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I find the Speedlink era of Railfreight a fascinating subject, the full story of which has never really been told. Speedlink was Railfreight's air-braked wagonload freight network. Launched at the end of the 1970s it was planned as the replacement for the loss-making vacuum-braked wagonload network, which had been in steady decline since the 1950s. By the early 1980s the Speedlink network of air-braked fast freights covered the whole country from Cornwall to the Scottish highlands, with a colourful mixture of wagons, including a wide variety of private owner ones. Sadly the network never reached 'profitability' (as defined by anti-rail accountants at the Treasury), and was shut down in 1991, throwing a lot of the traffic onto the congested road network. A rump network has survived as the 'Enterprise' network run by EWS, but this is a pale shadow of Speedlink in it's heyday.
For the past 15 years I have been a regular visitor to Cornwall, and over the years have built N-gauge models of Lostwithiel and Par. Over these years I took many hundreds of photos, many of which show Speedlink formations.
Cornish Speedlinks were particularly mixed. Although the primary traffic was china clay, a wide variety of wagon types carried this commodity. The most common were the 80t "Tiger 55" covered hoppers, built in France in 1982, and used on traffic flows to Cliffe Vale (Stoke on Trent) and various locations in Scotland. The ferry-fitted "Polybulk" bogie covered hoppers were also common, used on workings both to Scotland and to the continent via the Dover-Dunkirk train ferry. There was also a small fleet of four-wheeled covered hoppers in the livery of Tullis Russell, a Scottish papermaker, which ran to Auchmuchty in Scotland. Finally some 4-wheeled sheeted opens, TOPS code PRA, ran to Fort William.
As well as in bulk powder form, various types of van carried china clay in bagged form. Large bogie cargowaggons were used on flows to the continent, and internal British traffic went in BR-designed VAA and VGA pallet vans. A variety of tankers carried china clay in slurry form, both 4-wheelers and large internationally-registered bogie tanks.
Other traffic flows in and out of Cornwall in the period covered includes cement to Chasewater, fuel oil to Penzance for the depot there, coal to a power station at Drinnick Mill, calcified seaweed, and beer from Truro.
This was my first visit to the duchy (apart from a couple of family holidays in the 70s which didn't include much time for watching trains). At this time (according to a Working Timetable I have) there were three feeder workings between St Blazey and Severn Tunnel Junction per day. Two of the Cornwall-bound workings were in the small hours of the morning, with the third at lunchtime. The outward workings were at about 9:30 in the morning, early in the afternoon, and 10 at night. All long-distance workings were in the hands of class 47s, with the local 37 fleet handling some of the local trip workings.
I assume this was a Drinnick Mill to St Blazey trip working.
Loco:
Blue 47/0 (unidentified)
Stock:
1 4-wheeled ferry van
2 PBA Tiger 55s
1 HEA coal hopper (empty)
1 4-wheeled ferry van
4 PBA Tiger 55s
Loco:
Blue 47/0 (unidentified)
Stock:
1 PBA Tiger 55
1 VAA van
5 TTA Oil tanks
I think this was probably the timetabled Penzance to St Blazey working, conveying empty cement tanks from Chasewater, which had made an extra stop at Burngullow to pick up the four clay wagons. Wagon fanatics should note the four cement wagons were the very early ones with leaf suspension.
Loco:
Blue 37/0 (unidentified)
Stock:
2 PBA Tiger 55
1 Polybulk bogie covered hopper
1 PBA Tiger 55
4 PCA Cement tanks
Loco:
Blue 47/0 (unidentified)
Stock:
2 Bogie cargowaggon vans
2 Polybulk bogie covered hoppers
2 Bogie cargowaggon vans
Loco:
37207 "William Cookworthy" blue
Stock:
2 PBA Tiger 55s
I observed this from the foot crossing at St Blazey, so I have no idea whether the HEAs were coal empties or loaded with calcified seaweed
Loco:
37207 "William Cookworthy" blue
Stock:
2 Bogie cargowaggon vans
4 PBA Tiger 55s
3 HEA hoppers
I think this was the Penzance to St Blazey feeder working again, in which case the vans may well have come from Truro, laden with beer.
Loco:
37131 in blue
Stock:
3 VGA vans
I strongly suspect the three VGAs are the same ones seen passing though St Austell a few hours earlier.
Loco:
Blue 47/0 (unidentified)
Stock:
2 VAA
1 PAA (Tullis Russell livery)
3 VGA
Things had changed a lot in nine months. Not only had the old vacuum-braked clayhoods gone, replaced by new air-braked CDAs, but St Blazey's 37/0 fleet had gone, replaced by an enlarged fleet on refurbished 37/6s. The timetable was completely recast, with all Speedlink workings west of Plymouth operated by local 37s, in pairs on many workings. Throughout most of 1988 two of these 37s were out of action following a prang at Tavistock Junction, so two 50s were drafted in to replace them.
Rather than run round at Par, this was top-and-tailed round to St Blazey by a 37.
