Rail Freight Flows and News UK

[BRX]

The route that 4Z60 took would have been diesel hauled. No third rail or wires between Basingstoke and Reading West nor between Acton West and Acton Wells Jn on Acton Bank. This last bit is being wired at the moment though, see separate thread.

Also Northampton Gateway isn't wired as far as I know.

What's being discussed is the trial runs that were done with the train over the weekend, on HS1. These happened inbetween it arriving from Southampton and departing for Northampton.

 

[Class15]

The route that 4Z60 took would have been diesel hauled. No third rail or wires between Basingstoke and Reading West nor between Acton West and Acton Wells Jn on Acton Bank. This last bit is being wired at the moment though, see separate thread.

Also Northampton Gateway isn't wired as far as I know.

What's being discussed is the trial runs that were done with the train over the weekend, on HS1. These happened inbetween it arriving from Southampton and departing for Northampton.

Indeed - these ran from Dollands Moor to Singlewell and back. I am assuming the 92 led due to its compatibility with the TVM430 signalling system?

 

[JKF]

GBRF are back on the Portbury Steel traffic this morning, with 66768 doing the honours with 22 KEAs in tow running as 6C92. DB have also been on the traffic over the last two weeks and today ran on an earlier timing (as 6Z56 inbound, 6Z57 return). The two trains passed each other at Ashton Junction around 11:15.

DB are using 25 BYAs in their rake, but some aren’t being loaded, yesterday had three slabs on the front 22 wagons with the back three not loaded. I don’t know if they’re running longer sets at the moment because the rail head will be in a better state this time of year.

 

[j37401]

DB are starting a Felixstowe North - Trafford Park service next week.

Realtime Trains | 4M90 2141 Felixstowe North Dbc to Trafford Park Euro Term | 14/07/2025

Real-time train running information for 4M90 2141 departure from Felixstowe North Dbc to Trafford Park Euro Term on 14/07/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

The return from TP doesn’t appear in the system yet but it is supposed to be departing at 0920 with the Southampton service now departing there an hour earlier at 0820.

 

[Class15]

DB are starting a Felixstowe North - Trafford Park service next week.

Realtime Trains | 4M90 2141 Felixstowe North Dbc to Trafford Park Euro Term | 14/07/2025

Real-time train running information for 4M90 2141 departure from Felixstowe North Dbc to Trafford Park Euro Term on 14/07/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

The return from TP doesn’t appear in the system yet but it is supposed to be departing at 0920 with the Southampton service now departing there an hour earlier at 0820.

Interesting… are Maersk returning or are other companies interested in Felixstowe?

 

[66701GBRF]

DB are starting a Felixstowe North - Trafford Park service next week.

Realtime Trains | 4M90 2141 Felixstowe North Dbc to Trafford Park Euro Term | 14/07/2025

Real-time train running information for 4M90 2141 departure from Felixstowe North Dbc to Trafford Park Euro Term on 14/07/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

The return from TP doesn’t appear in the system yet but it is supposed to be departing at 0920 with the Southampton service now departing there an hour earlier at 0820.

Now in

Realtime Trains | 4L32 0920 Trafford Park Euro Term to Felixstowe North Dbc | 14/07/2025

Real-time train running information for 4L32 0920 departure from Trafford Park Euro Term to Felixstowe North Dbc on 14/07/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

This service replaces the 4L38/4M34 FX/EMG service.

Other rumored changes within the next couple of months is GB's 4L53/4M78 FX-HH service moving back to the 4L02/4M02 timings.

 

[geordieblue]

There are more paths in this week for the Seaforth-Wolverhampton steel - suggests the first trial was successful.

On a separate note does anyone know why DB are route learning the Cumbrian Coast?

 

[Pinus contorta]

There are more paths in this week for the Seaforth-Wolverhampton steel - suggests the first trial was successful.

On a separate note does anyone know why DB are route learning the Cumbrian Coast?

There are paths for northern 195's doing Barrow to Sellafield. I think one ran last Monday and the previous Wednesday evening. Ist the DB route learning / Northern 195's connected with the tunnel at Whitehaven closing in September for Engineering?

 

[j37401]

There are more paths in this week for the Seaforth-Wolverhampton steel - suggests the first trial was successful.

On a separate note does anyone know why DB are route learning the Cumbrian Coast?

I believe there will be a further two trial steel coils from Seaforth.

Route learning on the Cumbrian coast is for an upcoming drainage job at Whitehaven / Corkickle tunnel.

