Network Rail Depots

[EbbwJunction1]

I don't know whether this is the right place for this topic, but here goes ... !

I've seen a lot of Network Rail Depots in various places around the UK, but never one which actually has a rail connection. Is this deliberate - and, if it is, does anyone know why?

I would have thought that they'd need a rail connection for delivery of equipment etc. They're all next to a line as well, so it surely wouldn't be too difficult to provide one.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this, please?

 

[Crossforth]

A lot of Network Rail's work is done via road in that we travel to all our work sites by road. All deliveries also come in via road.

I'm currently working at Leeds Depot and we do have a rail connection which allows for maintenance of on track equipment such as stone blowers and tampers. This facility is not needed at every depot just like a team of signal engineers is not needed at every depot.

Any questions feel free to ask and I'll try my best to answer.

Source: Myself as an NR employee.

 

[wbbminerals]

There do seem to be a lot of Network Rail depots (albeit of varied sizes!) about, to give an example between Wakefield Kirkgate and Huddersfield there seems to be a big one at Kirkgate, one by the signal box at Healey Mills, one at Mirfield and one at Huddersfield. This seems a lot considering that we're in a recession!

 

[fsmr]

Oakhams NWR yard has sidings attached where sometimes tampers are parked up but small loads of ballast seems to arrive by road courtesy of Bagforce in 1 ton poly bags. Brooke crossing had a fair stack of them by the pway there for a few months before they were used

 

[ole man]

Network Rail at Crewe is connected to the Crewe - Shrewsbury line, and see the occasional weed killer trains.

 

[Proud Salopian]

Coleham in Shrewsbury is connected and often has an engineers' train in a siding.

 

[TGVDUDE]

There are a few down here which ive often seen housing tampers at Port Talbot, Maindee Jn and Pontypool & New Inn

 

[DarloRich]

I don't know whether this is the right place for this topic, but here goes ... !

I've seen a lot of Network Rail Depots in various places around the UK, but never one which actually has a rail connection. Is this deliberate - and, if it is, does anyone know why?

I would have thought that they'd need a rail connection for delivery of equipment etc. They're all next to a line as well, so it surely wouldn't be too difficult to provide one.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this, please?

What sort of "depot" are you talking about? Can you define or provide more information or an example.

 

[Ploughman]

In general there is no need at all for NWR staff depots to be rail connected.
The only sites that do need to be are those were On Track machines are based out of such as Holbeck at Leeds.
The fact that many depots are based around the railway is a matter of history.
What would you prefer NWR to spend money on New depots or make use of what you have?
However I do think that there is now no need whatsoever for any general maintenance teams to be based at a rail connected depot any decent unit on an average industrial estate is perfectly suited to the purpose.
Materials and plant can be and are delivered direct to site access point as and when required. Very little plant is actually owned by NWR most is hired in for a particular job.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Who owns the small yard that still exists at Belper? I presume its Network Rail?

 

[D365]

Oakhams NWR yard has sidings attached where sometimes tampers are parked up but small loads of ballast seems to arrive by road courtesy of Bagforce in 1 ton poly bags. Brooke crossing had a fair stack of them by the pway there for a few months before they were used

I don't know if this is actually related but is that why the main line increases to four tracks through the Oakham industrial estate? I've always been curious about that.

 

[Tomnick]

The additional lines between Oakham and Langham are the Up Goods and Down Goods lines, and are reasonably heavily used for regulating (through) freight trains.

 

[D365]

Ah right, I thought it would be something like that.

 

[DarloRich]

I don't know whether this is the right place for this topic, but here goes ... !

I've seen a lot of Network Rail Depots in various places around the UK, but never one which actually has a rail connection. Is this deliberate - and, if it is, does anyone know why?

I would have thought that they'd need a rail connection for delivery of equipment etc. They're all next to a line as well, so it surely wouldn't be too difficult to provide one.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this, please?

I was trying to work our what kind of depot the OP was referring to to but:

MDU Depots ( Maintenance Depots) such as York, Carlisle, Sheffield, Bedford etc are not generally rail connected. There is no need. The staff are based there and travel to work sites. Any materials are either bulk delivered by rail (sleepers, ballast, Rail) to site by train or roaded to an agreed point. These depots cover wide geographical areas and may have sub depots dotted around the place.

