Beer

[RichmondCommu]

G'day everybody,

Just curious to know when the railways stopped serving the brewery industry. I'm aware that BR offered to build a Freightliner terminal in Burton on Trent when it started to rationalise its operations there. Other than that I don't have any other information other than cattle wagons were at one time used to carry beer barrels.

As an aside I remember seeing a pair of sidings leading into the Bass brewery next to the station at Burton on the same side as the current Intermodal terminal. I'm not sure when the sidings were lifted but as far as I can see they are no longer there.

Your thoughts / information on the railways that served the brewery industry would be very welcome. And please don't feel that this has to be limited to Burton. From memory Guinness had a terminal near Paddington.

Kind regards,

Richmond Commuter

 

[John Webb]

"The Oxford Companion to British Railway History" mentions a few brewers outside the Burton-on-Trent ones, including brewers at Romford and Dorchester, who distributed their products by rail. There were apparently some 150 breweries with private sidings but the majority seemed to have used these for the incoming raw materials.
Most moved to road transport by the late 1960s.

There are two books mentioned:
"The British Brewing Industry 1830-1980" by R G Wilson, published 1993;
"Brewery Railways" by I P Peaty, published 1985.

 

[RichmondCommu]

"The Oxford Companion to British Railway History" mentions a few brewers outside the Burton-on-Trent ones, including brewers at Romford and Dorchester, who distributed their products by rail. There were apparently some 150 breweries with private sidings but the majority seemed to have used these for the incoming raw materials.
Most moved to road transport by the late 1960s.

There are two books mentioned:
"The British Brewing Industry 1830-1980" by R G Wilson, published 1993;
"Brewery Railways" by I P Peaty, published 1985.

Many thanks for this. I often think of beer when I walk through St Pancras as of course beer barrels were stored underneath the station platforms.

 

[Springs Branch]

The book A Lancashire Triangle by Dennis Sweeney contains a history of the Bolton/Leigh railway, including some word-of-mouth recollections from old railwaymen.

The section of the book covering operations at Crook Street Goods Yard (near Great Moor St terminus in Bolton), mentions trip workings of tanks of Burton-upon-Trent water to the nearby siding for the local Magee's Brewery.

Deliveries of Burton water to Magee's Brewery Siding was a much favoured trip from Crook Street, usually each day, the railway personnel being allowed one free drink per delivery. The necessary utensil needed for this purpose was chained to the wall with the barrel positioned above.

The local goods yard & sidings seem to have closed in the late 1960s.
No mention of the outgoing product leaving the brewery by rail.

 

[Zamracene749]

I'm not quite certain if Eire counts on this thread, but Guinness certainly used rail a few years ago. The sight of a long freight stocked with pallets of guinness barrels heading west out of Dublin certainly left a lasting impression in this thirsty rail enthusiasts mind

 

[Ash Bridge]

In Manchester, Wilsons Brewery in Newton Heath had Brewery Sidings adjacent to the premises. These were situated approximately between the former Miles Platting Station and Thorpes Bridge Junc. Not certain if Wilsons shipped products out from here, or just received incoming raw materials, I think the brewery ceased operations sometime in the 1980s. Brewery Curve still exists today, used mainly by Northern empty stock workings to/from Newton Heath Depot and also the Freightliner operated Binliner trains, sadly the sidings are but a memory.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Freightliner up to the mid 1980's carried vast amounts of beer - sheeted opens with S+N bottles and kegs from Edinburgh to London , Cardiff and Dudley. Ditto the Willesden services carried Guinness (Irish imports from Dublin and local brew) and Harp Lager bulk tanks from Park Royal.

Of course , some of this still moves in International containers for / from export.

 

[341o2]

I'm not quite certain if Eire counts on this thread, but Guinness certainly used rail a few years ago. The sight of a long freight stocked with pallets of guinness barrels heading west out of Dublin certainly left a lasting impression in this thirsty rail enthusiasts mind

the Guiness brewery also had its own internal narrow guage system

http://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/22/Guinness.htm

Bulmers cider Hereford. seem to remember that a certain famous steam loco spent some time there

 

[BritishRail83]

I'm sure that Twyford abbey (Park Royal) Guinness brewery in NW London had an internal railway system until the early 1990's. I think that 2 of their locomotives were ex BR 08's which have since gone to Cholsey.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I'm sure that Twyford abbey (Park Royal) Guinness brewery in NW London had an internal railway system until the early 1990's. I think that 2 of their locomotives were ex BR 08's which have since gone to Cholsey.

They did ! "Lion" and "Unicorn" - a new Manager took against rail and the whole contract was lost - used to rail it to Swansea , Manchester , and Newcastle.

Hereford used to send traffic to Newcastle , Glasgow and Newcastle. Taunton Cider much the same. Small flows from Anchor Steam Beer from Truro also.

 

[Bengt Mettyl]

To continue the conversation - trains of Guinness tanker wagons would be occasionally seen heading down the GC line (1950s/1960s). They would have started at the Guinness brewing plant in Park Royal.
I have a rather poor shot of one of these trains northbound hauled by a B16.