Freight in our area

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I have just stumbled upon a picture of the Avon Gorge showing river, road, and rail with a freight train - in Bristol Railway Enthusiasts Group (sorry - link will only work if you're a member)

The SuO^▸ ((in timetables) Sunday only) 1842 Severnside-Brentford climbs past the site of Sneyd Park Junction, 28/6/20, on a rather dull and blustery evening...

Now - I had kinda assumed that any freight from Avonmouth went via Henbury these days as there weren't paths through Clifton Down - at least during the day- but it appears I'm mistaken.

Where are the freight flows in the South West these days?

[CyclingSid]

link will only work if you're a member

I presume you mean of Bristol Railway Enthusiasts Group.

[grahame]

link will only work if you're a member

I presume you mean of Bristol Railway Enthusiasts Group.

Yes, that Facebook page. Sorry to be unclear.

[rogerw]

Never knew they existed. I have applied to join

[Bmblbzzz]

I have just stumbled upon a picture of the Avon Gorge showing river, road, and rail with a freight train - in Bristol Railway Enthusiasts Group (sorry - link will only work if you're a member)

The SuO^▸ ((in timetables) Sunday only) 1842 Severnside-Brentford climbs past the site of Sneyd Park Junction, 28/6/20, on a rather dull and blustery evening...

Now - I had kinda assumed that any freight from Avonmouth went via Henbury these days as there weren't paths through Clifton Down - at least during the day- but it appears I'm mistaken.

Where are the freight flows in the South West these days?

I had assumed the same. But I'd also noticed there are yellow lines on the platforms at Redland, Montpellier, etc, which implies trains passing without stopping. So that would be these freight trains. Although I also think I might possibly perhaps have read they serve the incinerator, which is on the Severn Beach "extension" so inaccessible from Henbury without some complicated reversing manoeuvre.

[GBM]

Whilst there is some clay traffic from Fowey, I guess there is nothing West of Lostwithiel?
Apart from notwork fail traffic for maintenance, etc.
I believe everything for Falmouth Docks in now all on the road, leaving the branch line for passenger use only.

[rogerw]

No traffic from Fowey, except empties. China clay traffic as far west as Burngallow, most going to Fowey but a few trains still, I think, to other UK^▸ (United Kingdom) destinations. Still cement traffic to Moorswater

[grahame]

No traffic from Fowey, except empties. China clay traffic as far west as Burngallow, most going to Fowey but a few trains still, I think, to other UK^▸ (United Kingdom) destinations. Still cement traffic to Moorswater

Still west of Plymouth - St Blazey / Goonbarrow / Ernesettle - anything?

[rogerpatenall]

No traffic from Fowey, except empties.

So, Roger. How do they get there? Are they empty on the way in - or is there some magic wagon manufacturing plant producing empties for distribution? I'm intrigued.

[Celestial]

No traffic from Fowey, except empties.

So, Roger. How do they get there? Are they empty on the way in - or is there some magic wagon manufacturing plant producing empties for distribution? I'm intrigued.

I guess traffic to Fowey are "fullies", traffic from Fowety are empties. So in that sense the statement was correct?

[Robin Summerhill]

Getting back to Clifton Down, RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) suggests that the only regular freight traffic currently going that was is the Brentofrd to Avonmouth consignments for the incinerator and the empties back.

As has already been noted, routeing it this way avoids a complicated freversal. Furthermore, as it is in the Bristol area in the small hours there is nothing else using the line at the time.

[Rooke]

This train is routed via Clifton down on Sundays only back from Severnside tyo Brtentford. All other workings are normally via Henbury hence topping and tailing of the train.

[johnneyw]

Last year, I was sad enough to get up a tad early to see the early freight service pass through Redland Station. I was quite impressed with how long the train was. Feeling like a coffee was in order, I jumped on the next Severn Beach service to Temple Meads but overestimated the opening times of Bony's and the other outlet in the underpass. Dismayed, I took the return service home for some cafetier coffee and reflected on what a sad loss Kiera's coffee trike at Redland was.

[Umberleigh]

In 2017 I stayed in an AirBnB that backed onto the Severn Beach line near Montpellier station and my bedroom had a view of the line. Much to my surprise, I was awoken in the early hours of the morning by a 66 and container train heading towards Avonmouth (powering up from the junction on the main line). Witnessed this twice during the week.

[Umberleigh]

To add, a large amount of freight west of Exeter has been lost since the 1990s. What remains are occasional Alphington spur scrap metal trains, very occasional MOD trains to the depot on the first stretch of the Gunnislake line (sorry, can't think of its name, Ernesettle?), the Moorswater cement, the china clay workings around Fowey and Burngullow etc. and china clay trains north beyond Exeter (saw one last summer). For a while we had the timber trains from the Heathfield branch but sadly the Dawlish seawall collapse put paid to those, and they were switched to Exeter. The rest are all related to track renewals, such as aggregates.

Lost were the regular Meldon aggregates flows, the bitumen, china clay and scrap metal flows to Plymouth and fuel trains down to Penzance (thanks GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) ) and also china clay and fuel oil workings on the Heathfield line (I'm sure there's more). Its a bleak picture when you consider that in the early 80s the Barnstaple branch alone carried china clay, cement, timber, chemicals and fertiliser freight (and milk tanks until the 70s).