 

[Oxfordblues]

I note an Immingham-Seaforth special today:

Realtime Trains | 6M10 0802 Immingham Sorting Sidings to Seaforth C.T. Mdhc (Ews) | 21/07/2025

Real-time train running information for 6M10 0802 departure from Immingham Sorting Sidings to Seaforth C.T. Mdhc (Ews) on 21/07/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

I wonder if it's empty steel-carriers for loading to Wolverhampton?

 

[Trainman40083]

I note an Immingham-Seaforth special today:

Realtime Trains | 6M10 0802 Immingham Sorting Sidings to Seaforth C.T. Mdhc (Ews) | 21/07/2025

Real-time train running information for 6M10 0802 departure from Immingham Sorting Sidings to Seaforth C.T. Mdhc (Ews) on 21/07/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

I wonder if it's empty steel-carriers for loading to Wolverhampton?

There is a suggestion of problems at Boston Docks, so this may be an alternative flow.

 

[j37401]

I note an Immingham-Seaforth special today:

Realtime Trains | 6M10 0802 Immingham Sorting Sidings to Seaforth C.T. Mdhc (Ews) | 21/07/2025

Real-time train running information for 6M10 0802 departure from Immingham Sorting Sidings to Seaforth C.T. Mdhc (Ews) on 21/07/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

I wonder if it's empty steel-carriers for loading to Wolverhampton?

Yes it is. It’s the set that usually does Immingham / Boston.

This is the return https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R06350/2025-07-22/detailed

 

[Class15]

Hi all, does anyone know if there are any plans to run more services out of Northampton Gateway? Still just the 1 to Southampton that I can see, but plenty of paths in to Southampton, London Gateway, Tilbury and Felixstowe that aren’t being used at present.

 

[Adrian Barr]

GBRF are back on the Portbury Steel traffic this morning, with 66768 doing the honours with 22 KEAs in tow running as 6C92. DB have also been on the traffic over the last two weeks and today ran on an earlier timing (as 6Z56 inbound, 6Z57 return). The two trains passed each other at Ashton Junction around 11:15.

DB are using 25 BYAs in their rake, but some aren’t being loaded, yesterday had three slabs on the front 22 wagons with the back three not loaded. I don’t know if they’re running longer sets at the moment because the rail head will be in a better state this time of year.

Officially, the max load up Filton Bank and through the Severn Tunnel westbound is 2260 trailing for a standard 66 or 2300 for a 66/6. I think the DB trains from Portbury are planned for 22 wagons and a timing load of 2200 tons, but the sets are also used on Newport Docks slab traffic where 25 is the normal load. Depending on the weights of the slabs loaded (e.g. 3 x 20 ton or 3 x 25 ton), the wagons often weigh less than their full 100 ton gross weight, so all 25 have been loaded on occasion. No DB trains at Portbury this week though...

There is a suggestion of problems at Boston Docks, so this may be an alternative flow.

Many of the coils coming into Boston are from Arcelor steel plants in northern France / Belgium - I found one of the ships on the marine tracking website sailing from Dunkirk to Boston. It would seem a bit of a long way round to re-route this kind of North Sea traffic to Liverpool. There's an established steel terminal at Seaforth (see info from Peel Ports below) which makes me hope this trial flow is for other import traffic that normally moves by road.

https://www.peelports.com/news-arti...ar-for-steel-imports-at-the-port-of-liverpool
https://www.peelports.com/news-arti...-steel-terminal-to-deal-with-growth-in-demand

There was a previous one-off steel coil trial from Seaforth to Middlesbrough Goods back in February 2021, with coils for Nissan. I think that one might have been some sort of COVID contingency planning for alternative sources of steel - Nissan normally receives coil from South Wales, with onward road movement from the warehouse at Middlesbrough Goods to their Sunderland plant.

On a less positive note, there don't seem to have been any coil imports railed from Hull for a few months. I think those are mainly from SSAB in Scandinavia. That traffic normally gets combined at Rotherham with coils from Immingham.

Hi all, does anyone know if there are any plans to run more services out of Northampton Gateway? Still just the 1 to Southampton that I can see, but plenty of paths in to Southampton, London Gateway, Tilbury and Felixstowe that aren’t being used at present.

The Maritime press release for the first train into the terminal says that additional services to London Gateway and Felixstowe are planned, although I'm not sure when they are likely to start or with which haulier.

