Adrian Barr
Member
It's a flow of rail on IGA wagons. 6X12 ran on 12th and 18th September and again this morning (66137 + 24 IGAs). I'm not sure where the rail is destined for, or if it's a different contract to the usual (sporadic) flow through Goole.
Another irregular flow from Scunthorpe is slab to Immingham Nordic. 6G72 ran half a dozen times in the first ten days of this month. Like 6X12, 6G72 runs at an inconvenient time for photography, but the return 6G84 is seen on 5th September, with 66050 hauling empty IGA and BBA wagons: https://www.flickr.com/photos/191706415@N08/54766352317/ (Photo: Nick Skelton)
There have also been some more slab trains from Scunthorpe to Margam to supply Port Talbot steelworks. 6V66 ran yesterday and should also run Wed + Fri.
6V66 seen here on 23rd June looking rather smart behind 66175 with a set of BAA wagons: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcus_45111/54668907537/ (Photo: Marcus)
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On the subject of Scunthorpe steel, I just remembered I wrote this post out in May but never actually posted it:
Two of the sporadic export steel flows departed Scunthorpe within a couple of hours of each other on Friday 23rd May, with an 04:16 6G72 to Immingham, and a 6X83 05:51 to Goole.
The Goole train is seen here conveying the usual cargo of rails on IGAs behind 66099: https://www.flickr.com/photos/darrenjb/54542748561/ (Photo: Darren JB)
The Immingham train ran with 66186 hauling 24 loaded BAA / BBA / BDA / BEA / BFA wagons destined for the Nordic terminal (where export steel from Tinsley is handled, along with imports of steel coil to Wolverhampton). I think the product coming from Scunthorpe on 6G72 is usually slab. Photo of a similar working in 2021: https://www.flickr.com/photos/johngreyturner/51311505188/
Trains have also ran from Scunthorpe to Immingham in the past few years conveying rail on IGAs (with an X headcode) which is unloaded on the east side of the docks at Ridleys siding. The large expanse of tarmac between the two warehouses is an ideal place to handle this kind of cargo without it getting in the way. The X headcodes for trains of rail on IGA wagons are due to restrictions on the track curvature they can negotiate.
66047 seen at Ridleys siding with a railtour in 2015: https://www.flickr.com/photos/148194160@N04/27031258948/ (Photo: Jordan Kearney)
66193 seen with empty IGAs on the line that connects Ridley's siding to Immingham East Junction in 2015: https://www.flickr.com/photos/148194160@N04/40778398311/ (Photo: Jordan Kearney)
This location can be found on Google Maps at DN40 2QW, between "Nippon Gases UK" and "Weighbridge 3"
There is also an ongoing contract for movements of export rail from Scunthorpe to Muizen (Belgium) through the channel tunnel, running once a month or so. In the opposite direction, there are occasional movements of imported rail to Eastleigh manufactured by Voestalpine.
Another interesting export flow that ran a couple of times in March, and several times in April, was from Scunthorpe to Middlesbrough Goods. Up to 30 BBA/BDA/BEA/BFA wagons were sent from Scunthorpe to Tees on 6N31 (which normally conveys slab for Lackenby and bloom for Skinningrove) and sent forward to Middlesbrough Goods as 6N12. The working is seen here on 18th March with 66041:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thornabydemon/54395650033/ (Photo: Alex Ayre)
It's conveying billet which the caption says is destined for Türkiye. Billet is sometimes conveyed from Tinsley (along with bloom and slab) on the trains to Immingham and Hull, but apart from that and some internal movements at Cardiff Celsa, the last billet flow on rail that I'm aware of was a few years ago when Aldwarke sent a few trainloads to Scunthorpe (billet was more commonly moved in the reverse direction from Scunthorpe to Aldwarke back in EWS days).
