How was BR affected by the 1984-85 Miners strike?

[PaxmanValenta]

Back in the days of the pits, British Rail transported coal from pits to power stations and docks. During the miners strike a lot of these train services would stopped because no coal was being mined. Did BR drivers get put onto other duties?
Also when some miners defied the strike, returned to the pits and coal was produced, were any coal trains attacked by pickets?

 

[gordonthemoron]

I don't think any coal trains ran during the strike, even if the pits reopened, there were a lot of coal lorries

 

[Saltleyman]

A lot of coal trains ran during the miners strike worked by certain Depots Drivers, mainly because they feared for their jobs. But i can assure you certain coal trains were allowed to run by ASLE&F to certain destinations such as Stoke Manderville Hospital.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

A lot of coal trains ran during the miners strike worked by certain Depots Drivers, mainly because they feared for their jobs. But i can assure you certain coal trains were allowed to run by ASLE&F to certain destinations such as Stoke Manderville Hospital.

There was a Nottingham - Barking FLT train , dumped at Finsbury Park for the duration of the strike - blacked by ASLEF as most of the load was containerised coke for Fords at Dagenham. Management wanted it moved - but feared a stoppage by Kings Cross depot if that happened. It more or less rusted to the tracks. The result was a huge claim and the loss of this, and much other traffic.

The results on the freight business generally was pretty catastrophic , and as one train crew man said to me (I was working st Ipswich at the time) - "that is the end of our electrification" .....luckily it was not , but it caused a huge amount of reconfiguration and deferment of investment.

Not that it bothered the hauliers working flat out on road transport of what was really BR traffic - e.g Notts coalfield to the Isle of Grain etc .....

 

[sprinterguy]

As a result of the strike, British Rail's annual coal tonnage fell from c.90 million tonnes the year before to 31 million tonnes during 1984. This at a time when BR were typically moving c.60 million tonnes of coal per annum to power stations. Oil usage in electricity generation increased significantly to partially plug the gap, and as noted above it also represented an excellent window of opportunity for the road hauliers.

The rail unions supported the miners by not crossing picket lines - this being at the time of the "Triple Alliance" of rail, coal and steel unions. Trains continued to be loaded at some Nottinghamshire collieries that continued working throughout the strike, their miners being part of a different union, and there still must surely have been a quantity of coal being shifted elsewhere to make up the 31 million tonne total.

Didcot Power Station, as one example, saw no coal trains for eleven months - the first train after the strike arriving on the night of 22nd/23rd January 1985. BR's coal tonnages never fully recovered, although they had been in gradual but long term decline since the late sixties at least - In 1985, 78 million tonnes were moved, with power station tonnages restored to around 60 million tonnes.

Many of the details above have been gleaned from "Merry-Go-Round on the Rails", written by David Monk-Steel.

Off topic, but it strikes me that even if it had managed to continue to eke out a living for a few years more, the miners strike would have sounded the deathknell for the Woodhead route anyway: I appreciate that it moved other traffic, too, but it relied in large part of movements of coal from the South Yorkshire coalfield to Fiddlers Ferry power station, a traffic already undermined before closure by the import of coal from Australia through Liverpool docks.

 

[Dai Corner]

As a result of the strike, British Rail's annual coal tonnage fell from c.90 million tonnes the year before to 31 million tonnes during 1984. This at a time when BR were typically moving c.60 million tonnes of coal per annum to power stations

I always thought that coal stocks at power stations were built up in anticipation of a strike by the miners. Does anyone know whether this was true, and if so whether the railway unions (who must surely have noticed the extra trains being run) told their mining allies?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I always thought that coal stocks at power stations were built up in anticipation of a strike by the miners. Does anyone know whether this was true, and if so whether the railway unions (who must surely have noticed the extra trains being run) told their mining allies?

Yes - Thatcher had pre-planned that the embarassment of the Heath years would never be repeated , so that strategic stockpiling at locations like Didcot (in those days served by an hourly pipeline of trains on the Washwood Heath axis via Didcot - one of the great things to show visitors to the TOPS office was to show the number of coal trains heading down there) , I doubt if the rank and file on the railways really noticed and the stocks were built up over a good period.

In certain areas - coal trains were kept moving - and local management were able to assist , whereas on the Southern , whilst some crews were unofficially prepared to move stranded coal trains , the passenger focused bosses were terrified of a train being left stranded on a running line at somewhere like Hither Green. So the wagons were left stranded , and under load , as I mentioned above , deteriorated both the cargo and the rolling stock. I suspect a harder line could have been taken , with non co-operating crews signed off , and any stranded trains being moved by qualified inspectors or driver managers. All horribly depressing at the time.