Materials Handling Depots - These are rail connected as they handle materials out of the work sites noted above. The trains will be loaded a these depots and run to worksites. They reprocess & recycle incoming waste from work sites. They are at Crewe, Westbury & Doncaster. http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...L-GREEN-MOVEMENT-BEGINS-IN-WESTBURY-14fb.aspx

The National Track Materials Recycling Centre at Whitemoor is obviously rail connected! It is massive and it does what it says on the tin! http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...ELPS-CUT-COST-OF-BRITAIN-S-RAILWAYS-17e7.aspx

Local Distribution Centres (LDC) are rail connected stockpiles of engineering materials. The bulk trains are formed, loaded and dispatched from here to various worksites. Examples are at Bescot, Kingmoor, Doncaster.

You have also got the High Out Put Depots which are the home of of the High Out Put machines. Examples are at Taunton & Willesden. These need to be rail connected for obvious reasons

There is also Holgate Works in York and the other Seasonal Treatment bases around the country, Stowmarket, Eastleigh, Tonbridge being examples, where RHTT are based and serviced.

I think the OP was referring to the maintenance units but i hope this helps!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

In general there is no need at all for NWR staff depots to be rail connected.
The only sites that do need to be are those were On Track machines are based out of such as Holbeck at Leeds.

Lots of these places are not NR operated. The machine operators lease or buy them to create an operations base. For example Jarvis have (had?) many sites around the UK for their machine fleet. NR tend to have a siding somewhere for overnight stabling while periodic maintenance is done at the operators chosen location.

Very little plant is actually owned by NWR most is hired in for a particular job.

At least until NR bought Hydrex - but it seems to be up for sale again http://www.networkrail.co.uk/selling-NDS-Plant.aspx

 

[EbbwJunction1]

I should explain that the question was posed out of curiosity rather than criticism.

I asked the question because I didn't know the answer, so thank you, folks, that's answered my question, I think.

 

[miikey]

Romford has its own sidings connected to the GE main line. It is used to stable tampers, MPSB's, OLE train etc...

 

[fsmr]

The additional lines between Oakham and Langham are the Up Goods and Down Goods lines, and are reasonably heavily used for regulating (through) freight trains.

The NWR yard is served by a kickback siding from the the down slow where it starts just north of oakham station, the down and up slow / relief lines run all the way to Langham to allow freight to be passed. One often used move is using the Up goods which ends at a point just before the Oakham up platform to hold the Ward sidings Ketton cement works trains as it has to follow the Peterborough px train due to the fact that it has to stop and reverse into ward sidings. Using the Up relief causes major traffic issues due to the new signaling brought in after the IC125 near miss some years ago as both LC have to be down before the train can be released, which means the Brooke LC 3/4 mile away is down for nearly 10 minutes duriing this move:roll:

 

[Tomnick]

The NWR yard is served by a kickback siding from the the down slow where it starts just north of oakham station, the down and up slow / relief lines run all the way to Langham to allow freight to be passed.

They're both designated Goods lines - a subtle difference!

One often used move is using the Up goods which ends at a point just before the Oakham up platform to hold the Ward sidings Ketton cement works trains as it has to follow the Peterborough px train due to the fact that it has to stop and reverse into ward sidings.

Yes, anything going inside at Ketton needs a fair margin (around 20 minutes), but it also needs confirmation that the shunter has arrived at Ketton before Melton/Langham/Oakham (as appropriate!) can run it.

Using the Up relief causes major traffic issues due to the new signaling brought in after the IC125 near miss some years ago as both LC have to be down before the train can be released, which means the Brooke LC 3/4 mile away is down for nearly 10 minutes duriing this move:roll:

There's no signal between Oakham's Up Starter (on the end of the platform) and Brooke Road LC, so both sets of barriers would need to be lowered. The difference, following the SPAD over the crossing, is that now nothing can (normally) be allowed to approach Oakham's Up Starter until that signal is in a position to be cleared.