Rail Freight Flows and News UK

[JKF]

The passenger service has been reduced to hourly in each direction between 11am and 5pm to free up
paths for the diverted freight services.




MARK

The Clitheroe cement yesterday was reported to have two locos, so I think they will be top and tailed so they can quickly reverse once out of the sidings. I don’t think it’s easy to run round there without a propelling move into the old coal loading sidings.

 

[stantheman]

There’s a 4Z01 coal MGR Doncaster to Inverness on RTT on Friday STP path , whatever it is I suspect it won’t run
There was a path last week from Millerhill to Inverness think it was Friday but it didn’t run ?

 

[Freightmaster]

There’s a 4Z01 coal MGR Doncaster to Inverness on RTT on Friday STP path , whatever it is...

Ignore the spurious 'coal' designation - it's likely to be RHTT wagons going up ready for
this Autumn's leaf fall season (GBRf have gained the two Inverness based diagrams from
DRS and Freightliner)



MARK

 

[geordieblue]

On a less positive note, there don't seem to have been any coil imports railed from Hull for a few months. I think those are mainly from SSAB in Scandinavia. That traffic normally gets combined at Rotherham with coils from Immingham.

I note there are a load of route learning moves from Belmont Yard to Hedon Road sidings this week - last week these were running too - perhaps this traffic is about to restart?

 

[Freightmaster]

Ignore the spurious 'coal' designation - it's likely to be RHTT wagons going up ready for
this Autumn's leaf fall season (GBRf have gained the two Inverness based diagrams from
DRS and Freightliner)

The RHTT wagons only got as far as Millerhill last Friday - they are booked to continue on
to Inverness this Wednesday:

Realtime Trains | 4Z01 1038 Millerhill S.S. to Inverness T.C. | 20/08/2025

Real-time train running information for 4Z01 1038 departure from Millerhill S.S. to Inverness T.C. on 20/08/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

MARK

 

[Adrian Barr]

There was an interesting aggregate working on Sunday night when 66605 worked a 6Z38 22:05 East Usk - Bredbury with 22 loaded HHA wagons. These had been loaded at Newport Docks on Friday, arriving as 6B55 11:24 from East Usk and departing loaded as 6H56 18:43 back to East Usk.

According to Railways of South Wales by Adrian Kenny (published in 2010, an excellent book both for the photos and info on freight) Newport Docks has previously despatched stone to Leeds and Elstow.

It looks like this wasn't the first stone train out of Newport Docks recently - this very short article from early June has a couple of good photos of a working to Radlett being loaded:
https://railmarket.com/news/freight...ort-radlett-connection-for-aggregates-traffic

It says the stone is "high PSV" (better skid-resistance for road-surfacing) which is quite likely to be gritstone sourced locally in South Wales.

PSV is a standard laboratory measurement of skid resistance. Many years of testing has shown that certain types of aggregate give higher values in relation to others. There is a general ranking of rock types e.g. gritstone has better PSV than basalt which is better than limestone. In the UK this natural ranking has resulted in the majority of higher trafficked roads to be surfaced using gritstone sources
https://saferroadsconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/5-WOODWARD-D-Higher-PSV-and-otherFP.pdf

Both Radlett and Bredbury are terminals owned by Tarmac, so it's probably part of the same contract. There are similar occasional workings of high-PSV stone from Coton Hill, Shrewsbury, by GBRF for Aggregate Industries (now rebranded as parent group Holcim). The stone loaded at Coton Hill comes from a nearby quarry at Haughmond Hill.

There's a list here of high PSV aggregate sources in the UK, which includes the "steelphalt" previously processed from blast furnace slag at Port Talbot by Harsco. That used to be sent by rail to Tarmac's terminals at places like Radlett, so perhaps the Newport Docks flow is a replacement of sorts - although it's not clear exactly where the stone comes from.
https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/site-...ds/roads-traffic/aggregates-approval-list.pdf

There was also a similar flow of "steelphalt" (processed slag for use as aggregate) from the Celsa works at Tremorfa, Cardiff, to Rotherham Masborough using MEA wagons.

Does anyone have any information on this working out of Ferrybridge Power Station?