Refusal to move iron ore into Llanwern by South Wales crews caused 24/7 convoys of trucks up and down the M4 , from Port Talbot - one train was stopped at the start by trespassing pickets - who in my view should have had the full force of the law upheld for trespass and obstruction of the railway. The result was a permanant loss of traffic and later cost cutting - maybe the closure of Severn Tunnel Yard alter might have registered later on. I presume Central Government paid for the resurfacing of the M4 which had grooves cut in it.

My own father was a Duty Shift Manager for the NCB - and they kept their colliery safe and well ventilated by managers - there was a token picket line to cross on the first day - but off the record conversations with the rank and file indicated that had there been a problem found with the mine ( a newish one with good investment) , there would have been assistance to protect it and help with repairs. Unlike , I think Polkemmet in Scotland which flooded and never re-opened.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Further point - apart from the very lucrative MGR workings - the strike(s) decimated the archaic wagon load movements of domestic coal - dying in any case - but only a small % migrated to the air braked Speedlink Network.

 

[Dai Corner]

Very interesting. Thank you @ChiefPlanner and @Saltleyman in particular; it's good to hear from people who were actually there at the time.

With road hauliers gaining significant revenue at the expense of BR, and no doubt investing in increased capacity which they would want to get a return on subsequently, the strike would seem to have damaged the railfreight industry as much as it did mining.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Very interesting. Thank you @ChiefPlanner and @Saltleyman in particular; it's good to hear from people who were actually there at the time.

With road hauliers gaining significant revenue at the expense of BR, and no doubt investing in increased capacity which they would want to get a return on subsequently, the strike would seem to have damaged the railfreight industry as much as it did mining.

Very much so - the miners really did put themselves out of work (and one feels for Nottingham men who worked on , and in a few years lost almost everything) - and the rail industry lost - or at leas got a huge dent in what was a very efficient and lucrative , cash as well as cross subsidy - business - when the trend turned away from domestic coal , well handled by BR to be fair , to imported coal from a rag bag of ports (no offence) - based on world spot markets. Much of this coal of course , had higher sulpher levels than our local stuff.

Years later , I bumped into a depressed looking Scargill on a Circle Line train - one freezing evening - enroute to his grace and favour apartment in the Barbican , I wish I had said something impolite to him....

 

[telstarbox]

Has anyone here read 'GB84' by David Peace?

 

[RichmondCommu]

Has anyone here read 'GB84' by David Peace?

Deleted.

 

[RichmondCommu]

One consequence of the strike were brand new class 58s with very little work to do. In fact in an effort to find anything for them to do they could often be found running through the Hope Valley on very short Toton to Ashburys speedlink services.

 

[shredder1]

Great for shed bashing and you could still get round depots in those days.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Great for shed bashing and you could still get round depots in those days.

I concur. My local sheds Barrow Hill and Shirebrook would be packed full of locomotives mid week.

 

[shredder1]

I concur. My local sheds Barrow Hill and Shirebrook would be packed full of locomotives mid week.

I still have the photographs from my visits back then, it was amazing.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Off topic, but it strikes me that even if it had managed to continue to eke out a living for a few years more, the miners strike would have sounded the deathknell for the Woodhead route anyway: I appreciate that it moved other traffic, too, but it relied in large part of movements of coal from the South Yorkshire coalfield to Fiddlers Ferry power station, a traffic already undermined before closure by the import of coal from Australia through Liverpool docks.

The 1980 steel workers strike did a lot to kill off the Woodhead route. Not only that but the number of pits that were closing even before the strike meant that the route no longer had a reason to exist. It's worth mentioning here that in the summer of 1976 there was a train in each direction roughly every 30 minutes. By 1981 it was down to viritually nothing.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

The 1980 steel workers strike did a lot to kill off the Woodhead route. Not only that but the number of pits that were closing even before the strike meant that the route no longer had a reason to exist. It's worth mentioning here that in the summer of 1976 there was a train in each direction roughly every 30 minutes. By 1981 it was down to viritually nothing.

Possibly - but not aware of steel flows cross the Pennines via Woodhead , but there may have been. A bigger factor was the Government insistence on freight being "subsidy free" from other sectors , which obviously led to a series of reviews on line and infrastructure capacity and capability , especially when Woodhead being opened in the early 1950s as an electric railway , probably needed some track etc investment. Remember - the phrase "the crumbling edge of quality" applied to a lot of the network then - freight as well as passenger. There was not a lot of money around - and not helped by basic industry strike action + a Recession with 3 million unemployed.

However , I did help - we used to run a good number of specials from Felixstowe to Trafford Park - we would load the train and get a routing north of Peterborough from the Control at Norwich , imagine my surprise one evening to complete the 29773 from "Advice of Traincrew of exceptonal loads" via Woodhead and Guide Bridge. One of the last trains over the route I believe.

 

[Busaholic]

Years later , I bumped into a depressed looking Scargill on a Circle Line train - one freezing evening - enroute to his grace and favour apartment in the Barbican , I wish I had said something impolite to him....

