 Sir Morgannwg Ganol/County of Mid Glamorgan makes a smoky departure from Westbury on the return working to Robeston, 21/6/84 Finally for this batch another view of 6V79 which we saw earlier passing Hawkeridge Junction. 6V79 Eastleigh - Severn Tunnel Speedlink service has just arrived at Westbury, the driver of 47156 looks back for a signal from the shunter as the train is about to reverse into the up yard in order for the cement tanks and warflats next to the loco to be detached, 16/6/86 cheers

We now move south to Westbury, a location then, as now, busy with freight traffic. Westbury is a railway crossroads with north-south traffic on the Bristol - Portsmouth route meeting east-west traffic from Paddington to the West of England, and further complicated by an avoiding line. Some of the photos have previously appeared on other threads. At Westbury North is a triangular junction, trains from the Bristol direction can branch left to Heywood Road Junction, and gain the main line towards London. Here is a photo taken looking north towards Hawkeridge Junction, the chord line to Heywood Road Junction can be seen leading off to the right. 47156 is heading 6V79 Eastleigh - Severn Tunnel Junction Speedlink service away from Westbury earlier on the same day as 6V83 previously seen passing Bath. 16/6/86 We now move to Westbury North and the road bridge at the end of the platforms. One source of much traffic at this end of Westbury was the Blue Circle Cement Works adjacent to the main line at Heywood Road Junction. Traffic from the cement works went in train loads to locations like Exeter Central, Lawrence Hill and Southampton, as well as in wagon loads to Barnstaple. Inwards traffic was coal in trainloads from the midlands and PFA from Longannet. Some trains went direct from the works to their destination, other times the wagons were tripped to Westbury Yard for the train to start from there. Here Westbury pilot 08951 brings a raft of 25 presflos from the cement works into Westbury, 3/1/81 To highlight the importance of aggregate traffic in the area we can see two sets of stabled PGAs (51t hoppers), on the left a set is stabled on the up Trowbridge Extension, the siding on the right is known as the Patney Siding. To the right the building site is the beginnings of the construction of the panel signal box. The re-signalling of the Westbury area took place in the early 1980s with Westbury South being completed first. while for a time Westbury North retained semaphores.. In this next view not only have the semaphore signals gone but the cement is now conveyed in airbraked tanks. 08949 brings a short train into Westbury, at this time the cement works was receiving pulverised fuel ash (pfa) from Longannet on Speedlink services, 17/7/85 We can now see the new Westbury Panel Signal Box at Westbury, although the semaphores are still in use at Westbury North. 31171 is working a midweek ballast drop out of Bristol East Depot and is returning from Woodboro on the Berks and Hants route, the permanent way staff are riding on the platform of the third hopper. The formation of 10 dogfish hoppers and a shark plough van, was the standard formation at that time, 23/8/83 Of course Westbury is well known for its involvement in the aggregate traffic from the Mendip Quarries. Although a handful of services bypassed Westbury on the avoiding line most trains called into Westbury either for traincrew relief, or to reverse if heading for stone terminals in the Eastleigh area. We also get a view of the completed Westbury Panel Signal Box. 47242 passes the panel box as it approaches Westbury from the London direction with empty ARC PTAs which are former iron ore tipplers, a type of wagon commonly used on stone traffic in the late 1970s and 1980s. 16/6/86. cheers

Impressive work so far, and I like the cameos. I don't think you will need too many people for the lower yard area. I remember Avon Street as being quite busy with road traffic passing through, but not many pedestrians. Like many areas of city centre industrial decay it was probably not somewhere you visited unless you had business there! cheers

Could 8302 be on a local trip working to Foss Island Yard? Some of the wagons could be for onwards transit on the Derwent Valley Railway. I remember class 20s on the Foss Islands trip in the 1980s, but was never ready with my camera! cheers

Thanks Chris for taking the time to post these pictures, and thanks also to everyone who has contributed to make this a very interesting thread. I only made one visit to Saltburn in 1982, and as I recall I took one photo and returned on the same train! It is certainly not a 'now' shot, but here it is Another class 101 Met-Cam set at Saltburn, no.s 56219, 50233 wait at the stop blocks, 22/6/82 cheers

