Freight at Cheltenham Spa

[truckman060473]

Ok went for spin here and it was a disappointing day for freight I must say. Did see 56303 light engine in DCR green livery and a 66 on northbound coal but that was all in a 3 hr period. I thought I may have seen a bit more than this?

 

[Freightmaster]

I thought I may have seen a bit more than this?

Apart from the trunk intermodal routes (WCML, Birmingham to Southampton, etc),
or busy coal areas (Barnetby, Doncaster, York, Knottinghangley, etc.), you
can't just "turn up" somewhere and expect to see a procession of freights!

Routes which don't have a lot of coal/intermodal/other regular freight traffic,
such as the line through Cheltenham need to be visited at particular times,
and/or on particular days to avoid disappointment...

...which is why Cheltenham (and Gloucester) features as a Freightmaster timetable;
the cost of a subscription can very quickly be recouped in train fares/petrol
which would otherwise have been wasted visiting on the 'wrong' days/times.


So when people tell me that they "can't justify the cost of subscribing to Freightmaster",
sometimes that turns out to be a false economy, especially when the cost of
an annual subscription is about the same as a tank of petrol/diesel these days!


MARK

 

[TGVDUDE]

There may not be endless freight but there are very interesting workings, tidal scrap 56s, flasks and a 60 working from westerleigh to lindsey, but as said above you'd have to visit at particular times on specific days.

 

[truckman060473]

I'd seen some interesting workings with quite a wide variety too, filmed just down the line from Cheltenham by someone on YT and thought just to go for a spin on the train somewhere different for a change. I usually do Cardiff / Newport / Bristol Parkway sort of places.