Logs by Rail

For this post (17th May 2010) I am trying something a little different and offering some interesting information about one of our more popular trains.

For Winwick enthusiasts, one of the most photographed freight workings is 'the logs', the Carlisle - Chirk timber train that normally speeds through at around 1700hrs. In addition, recently, the mid afternoon scene has been enhanced with a reverse working involving empty timber wagons.

Colas Rail were engaged in 2007 to facilitate the whole rail operation from the railhead just outside Carlisle to a bona-fide siding at the Kronospan factory at Chirk, North Wales, approximately 170 miles away. Although it is a regular rail working this timber accounts for less than 10% of Kronospan's total timber requirement - chipboard, MDF and sawn timber are just three of the end products. The timber is sourced from Southern Scotland and Northern England with much of it priced according to market forces.

Locomotives engaged in this working over the past 12 months have been mainly class 57s or 66s but class 47s have also been seen. And, not only Colas locomotives have been used; others, DRS mainly, have been leased from alternative sources. Wagons used are KFA box units with the sides and roofs removed; they are modified with movable stancheons (up to 14) to support the timber load.

I have added three photographs of the train. The first, above, shows class 57, 57313, in Arriva blue livery taken on 23rd October 2009, on a loaded timber working.

The second pic is of class 66, 66843, in Colas livery taken on 23rd Apil 2010, on another loaded logs train.

The final pic was taken on the same day, 23rd April 2010, and features class 66, 66434, in Fastline livery approaching a red light on the up slow line, on an empty logs working.

Note Jeff Nicholls' shot in the previous post where a class 47 is double-heading with a class 66 on a loaded logs run.