61379 Mayflower
5894k St Helens Glass
Paul Gaskell kindly sent this photo for publication.
Arguably, this photoset is out of this album's scope, as it isn't to do with electrification as such, but it is such good news on a line which has been electrified under Phase 2, I intend to publish and be damned.
Paul writes:
"These sidings are situated off the main Liverpool-Wigan line and were formerly used to discharge fuel oil brought in to power the multiple glass-making furnaces at NSG Pilkington’s Watson Street and Greengate plants (a similar set of sidings also existed north of the town for their Cowley Hill plant, accessed at Gerards Bridge Junction). These sidings, originally named ‘Pilkington’s Oil Sidings’ are accessed via a Down Goods loop off the main line around half-a-mile south of St Helens Central station (Trackmaps 42B). They now appear to have been re-named ‘Ravenhead Sidings’
Due to changes of power resources these sidings became redundant. Happily, they were mothballed rather than lifted. After several years without use they have now gained a new lease of life as a terminus for trains bringing in sand - a major ingredient of glass-making. For some years now sand for the glass plants has been brought in by road but it is now being brought in in bulk by railfreight and re-distributed by road on a local basis.
I don't know where the sand originates from, but the last leg of its journey is from Warrington Arpley, arriving at St Helens having travelled northwards up the WCML then turning hard left at Ince Moss Junction. I don't know how long the contract is for, or volumes, but just one train is very welcome.
The grabber dumps the sand into the waiting lorry by the side of it which then takes it off to whichever plant needs it.
The shots are taken from the pedestrian incline to the footbridge across the St Helens Linkway adjacent to the Anderton Shearer mining monument roundabout."
Copyright Paul D Gaskell 2016
5894k St Helens Glass
Paul Gaskell kindly sent this photo for publication.
Arguably, this photoset is out of this album's scope, as it isn't to do with electrification as such, but it is such good news on a line which has been electrified under Phase 2, I intend to publish and be damned.
Paul writes:
"These sidings are situated off the main Liverpool-Wigan line and were formerly used to discharge fuel oil brought in to power the multiple glass-making furnaces at NSG Pilkington’s Watson Street and Greengate plants (a similar set of sidings also existed north of the town for their Cowley Hill plant, accessed at Gerards Bridge Junction). These sidings, originally named ‘Pilkington’s Oil Sidings’ are accessed via a Down Goods loop off the main line around half-a-mile south of St Helens Central station (Trackmaps 42B). They now appear to have been re-named ‘Ravenhead Sidings’
Due to changes of power resources these sidings became redundant. Happily, they were mothballed rather than lifted. After several years without use they have now gained a new lease of life as a terminus for trains bringing in sand - a major ingredient of glass-making. For some years now sand for the glass plants has been brought in by road but it is now being brought in in bulk by railfreight and re-distributed by road on a local basis.
I don't know where the sand originates from, but the last leg of its journey is from Warrington Arpley, arriving at St Helens having travelled northwards up the WCML then turning hard left at Ince Moss Junction. I don't know how long the contract is for, or volumes, but just one train is very welcome.
The grabber dumps the sand into the waiting lorry by the side of it which then takes it off to whichever plant needs it.
The shots are taken from the pedestrian incline to the footbridge across the St Helens Linkway adjacent to the Anderton Shearer mining monument roundabout."
Copyright Paul D Gaskell 2016