W.R. Early 1980s Freight Photos - South Wales Severn Tunnel Junction to Pantyffynnon.

[caradoc]

Superb photos Kevin, many thanks for posting.

 

Re John Aldridge, after Newport County of course he moved on to a big (haha) club, Oxford United, my team, and played a major part in our successes of the 1980s. Good to see County back in the Football League, although they won't be playing United next season as we got promoted yesterday, back to the big time of League One !

[Rivercider]

Superb photos Kevin, many thanks for posting.

 

Re John Aldridge, after Newport County of course he moved on to a big (haha) club, Oxford United, my team, and played a major part in our successes of the 1980s. Good to see County back in the Football League, although they won't be playing United next season as we got promoted yesterday, back to the big time of League One !

Thanks.

 

Well done to Oxford, your two games against my team (Exeter) improved your goal difference no end,

and Liam Sercombe seems to have done well for you so far,

 

cheers

Edited May 8, 2016 by Rivercider

[clarkea1]

Arthur,

 

Newport I would imagine was the Alcan rolling mill in Rogerstone - so yes, rolled into strip.  Waunarlwydd in Swansea was an Aalco plant which I believe also rolled into strip.

 

Cheers

 

Alastair

[Arthur]

 

Thanks for that Alastair, interesting to know.

[simon47603]

My apologies Arthur.

 

Sorry I have been in work the last two nights. Yes, Alcan ran Rogerstone. Alcoa ran Waunarlwydd.

[MarshLane]

In my old note books a small handful of old TOPS enquiries have survived for over 30 years

Below is a copy of an 'EJ' enquiry which basically gives a sumary of traffic on hand in a specified yard

sorted by shunting tag and brake type.

This was the state of play of Severn Tunnel Junction yard at 23.02 on 19/10/82  for tags 730 - 899

which is basically mainline traffic for Western Region and Southern Region yards.

 

Severn Tunnel Junction EJ enquiry a.jpg

The yard shunting tags that I can remember from the list are

730 Acton

732 Acton airbrake

740 Reading

750 Swindon

752 Swindon airbrake

76A Newport AD Jn

76C East Usk coal eties

76L Llanwern

770 Cardiff Tidal

780 Radyr

790 Margam

792 Margam airbrake

810 Kingsland Road

812 Bristol airbrake

81L Lawrence Hill?

81R Bridgwater

81W Wapping Wharf

820 Westbury

822 Westbury airbrake

830 Exeter Riverside

832 Exeter airbrake

83T Tauntoin

840 Tavistock Junction

842 Tavi airbrake

862 Eastleigh airbrake

86A Salisbury?

86S Southampton Bevois Park?

 

cheers

 

 

Hi Kevin,

Fantastic thread - lots of useful background information.  I've seen many references to TOPS Tags over the years - could you possibly give an insight into how the 'tags' worked or were used?  My TOPS days on the railways were very limited, working in a control environment, it was more train planning and finding out what loco was allocated to my local enterprise working for a photo!

 

Rich

[The Stationmaster]

I think (and was told at the time) that the idea of Tags was to simplify shunting although in reality all they did was update what already existed in terms of marshalling instructions plus the route and shunt information taken from wagon labels using the earlier codes.  But where it started to come into its own was when wagon labels and the old codes were abolished and newer staff knew nothing else but working off Shunt Lists because, in my experience, most of the older hands just laughed at the idea of Tags.  But once wagons were 'tagged' a yard supervisor could easily see at a glance how much traffic they had for particular destinations by sort (in the shunting sense) rather than ultimate destination or route.

 

However part of the reaction against using Tags for planning shunting was possibly because originally the TOPS Implementation folk tried to sell Tags as part of a wizard wheeze known as 'geometric blocking' which was a rather fancy technical way of deciding how to shunt traffic instead of the Head Shunter working it all out in his head and getting on with it; that fell flat on its face before it had hardly started although I believe Exeter Riverside were conned into giving it a try.  

[MarshLane]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for that background that's really interesting. I must dig my old TOPS paperwork out and take a look. Did tags change at each yard then (i.e. 74D at Aberdeen was Mossend, while at Exeter Riverside it related to Tavistock Junction) or were the tag codes standardized throughout the country?

 

Wonder if a list still exists anywhere, in the interests of documenting it for historic reference?

 

Rich

[The Stationmaster]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for that background that's really interesting. I must dig my old TOPS paperwork out and take a look. Did tags change at each yard then (i.e. 74D at Aberdeen was Mossend, while at Exeter Riverside it related to Tavistock Junction) or were the tag codes standardized throughout the country?