There's a photo of the working here (6M27 11:00 Ferrybridge - Brindle Heath on 4th August) with 66534 on binliner wagons. The loco had arrived as 0D27 from Leeds Midland Road.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robstibz/54698782022/ (Photo: Rob S)

The outward working with loaded bin containers was 6E31 20:27 Brindle Heath - Ferrybridge on 1st August (loco departed as 0Z31 to Leeds Midland Road).

As mentioned in the link from geordieblue, the traffic is domestic waste for the "energy to waste" (EFW) incinerator at Ferrybridge. Brindle Heath normally sends this to another incinerator at Runcorn Folly Lane.
This short article about the original trial last year has a photo of the unloading terminal in Ferrybridge, with a substantial gantry crane:
https://railmarket.com/news/freight...aste-train-at-enfinium-s-ferrybridge-facility

I note there are a load of route learning moves from Belmont Yard to Hedon Road sidings this week - last week these were running too - perhaps this traffic is about to restart?

I hope so. It could also relate to the Tinsley to Hull steel flow. This paused for a while over the summer, with a train on July 3rd and then nothing until it ran again on 14th August (6D16 18:27 Tinsley - Hull).

The July 3rd working of 6D16 is seen here with loaded slab: https://www.flickr.com/photos/trainsofhull/54631401913/ (Photo: trainsofhull)

 

[stantheman]

What’s 6E42 Carlisle to Dewsbury via Settie , a new working ?

 

[geordieblue]

What’s 6E42 Carlisle to Dewsbury via Settie , a new working ?

I think this has been running, sporadically, for a while: see eg https://www.flickr.com/photos/19518...diD9o-2kNhQTK-2kNhQTu-2knmZ1H-2jvBzMJ-2iC2pzj

However, there was a new run out of Carlisle earlier this week - to Inverness, carrying MoD traffic. Unsure if this was a one off or will become semi regular. See https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R10520/2025-08-26/detailed#allox_id=0

 

[Freightmaster]

What’s 6E42 Carlisle to Dewsbury via Settle , a new working ?

That's spoil traffic - as geordieblue points out, it's been running sporadically for a couple of years now,
interspersed with similar trains from Carlisle to Longport and a third from from Longport to Dewsbury.



MARK

 

[Sun Chariot]

A "use it or lose it" today, for two aggregate paths along West Coastway - which, in total since 1-Dec 2024, ran only 3 times:

66605
6040 Westbury to Ardingly (near Haywards Heath).
6V57 Ardingly to Whatley (return empties) Photo attached

59201
6052 Westbury to Chichester.
6V09 Chichester to Merehead (return empties).

My hopes for three today on the West Coastway are dashed: 6068 Westbury to Crawley is "as required" but is not running.

 

[Class15]

A "use it or lose it" today, for two aggregate paths along West Coastway which, in total and year to date, only ran four times:

6040 Westbury to Ardingly (near Haywards Heath).
6V57 Ardingly to Whatley (return empties)

6052 Westbury to Chichester.
6V09 Chichester to Merehead (return empties).

I heard 6040 from the house and I saw 6O52 whilst walking the dog. I was more than a little surprised!

On the topic of ‘use it or lose it’, how long are Freightliner going to be allowed to keep the 4L90 (Trafford to Felixstowe) and 4M89 (Felixstowe to Ditton) paths which have not run, end-to-end, for around 20 months?

 

[Steveswan10]

There are plans apparently to build a munitions factory in Rotherwas Industrial park (Hereford where there used to be WW2 munitions factory's previously) if this does get built would the munitions be transported by rail or would it depend on how what and much is produced? There are no longer any rail links into Rotherwas as the line to Ross on Wye is lifted 50 plus years ago so would need to be taken by road to at least a rail terminal (Moreton On Lugg springs to mind), any thoughts or ideas?

 

[geordieblue]

However, there was a new run out of Carlisle earlier this week - to Inverness, carrying MoD traffic. Unsure if this was a one off or will become semi regular. See https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R10520/2025-08-26/detailed#allox_id=0

There were paths in for this today too but they don’t appear to have run as RTT suggests last night’s Kineton-Carlisle is still stuck at Crewe… unless this is some sort of glitch?

 

[Rhysdabeast]

There were paths in for this today too but they don’t appear to have run as RTT suggests last night’s Kineton-Carlisle is still stuck at Crewe… unless this is some sort of glitch?

