Pulp Friction.
Barrow in Furness, 6M19, a Hoo Junction-Barrow Ramsden Dock freight is backed into the docks terminal on 12 August 1999 by 37676.
This train provided a connection between two Kimberly Clark Mills involved in the manufactures of tissues (Andrex, Kleenex etc) from diagonally opposite ends of England, Northfleet in Kent and Barrow in Furness. The management of EWS tried very hard to make wagonload pay (never mind environmentally sustainable full trainloads like this one) but this service unfortunately suffered poor rail connections at both ends. In common with most of British industry the papermills on the Northfleet embankment were rail connected but were allowed to wither away at this time.
Closure of Salthouse junction 'box in 1992 resulted - as usual - in a short sighted replacement that assumed all freight would come from the north. This meant that a freight from Carnforth could no longer run straight into Barrow docks but had to run round in Barrow CS, come back to the junction, release and operate the ground frame, reverse from the up to down line and then into the docks. Then bring the train here to facilitate road transfers to the Barrow Mill. EWS - despite some good intentions - added to the problem with late arrivals and poor quality stock. There were instances of van doors being difficult and sometimes impossible to open with some vans returning still loaded! So no-one was surprised that this traffic was lost to Rail. Ironically, and annoyingly the destination of the road transfers from Ramsden dock was Ormsgill four miles away, but right next to the Cumbrian coast line.
According to the ABP website at this time, around 60,000 tonnes of wood pulp per year is transported to Kimberly Clark by road from the port, though this now arrives by ship. Both the Barrow and the Northfleet mills still operate today but rail transport between them will never return.
37676 was sold on by EWS in 2007 to West Coast Railways and entered service just down the road at Carnforth the following year.
Pulp Friction.
Barrow in Furness, 6M19, a Hoo Junction-Barrow Ramsden Dock freight is backed into the docks terminal on 12 August 1999 by 37676.
This train provided a connection between two Kimberly Clark Mills involved in the manufactures of tissues (Andrex, Kleenex etc) from diagonally opposite ends of England, Northfleet in Kent and Barrow in Furness. The management of EWS tried very hard to make wagonload pay (never mind environmentally sustainable full trainloads like this one) but this service unfortunately suffered poor rail connections at both ends. In common with most of British industry the papermills on the Northfleet embankment were rail connected but were allowed to wither away at this time.
Closure of Salthouse junction 'box in 1992 resulted - as usual - in a short sighted replacement that assumed all freight would come from the north. This meant that a freight from Carnforth could no longer run straight into Barrow docks but had to run round in Barrow CS, come back to the junction, release and operate the ground frame, reverse from the up to down line and then into the docks. Then bring the train here to facilitate road transfers to the Barrow Mill. EWS - despite some good intentions - added to the problem with late arrivals and poor quality stock. There were instances of van doors being difficult and sometimes impossible to open with some vans returning still loaded! So no-one was surprised that this traffic was lost to Rail. Ironically, and annoyingly the destination of the road transfers from Ramsden dock was Ormsgill four miles away, but right next to the Cumbrian coast line.
According to the ABP website at this time, around 60,000 tonnes of wood pulp per year is transported to Kimberly Clark by road from the port, though this now arrives by ship. Both the Barrow and the Northfleet mills still operate today but rail transport between them will never return.
37676 was sold on by EWS in 2007 to West Coast Railways and entered service just down the road at Carnforth the following year.