European Railroad Discussion > Crossing the Usk

To the east of Newport station in South Wales the mainline which connects South Wales with the rest of the country crosses the River Usk. A multi storey car park on the east bank of the Usk provides a good vantage point to watch and record proceedings. On Monday I had to ride the train to Newport and took the opportunity to spend a couple of hours soaking up the action. Because of electrification work further east, which has closed the park and ride station at Bristol Parkway for two weeks, there was an added bonus of some additional Cross Country trains between the West of England and Scotland and the North of England reversing in Newport.

1: A Cross Country HST set leaving Newport having arrived about 5 minutes earlier. The train is the 06:00 Leeds to Exeter. Normally this would run south from Gloucester to Bristol Temple Meads via Bristol Parkway but because of the construction work has been diverted from Gloucester down the west bank of the River Severn to Newport, reversing there and heading back through the Severn Tunnel to reach Bristol Temple Meads, by-passing Parkway. To serve Parkway customers trains like this are making an additional stop at a nearby station, Patchway. All is back to normal in two weeks.

2: The HST was followed by a Colas 70 on empty coal hoppers from Aberthaw power station to Avonmouth Docks. As you can see work on the bridge is underway preparing it for electrification.

3: In the opposite direction, crossing Maindee West Junction is a Great Western Railway HST on a London Paddington to Swansea service. These too are being diverted during the Bristol Parkway blockade via Bath and North Somerset Junction. Maindee West is where the Marches Line from Shrewsbury joins the Great Western mainline. I'll go back that way on the 12:36 to Holyhead as far as Abergavenny

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4: One of the hourly all stations long distance locals from Maesteg, between Cardiff and Swansea, and Cheltenham Spa, a journey of 91 miles which takes two and a quarter hours with 16 stops. Just a bog standard Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) class 150.

5: Despite reversals in recent years steel is still big business in South Wales, this is one of the regular trains hauling coil from the steel works at Port Talbot to the specialist rolling mill at Llanwern. In turn Llanwern sends rolled steel to, among other destinations, the BMW body plant at Swindon, where Mini bodies are pressed. More and more DBC 66s are appearing in the bright cherry red livery.

6: Finally, the one XC service that is a regular through Newport is the Nottingham to Cardiff, usually just a single class 170, but some services are formed of two units, which I always think enhances a picture.

After that I headed back to the station and home to Abergavenny to pick up the car, which was having a puncture repaired. The joys of Welsh roads :-(

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Very interesting!
All shots were taken from the same spot.
Shows a great mix of equipment. Thanks

James R.(Jim) Baker
Whittier, CA

Is the Maindee North to East curve closed now?

cricketer8for9 Wrote:
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> Is the Maindee North to East curve closed now?

No, used daily by Portbury to Fiddlers Ferry coal traffic, Llanwern to Dee Marsh steel and today by the diverted Bridgwater to Crewe nuclear flask train.

86235 Wrote:
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> cricketer8for9 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Is the Maindee North to East curve closed now?
>
> No, used daily by Portbury to Fiddlers Ferry coal
> traffic, Llanwern to Dee Marsh steel and today by
> the diverted Bridgwater to Crewe nuclear flask
> train.

Thanks. I was wondering why the diverted cross country HST didn't use it.

cricketer8for9 Wrote:
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> 86235 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > cricketer8for9 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Is the Maindee North to East curve closed
> now?
> >
> > No, used daily by Portbury to Fiddlers Ferry
> coal
> > traffic, Llanwern to Dee Marsh steel and today
> by
> > the diverted Bridgwater to Crewe nuclear flask
> > train.
>
> Thanks. I was wondering why the diverted cross
> country HST didn't use it.

They don't use the Marches Line, they're diverted via Chepstow along the west bank of the Severn too and from Gloucester.

Are the Colas hoppers top and tailed with 70s?

Hartington Wrote:
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> Are the Colas hoppers top and tailed with 70s?
No, just a single 70 plus 23 hoppers.