When did British Railways cease carrying livestock?

[railfan99]

What year did British Railways cease carrying sheep, cattle, pigs and (perhaps for circus trains) unusual animals such as elephants?

Late 1970s?

What were the last stations to have sheep and cattle races (i.e. ramps from pens to allow direct loading onto sheep/pigs or cattle wagons)? Was the livestock traffic mainly to abattoirs or was a fair amount from farmer A who had sold livestock to farmer B?

 

[The exile]

would it have been the pigeon specials?

 

[6Gman]

I believe the last conventional livestock flow was imported Irish cattle from Holyhead to Manchester (?) or York (?).

Certainly still running in the early 1970s. (I have seen 1972 and 1975 quoted as last dates.)

There was a rather bizarre idea later (1980s?) to transport calves from Crewe to Scotland, boxed, in the brake vans of passenger trains but I don't think it ever happened!

Having handled calves in a mart the practicalities of getting a calf into a box, keeping it there, and manhandling it onto and off a passenger train would be ... challenging to say the least.

Not to mention the state of the brake van after a few hours!

 

[Geswedey]

Not quite livestock but I certainly carried the following live creatures in brakevans in the early 90's. Day old Chicks, Parrots and unaccompanied Dogs transiting between breeders. when BR ceased to be classed as a common carrier in 1962 they could decline to accept and transport items.

 

[edwin_m]

The report into the first Morpeth derailment 1969 (https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/DoE_Morpeth1969.pdf):

In the trailing (Aberdeen traffic) luggage space the periodicals weighed much the same as those in the leading space and were similarly loaded, there were no exceptionally heavy items in the Red Star Parcels traffic, the weights of the flowers and perishable traffic were negligible, and the live pig and its crate weighed 250 lbs.

Stated elsewhere in the report that the guard did not see anything unusual in the load. History (or at least this report) does not record the fate of the pig.

 

[75A]

In the mid 1970's my late Father was Secretary of the Bognor Regis South Road Flying Club (Pigeon Racing).
The members would meet in the early Evening usually 2 or 3 days before the Saturday race, on Platform 3 at Bognor Regis station.
Here the administration was done and the birds loaded into half a dozen or so crates.
These were loaded into the Guards van and taken to Barnham, where they were unloaded and transfered to a Portsmouth bound train. At Portsmouth & Southsea High level, they were then put on a Southampton bound service, and finally at Southampton Central they were loaded on to the Solent Federation Arctic, which took them by Ferry to their release point in Mid or Southern France.
Empty crates were returned via the same route back to Platform 3.

 

[CarltonA]

I used to work with someone who had been an apprentice jockey. He used to accompany race horses on the train for long distances. I think this sometimes involved sleeping overnight in the horse boxes. That would likely have been in the 1950s.

 

[Ashley Hill]

I remember receiving and sending boxes of live chicks when working in various Red Star offices in the late 80s.

 

[edwin_m]

I used to work with someone who had been an apprentice jockey. He used to accompany race horses on the train for long distances. I think this sometimes involved sleeping overnight in the horse boxes. That would likely have been in the 1950s.

There were horse wagons with a separate compartment for an accompanying person, referred to as a groom I think. The last ones were built with a much shortened version of the Mk1 coach body, so there must still have been a perceived demand in the 50s.

 

[WesternLancer]

I used to work with someone who had been an apprentice jockey. He used to accompany race horses on the train for long distances. I think this sometimes involved sleeping overnight in the horse boxes. That would likely have been in the 1950s.

Some horse boxes - presumably ones for horses used at events and races often (maybe always?) had a separate small compartment for a person / jockey to travel with a horse with bench seat. No bed but it would have been possible to sleep in it I reckon. Pretty sure they have a restored one at the Midland Railway Centre that is occasionally run in traffic and that I have travelled in it. I don't think they had a horse however.

eg

Britain's oldest horsebox gets back on the rails - Horse & Hound

A horsebox built in 1869 has been carefully restored by a team of dedicated volunteers

www.horseandhound.co.uk

Britain’s oldest horsebox is back in use. A horsebox built in 1869 has been carefully restored by a team of dedicated volunteers.

It was originally built by SJ Clay in Long Eaton, Derbys, to take horses to Newmarket on the Great Eastern Railway, when horses were transported by train.
The carriage was found derelict on a farm in Quy, Cambridgeshire, by a former member of the Mid Suffolk Light Railway.
The horsebox was unveiled on 26 May, and will be used on special occasions on the 500-yard track heritage railway, with passengers riding in the groom’s quarters.

actually this is more relevant given your mention of the 1950s

Buckinghamshire Railway Centre Stockbook

BR Horse Box S96403

Wagons for moving horses have been used since the earliest days of the railways, but few have survived due to the acidic nature of horse manure. This British Rail Southern Region horse box was based at Kensington Olympia and used for racehorses. However due to a change of BR policy regarding the carriage of animals, and the lack of rail links to many stables and courses, it was withdrawn after only twelve years' use. It was purchased early in 1972 by a group of QRS members and moved to Quainton in August of that year.

The vehicle was designed to carry three animals: the 'stable' section was divided into three with movable partitions. Amidships there is a compartment for the groom, whose seat can be made up as a bed. Side corridor access is provided from the groom's compartment to a toilet and fodder store, which can also be reached from outside. At the end of the vehicle there is a saddlery.

so all facils required for almost permanent occupation! although non gangwayed so no ability to get to restaurant car I suppose

 

[Gloster]

I think it was October or November 1975 when the last cattle working ended: this was a Holyhead-York service for cattle from Ireland. A service from Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness for stock from the Hebrides had ended not long before: this ran because of the lack of road alternatives.

Horseboxes had a compartment for grooms, although it was pretty basic. Only with one of the later LNER designs did they gain a toilet and the BR version had running water. Final withdrawal of horse boxes took place around 1972.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

The BR term for cattle wagons , was "Oxfit" - empties to Shrewsbury for cleaning after use ! (very much a niche traffic towards the end I supect)

 

[Magdalia]

Some horse boxes - presumably ones for horses used at events and races often (maybe always?) had a separate small compartment for a person / jockey to travel with a horse with bench seat.

Most movements were to and from race meetings but a more unusual working was the annual Newmarket-Holyhead after the Tattersalls yearling sales which conveyed horses going to Irish yards for training.

 

[Rover]

I remember receiving and sending boxes of live chicks when working in various Red Star offices in the late 80s.

I did as well, I was on the early turn at Chesterfield one morning to find little yellow day old chicks running around the parcels office, some of the boxes were damaged and they'd made a dash for freedom. I was finding them all morning.

 

[Dr_Paul]

I think that this bloke thought that the railways still transported horses -- in 2011! See the BBC report < https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-13437279 >.

 

[Grumpy]

I think it was October or November 1975 when the last cattle working ended: this was a Holyhead-York service for cattle from Ireland.

Sounds about right. It was unprofitable and BRs Shipping Division wanted rid of the ship(Slieve Donard?)

 

[Jagdpanther]

Sounds about right. It was unprofitable and BRs Shipping Division wanted rid of the ship(Slieve Donard?)

What year did British Railways cease carrying sheep, cattle, pigs and (perhaps for circus trains) unusual animals such as elephants?

Late 1970s?

What were the last stations to have sheep and cattle races (i.e. ramps from pens to allow direct loading onto sheep/pigs or cattle wagons)? Was the livestock traffic mainly to abattoirs or was a fair amount from farmer A who had sold livestock to farmer B?

I secretly transported an 8 foot Boa Constrictor on a Liverpool to Newcastle train in the mid 1980s.