 

Wonder if a list still exists anywhere, in the interests of documenting it for historic reference?

 

Rich

 

Each yard would have its own Tag table - in fact basically the same procedure as the earlier idea where the older destination/route codes carried on wagon labels were used to identify which traffic should be forwarded in whatever direction or to what yard.  If you go back before that it was all entirely based on place names - usual procedure being that traffic destined for X or should be sent to yard C where it would connect with the local trip to X, originating location Z would have its traffic collected by local freight trip to take it to Yard A and A would have marshalling Instructions for its mainline trains which would possibly give a direct service to Yard C or maybe route it via Yard B (and potentially other yards enroute) dependent on the regular volumes of traffic passing between the various yards. 

 

This all required Shunters to have both a knowledge of geography (N.B. 'railway geography' - which could be a bit different from looking at a road map to establish the route between two places) and, obviously, the Marshalling Instructions.  The idea of introducing route/destination codes on wagon labels was to make the system simpler and not require such extensive knowledge plus it made it a lot easier to change routes as the network and freight services were rationalised.  When locations were given what were known as (5 digit) Stannox numbers to identify them in the TOPS system it was logical to change to a shunting system based on what were called Tag Numbers - hence they duly appeared.

 

At each service change any changes to routes or network etc the Tag tables for all the relevant yards would be reviewed and a revised as necessary although as block train working increased obviously the need for this sort of think decreased massively.

[Rivercider]

Right, after a lengthy break, and while it is cold and wet outside, I will try to crack on with this thread, and head a bit further west,

forgive me if I get some locations a bit wrong, the further west I go the further from my comfort zone I get!.

 

East Usk Junction is the next location heading west and is the junction for the East Usk Branch to Uskmouth.

Locations on the Uskmouth Branch still active in the 1980s were the BSC Orb Works, Monsanto Chemical Works, Alphasteel Works and Uskmouth Power Station which received coal in 21t MDVs.

 

 

Firstly is a train on the Down Relief with Llanwern Steelworks just about discernable in the distant haze, the East Usk Branch curves away on the right.

37162 works a lengthy rake of empty MDVs from Llanwern Steelworks to East Usk Yard which is located behind me on the other side of the bridge I was standing on.

At this time East Usk Yard was the examination and distribution yard for empty coal wagons received from either Llanwern or from a number of English coal concentration depots, from there the empty wagons would be sent away to collieries and other loading points. 10/2/82

 

A bit of variety now in the form of a class 31 on a steel working.

31304 heads west on the Down Relief with a short train of BAA steel carriers with coil loaded 'eye to sky'

In the background 47283 is heading light towards Severn Tunnel Junction while 37162 heads towards Llanwern to collect the empty MDVs seen in the previous shot, 10/2/82

 

At East Usk was a surviving mechanical signal box which controlled access to the branch.  

08781 rumbles towards East Usk Yard having just made a trip down the branch to Monsanto Chemical Works to collect a ferry van, 10/2/82

 

cheers 

Edited February 6, 2017 by Rivercider

[Rivercider]

Now turning the other way to look west from the same bridge we see East Usk Yard, which looked a bit different in 1982 to the pictures linked by Brian in post 40.

 

 

Cardiff Cantons 37229 departs East Usk Yard with a very mixed trip for Severn Tunnel Junction comprising engineers empties, steel carriers, and various coal wagons, in the background 37303 waits on the Up Relief with coal for Llanwern. Is that one of the lighting towers for Newport County ground Somerton Park on the left? 10/2/82

 

Now it is the turn for 37303, a Landore allocated loco, to depart along the Up Relief with coal in 21t MDVs for Llanwern, in the background is East Usk signal box

and a HST heads west along the Down Main toward Newport 10/2/82 

 

Most freight traffic bypassed the yard at East Usk and here 47079 G.J.Churchward hurries past on the Up Main with a train of phurnacite from Abercwmboi to Severn Tunnel Junction where the train will be broken up and remarshalled for various coal concentration depots around the country. 47079 was another Canton based loco a number of which had a similar odd green headcode panel around this time, 10/2/82

 

cheers

 

 

 

 

cheers

Edited February 6, 2017 by Rivercider

[Rivercider]

Heading further west beyond East Usk Yard we come to the Maindee Junctions where trains for the North and West route via Hereford leave the South Wales Main Line.

 

47088 Samson is passing Maindee West Junction on the Down Relief with what I believe is tanks of traction fuel for Canton Depot.