Now in order to have a look at the other freight traffic of the West of England Division we will have to retrace our route back to Bristol and then head via Bath and the Avon valley to Westbury. There was only a single freight terminal between Bristol and Westbury, it was the Avon County Council terminal at Bath Westmorland. Avon County Council introduced their refuse transfer train in November 1985, it immediately became known as the 'Binliner', The train initially ran five days a week with 15 flats each conveying 3 x 20' boxes and called at three terminals where the empty return boxes were exchanged for ones loaded with refuse for Calvert. Bath Westmorland loaded 4 wagons, Barrow Road terminal loaded 7 and the Westerleigh terminal loaded 4 flats. There was quite a lot of regular freight traffic over the Bristol - Westbury route, in the early 1980s vacuum braked services ran between Kingsland Road and Westbury, as well as inter-regional services between Severn Tunnel Junction and Eastleigh/Southampton. Later first one then a pair of Speedlink services operated between Severn Tunnel Junction and Eastleigh. There was also cement traffic from Westbury to Lawrence Hill, and stone empties to Barton Hill SHops for maintenance. There was also some petroleum traffic from Fawley and steel traffic to Southampton and Hamworthy. Moving on to Bath Spa here we see a couple of trains that regularly passed this way. Firstly is 6V83 which was the second Speedlink service introduced between Eastleigh and Severn Tunnel Junction 47140 heads west through Bath Spa with 6V83, behind the loco is an MOD warflat, the former BR ferryvan is in use as a barrier wagon, the VEA behind is probably carrying government stores, possibly explosives. Are the tanks discharged bitumen tanks? they may be from Cranmore or Frome and heading for somewhere like Stanlow. 16/6/86 Next another service that ran for some years, 6O99/6V99 ran from Llanwern/Severn Tunnel Junction - Southampton and Hamworthy and return, At times it conveyed both export steel and import steel in varying wagon types, and at one time ran via Swindon to convey coil for Pressed Steel. 47236 approaches Bath Spa with 6V99 Hamworthy - Severn Tunnel Junction, the traffic today is empty shoc-hoods which will have conveyed export traffic to Hamworthy, either coil, or possibly tinplate from BSC at Ebbw Vale, 16/6/86. We now head up the Avon valley to Bradford on Avon, and go back a few years to 1983 when the vacuum braked network still existed. 37282 disturbs the peace at Bradford on Avon as it rattles through with 6V26 from Southampton Bevois Park to East Usk, the majority of the traffic by this date is coal empties for the South Wales pits. This service had been used to convey fuel tanks from Fawley to Bath Road in the past, but by this date the tanks had been converted to air brake and passed on an air braked service, 23/8/83 cheers

As well as the goods yard at Hereford there were a number of private sidings still active in the 1980s, Bulmers forwarded large amounts of cider on Speedlink services, and Painter Bros received steel. There was also timber traffic handled in the yard, and also for Pontrilas Saw Mills, I think the timber traffic increased after the great storm of 1987. In the Speedlink era one train in each direction northbound and southbound called to detach and attach traffic, I don't have any photos of the traffic in Hereford Yard but I did photograph the trip returning from Moreton-on-Lugg and then ready to leave for Severn Tunnel Junction. 47285 has a single vanwide from the MOD at Moreton-on-Lugg as it approaches Hereford, 12/2/82 After attaching traffic from the yard at Hereford 47285 now waits to return to Severn Tunnel Junction Behind the vanwide there is now a tank and five empty BDAs which had delivered steel to Painter Brothers, 12/2/82 In 1982 there were still vacuum braked services between Severn Tunnel Junction and Warrington 47129 is working a southbound service into Hereford, among the traffic is a highfit, a hooded steel carrier and the rear of the train was made up of china clay empties, 12/2/82 Finally for here is a photo of the yard pilot Gloucester allocated 08646 rests after completing the days shunting, the only other loco stabled there at the time was 40074, 12/2/82 cheers

Our last location was Newland so I have carried on westwards to Hereford, the yard pilot here was another Gloucester allocated class 08 in the early 1980s. Hereford was another location that saw a lot of passing freight traffic in the 1980s, in the early part of the decade there were vacuum braked services from Severn Tunnel Junction to Warrington and Carlisle, which were later replaced by Speedlink services to Warrington Carlisle and Mossend. There were also company block trains and Freightliner services over the route. Also important was steel traffic running between British Steel plants, Margam and Llanwern in South Wales, Dee Marsh in North Wales and Ravenscraig in Scotland. I only called here on a couple of occasions and only took a handful of photos. 37308 stands on the through line either waiting traincrew relief, or waiting a margin between passenger services to head south, 12/2/82 The same engineers train with 37308 is seen in a general view of Hereford 12/2/82 cheers

On page 134 of Freight Only Vol 3, mentioned by Alan above, refers to aluminium ingots for the West Midlands loaded in OCAs from Lochaber. also mentioned is paper to Pensnett, Wolverton and elswhere from the Corpach paper mill, which would be in vans, cheers

Thanks for your help in trying to identify these pictures. I had assumed they were taken on the same day, but there is now no way of knowing. The earlier picture no 7 I have not posted is clearly at Gloucester station early in the morning, Steve and Vic may have changed trains for Worcester or visited Gloucester first. On Flickr I have received the suggestion that the track sections may possibly be at Over Junction. cheers

