The travels of a
Wagon Label
Mike Roach
Wagon Label
Mike Roach
3rd June 1949. A wagon label which celebrates a journey of seventy years today. A valuable label from the Mike Roach Collection.
This wagon label has a story to tell. The wagon to which it was attached carried 120 bags of Nitrochalk from Haverton Hill to Avonwick on the Kingsbridge Branch being dispatched on 3 June 1949. Haverton Hill was on Teeside, north of Middlesborough, and part of the ICI Billingham Complex. This was once the largest factory in the British Empire employing more than 10,000 workers. Nitrochalk is a chemical fertiliser containing calcium carbonate and ammonium nitrate, and the latter was also used to produce explosives.
Some of the ammonia used in the factory arrived by rail from a works at Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil, in South Wales. The Dowlais Ammonia Factory had been established in 1939, because of the impending war, and closed in 1963. During the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s a trainload of ammonia was sent north from Dowlais to Haverton Hill each day in ICI rail tank wagons. For part of the time the first part of the route was north from Dowlais over the Brecon Beacons on steep gradients through the highest tunnel on the standard gauge network and the second highest station on the GWR. At 1313 feet above sea level Torpantau Station was second only to Princetown Station at 1373 feet.
What made the ammonia train famous, and sought out by railway photographers, was that the train was regularly hauled over the summit at Torpantau by double-headed Great Western pannier tanks as far as Hereford. Nitrochalk is still used by gardeners, although sometimes hard to find. It was approximately 370 miles from Haverton Hill to Avonwick by quite a complicated rail route.
Regards, Mike.
Many thanks for this most interesting article Mike - the result of much painstaking research.
Some of the ammonia used in the factory arrived by rail from a works at Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil, in South Wales. The Dowlais Ammonia Factory had been established in 1939, because of the impending war, and closed in 1963. During the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s a trainload of ammonia was sent north from Dowlais to Haverton Hill each day in ICI rail tank wagons. For part of the time the first part of the route was north from Dowlais over the Brecon Beacons on steep gradients through the highest tunnel on the standard gauge network and the second highest station on the GWR. At 1313 feet above sea level Torpantau Station was second only to Princetown Station at 1373 feet.
What made the ammonia train famous, and sought out by railway photographers, was that the train was regularly hauled over the summit at Torpantau by double-headed Great Western pannier tanks as far as Hereford. Nitrochalk is still used by gardeners, although sometimes hard to find. It was approximately 370 miles from Haverton Hill to Avonwick by quite a complicated rail route.
Regards, Mike.
Many thanks for this most interesting article Mike - the result of much painstaking research.
Aboard the
British Belmond Pullman
Andrew Triggs
British Belmond Pullman
Andrew Triggs
Please find enclosed shots taken on Saturday morning while at Penzance of the inside of the British Belmond Pullman, while walking back down the platform, I was asked onboard by a member of the Pullman Traincrew to have a look around (all photos were taken with permission of the Traincrew)
Luxurious indeed
All the Best, Andrew.
Many thanks Andrew for giving us the privilege of your privileged photographs.
Luxurious indeed
All the Best, Andrew.
Many thanks Andrew for giving us the privilege of your privileged photographs.
British Belmond Pullman 1st June 2019 Copyright Andrew Triggs
British Belmond Pullman 1st June 2019 Copyright Andrew Triggs
British Belmond Pullman 1st June 2019 Copyright Andrew Triggs
British Belmond Pullman 1st June 2019 Copyright Andrew Triggs
British Belmond Pullman 1st June 2019 Copyright Andrew Triggs
British Belmond Pullman 1st June 2019 Copyright Andrew Triggs
British Belmond Pullman 1st June 2019 Copyright Andrew Triggs
British Belmond Pullman 1st June 2019 Copyright Andrew Triggs
British Belmond Pullman 1st June 2019 Copyright Andrew Triggs
British Belmond Pullman 1st June 2019 Copyright Andrew Triggs
These pictures courtesy of British Belmond were taken on Saturday 1st June 2019 prior to the trains 'not so cheap day excursion to Bath'. Many thanks to all concerned.