Can anyone ID a freight train at Preston last night?

[randyrippley]

Can anyone ID this train and what it was carrying?
Freightliner set hauled by two orange class 90s passing south through Preston around 20:30 on 6th Feb
Only freight carried was around six or so white isotanks with flammable liquid labels. Tanks were spaced out along the train - at least two wagons between each. Presumably either weight restricted or to reduce fire risk
Been a long time since I saw anything like that, a whole container train dedicated to just a few hazchem tanks - any idea what the chemicals were?

 

[jfollows]

4M80 16:40 Coatbridge to Crewe Basford Hall?

Realtime Trains | 4M80 1640 Coatbridge F.L.T. to Crewe Bas Hall S.S.M. | 06/02/2024

Real-time train running information for 4M80 1640 departure from Coatbridge F.L.T. to Crewe Bas Hall S.S.M. on 06/02/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Looks like the only up freight shown at that time.
I can’t answer your other question.
Class 90?
Also http://www.class90electriclocogroup.co.uk/Freightliner 90 Diagrams_December 2023_101223.pdf

 

[randyrippley]

Thanks for the reply, yes I meant 90 not 91.

 

[8A Rail]

Yes it was 4M80, hauled by 90013 and 90048.

 

[4F89]

Caustic soda

 

[furnessvale]

Caustic soda

Is that a suggestion as to what the traffic was, or a known fact?

If the latter, it is a very interesting and encouraging development.

 

[Freightmaster]

Is that a suggestion as to what the traffic was, or a known fact?

If the latter, it is a very interesting and encouraging development.

It's not a new flow by any means - it has run in it's current (containerised) form for
several years and before that I believe it ran direct to Dalry rather that Coatbridge.

At the southern end, there is a dedicated trip working between Runcorn and Basford Hall
twice a week:

66416 4K88 Weaver Junction

A pleasant surprise for me at Weaver Junction today was the appearance of 'Powerhaul' liveried 66416 at the head of a 4K88 Runcorn Folly Lane-Crewe Basford Hall service. Traffic gain from DB?

www.flickr.com

MARK

 

[furnessvale]

It's not a new flow by any means - it has run in it's current (containerised) form for
several years and before that I believe it ran direct to Dalry rather that Coatbridge.

At the southern end, there is a dedicated trip working between Runcorn and Basford Hall
twice a week:

66416 4K88 Weaver Junction

A pleasant surprise for me at Weaver Junction today was the appearance of 'Powerhaul' liveried 66416 at the head of a 4K88 Runcorn Folly Lane-Crewe Basford Hall service. Traffic gain from DB?

www.flickr.com

MARK

Thanks for that. After posting I did think that it may just be the flow from Runcorn. It was the separate train idea that threw me. I have been used to it being with other traffic on the main Crewe Scotland leg.

I never realised it was caustic soda. At the time the main flows were lost to road some years ago, I distinctly remember the DfT claiming it was SAFER by road because trains go through towns while motorways dont! Tell that to the residents of Stockport or Birmingham!

 

[randyrippley]

Coming back to this, what I saw was flammable so definitely not caustic soda.

I think this thread explains what it was: liquified natural gas empties

"Hazardous Material" Alert at Inverness Station - 14th May 2024

Sorry I can't offer much here. Am with numerous others not being allowed to leave Morrisons at Inverness at 1040, Police are outside saying that there is a Hazardous Material Incident at the station which is close by. Obviously neither accurate nor appropriate to repeat any hearsay but...

www.railforums.co.uk

The isotanks look identical

 

[Adrian Barr]

The 40ft gas tank containers normally move on DRS services and I don't think they normally move half a dozen at once

The 20ft caustic soda tank containers are normal traffic on 4M80 (with the 90s hauling) and look like this for comparison:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jjm2009/14614498998/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153305438@N06/52841995018/

 

[randyrippley]

The 40ft gas tank containers normally move on DRS services and I don't think they normally move half a dozen at once

The 20ft caustic soda tank containers are normal traffic on 4M80 (with the 90s hauling) and look like this for comparison:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jjm2009/14614498998/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153305438@N06/52841995018/

It certainly was not those I saw: they're both clearly labeled as "corrosive", what I saw were "flammable"

 

[Adrian Barr]

It certainly was not those I saw: they're both clearly labeled as "corrosive", what I saw were "flammable"

Flammable narrows it down... a likely candidate on Scottish trains would be tank containers of alcohol (UN3065 with flammable hazchem stickers).

I think these are usually loaded heading to Scotland with imported industrial-strength alcohol for further distilling into various spirits.

There's an example pictured here: https://ukrailwaypics.smugmug.com/T...er-operators-E/EURU-Eurotainer-SA/i-szw8vvX/A

The heavy weight of that type would explain the spacing along the train (those tanks can weigh more than 30 tons and typical wagon capacity is around 60 ton).

 

[randyrippley]

That's a possibility though I didn't notice any beverage/food product labels, though I could easily have missed them

 

[Adrian Barr]

Sometimes you get a succession of identical tank containers on a train which are part of the same consignment, or originate from the same place.

This is an example on 4L08 - half a dozen chunky-looking white tank containers, which appear to be spread out over as many wagons: https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_walton_wanderer/50431817188/

If you zoom in you can see UN code 1986 (industrial alcohol, with flammable warning stickers). There's also a generic 1993 UN code for flammable liquids in general which is sometimes used.

A scene like that on a train could be regular, occasional or one-off traffic, hard to say.

Some container pictures here if you feel like browsing: https://ukrailwaypics.smugmug.com/The-Humble-Box

Whatever it was, I think we can rule out the old Chivas Regal whisky tanks! Nice picture though... https://www.flickr.com/photos/johndedman/13092373085/