European Railroad Discussion > Back up to Birdport

On Sunday 28th I was paroled from the family Christmas, which was spent with my in-laws some 80 miles west of London, and headed down to Newport in South Wales for another fix of steel traffic. I wasn't disappointed, despite the Christmas slowdown on our railways (and the meltdown at King's Cross & Paddington) things were about normal in South Wales. Indeed there were more trains than normal, including a train of loaded steel from Margam (the yard next to the Port Talbot steelworks) to Birdport, which is a wharf on the east bank of the River Usk, just south of Newport, which specialises in steel exports. Overall distance is just over 40 miles.

On Realtimetrains (which gets its data from Network Rail) this was shown as an Extra (STP in NR parlance). But its mode of operation is rather interesting as it requires the use of a brake van, a very rare beast in this day and age.

Birdport is about halfway down the Uskmouth branch, which leaves the South Wales mainline at East Usk Yard in the eastern suburbs of Newport and terminates at Uskmouth Power Station, where the Usk flows into the Severn estuary. It's a single track branch-line with a run round facility at Uskmouth and no sidings. So trains to Birdport basically unload from the 'mainline' and have to travel in one direction in reverse and they have to be uninterrupted by any Uskmouth PS bound coal.

On Sunday, which I assume is standard, the train arrived in East Usk Yard, the locomotive attached a brake van (roughly equivalent to a caboose) on the front, ran round to the rear and slowly propelled the train through the yard and onto the branch, stopping at the signal controlling access to obtain permission to proceed. Once obtained the train disappeared onto the branch and that was the last I saw of it. According to Realtimetrains it returned some two and a half hours later, running about 30 minutes early, which suggests unloading took just over two hours. There were no coal train scheduled on Sunday.

Here are a few pictures; firstly the train passing Gaer Junction just west of Newport station at about 10:15; it consisted of 66040 and 21 assorted steel carriers of various shapes and sizes.

About 40 minutes later and the loco is running round the consist in East Usk Yard, having switched the brake van onto the head of the train.

An FGW class 158 bound for Cardiff passes the signal, in the foreground, which controls access to the Uskmouth branch



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/14 10:03 by 86235.

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A few minutes later than scheduled the back up move gets underway

The shunter in the brakevan exchanges words with the lookout for the MoW gang that you can see in the shot of the 158. The Birdport train is going to block his views of the running lines! The FGW 158 in the background has been vinyled to advertise the Gunwharf Quay shopping centre in Portsmouth

And finally 66040 disappears onto the Uskmouth branch



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/14 10:20 by 86235.

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Great photos and info, Nick. I had no idea there was steel along this branch. Good to see some freight over the xmas period. Chris uk.

A most unusual brake wheel(?) in the "shuntervan". Ahoy mates!

55002 Wrote:
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> I had no idea there
> was steel along this branch. Good to see some
> freight over the xmas period.

The wharf has been there for a few years now with covered storage for the steel bound for export. In addition to the Margam to Birdport about an hour later there was a Llanwern to Cardiff Docks carrying coil, also presumably for export. I also saw a pair of 60 hauled trains pass each other at East Usk, loads going into Llanwern behind 60040 and empties heading back to Margam behind 60044.

And on Christmas Day there was a MGR circuit from Kellingly Colliery to Drax and back (07:40 & 11:15 ex Kellingly, 09:30 & 13:12 ex Drax - the latter to Sudforth Lane) which I believe was repeated on Boxing Day. A quick check on Realtimetrains and there were 10 freight trains through Newport in daylight hours on Saturday 27th and 11 on the 28th (plus half a dozen after dark too) which is not very different to a normal Saturday or Sunday.

ATSF3751 Wrote:
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> A most unusual brake wheel(?) in the "shuntervan".
> Ahoy mates!

You see the plough beneath the brake van? Well I think the wheel lowers the plough as these brake vans were used to spread ballast during track repairs.

http://www.mremag.com/news/article/hornby-br-shark-ballast-brake-vans/11669



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/14 00:02 by 86235.

I saw a few brake vans around but had no idea any were still in regular use. How does the shunter in the brake van communicate to the driver in the locomotive?

Jim

tq-07fan Wrote:
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> How does the shunter in
> the brake van communicate to the driver in the
> locomotive?

Radio. It's in his right hand in the picture of him talking to the look out.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/14 00:04 by 86235.

86235 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 55002 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I had no idea there
> > was steel along this branch. Good to see some
> > freight over the xmas period.
>
> The wharf has been there for a few years now with
> covered storage for the steel bound for export. In
> addition to the Margam to Birdport about an hour
> later there was a Llanwern to Cardiff Docks
> carrying coil, also presumably for export. I also
> saw a pair of 60 hauled trains pass each other at
> East Usk, loads going into Llanwern behind 60040
> and empties heading back to Margam behind 60044.
>
> And on Christmas Day there was a MGR circuit from
> Kellingly Colliery to Drax and back (07:40 & 11:15
> ex Kellingly, 09:30 & 13:12 ex Drax - the latter
> to Sudforth Lane) which I believe was repeated on
> Boxing Day. A quick check on Realtimetrains and
> there were 10 freight trains through Newport in
> daylight hours on Saturday 27th and 11 on the 28th
> (plus half a dozen after dark too) which is not
> very different to a normal Saturday or Sunday.
>
> ATSF3751 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > A most unusual brake wheel(?) in the
> "shuntervan".
> > Ahoy mates!
>
> You see the plough beneath the brake van? Well I
> think the wheel lowers the plough as these brake
> vans were used to spread ballast during track
> repairs.
>
> http://www.mremag.com/news/article/hornby-br-shark
> -ballast-brake-vans/11669
Very unusual use for one of thgese ancient Shark plough brakes