To finish off my little journey along the Portsmouth - Cardiff route behind class 31s, here are two from Salisbury. and one from Southampton. Firstly one showing a passenger train arriving on the former platform 1 at Salisbury, which after resignalling was no longer used by passenger services. this was also when a number of trains started or terminated at Bristol and not Cardiff. 31401 is in chage of the 15.14 Bristol Temple Meads - Portsmouth Harbour, 23/4/80 A rare Eastern Region 31/4 on the route this time. Approaching Salisbury 31418 working the 16.07 Portsmouth Harbour - Cardiff Central 23/4/80 And finally one at Southampton 31406 approaches Southampton Tunnel with a service for Portsmouth Harbour, 4/11/81 cheers

Still on the subject of engineers trains in the Worcester area here are two photos from 1979 at Newland to the south west of Worcester. Sidings at Newland were use as a PAD (Pre-Assembly Depot) from 1954 until the depot closed in late 1982. Sleepers and rails were received to be made up into pre-fabricated track sections for use on relaying jobs around the Western Region. PWM 654 was the regular yard pilot from 1964 until closure in late 1982. PWM 654 receives attention in the yard, 27/3/79. One of the local trip locos was allocated to the civil engineers for moving engineers wagons as required, this might be moving wagons to or from yards ready for weekend working, or, as in this case, a midweek ballast drop, An instamatic photo of 31258 witjh mini snow ploughs passing Newland PAD with loaded dogfish hoppers and plough van it is heasding from the Hereford direction towards Worcester, 17/3/79 cheers

To illustrate more of the engineers traffic in the Worcester area here are more photos, though I am unsure of the exact locations. Here are five photos from a group of 13 taken by my late brother Steve. They were taken in the winter of 1980/81 or 1981/82 when my brother was working in the civil engineers office Bristol before he gained promotion and moved to Croydon. The visit to the Gloucester/Worcester area was made to either carry out a TOPS check, or wagon survey, he may have accompanied my dad, but another of my BR colleagues from Bristol appears in some of the photos. I recognise some of the locations, picture 7 was Gloucester Station on the journey up, picture 11 is at Evesham station with a passenger train approaching, pictures 18 and 19 are at Worcester Shrub Hill presumably when returning home. Picture 8 - now (in Jan 2021) confirmed as Sheenhill Sidings just west of Honeybourne station. It shows a train of new (?) track sections, Vic Bush from the Bristol Civil Engineers Office stands beside unfitted salmon DB 996493. Picture 9 - also confirmed as Sheenhill Sidings Honeybourne. Another salmon in the train, DB 996284. Picture 11 I now know is taken at Evesham Station, were the last two photos from Honeybourne? Picture 12 - where is this? Unfitted grampus DB 986036 loaded with some kind of cabinet, and sheeting, is this Worcester? Picture 14 - where is this? Vic Bush again, this time standing beside a piped gane DS 64640. Picture 17 - where is this? Three engineers ZTO TOPS coded brake vans, including DB 950385, is this Worcester? Picture 18 and 19 are at Worcester Shrub Hill. Any ideas please? cheers

Ah yes, I think I have misunderstood the caption, when it refers to the 'quay of the Sharpness Canal'. The Sharpness Canal, which of course ran from Sharpness Docks to Gloucester Docks. I did think a class 08 at Sharpness was a bit unusual! cheers

On one of my Flickr photos of Dingwall attracted a comment referring to the 'Achnasheen Bash', which I had never heard of It was a move to get maximum loco haulage, on the early morning services out of and into Inverness. cheers

Thanks Phil. I have been looking in 'Freight Only Vol 2 Southern & Central England ' by Rhodes and Shannon published July 1988. In the section on Gloucester & Worcester mention is made that Metal Box had just started to receive tinplate by rail from South Wales after a gap of three years, and that the famous Worcester pottery was receiving china clay from Cornwall in VDAs. The same chapter also has a December 1983 photo of 08836 at Sharpness with 3 polybulks of grain from East Anglia, and mentions SPA wagons being supplied to Sharpness to load scrap month earlier, cheers

In the list of Speedlink trains with effect from 17th May 1982 there is one shown to call at Worcester, I think the Metal Box tinplate was the only regular traffic detached 6E94 01.25 Severn Tunnel Junction - Immingham calls Worcester 03.04 - 03.27 (detach only), I don't see a southbound equivalent service to collect empties though, cheers

Yes Gary that was the place, I think the inwards tinplate lasted longer than the outward scrap, but maybe someone with local knowledge could shed some light? cheers

Hi David, there was a thread started earlier this year by P.C.M. to highlight the detail differences in the class. I am no expert on the class details so if it is just photos of them at work I'll add a few, are you looking for specific ones for your Prestatyn layout? Meanwhile here are three of them at Crewe, These are at Crewe Diesel Depot seen from the platform, and are 40013, 40126 and an unidentified one on the right, 14/6/83 cheers