Timber trains - Baglan Bay?

[truckman060473]

The Colas freight working from Baglan Bay to Chirk has fully laden logs. Ok so no surprise there, but I sort of had the impression that some form of bio-mass wood fired power station was operating at Baglan Bay, and that you'd imagine that trains would be taking logs to it rather than from there. Can someone explain?

 

[luke_oliver]

I believe that the only power station operating at Baglan is General Electrics Natural Gas fired station.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baglan_Bay_power_station

A biomass power station was suggested at nearby Swansea but was never constructed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/7948741.stm

 

[truckman060473]

Ah yes, there was supposed to be a wood chip burning plant built on the old Coedbach washery site in Kidwelly but the plans fell through. I had this still in my mind when I heard Colas were running log trains to Baglan and thought it was a similar power station in use there. So where do the logs come from that the train picks up in Baglan?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Other way - local logs sent away from Baglan to (I think) Chirk ....

At least its a bit more freight on the rail.

 

[fgwrich]

Other way - local logs sent away from Baglan to (I think) Chirk ....

At least its a bit more freight on the rail.

Correct. I can't remember which of the forests are being felled up that way, but the logs are being felled in the Afan Forest? area, driven down by road to Baglan Bay and loaded onto the Baglan Bay - Chirk Colas Rail service down there.

If your interested, the Teigngrace Logs picks up logs from around South Devon, including Logs from a forest in East Devon.

 

[truckman060473]

Thanks for that, yes the Afan Forest is a large commission like our plantation near Carmarthen - Brechfa Forest. Log trains used to run from Carmarthen 15+ yrs ago. Still, huge lorry loads come out of Brechfa though.

 

[Nat the Ned]

If your interested, the Teigngrace Logs picks up logs from around South Devon, including Logs from a forest in East Devon.

A huge amount of the logs loaded at Teigngrace have actually come from down in Cornwall. Anyone familiar with the line through Largin will see where from!!!

 

[fgwrich]

A huge amount of the logs loaded at Teigngrace have actually come from down in Cornwall. Anyone familiar with the line through Largin will see where from!!!

Ah, i had a feeling that a lot had come from that way too including the Largin Valley (well, most of them!). Although some of the logs are coming out of East Devon too, Harpford Wood near Sidmouth has also recently had alot of tree felling in the past year with the logs heading over to Teigngrace. Shame in a way though that log trains couldn't have picked up the logs originating in Cornwall from Cornwall though.

 

[Nat the Ned]

Ah, i had a feeling that a lot had come from that way too including the Largin Valley (well, most of them!). Although some of the logs are coming out of East Devon too, Harpford Wood near Sidmouth has also recently had alot of tree felling in the past year with the logs heading over to Teigngrace. Shame in a way though that log trains couldn't have picked up the logs originating in Cornwall from Cornwall though.

Yes, there are numerous sites around Devon and the huge areas of the Glynn Valley (Largin) that have been felled. Guess no suitable loading point could be found in Cornwall, but its nice to see the Heathfield Branch back in use, there were rumours of loading at Meldon, but dont think this is going to happen?? Colas just need to sort their Grids out, think the customer is getting slightly ******ed off!!!