DC Railfreight Lumber Trains?

[Future]

I've heard discussion that DCR have gained a contract to operate the Newton Abbot Hackney Yard - Chirk lumber trains once the new crane in Hackney yard is complete? I'm not entirely sure why Colas wasn't chosen. Could anyone confirm these rumours? Would be cool to see DCR actually operate services in Devon, given their name

 

[zwk500]

First guess for a freight contract is always price.

 

[Ashley Hill]

I wondered what the work going on at Hackney yard was. I suppose that expense will rule out ever going back to Teignbridge crossing.

 

[Brush 4]

A new flow from Aberystwyth as well
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/...y6yF_-ORrM8l4WlCGXzfh2Bwun0cO4xRpHZ7xFw8qMWSE

Should be quite a sound climbing to Talerddig.....

 

[swt_passenger]

A new flow from Aberystwyth as well
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/...y6yF_-ORrM8l4WlCGXzfh2Bwun0cO4xRpHZ7xFw8qMWSE

Should be quite a sound climbing to Talerddig.....

That’s already been covered in the freight flows thread here:

Rail Freight Flows and News UK

Looks like crew training runs on the Portbury branch next week, so perhaps some traffic is restarting there shortly. In the last couple of years there’s been a summer of stone traffic (brought down by coastal shipping from Scotland, but now appears to run from Avonmouth) and a few weeks of steel...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[ExRes]

I've heard discussion that DCR have gained a contract to operate the Newton Abbot Hackney Yard - Chirk lumber trains once the new crane in Hackney yard is complete? I'm not entirely sure why Colas wasn't chosen. Could anyone confirm these rumours? Would be cool to see DCR actually operate services in Devon, given their name

DCR did do a trial run from Newton Abbot Hackney Yard back in March but that was carrying aggregate and was rumoured at the time to be in conjunction with the possible reopening of the mine at Hemerdon, Colas did run a loaded log train back in January from Newton Abbot to Abergavenny but I've no idea if that was a one off or something regular, if DCR were to get that contract it's slightly out on a limb staffing wise as they don't currently work north of Machen Quarry but it would seem a far from insurmountable problem to get west from Derby, probably all rather speculative at the moment though

 

[wallan]

DCR did do a trial run from Newton Abbot Hackney Yard back in March but that was carrying aggregate and was rumoured at the time to be in conjunction with the possible reopening of the mine at Hemerdon, Colas did run a loaded log train back in January from Newton Abbot to Abergavenny but I've no idea if that was a one off or something regular, if DCR were to get that contract it's slightly out on a limb staffing wise as they don't currently work north of Machen Quarry but it would seem a far from insurmountable problem to get west from Derby, probably all rather speculative at the moment though

Do they have suitable Rolling Stock to convey " Logs "

 

[ExRes]

Do they have suitable Rolling Stock to convey " Logs "

No, but then I would think that any FOC taking on this sort of work would be leasing the wagons from a rolling stock provider, it's far too narrow a field for a FOC to have its own

 

[XAM2175]

Do they have suitable Rolling Stock to convey " Logs "

No, but then I would think that any FOC taking on this sort of work would be leasing the wagons from a rolling stock provider, it's far too narrow a field for a FOC to have its own

Timber can be carried quite easily in standard containers, if necessary.

 

[Brush 4]

Still, it's good to see they are branching out into new sources of traffic. Now where did I leave my coat........

 

[railfan99]

Timber can be carried quite easily in standard containers, if necessary.

Indeed: in Australia, prior to the mainland Chinese imposing bans/tariffs, an intermodal that commenced in recent years used to operate between Bordertown, South Australia and the Port of Melbourne, Victoria carrying logs in containers that were exported.

 

[furnessvale]

Indeed: in Australia, prior to the mainland Chinese imposing bans/tariffs, an intermodal that commenced in recent years used to operate between Bordertown, South Australia and the Port of Melbourne, Victoria carrying logs in containers that were exported.

