Freight Traffic on WCML

[MarkWi72]

Not sure if this is the correct thread, but the variety of freight traffic on WCML ( and everywhere) is less diverse than it was in the 80s. Is this the decline of industry? BOC and oil tank trains are examples i can think of. In addition, class 6 railfreight/speedlink too. And the coal traffic of course (not always a bad think there to be honest). But the variety of rolling stock has altered.

All I can now think of on WCML (South of Crewe): Various aggregate trains, Freightliner/intermodal/container, Cars and the Water train.

I know on other routes it is more diverse, but not by much?

 

[8A Rail]

May be less diverse these days as the emphasis is clearly on 'block' trains were yesteryear, you had all sorts operating from short pick up (speedlink type) trains to some block trains as mentioned. BOC disappeared and the oil trains (ex Stanlow) simply have gone underground (by pipe), then you could add ICI and Albright & Wilson, to name but two to the list. In those days, freight was more frequent but the size of the trains were smaller and the total tonnage not that great in consequence.

Certainly on the WCML in the North West, we do have various 'Intermodal' trains, as well as 'Auto', 'Stone', 'Sand', 'Cement', 'Biomass', 'Scrap', 'Binliner', 'Timber' block trains, as well as oddities / one off's. The 'big' missing one is the various 'Tank' trains that operated. So may be less frequent but more 'condensed' these days I would say.

 

[Helvellyn]

Steel traffic from Ravenscraig hauled by pairs of 86s/87s, limestone from Hardendale hauled by 86s or 87s, Castle Cement from Clitheroe with a pair of Motherwell 37/3s, overnight China Clay that would bring 37/5s from Cornwall, Roarers on Speedlinks. Certainly was lots of variety!

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Class 92 hauled Channel Tunnel freight? Class 323s?

 

[furnessvale]

The variety is still there but nowadays it is hidden inside the swapbodies and containers on the many intermodal trains on that line.

Only the tank containers give the game away as to contents, but even then, some plain boxes can contain a single big plastic bag carrying wine or other liquids.

 

[12LDA28C]

Much of the industry at the southern end of the WCML has disappeared since the 1980s, for example the London Brick trains and household waste to and from Stewartby, Tunnel Cement and coal traffic to Pitstone cement works and so on. I assume the pedigree pet food train doesn't run these days either.

 

[Springs Branch]

. . . . BOC disappeared and the oil trains (ex Stanlow) simply have gone underground (by pipe), then you could add ICI and Albright & Wilson, to name but two to the list. In those days, freight was more frequent but the size of the trains were smaller and the total tonnage not that great in consequence.

A glance at an early 1980s Working Timetable for the Stanlow / Ellesmere Port area shows many trains (or at least paths available for trains) to & from an eclectic range of destinations, near and far, all around the country.

As well as the diversity in types of freight traffic back then, there was also an interesting range of late lamented terminals which the trains served.

Just in the north-west and not too far from the WCML - places like Burn Naze, Heysham Moss, Runcorn Folly Lane, Haydock Oil Terminal, Preston Deepdale. And that's not considering the handful of colliery facilities which remained for locally-mined coal.

These days the greater proportion of freight trains seem to operate over long distances, so 6Mxx, 6Exx, 6Sxx, 6Vxx, 6Oxx headcodes predominate. In the 1980s these would be mixed in with many more intra-regional freight trains (random 1980 examples: 6P43 0420 Thornton Shell Sdgs - Preston Docks; 6F43 2007 TThO Corkickle - Folly Lane; 6G30 0330 MWFO Ditton BOC - Wolverhampton)

 

[MarkWi72]

Interesting responses and I knew BOC had gone, wasn’t sure re oil traffic. Makes sense that pipes are carrying these about. And most of it is now container not block working, which also hides away the variety of stuff transported , as mentioned. Certainly much less electrically hauled freight now as well.

 

[Flying Phil]

Of course there are a Lot more big lorries on the M6 these days....

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Much of the industry at the southern end of the WCML has disappeared since the 1980s, for example the London Brick trains and household waste to and from Stewartby, Tunnel Cement and coal traffic to Pitstone cement works and so on. I assume the pedigree pet food train doesn't run these days either.

Tring Cement works for example (now a nature reserve) , sand flows from the Redhill area via the WLL to St Helens.

Pedigree (part of the Mars Group) were very keen on Railfreight in my day , but finding a Southern terminal to offload was very tricky.

 

[MarkWi72]

Yes, thanks all, this clarifies a lot of what I was thinking. I used to love seeing 4F53 London Brick at Stafford, back in the day. I think it stopped around 1985.

 

[Benters]

I remember doing work experience at GEC Main Works, Stafford, after I had completed my 'O'-Levels back in 1978. I used to see the 'Brick Train ' rounding the Queensville Curve every lunchtime, double headed by a pair of spluttering Class 25s.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I remember doing work experience at GEC Main Works, Stafford, after I had completed my 'O'-Levels back in 1978. I used to see the 'Brick Train ' rounding the Queensville Curve every lunchtime, double headed by a pair of spluttering Class 25s.

Bletchley traincrew worked the Brick Liner to Kings Cross Goods - a pleasant job which allowed the pair of 25's to attain good speeds hurtling through Watford Junction at probably a bit more than 70 mph.

 

[MarkWi72]

Did the brickliner go down the East Coast then across to the WCML on the North London line? I always thought it joined the WCML at Bletchley.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Did the brickliner go down the East Coast then across to the WCML on the North London line? I always thought it joined the WCML at Bletchley.

Bletchley - Camden Road and down the Kings Cross incline.

Difficult to imagine now that BY had WCML freight jobs (Freightliners to Crewe for example) - parcels to Oxford (for Paddington) , as well as a decent mix of local freights to Aylesbury etc. Much more varied workload in all aspects.

 

[randyrippley]

How big was traffic to/from the car plants in the 70s/80s?
I'm thinking Rootes at Linwood, Triumph at Speke, Ford at Hailwood, Vauxhall on the Wirral at the north end, and the likes of Jaguar and Triumph around West Brom. Must have been others as well

 

[ChiefPlanner]

How big was traffic to/from the car plants in the 70s/80s?
I'm thinking Rootes at Linwood, Triumph at Speke, Ford at Hailwood, Vauxhall on the Wirral at the north end, and the likes of Jaguar and Triumph around West Brom. Must have been others as well

The answer is a lot (in the late 1980's I was the Contract and Resources Manager for Automotive with national responsibility.

Halewood had a mix of company trains to and from Dagenham -3 workings a day , mix of Cartics and 2 axle air braked vans. Just before there Ford container workings from Harwich and Dagenham to Swansea and Halewood. Some finished cars from Speke for Messrs Toleman - say one a day. There was also a Halewood - Swansea (vans) and a Bridgend (vans)

Vauxhall was then slumbering rail wise but traffic sometimes on offer (rarely)

High end business was Landrover and Jaguar from the Small Heath area - tripped via Bescot or direct to Dover for shipment.

Large quantities - up to 6 trains a day from the ARG Plant at Longbridge - some tripped via Washwood Heath or direct to Swindon (spares) , Cowley and Harwich / Dover.

Further back there were flows of Hillman Imps from Gosford Green (Coventry) to Linwood - Scotland.

Plenty to keep us going.......