Loco:
50016 "Barham" (Large logo blue with black roof)
Stock:
1 PBA Tiger 55
2 TIA bogie slurry tanks in ECC blue
2 TUA clay slurry (ex-caustic soda tanks)
Loco:
50149 "Defiance" (Railfreight General)
Stock:
2 VAA vans
Locos:
37673 (Triple Grey Dist)
37674 (Red Stripe Railfreight)
Stock:
1 Cargowaggon twin van
1 bogie cargowaggon
2 TIA bogie slurry tank in ECC blue
1 PBA Tiger 55
2 PRA clay
2 TUA clay slurry (ex-caustic soda tanks)
1 TTA oil tank
This was very late, 50016 having failed and needed to be rescued by it's sister, 50149. The following 'Cornish Riviera' was delayed 1½ hours by this failure. Sadly the photo I took is too poor for public display.
Locos:
50149 (Railfreight General)
50016 (Large Logo Blue)
Stock:
2 Bogie Cargowaggons
1 POA Open
2 Bogie Cargowaggons
1 CDA 'Clayhood'
Locos:
2x37/6, numbers not recorded (Red Stripe Railfreight)
Stock:
9 PBA Tiger 55s
2 VAA Vans
Loco:
37669 (Red Stripe Railfreight)
Stock:
1 PBA Tiger 55
2 TUA Slurry tanks
Loco:
37669 (Red Stripe Railfreight)
Stock:
2 TUA Slurry tanks
3 HEA Hoppers loaded with calcified seaweed
Loco:
37673 (Railfreight Distribution)
Stock:
1 Polybulk
2 PAA Tullis Russell
1 Polybulk
2 VAA
Loco:
47441 (Large Logo Blue)
Stock:
1 PBA Tiger 55
1 canvas hooded flat in 'Tiphook' livery.
Locos:
37672 (Red Stripe Railfreight)
37669 (Red Stripe Railfreight)
Stock:
1 Polybulk
2 PAA Tullis Russell
2 PBA Tiger 55s
2 PRA
1 VAA
several CDAs (the rear of the train was out of shot and I didn't count them at the time)
Loco:
50149 (Railfreight General)
Stock:
1 canvas hooded flat in 'Tiphook' livery.
This was the day after a one-day rail strike, so some services were disrupted
Locos:
37673 (Triple Grey Distibution)
37672 (Red Stripe Railfreight)
Stock:
2 bogie cargowaggons
1 Polybulk
4 HEAs (loaded with calcified seaweed)
2 VAAs
Loco:
47258 (Railfreight Distribution)
Stock:
2 PBA Tiger 55s
2 Bogie Cargowaggon Vans
2 PBA Tiger 55s
Loco:
47337 (Railfreight grey)
Stock:
1 oil TTA
1 TIA 'Silver Bullet' tank
1 TIA blue bogie tank
1 Polybulk
2 PAA Tullis Russells
1 PBA Tiger 55
1 PAA
1 Polybulk
Loco:
47337 (Railfreight grey)
Stock:
1 Polybulk
1 PAA Tullis Russell
2 bogie cargowaggon vans
2 OBAs
1 SPA
1 BDA bogie bolster
1 BPA Boplate
Loco:
37298 (BR Blue)
Stock:
8 VGA vans
1 ZCA "Tope" engineers open
The motive power seemed a bit of overkill here, until you realise that the two 37s had worked the southbound 'Silver Bullets' from Irvine earlier in the morning, this was a way of working them back to the depot at St Blazey
Locos:
37??? (Triple Grey Distibution)
37??? (Triple Grey Distibution)
Stock:
1 TUA slurry tank (ECC blue)
The last four wagons were all loaded with calcified seaweed. I have to say the appearance of the two Yeoman PGAs was a surprise.
Loco:
37298 (BR Blue)
Stock:
1 Polybulk
1 HEA hopper
1 POA open (on ex-ferry tank underframe with end brake platform)
2 PGA hoppers in Yeoman livery
Loco:
37414
Stock:
1 oil TTA
1 Polybulk
2 canvas-hooded bogie flats in "Transferry" livery
1 TIA "Silver Bullet"
1 PGA in Yeoman livery.
Locos:
37414 (Triple Grey Distibution)
37673 (Triple Grey Distibution)
Stock:
2 PGA (Yeoman livery)
1 TUA slurry tank (ECC blue)
1 PAA Tullis Russell
1 PBA Tiger 55
2 PAA Tullis Russell
1 IPB Bogie covhop in "Nacco" grey
1 POA open (on ex-ferry tank underframe with end brake platform)
1 4-wheeled ferry van
2 Polybulks
Loco:
37298 (BR Blue)
Stock:
2 canvas-hooded bogie flats in "Transferry" livery
The HEA was partially loaded, and was the same wagon as seen the previous day heading the other way!
Loco:
37414 (Triple Grey Distibution)
Stock:
1 HEA hopper
1 PGA (Yeoman livery)
1 TIA Bogie slurry tank in ECC blue
1 TUA 4-wheel slurry tank in ECC blue
1 TIA Bogie slurry tank in ECC blue
1 TUA 4-wheel slurry tank in ECC blue
1 PBA Tiger 55
Locos:
37414 (Triple Grey Distibution)
37675 (Red Stripe Railreight)
Stock:
2 Polybulk
2 TUAs ECC blue
2 4-wheel Ferry Vans
1 VGA
Loco:
37414 (Triple Grey Dist.)
Stock:
4 OCAs loaded with bricks (from Plymouth),
6 VGAs
1 Polybulk
1 PAA Tullis Russell
1 Polybulk
Loco:
37672 (solo)
Stock:
1 PBA Tiger 55
2 Polybulks
1 TTA slurry tank in 'Clan' livery
1 Blue TIA
1 Silver TIA
1 TTA Oil
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