The feathers on the signal behind the loco are for the route via Maindee North Junction towards Hereford, 10/2/82

 

 

37224, another Cardiff Canton loco, is seen on the Up Main at Maindee West Junction, 7/5/85

 

cheers

[Rivercider]

Now just before we arrive at Newport we have to cross the River Usk, the bridge here is popular for railway photos over the years.

 

First crossing the bridge is yet another class 37, but this one 37204 is one of a batch that were by now allocated to Bath Road.

37204 heads west on the Down Relief with empty 21t MDVs from Llanwern, 10/2/82

 

Now some more variety, although there were never any class 31s allocated to South Wales they were quite common as far west as Cardiff.

Apart from the 'Taunton Twins' I do not recall that Bath Road class 31s were often paired up in the early 1980s but here are Bath Roads 31296 and 31307

crossing the River Usk bridge on the Up Main with what my notes say is a train of HTVs of house coal, though they look very well loaded so I am wondering if this is a train of coke, perhaps for Hallen Marsh? 10/2/82

 

cheers

Edited February 6, 2017 by Rivercider

[Rivercider]

Some more views of the River Usk bridge in Newport.

 

First another of the Canton allocated named class 47s.

47078 Sir Daniel Gooch crosses the bridge on the Up Relief with loaded 100t tanks from one of the Milford Haven refineries, 10/2/82

 

 

 

56044 had recently been transferred from Toton to Cardiff Canton and is heading east over the bridge with empty steel carriers. 15/7/80

 

 

Another class 37 crossing the River Usk

 

37187 crosses the river with MGR hoppers of coal from Oakdale to Severn Tunnel Junction, where after a loco change the train will go forward to BSC Scunthorpe, 7/5/85

 

 

cheers 

Edited February 7, 2017 by Rivercider

[andy stroud]

Lovely set of pictures, Kevin. Makes me realise just how much I miss the old BR stuff.  Many thanks for posting.

 

andy

[Downendian]

Terrific Kevin, memories flooding back. Those grimy, coal dusted 37s were regulars growling up Patchway bank in the 1970s, 37 224 - if you weathered a model like that you would get some comments, but proof they were really that filthy.

Keep them coming.

Neil

[Rivercider]

Llanwern steelworks generated a huge amount of freight, traffic both inwards coal and iron ore and outwards steel in varying forms.

Some of the traffic from Llanwern went to other BSC plants and customers across BR as well as more local traffic flows within South Wales.

Here is a train from Llanwern about to pass through Newport.

37213 passes through Newport on the Down Relief Line with steel from Llanwern, are the first eight vehicles 22t Coil L wagons conversions from shochoods?  15/7/80

 

Heading in the other direction is another class 37

  

37222 passes through with a fully fitted coal train formed of 16t mins, 21t mins and 21t hoppers, 15/7/80

This picture appears twice for some reason!

 

Another view at the east end of Newport station taken from the rear vestibule of departing train hauled by 31419.

47146 is working 8C30 10.30 Margam - Severn Tunnel Junction and is standing on the No.1 line Up Main at Newport waiting to follow the train I was on.

Behind the loco is mess coach DW150401 and a twin jib crane followed by loaded seacow hoppers, 21/7/82

 

cheers 

Edited February 8, 2017 by Rivercider

[Rivercider]

Petroleum traffic was important in South Wales in the 1980s. There were three refineries in the Milford Haven area, Esso at Herbrandston, Amoco at Robeston and Gulf at Waterston as well as BPs refinery at Llandarcy and chemical complex at Baglan Bay. 

Here a train calls at platform 1 at Newport.

The driver of Crewe Diesel allocated 47540 looks back along platform 1 prior to departure with discharged 100t tanks for Herbrandston

(the destination according to my notes, though I can not be certain), 25/1/82

 

47540 heads away from platform 1 towards Newport Old Tunnel 25/1/82

 

Another loco visiting South Wales is Stratford 47363 approaching Newport on the Up Relief with loaded BPO tanks, 17/7/80

 

cheers 

Edited February 7, 2017 by Rivercider

[Rivercider]

Here are a few of my instamatic photos from the late 1970s also taken at Newport.

 

Back in 1979 I realised that class 56s were new to the Port Talbot to Llanwern iron ore workings so took a couple of shots of this empty train.

56033 and 56043 pass through Newport on the Down Relief line heading back to Port Talbot. 10/9/79

I am grateful to Brian R, who on a previous thread advised that class 56 locos were introduced to the iron ore workings on 6th August 1979

and that 56043 was one of the locos that worked a train on that day.

