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Retired Section Swansea Docks |
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Class 08 shunter in Swansea Docks East End Yard. |
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Swansea East Dock branch. |
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This view looking east from Port Tennant on the eastern
suburbs of Swansea shows the Swansea East Dock branch. In
the centre of the shot can be seen Crumlin Bog Level
Crossing with the storage sidings for Port Tennant Wagon
Works beyond. The works being served by a spur just visible
in front of the tanks. In the distance is Burrows Junction
near the humped road bridge while out of view behind me the
line continues to Swansea East Dock where it served a
domestic fuel depot. The skyline is filled by the steam from
the cooling towers at Baglan Bay. The East Dock branch line
was once parallel to a passenger route which is the track
bed between the branch and main road but it closed to
passenger traffic as far back as 1933. The passenger line
used to terminate at Swansea Riverside station. The change
of alignment in the branch opposite the wagon works turnout
marks the spot where Port Tennant Junction signal box once
stood. It is also the point the track changes title from the
Swansea Eastern Loop line to the East Dock branch. The
latters down line being lifted into the distance towards
Burrows Junction but the up line being retained to serve the
wagon works. This BR branch I believe closed to freight
traffic beyond the wagon works in 1993. |
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Swansea King's Dock coal chute and wagon hoist (3). |
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A line of five 21tonne end and side door MDO coal wagons sit
on the spur up to the coal drop on the quayside.
This view of the coal chute and wagon hoist at the western end
of Swansea King's Dock was the last working example in the
dock area by 1987. It once shared this quayside with four
other such towers. Within a few months of this photo being
taken it was all out of use as the coal traffic to Ireland
went over to containerised loading at the pits and was shipped
to Ireland through Ellesmere Port on the River Mersey. The
line beneath the tower was the southerly line from King's Dock
Junction to Swansea Prince of Wales Dock avoiding Swansea Tin
Yard. |
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Swansea King's Docks coal chute and wagon hoist (2). |
Swansea King's Dock coal chute and wagon hoist (1). |
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A close up view of the wagon hoist and chute on the last
remaining at the |
In 1987 this was the last
useable wagon
tipper chute where coal was tipped into boats for export to
Ireland. Later
the same year the Ireland traffic was mostly containerised
and moved to
Ellesmere Port on the River Mersey |
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08 400 in Swansea Docks Tin Yard. |
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On a cold chilly February morning in 1987 08 400 sits idle in
Swansea Docks Tin Yard. In the distance can be seen the large
King's Dock Junction signal box operated by ABP (Associated
British Ports). Swansea Docks Tin Yard had a very elaborate
track layout to deal with unfitted coal wagons. The arriving
loaded wagons were shunted by one of two resident class 08's
up to the hoists and chutes on the King's Dock quayside (lines
in the foreground). After the coal had been tipped into
waiting boats the empties were gravity worked back to the yard
and made up into empty trains for destinations in the Western
Valleys |
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Class 37 stabled in Swansea Docks Tin Yard. |
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A view of a Class 37 stabled in Swansea Docks Tin Yard
alongside some lengthy rakes of unfitted MDO 21 tonne end
door coal wagons. The line on the extreme left is one of the
abandoned inclines up to a coal chute. The one in the centre
was then (1987) the last operational incline up to the
westerly most hoist and chute. |
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08 769 shunting Swansea Docks. |
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British Rail shunter 08 769 is seen propelling covered
steel wagons along No.1 Quay at Swansea King's Dock. The
steel coils were being loaded onto a Greek registered
vessel. Associated British Ports relied upon British Rail to
carry out shunting duties in the docks and at the start of
1987 there was a requirement for four shunting locomotives
in the docks area. With the loss of the coal export traffic
to Ireland this dwindled to just the pilot booked to shunt
Swansea Burrows Yard which would do the docks trip as
required. |
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37 308 at King's Dock Junction. |
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37 308 hauls a rake of 21tonne end door coal wagons past Associated British Ports owned King's Dock Junction signal box. This photo was taken in the final year before export coal traffic to Ireland was containerised and concentrated on new facilities at Ellesmere Port on the River Mersey. The train seen here would be returning empty to one of the many pits in the western Welsh Valleys. 37 308 was the last of the class built in 1965 and spent much of its life allocated to nearby Swansea Landore Depot. To avoid a clash of number sequence when the regeared CP7 bogie fitted class 37s appeared on the scene 37 308 was renumbered to 37 274 in 02/1989. This cleared the 37 3xx number range for the modified CP7 bogie fitted locos. It was therefore somewhat unusual in 2000 when it was renumbered back to 37 308 and for a while became part of the EWS Heritage traction fleet caption: 37 308 gradually eases its lengthy train of unfitted MDO. |
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