Two further services are scheduled to follow, connecting London Gateway and the Port of Felixstowe with Northampton
https://www.maritimetransport.com/n...first-train-to-northampton-via-east-west-rail

The video below has some good drone footage showing the track layout and the first train arriving into the terminal. After the train arrives they drive to another location to get a better view - you can skip to 8:30 for that bit. Interesting to see how close the terminal is to the "birdcage" at Roade where the fast lines veer off towards Weedon. As the train enters the terminal, a speed restriction sign is visible (30mph left, 5 mph right). I assume this means trains can enter the reception sidings at 30mph but would be restricted to 5mph if they entered directly through the gates into the loading area. The train splits into two in the reception sidings and uses a headshunt to access the loading sidings from the other end.

The first train into Northampton Gateway | Purple & Co Railway Adventures

 

[HST125Scorton]

A new flow began yesterday between Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Brindle Heath Eurofreight. A terminal that was never commissioned years ago? Anyway it was hauled by GBRf 60026 and a rake of loaded JNA-T's. It seems to have a long old run round via Bolton before joining the train at Brindle Heath.

6J84: https://www.charlwoodhouse.co.uk/rail/livetrain/R05939/24/07/25
0F84: https://www.charlwoodhouse.co.uk/rail/livetrain/98432/25/07/25
6F84: https://www.charlwoodhouse.co.uk/rail/livetrain/R05935/25/07/25

 

[ExRes]

DCR 60046 worked loaded 6L82 Peak Forest D&C to Brandon Down Sidings yesterday, any ideas if this is a 'new' service or just a one off?

Thanks

 

[Intercity_225]

DCR 60046 worked loaded 6L82 Peak Forest D&C to Brandon Down Sidings yesterday, any ideas if this is a 'new' service or just a one off?

Thanks

Can't have been that loaded since I saw it at March and didn't see anything (although we were at a level crossing so may not have seen it).

 

[Penmorfa]

70002 worked the first Llan Jct to Hope Earles sidings on Saturday morning. 6H67 ran via Crewe, Stoke, Derby and Chesterfield. From the rail freight desert of North Wales I hope it's the first of many more.

 

[Rail Ranger]

A bit of a long way round! Why not direct via Chester and Northenden-Hazel Grove?

 

[D6130]

A bit of a long way round! Why not direct via Chester and Northenden-Hazel Grove?

I think it's so that it arrives at Earles facing in the right direction.

 

[Rail Ranger]

Thanks.

 

[AndrewE]

A bit of a long way round! Why not direct via Chester and Northenden-Hazel Grove?

I wondered whether it might be to do with the closure of Stockport and the ripple effects of diverted services on other lines.

 

[Rail Ranger]

But Stockport is not closed yet.

 

[AndrewE]

But Stockport is not closed yet.

I thought weekend closures had started, but maybe the TfW shuttle terminating at Crewe (Crewe to Salop blocked) confused me! I was preoccupied with other things...

 

[Rail Ranger]

Stockport closures are from 2nd to 22nd August (inclusive) into the early hours of 23rd August and Saturday and Sunday 4th and 5th October into the early hours of Monday 6th October.

 

[furnessvale]

But Stockport is not closed yet.

RTT is showing potential paths in both directions. Belt and braces or future proofing?

 

[HST125Scorton]

With loco hauled weedkiller trains like 3Q99 what speed do they go at whilst spraying? The path itself is for 60mpg, but it seems very slack in the timings? This would be a GBRf 66 + 3 KFA + GBRf 66.

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[zwk500]

With loco hauled weedkiller trains like 3Q99 what speed do they go at whilst spraying? The path itself is for 60mpg, but it seems very slack in the timings? This would be a GBRf 66 + 3 KFA + GBRf 66.

login 7410p

Path is also for a 715t and IIRC the reference loco for the timings is a Class 56, so perhaps unsurprising that a 66 with 3 wagons is somewhat more sprightly.

 

[j37401]

With loco hauled weedkiller trains like 3Q99 what speed do they go at whilst spraying? The path itself is for 60mpg, but it seems very slack in the timings? This would be a GBRf 66 + 3 KFA + GBRf 66.

login 7410p

I could be wrong but i think it is limited to 20mph spraying hence why most of the paths are at night.

 

[HST125Scorton]

I could be wrong but i think it is limited to 20mph spraying hence why most of the paths are at night.

Thank you it seems it could be doing around 20-30mph when spraying as it seems to fit it with the large gaps.