Totally off topic, but when Scargill's dreaded enemy Thatcher brought in the Poll Tax it brought the amount paid by a single occupant in the Barbican down to about £100 p.a. I seriously tried to persuade my wife that we should sell our house in Hither Green and go to live in the Barbican, given that she worked at Moorgate. We could probably have just about afforded it then, too.

 

[billh]

It's worth mentioning here that in the summer of 1976 there was a train in each direction roughly every 30 minutes. By 1981 it was down to viritually nothing.

Of course it was down to nothing,but that was because it was diverted away to other routes in advance of closure.The Fiddlers Ferry coal still kept coming and does to this day- there's a train from Redcar with imported coal that runs Trans-Pennine to FF on weekdays at least. There were freight liners ,British Oxygen gas tanks, scrap trains, ammonia tanks etc etc. None of that just disappeared at or before closure of Woodhead.
The tale of the route being worn out was nonsense as well, the locos were built to last for ever, the overhead also ( still today plenty of original structures in sound condition , Manchester to Hadfield). Take a look at videos of cab rides in 1980/1, the p-way is in excellent condition with mostly concrete sleepers and FB rail .

 

[randyrippley]

........ the locos were built to last for ever,.................

That may be true, but I have read that obtaining spares was an insoluble problem.
For instance the motor armatures used imperial-gauge lacquered copper wire, which was impossible to obtain, making traction motor rebuilds impossible.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

The loco's were over 30 years old.

The Woodhead route was dead in the water , due to structural industrial and economic factors , incidentally not a single (freight) traffic generation point on the line proper. (yards do not count) - plenty of available capacity on parallel routes.

 

[furnessvale]

The loco's were over 30 years old.

The Woodhead route was dead in the water , due to structural industrial and economic factors , incidentally not a single (freight) traffic generation point on the line proper. (yards do not count) - plenty of available capacity on parallel routes.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't the Woodhead the only cross Pennine route capable of carrying 8' 6" boxes on standard FLL flats?

Secondly, didn't BR claim the OHLE was life expired and would need replacing with 25kv at a cost of ca gbp30m? After closure the line to Hadfield, ca one third of the route, was converted to 25kv for just under gbp1m.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Please correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't the Woodhead the only cross Pennine route capable of carrying 8' 6" boxes on standard FLL flats?

Secondly, didn't BR claim the OHLE was life expired and would need replacing with 25kv at a cost of ca gbp30m? After closure the line to Hadfield, ca one third of the route, was converted to 25kv for just under gbp1m.

Yes it was cleared for 8'6 , but there were no regular container trains routed that way - my few specials sure - and the very rare Trafford Park to Stockton for the MOD.

Felixstowe to Manchester via the North London lines were assisted by the extra wiring on the North London Lines from Dalston / Canonbury to Camden Road ....which despite a 10 min frequency of London Overground ,sis till viable and operable today.

 

[6Gman]

Very interesting. Thank you @ChiefPlanner and @Saltleyman in particular; it's good to hear from people who were actually there at the time.

With road hauliers gaining significant revenue at the expense of BR, and no doubt investing in increased capacity which they would want to get a return on subsequently, the strike would seem to have damaged the railfreight industry as much as it did mining.

I was working in the Train Planning Office at Crewe and spent the strike arranging the "coal programme" each week, 95% of which never happened. A huge waste of effort. Even where miners were digging out the coal (mostly Notts) the ASLEF drivers wouldn't move it. As others have indicated the long-term impact was significant (though - of course - it was a market which would probably have declined in any case.)

 

[edwin_m]

I believe another factor, probably more after the strike, was miners who bought a truck with their redundancy payment but only expected to run it until they got to retirement. Not having to fund a replacement meant they could charge very low rates, which were damaging to rail freight.

 

[furnessvale]

Yes it was cleared for 8'6 , but there were no regular container trains routed that way - my few specials sure - and the very rare Trafford Park to Stockton for the MOD.

Yes I appreciate that, but closing the only available route over the Pennines has stymied freight development, eg Merseyside to the North East, ever since.

Of course, any development of the railways, let alone freight, was the last thing on anyone's mind at that time. The porkies told about electrification costs, just like the porkies told about Ribblehead viaduct, were part of a concerted effort to get rid of as many of those nuisances called railways as possible.

 

[furnessvale]

I believe another factor, probably more after the strike, was miners who bought a truck with their redundancy payment but only expected to run it until they got to retirement. Not having to fund a replacement meant they could charge very low rates, which were damaging to rail freight.

Not only miners, I believe many steelworkers did the same.

Additionally, the 38 tons road gross weight limit had just been introduced. The profits from coal and iron ore traffic enabled many road hauliers to re-equip and expand with new, increased capacity HGVs further eating into other rail bulk traffics.