What happened to the bogie Cargowaggon flats (IGA?). Are they still available. Failing which, the manufacture and fitting of stanchions to container flats should take less time than the road learning of the drivers required to haul them.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

Still, it's good to see they are branching out into new sources of traffic. Now where did I leave my coat........

Not a bad joke. No need to leave early.

 

[geoffk]

I used to see the Carlisle - Chirk logs train regularly when living up north. The Kronospan factory must get through a lot of wood as there is also rail traffic from Aberystwyth and Baglan Bay and now possibly regular traffic from Devon. Are these new flows or diverted from the roads?

 

[furnessvale]

I used to see the Carlisle - Chirk logs train regularly when living up north. The Kronospan factory must get through a lot of wood as there is also rail traffic from Aberystwyth and Baglan Bay and now possibly regular traffic from Devon. Are these new flows new or diverted from the roads?

I think the flows come and go as various forests mature.

 

[Adrian Barr]

DCR did do a trial run from Newton Abbot Hackney Yard back in March but that was carrying aggregate and was rumoured at the time to be in conjunction with the possible reopening of the mine at Hemerdon

I stumbled on some info about rail traffic from Hemerdon recently on the GRS website - https://www.grsroadstone.co.uk/news...st-to-use-mine-waste-as-sustainable-aggregate
GRS operate some rail-served aggregate terminals, sometimes on behalf of larger companies I believe. That info is from last year, when they were talking about loading to rail at Marsh Mills. One problem with that location would be the restricted loadings over the Devon banks, so perhaps they settled on Hackney Yard, further east, as a loading point to avoid them.
Some photos of that trial loading at Hackney Yard here - http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/latest-input--news--old-pictures-etc/24th-march-2022

Do they have suitable Rolling Stock to convey " Logs "

I would think that any FOC taking on this sort of work would be leasing the wagons from a rolling stock provider, it's far too narrow a field for a FOC to have its own

This got me wondering about the current rolling stock being used on timber flows, I remember it being hauled around on the long-gone 2-axle OTAs with only a vague idea of the current bogie types.

Looks like there are 10 KSA timber carriers converted from the old Rover Longbridge - Swindon Body Panel wagons (number series 704739xxxx) : https://wagons-library.weebly.com/ksa.html

Another 15 KFA wagons converted from KVA Cargowaggons by WH Davis (number series GERS 97xxx): https://www.flickr.com/photos/58433307@N08/32681503297/

And 30 IWA wagons converted from IWA "holdall" type Cargowaggons (number series 8435230xxx) : http://www.revolutiontrains.com/hydro-hold-alls-and-touax-timber-2-for-1-from-revolution/
https://wagons-library.weebly.com/iwa-84-3523.html

I think these are all owned by rolling stock leasing companies; GE Rail Services, NACCO, Touax and the like, not 100% sure who owns what right now, or how many are leased to Colas (perhaps all of them).

What happened to the bogie Cargowaggon flats (IGA?). Are they still available. Failing which, the manufacture and fitting of stanchions to container flats should take less time than the road learning of the drivers required to haul them.

IGAs have been used on occasional export movements of rail out of Scunthorpe (to Goole, Immingham and last year to Konigsborn, Germany through the channel tunnel) and on occasional movements of imported rail to Eastleigh. Their use between Scunthorpe and Eastleigh seems to be less frequent than it was. I think most of the general cargo IGA flats (as opposed to the ones kitted out specifically to move rail) are probably working in Europe. One or two turned up in use as brake force wagons on Merseyrail Class 777 unit moves.

One thing all the current wagon types in use on timber traffic in the UK have is full-height ends, which makes me wonder if this is a requirement for securing the load, although I think they load IGA types (or very similar) in Europe with timber, which don't have the ends.

I haven't heard anything about timber from Hackney Yard, the subject of the thread, but it's good to see there are currently trains en-route to Chirk from both Carlisle Yard (6J37 with 70811 + 19 wagons) and Baglan Bay (6Z51 with 56049 + 10 wagons).