 

 

A Freightliner working from Cardiff Pengam approaches Newport on the Up Relief behind 45007, 10/9/79

 

And an atmospheric photo that reminds me of happy times at Newport where there seemed to be a freight train passing through every few minutes.

Taken into the sun as 37175 heads towards Newport Old Tunnel with empty 21t hoppers from East Usk Yard, the exhaust fumes from a previous train still linger in the cutting 10/9/79

 

cheers

Edited February 7, 2017 by Rivercider

[Fat Controller]

Llanwern steelworks generated a huge amount of freight, traffic both inwards coal and iron ore and outwards steel in varying forms.

Some of the traffic from Llanwern went to other BSC plants and customers across BR as well as more local traffic flows within South Wales.

Here is a train from Llanwern about to pass through Newport.

[attachment=805372:scan0181.jpg

37213 passes through Newport on the Down Relief Line with steel from Llanwern, are the first eight vehicles 22t Coil L wagons conversions from shochoods?  15/7/80

 

 

cheers 

They are indeed. Probably heading for Newport Docks.

[Rivercider]

Just wondering if the class 46 would have worked to Oakdale and back ? Having gone to 0akdale comprehensive school from late 70s to early 80s , I seem to possibly remember seeing peaks at the colliery although I could be wrong, only once saw a box head class 37 which was poss 37053, plus a class 31 on a weedkiller.

Sorry I did not notice your question at the time.

 

Yes I reckon the 46 would have gone all the way to Oakdale, of course there was no need for a slow speed fitted loco to do the loading.

I have some freight train loads books from the late 1980s, and although class 46 locos were withdrawn by then there are entries for class 45s

for trains to Marine/Oakdale and Ebbw Vale so I am sure class 46 locos were permitted as well,

 

cheers

[HGT1972]

That rake probably were still Shochood Bs in the earlier picture. They were commonly used as a fitted head on the unfitted coil trains between Llanwern and Newport Docks, often Coil C, Coil J and some of the unfitted bogie conversions, generally carrying the smaller coils. The 45 Coil Ls had been converted for traffic from Ravenscraig and Gartcosh and were, at that time, still mainly working out of Scotland. They did occasionally escape and some did indeed make it to South Wales with Scottish steel and a few certainly made it to Newport Docks with export steel in the earlier 1970s.

 

Of course, even the Shochood Bs wouldn't last much longer heading either for scrap or conversion to Dace ballast opens within a few years. Nice wagons!

 

Thanks to Rivercider for a great selection of pictures...brings back many happy memories!

 

Hywel

[Swindon 123]

That rake probably were still Shochood Bs in the earlier picture. They were commonly used as a fitted head on the unfitted coil trains between Llanwern and Newport Docks, often Coil C, Coil J and some of the unfitted bogie conversions, generally carrying the smaller coils. The 45 Coil Ls had been converted for traffic from Ravenscraig and Gartcosh and were, at that time, still mainly working out of Scotland. They did occasionally escape and some did indeed make it to South Wales with Scottish steel and a few certainly made it to Newport Docks with export steel in the earlier 1970s.

 

Of course, even the Shochood Bs wouldn't last much longer heading either for scrap or conversion to Dace ballast opens within a few years. Nice wagons!

 

Thanks to Rivercider for a great selection of pictures...brings back many happy memories!

 

Hywel

Are these the same type of wagons, Coil B or Coil J. The only time I got any photos of them. They had the TOPS code OUV when I took these.

B726256, B726437,  B726489 [CBR8-006] by Paul James, on Flickr

 

B726256, B726437, B726489 [CBR8-002] by Paul James, on Flickr

 

B726256, B726437, B726489 OUV [CBR 7-036] by Paul James, on Flickr

 

B726256, B726489, 08822. [CBR8-007] by Paul James, on Flickr

 

B726256, B726489 OUV [CBR8-008] by Paul James, on Flickr

 

Paul J.

[Fat Controller]

When I saw the hand-crane in the rear of those photos, I thought, briefly, that it was Tonbridge West Yard. What were those Shockhood Bs doing there?

I wonder why they were belatedly recoded as 2-axle steel carrying vehicles? AFAIK, they had been carrying steel since their introduction, and were branded for traffic from either the Scottish or South Wales sheet mills. The only view of them I've seen carrying anything but steel was one of them carrying copper ingots to Bevois Park, Southampton, on Paul Bartlett's site.

[Rivercider]

I have had a go at re-scanning the photo of 37213 at Newport, all my photos are prints, some printed on lustre paper and some are faded so not great to start with.

 

37213 at Newport with a working from Llanwern, 15/7/80

 

cheers