66092 diverted via Beckenham Junction 6O32 (to Maubeuge France or Rotterdam)

DB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd's class 66 (JT42CWR) number 66092 in English, Welsh and Scottish Railway maroon livery with zigzag gold band, large number and EWS logo working 6O32, Llanwern to Dollands Moor, hauling loaded (GE Rail Services?) IHA bogie covered steel coil carrier wagons on 3 July 2014 transporting steel from Tata Steel Limited's Port Talbot steelworks ultimately destined for Broekman Group in Rotterdam or Myriad in Maubeuge France via Calais Fréthun (for a map of the route taken click here).

 

Here 6O32 has been diverted via Beckenham Junction and is seen entering Beckenham Junction station from the Kent House and Penge East line on 3 July 2014. According to Wagoncrank the full consist was 8446671471, 8746670292, 8446671034, 8446670739, 8747670473, 8446670200, 8746670052, 8746670581, 8749150052, 8749040600, 33 87 4767 016-8, 8446670564, 33 87 4767 001-0, 8746670110, 37 84 4667 182-8, 8446671240, 37 84 4667 090-3, 37 84 4667 198-4, 37 84 4667 158-8, 8446671786 and 37 84 4667 127-3.

 

From Dollands Moor the wagons continue through the Channel Tunnel to Calais Fréthun hauled by a class 92. From Calais-Fréthun they are thought to continue to Broekman Group in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays or to Myriad in Maubeuge France on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

 

Nicolas B photographed class 66 number 052 passing Staple (department 59 France) heading to Maubeuge on 19 June 2014 (including two wagons numbers 37 84 4667 127 and 37 84 4667 184-4), Laurent Knop photographed a similar set of wagons at Landas (department 59 France) hauled by two locomotives including class 77 number 008 (previously HLD 5709) also working from (Calais Fréthun to Maubeuge) on 17 April 2014 and another similar set of wagons was photographed by Tarek Marouane at La Chapell D'Armentieres France returning to the UK from Maubeuge being hauled by class 66 number 062 on 5 April 2014 (photo and account now removed from Flickr). The service from Calais Fréthun to Rotterdam was photographed by Laurent Knop at (Merris) (department 59 France) going via Mouscron Belgium. 66092 (works number 968702-092) was built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division, London, Ontario, Canada in 1999 and unloaded from the Heavy Lift Ship MV "Stellamare" at Newport Docks on 14 April 1999.

 

As an example from 8 July 2014 realtime continues to show this working depart from the route given at Voltaire Road Junction.

 

Factory Junction........................................1832........1830½....1E

Voltaire Road Junction [XVJ]..................1834........1831½.....2E

Clapham High Street [CLP].....................1834½....No report

Shepherds Lane Junction.......................1835½....No report

Denmark Hill [DMK].....2...........................1839........No report

Crofton Road Junction.............................1842........No report

Peckham Rye [PMR]..................................1843........No report

Nunhead [NHD]............2...........................1845........No report

Nunhead Junction.....................................1845½....No report

Crofton Park [CFT].....................................1848½....No report

Catford [CTF]...............................................1851½.....No report

Bellingham [BGM]......................................1854........No report

Beckenham Hill [BEC]...............................1856½....No report

Ravensbourne [RVB].................................1859½....No report

Shortlands Jn [XOR]..................................1901.........1848¼.....12E

Shortlands [SRT].........................................1902........1849½....12E

 

The steel flow from South Wales to Maubeuge (France) and to Broekman (Holland) stopped running through the Channel tunnel at the end of November 2015. The flow to Maubeuge was cancelled as the cold mill which produced this material was mothballed as part of the Tata Steel strip downsizing programme. Instead Maubeuge is supplied from Tata Steels Limuiden plant (Holland). 2 grades of steel were also supplied by Tata Steel to Broekman Group to make oil drums. With one grade being sourced from elsewhere the remaining 700 tonnes per week of the second grade was not sufficient to run a block train.

Done