I saw 6C01 at Crewe yesterday, assumed it couldn't continue north due to issues at Oxenholme. 66767 was shut down and 66514 attached to the rear and dragged it into Basford Hall where it still is. Of interest there was 2x Yellow Rheinmetall Compressors/Generators and 6x EINSA Army Green Ground Power Units, all of those were on Triton 20' Flat Rack containers.

 

[Tony2]

Iv

I saw 6C01 at Crewe yesterday, assumed it couldn't continue north due to issues at Oxenholme. 66767 was shut down and 66514 attached to the rear and dragged it into Basford Hall where it still is. Of interest there was 2x Yellow Rheinmetall Compressors/Generators and 6x EINSA Army Green Ground Power Units, all of those were on Triton 20' Flat Rack containers.

I’ve just seen this at Carlisle station heading north as 6Z01, the generators in amongst the containers caught my eye as well. I didn’t notice if there was a loco on the rear as my train had just arrived.

Realtime Trains | 6Z01 1146 Basford Hall Yard (Fl) to Carlisle N.Y. | 04/09/2025

Real-time train running information for 6Z01 1146 departure from Basford Hall Yard (Fl) to Carlisle N.Y. on 04/09/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Rhysdabeast]

Iv

I’ve just seen this at Carlisle station heading north as 6Z01, the generators in amongst the containers caught my eye as well. I didn’t notice if there was a loco on the rear as my train had just arrived.

Realtime Trains | 6Z01 1146 Basford Hall Yard (Fl) to Carlisle N.Y. | 04/09/2025

Real-time train running information for 6Z01 1146 departure from Basford Hall Yard (Fl) to Carlisle N.Y. on 04/09/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

No 66514 was purely used to get the train into Crewe Basford Hall Yard from Crewe station.

 

[furnessvale]

I don't think I have seen this reported elsewhere, but Peel Ports are to invest £100m in automated steel transfer facilities at Liverpool and Sheerness, including a new rail terminal in the midlands.

More information here:

https://www.peelports.com/news-articles/peel-ports-group-to-invest-100m-to-expand-national-steel-and-metals-multimodal-hub

 

[BRX]

I don't think I have seen this reported elsewhere, but Peel Ports are to invest £100m in automated steel transfer facilities at Liverpool and Sheerness, including a new rail terminal in the midlands.

More information here:

https://www.peelports.com/news-articles/peel-ports-group-to-invest-100m-to-expand-national-steel-and-metals-multimodal-hub

A bit unclear from that whether this involves moving anything by rail to/from Sheerness.

 

[furnessvale]

A bit unclear from that whether this involves moving anything by rail to/from Sheerness.

These two sentences from the article, using the plural, "these", whilst not definitive, give some cause for optimism.

"Further plans include creating a second automated terminal in Liverpool dedicated to steel coils, as well as a new automated terminal for the Port of London Medway in Sheerness.

These will be developed to include rail connectivity by a new inland rail terminal in the Midlands."

 

[BRX]

These two sentences from the article, using the plural, "these", whilst not definitive, give some cause for optimism.

"Further plans include creating a second automated terminal in Liverpool dedicated to steel coils, as well as a new automated terminal for the Port of London Medway in Sheerness.

These will be developed to include rail connectivity by a new inland rail terminal in the Midlands."

These press releases are so often weasel worded when it comes to actual investment in rail connections that I'd not be surprised to find that it means lorries will drive from the two ports to the midlands hub for onwards transport by rail. However, it would be great to be proven to be overly sceptical and to see steel traffic return to the north kent coast.

 

[furnessvale]

These press releases are so often weasel worded when it comes to actual investment in rail connections that I'd not be surprised to find that it means lorries will drive from the two ports to the midlands hub for onwards transport by rail. However, it would be great to be proven to be overly sceptical and to see steel traffic return to the north kent coast.

That would be the exact opposite of what is required in transport terms.

The Midlands is a major receiver of steel and several rail served steel terminals already exist there for the import of steel to the area. Indeed, unless those terminals are already operating at full capacity, it would be perfectly possible for rail imports to start before the construction of another terminal.

 

[EastWest]

Iv

I’ve just seen this at Carlisle station heading north as 6Z01, the generators in amongst the containers caught my eye as well. I didn’t notice if there was a loco on the rear as my train had just arrived.

