bristol freight line query

[conoxo]

Hello,
Im doing a school project on trains and I would like to know some information about the rail network in Bristol. I was wondering if someone here could help or point me in the direction of someone who could.

Ive got most of the information I need about the passenger network so my questions are about freight. There are 3 things I would like more info on:
1) I would like to know what the main freight routes through Bristol are. I know there are services from Avonmouth and Royal Portbury but are there any others that start, finish or pass through Bristol, and what is the origin, route and destination of these trains?

2) Approximatley how many trains travel these routes each day and each year.

3) The main train class(es) associated with each route.

Many thanks for any help you can give,
conoxo

[AndyK]

I don't live in Bristol, so I may be out of date with some things. Some traffic I have heard about is:

The steel terminal at Bristol East, which opened quite recently and has often been mentioned here. I think there's a daily delivery from South Wales.

Domestic refuse that's loaded near Lawrence Hill, at Bath and at Westerleigh for transport to landfill sites in Buckinghamshire.

Oil brought in to a terminal at Westerleigh - from Milford Haven?

Stone from a quarry at Tytherington near Thornbury (is that currently operating? I know the line was mothballed for a time).

[Bartonhillbum]

The nucular train still goes through Lawrence Hill station, in the early mornings on odd days,from Bridgwater to ??
Then the plaster board, and timber trains from Royal Portbury, Car trains from Portbury were proposed but did they ever materialie ?? and the Ford trains from Dagenam to Portbury ??

Also looking on to Days road Junction as I do, what are these silver boxes that seem to be carried between these funny extendable locos (a cab at either end and freight in the middle some times 1 some times 3 the cabs are always closed up to the boxes, hence the 'expandable term.

[Portishead Prowler]

TCar trains from Portbury were proposed but did they ever materialie ??

Yep, not sure of the frequency bit I have seen one or two.

When my bro was covering a post round in Pill a few weeks back, one of the locals spent ten minutes telling him how to smash the car windows as the train goes through the old Pill train station..

[stumpytrain]

There is one automotive train a day to portbury run by EWS. 6V52 from Washwood Heath - Portbury Automotive Terminal. Then 0V52 light engine to Barton Hill, back to Portbury as 0M52 to work 6X52 loaded back to Washwood Heath.

Not sure about the "extendable locos." They could be Network Rail MPVs (multi purpose vehicles) used on water canon (to clean the railhead in leaf fall season), sandite and weed spraying duties among other tasks.

I've not heard of plaster board and timber trains from Portbury, they certainly haven't run in the couple of years I've been here. It's mainly coal but loadings are very sporadic, recently the traffic going there has been relentless with a trip every couple of hours.

Alex
Bristol PSB