Goods trains through stations

[Mallard60022]

In the 1960/70's when I lived in Fyfield, Essex ( north of Ongar), on a still,cold, and  frosty night you could hear the English Electric type 3's ( yes that ages me!) climbing Ingatestone Bank.

Nightime with a south easterly means I can hear the coals on the Clarborough climb/descent to/from West Burton and Cottam PS. 66s though and not the same as 37s!!

P

[Titan]

As a young boy on the summer nights whilst trying to get to sleep with the window open, I could listen to distant Class 37 thrash for up to ten minutes, occasionally drifting louder and quieter. Just when you had thought that you had heard the last as they sped on, the growl would drift back again on the wind. And when you remember that they were travelling at up to 75mph it makes you realise just how far the sound can really carry, given the right conditions!!!

[kenw]

I've seen it in three stations and those are the only stations I've been at when a freight train has gone through so it seemed like the norm. York; southbound coal train, ... the train in York opened the throttle halfway along the platform.

 

The curve into York Station from the north, and the through platforms, are 30 mph, raising to 40 at the south end then stepping up so he'd be powering up in readiness for this. There's no general restriction on freight trains passing through platforms.

[brian daniels]

Used to love going through the down main at Reading at 80mph and it just had to be done on full power especially with a 50 on a passenger/ECS. I used to work the 17:00 Padd-Hereford which was first stop Didcot if my memory serves me right on occasions. You used to come through Sonning cutting saying/praying to the signalman to be good to you and give you greens.  Didcot is 50mph on the down relief and 125mph on the down main so freight will be getting a lick on through there.

[The Pilotman]

Used to love going through the down main at Reading at 80mph and it just had to be done on full power especially with a 50 on a passenger/ECS. I used to work the 17:00 Padd-Hereford which was first stop Didcot if my memory serves me right on occasions. You used to come through Sonning cutting saying/praying to the signalman to be good to you and give you greens.

And we would, whenever we could. I remember well the sight and sound of a "runner" tearing through platform 4 at 80mph and opening up once clear of West Main. During the time I worked there we tried very hard to keep things moving as best we could, no small feat given the number of trains and the layout we had to work with. As The Stationmaster mentioned in an earlier post, we would also endeavour to turn empty stone trains for the Berks & Hants onto the down main at Land's End as it was so much easier and quicker to thread them through Reading if they were already on the down main line. I know Reading Panel was known by some drivers as "The Crucible" (you had to get a red before you got any other colour...) but we did our best. Honest. I'll try to dig out some pictures to prove it.

[edward66]

Up freight trains on the WCML passed through Lancaster Castle station as fast as possible to tackle the upgrade south of the station, one of my abiding memories of this was the sight and sound of a Super D 0-8-0 being absolutely thrashed with exhaust rising several feet before it started to spread out. Superb locomotives, a late friend of mine who often fired them said they would steam incredibly well but needed a hot dancing fire, biggest problem was keeping his footing as he said they tried their best to throw you off!

 

Edward

[APOLLO]

They speed through Wigan North Western - Freights do line speed in both both directions, seems around 60mph. Look at 2min 30sec & 4min 04 sec

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YawVuIyRCc

 

Brit15

[Eggesford box]

Banbury is 75mph on both mains. Freights on the up can often approach without much noise. Some years ago when the children where younger I was walking along the platform, back to oncoming traffic, with the kids following on behind. Not that close to the platform edge but not that far away either. The first I knew of a Freightliner was as the engine passed me. Did not really register being so used to them. Turned round to find the kids in tears having been given a fright, they refered to Freightliners as nasty trains for a little while after!

 

Another time I was in the South box for some reason as a Freightliner passed through. Shortly afterwards there was a request from control to the signalman to loop the train at Aynho as there was a complaint the train was 'speeding'. Neither me nor the signalman thought it seemed to be travelling excessively fast and a call over the road to Chilterns control to see what they thought from a different angle gave the same response. Talking to the driver he said they where doing 72mph (and since it was a borrowed DRS or GBRF engine he thought the speedo was more likely to be accurate than a Freightliner engine!). Turned out, pre automated announcements, a passenger train had been announced shortly before the liner went through. There was a blind man on the platform and..... well you can guess the rest! 

[Rugd1022]

One thing about working heavy freights through Banbury on the Up Main is that if you get a single yellow approaching the North box you need to get the brake in asap as it's only a short distance to the red at the south end of the platform! With this in mind I've often coasted down to about 50mph on our class 6 (60mph) trains just to give me a fighting chance of stopping. At night time it's not so bad as the reflection of the yellow aspect is visible much sooner.

 

Going back to the OP's question - there are a few places on my route card where I'll always slow down a little more approaching certain speed restrictions (which in itself gives a false impression to anyone watching from the lineside), the 20mph junction at Sharnbrook on the MML can be a tricky one if you're coming down hill off the Up Fast crossing over to the Up Slow, hit it at 20mph with a loaded train of 2,000tons and you'll be doing nigh on 30mph before you're off the pointwork.

 

The fastest I've been through Oxford is 60mph with a loaded ballast train, even though the line speed is 75mph the pointwork at the south end is quite rough on a 66!

[brian daniels]

 

The fastest I've been through Oxford is 60mph with a loaded ballast train, even though the line speed is 75mph the pointwork at the south end is quite rough on a 66!

 

Lovely memories driving the liners with pairs of 37's approaching Oxford at about 73 mph and then give it the lot at Walton Well Bridge to go through the up main at 75 mph waking up the locals. I did have to hang my head out and look back as well, just be mindfull of the signal on the Old Main! Sad I know but it was good to come to work back then. Just can't get enthusiastic about a 66 on notch 8 these days.

[Eggesford box]

If No.5 signal at Banbury South is on there is not a lot of braking distance if the driver has not been checked further back and the first he sees is a double yellow at Banbury Norths last signal (the signals on the up main are BN50,BS2,BS5 and BS11, all colour lights). The trouble is that it is a fair way down to BS11 and if you get distracted for any reason and do not put back No.11 lever and pull off No.5 fairly pronto the next train can be upon you. I know I have had the signalman at the North ringing me about all the smoke coming from an up freight as it passed him. Since he was a relief man it made me smile that he had not twigged what I had done or rather not done and I innocently remarked that I had seen nothing amiss as the train passed me.