Tees yard?

[Spaceflower]

Quite a few years ago Tees yard was bustling with loco's and wagons. Today it seems to be a shadow of its former self, nothing more than an industrial wasteland.
What was Tees yard's purpose and what happened to it?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
< bump

Come on people, did it spiral into decline because of pit closures, changing nature of railfreight, more lorries, introduction of containers, all above? What?
And what was a marshalling yards purpose? Why did they exist? Why not straight forward A-B freight?

 

[Toots]

All of which you have outlined,contributed to the decline of Tees yard.Indeed the same process is happening at Healey Mills.Freight and more pertinently 'wagonload' has declined dramatically since the 1950's.Tees became a hump yard,but they were obsolete by the time they were completed,and Beeching favoured Freightliner,the concept,not the company.Merry go round trains which stay permanently coupled saved marshalling,so as road haulage ,with the dice loaded in its favour ,swallowed up part loads most 'loose shunting' was no longer needed.Finally with the demise of heavy industry in the region,Tees' fortunes declined with it,leaving the sad relic you see today.

 

[Spaceflower]

Yet Tyne yard seems pretty busy? My question is; why does freight need to go to an intermediate yard at all?

 

[Toots]

It depends,it can be for a crew change so it doesn't clog up the main line or in my case our trains will go to a yard, empty or full, to await dispatch for its next destination when needed or when a crew is available.Marshalling in the traditional sense was carried out when loads from different parts of the area were brought together and then mixed and matched to form trains going to the same destination.

 

[Darandio]

Not sure what the plans are now, it is still being used as an intermediate calling point for freight workings but I am sure the plans are still to sell it for housing and leisure. Imagine how many houses they will get on there!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1eA-jx6K1...8/s1600-h/Thornaby+Yard+Decal+Tracks+1440.jpg