This British Steel press release:
https://britishsteel.co.uk/news/bri...ys-mersin-adana-gaziantep-high-speed-railway/ for another HSR project in the same area suggests it was shipped in 36m (120ft) lengths from Goole.
Yes, exports of rail via Goole normally seem to be this sort of length. The offloading operation is seen here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/99466199@N05/53751160822/ (Photo: Duncan McEvoy)
This drone shot of Goole Docks gives an even better view. Comparing the piles of rail to the 70ft length of the class 66, they do appear to be about 120ft long:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andy_masons_gallery/54604566345/ (Photo: Andy Mason)
Rail on IGA wagons from Scunthorpe has also been exported in recent years through Immingham Docks (using Ridleys siding on the eastern side of the docks complex) and more recently through Tees Dock.
Scunthorpe - Dollands Moor trains have been running intermittently for the past few years... if I remember right it's rail exported to France for HS lines and they return empty.
The current flow through the tunnel, also on IGA wagons, goes to Muizen (Belgium) for Infrabel, in 108 metre lengths. The length is reported as 100m but I guess they may be rounding it down; either way this length straddles 5 IGA wagons:
https://www.railjournal.com/infrastructure/infrabel-british-steel-four-year-rail-supply-order/
Apparently Scunthorpe can produce rail in lengths up to 108m, with two welded together to form the typical 216m length loaded onto a rail discharge train.
This 2008 article is quite interesting, it mentions that long welded rail is normally produced in either 36, 72 or 108m lengths:
https://www.railtechnologymagazine....ion-of-long-welded-and-continuous-welded-rail
In context it was a train from Dowlow as mentioned already, but Briggs sidings itself is where the ground frame is located that gives access to both Dowlow and Hindlow quarries. This is illustrated nicely by this 2023 shot of a GBRF train leaving Hindlow while a DB service waits to depart Dowlow:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64657021@N07/53081406813/ (Photo: Stephen Stubbs)
66709 seen at the loading point inside Hindlow quarry in 2024:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/56394872@N06/53756149773/ (Photo: Paul Baxter)
66069 seen at the "loading wall" at Dowlow quarry in 2018:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/36034969@N08/39867718262/ (Photo: Adrian Nicholls)
It can get a bit confusing as to whether "Briggs" is being used to refer to trains from Dowlow or Hindlow - the long-running service from Tunstead to "Briggs" carried limestone into Hindlow, before Hindlow quarry came back into use as a loading point for stone (much of it for HS2):
60097 unloads Buxton Lime Industries hoppers at Hindlow in 2006:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/foto-rail/50876374563/
Getting back to something more topical, in February I noticed there were a few stone trains operated by GBRF from "Dowlow Briggs Sidings" (according to the location used on the schedule) to Hunslet East, using box wagons. As an example, there was a 6D30 Briggs - Hunslet East on 10th February with 66302 and 22 JNAs. The same 6D30 train had also run the day before, with the empties forming 6D64 to Doncaster Down Decoy and then 6H16 to Briggs for reloading.
A similar working (6D29 to Hunslet) is seen passing Sheffield last year:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfie59/54594410969/ (Photo: vincent)
This made me suspicious about the origin, because Freightliner have the Breedon contract for trains from Dowlow, while GBRF normally operate trains for Tarmac from Hindlow. Adding to the confusion, the destination was "Hunslet Tilcon" - but this usually indicates the hopper discharge terminal serving Tarmac's Cross Green asphalt and concrete plants.
From what I can work out on google maps at Hunslet East, Tarmac's facilities are on the east / north side of the sidings and are served by the hopper discharge terminal for aggregate (with trains usually from Rylstone / Arcow quarries and sometimes Tunstead) and an adjacent cement terminal served from Oxwellmains.
Meanwhile, on the west / south side of the sidings it appears that Heidelberg (formerly Hanson) have facilities which serve a nearby asphalt plant. Here's a nice shot of 60091 with box wagons en route to "Hunslet Hanson" in 2016:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mick_page/27823965746/ (Photo: Mick Page)
My guess is that loaded box wagons into Hunslet East are possibly for the Heidelberg facility, which has an area adjacent to the tracks suitable for offloading box wagons, and that the recent trains operated from Briggs by GBRF most likely originated from Hindlow rather then Dowlow. Although that would mean a Heidelberg facility is being served from a Tarmac quarry, so I'm still not 100% sure... perhaps Tarmac sometimes receive box wagons instead of hoppers at Hunslet?
There aren't many shots of Hunslet East, but here are three drone views that show the sidings and terminals (no oil trains these days unfortunately...)
Note the pipework of the cement terminal, with the aggregate discharge shed in the background, both serving the Tarmac Cross Green site to the right:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chris_davis_photos/53812279137/ (Photo: Chris)
A train from Rylstone for the Tarmac hopper facility passes the Heidelberg site on the left:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chris_davis_photos/52283007975/ (Photo: Chris)
A Colas class 70 is hiding within the aggregate discharge shed, while the cement wagons behind it are in position for discharge (zoom in and you can see the pipework for discharging the cement into the adjacent silos):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robmcrorie/53324407425/ (Photo: robmcrorie)
With DBC recently taking over some of the aggregate trains to Small Heath aggregate terminal (new one Bordesley end) i cant help but notice the plant used to ofload the train are now all DB branded. Are DB and their staff now responsible for the entire offloading process and does this happen anywhere else?
I think it happens at a few places - depending on how contracts are set up - with DB being responsible for the offloading (including providing the staff to operate the machine) at these terminals. A couple of places come to mind:
Ashburys (this may have changed since Freightliner started hauling the trains from Dowlow):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/32865578@N02/54367728685/ (Photo: John Eyres)
Luton Limbury Road (Cemex trains from Peak Forest):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/37260/54140355949/ (Photo: 37260)
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