Realtime Trains | 6Z01 1146 Basford Hall Yard (Fl) to Carlisle N.Y. | 04/09/2025

Real-time train running information for 6Z01 1146 departure from Basford Hall Yard (Fl) to Carlisle N.Y. on 04/09/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

This did eventually make the journey north from Carlisle to Inverness on Tuesday 9th September, 66749 arriving light engine from Doncaster Down Decoy the previous evening to haul it.

On the subject of MoD traffic, there was an interesting photo on the ‘Railfreight in the UK’ Flickr website recently of a Kineton to Bicester working formed of 18 VGA vans; generally MoD trains seem to be containers these days.

 

[Sun Chariot]

On the subject of MoD traffic, there was an interesting photo on the ‘Railfreight in the UK’ Flickr website recently of a Kineton to Bicester working formed of 18 VGA vans; generally MoD trains seem to be containers these days.

What year was that taken?
When I photo'd services into CoD Bicester (I lived there from January 1991 to November 1993), I saw transitioning of the wagon types. 1991 and 1992, it was VEA "vanfits" and VGA, also HEA hoppers for domestic coal supplies.
1993, the trains were primarily containers (Army green), with some VGAs still used

 

[Adrian Barr]

What year was that taken?

I think it must be this photo - 6V16 Kineton to Bicester on August 11th this year: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andy_hoare/54744371517/ (Photo: Andy Hoare)

On the subject of MoD traffic, there was an interesting photo on the ‘Railfreight in the UK’ Flickr website recently of a Kineton to Bicester working formed of 18 VGA vans; generally MoD trains seem to be containers these days.

Interesting... looks like these VGA / VKA vans (or a similar rake of 18) eventually made their way to Longtown! I didn't realise it had reopened...

6C01 Kineton - Carlisle Yard ran overnight on 18th August, plus 6C54 Carlisle Yard - Longtown on the morning of 19th August.

18 VGAs emerged from Longtown as 6G04 to Kineton on 2nd September, seen passing Warrington Bank Quay behind 66767:

Class 66 767 (6G04 Longtown MOD to Kineton MOD) | YouTube Channel: Nathaniel

I like the two "Lovat Spring" branded wagons - interesting thread about this traffic (from the late 90s "Enterprise" era) on RMWeb: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/71200-lovat-spring-water-traffic-from-inverness/

 

[geordieblue]

Yesterday’s Sunderland-Cardiff scrap train was operated by GBRf, anyone know if they’re taking over this traffic?

 

[littledude]

Yesterday’s Sunderland-Cardiff scrap train was operated by GBRf, anyone know if they’re taking over this traffic?

DB were unable to supply the wagons

 

[Parkway]

There doesn’t appear to have been any traffic to/from Barry Dow Chemicals for well over a week. Any background to this? Dow announced a scaling back at Barry (and elsewhere) earlier this year but those changes seem to happening next year.

Also just noticed that the Soton - London Gateway feeder services seem to have increased in frequency. Think there used to be mid-week return service but this week there has been a single service per day between the terminals Tuesday to Friday.

 

[Freightmaster]

There doesn’t appear to have been any traffic to/from Barry Dow Chemicals for well over a week. Any background to this? Dow announced a scaling back at Barry (and elsewhere) earlier this year but those changes seem to happening next year.

Also just noticed that the Soton - London Gateway feeder services seem to have increased in frequency. Think there used to be mid-week return service but this week there has been a single service per day between the terminals Tuesday to Friday.

The Gateway and Barry trains use the same resources, so with the Barry train not running,
the Gateway service can operate more frequently.


MARK

 

[geordieblue]

Looks like the Seaforth-Wolverhampton steel trial from a few weeks ago was successful as there’s a train on its way to Seaforth now: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R14948/2025-09-22/detailed. There’s then a path to Wolverhampton tomorrow.

There also seems to be a new (temporary or permanent?) flow from Scunthorpe to Tees Dock - presumably exporting metal. See this working last week: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R21965/2025-09-18/detailed - there are paths in for this week too.

 

[ExRes]

Looks like a new DCR flow today, loaded 0423 6L87 Peak Forest D&C to Eccles Road Johnstons Siding with the empties to Chaddesden tomorrow as 1052 6M83