European Railroad Discussion > Steel traffic in South Wales in July

The month of July has been a warm, dry and mainly sunny one here in South Wales. I've been out focusing on the steel traffic generated by Tata Steel. Rail traffic has increased recently following Tata's decommissioning of the two blast furnaces at their biggest site, Port Talbot, about 40 miles west of Cardiff. Work has started on the construction of an EAF at Port Talbot, but that won't be operational until 2027, so until then Tata are importing steel slab for rolling and other processing at Port Talbot and their other plants in Wales; Trostre, Llanwern and Shotton. That requires more trains. And apart from one solitary flow with GBRf, DBC - Deutsch Bahn Cargo GB - are Tata's preferred Freight Operating Company, hence the preponderance of bright red class 66s.

If you don't like 66s look away now...🤣

1: On July 1st the 6V75 from Dee Marsh (Shotton) to Margam Yard (Port Talbot) passing the site of the station at Penpergwm, a couple of miles south of Abergavenny. The works at Shotton receive a daily train of steel coil from Port Talbot & Llanwern, the loaded train (6M76) usually runs overnight whilst the empties (6V75) return in daylight hours.
2: A couple of days later, on July 3rd, I was cycling around Cardiff stopping off for, firstly, the 6R72 Margam to Newport Docks to pick up more steel slab for pickling and rolling at Port Talbot.
3: And, secondly, 66136 on 6B79 Cardiff Docks (Ryan's Wharf) to Margam, with coil from Ijmuiden in the Netherlands for the tin-plating works at Trostre.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/25 11:22 by 86235.

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4: Much of Trostre's output of tinplate is exported, back at Cardiff Central for my train home I caught the 6B38 Trostre to Newport Docks with sheets of tinplate for export.
5: July 10th was very hot, temperatures in excess of 30C. 66654 is on 6V75 Dee Marsh to Margam on the final few hundred metres of the summit at Llanvihangel 
6: The following day, July 11th, was even hotter. At Llangewydd, west of Bridgend, 66074 on 6V05 Round Oak to Margam. These are empty coil carriers, Round Oak being a steel receiving terminal connected with the automotive industry in the English Midlands. It somewhat surprised me by running 96 minutes early! That solar farm would have been working overtime today!

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7: On July 14th 66655 on 6V75 passing fields south of Abergavenny where harvesting had already finished.
8: The following day the weather broke, it was quite wet and dreary until just after mid-day things started to brighten, just in time for a rather short 6V75 approaching Abergavenny
9: Fast forward to July 25th after I'd returned from Germany, at Severn Tunnel Junction the 6V32 from Tilbury to Trostre climbing up from the Severn Tunnel, approaching Severn Tunnel Junction.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/25 11:26 by 86235.

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10: Still at Severn Tunnel Junction on July 25th, and here's the GBRf flow, 6B92 Portbury to Margam making use of re-purposed KEA stone wagons, which required considerable remedial action and a limit to the load carried to make them suitable for carrying slab steel. 66722 Sir Edward Watkin 
11: July 28th and a shot of the 6B48 Margam to Trostre, this time exiting Penllergaer Tunnel on the Swansea District Line
12: And finally, on July 30th, 6B79 Cardiff Docks (Ryans Wharf) to Margam with coil for Trostre approaching Pencoed from the direction of Cardiff. With 26 loaded coil carriers this was the heaviest coil train for Trostre I've seen.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/25 11:27 by 86235.

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13: 66199 on 6B79 with coil from Cardiff Dock at Stormy, beginning the descent to Margam Yard.
14: At Margam 6B79 becomes the 6B48 to Trostre, and with a relief driver sets off for the hour long journey, via the Swansea District Line (SDL). Here it is nearing Trostre passing Llangennech on the Heart of Wales line (HoW). The SDL joins the HoW at Morlais Jn, just before Llangennech.
15: Margam Yard adjoins Port Talbot Steelworks. There's also a public footpath which crosses the yard at the steelworks end. There are all sorts of warning notices about not straying off the path, but as long as you stay on the path DBC are quite relaxed about railfans. This is one of Tata Steel's Trojan locomotives, no.921 Rhiannon, which has entered the yard from the steelworks to pick up a rake of empty coil carriers for loading.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/25 11:53 by 86235.

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I suffered through a lot of DB-red 66s to get to that sweet steel mill shunter at the end. Beautiful shots all. Not enough semaphores!

A  big thanks for posting your super awesome Class 66 photos!  Everyone is a winner.
ALLEN

#9 is a real stunner! That’s a lot of steel traffic!

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NMlurker Wrote:
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> I suffered through a lot of DB-red 66s to get to
> that sweet steel mill shunter at the end.

Thanks, that's why I posted the warning 😀



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/25 23:33 by 86235.

Thanks for the beautiful show, Nick.  Gerry

Great bunch, guess you're seeing your tax dollars at work with the government funding a large portion of the EAF changeover at Port Talbot. I wonder where they will source all the of the needed scrap to run them (2 large EAFs), perhaps locally? Other parts of GB? Possibly the seaborne trade? Maybe end up with some new rail moves...

JG

jgilmore Wrote:
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> I wonder where they will source all the of the
> needed scrap to run them (2 large EAFs), perhaps
> locally? Other parts of GB? Possibly the seaborne
> trade? Maybe end up with some new rail moves...
>
> JG

The UK produces about 8 million tonnes of scrap annually, the EAF at Port Talbot will use about 2.5 million tonnes plus 1 million tonnes of imported DRI/HBI to make new steel, all of which will involve rail movements.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/25 23:25 by 86235.