MOSSEND FREIGHT

With regards the Mossend feature, in TRACTION 270, I’m pretty sure John Dedman is correct about the Speedlink featured on page 44 originating from Fort William, the large reels of paper (covered by tarpaulin sheets) having originated from the Wiggins Teape paper mill at Corpach. Such traffic, I believe, was worked south to South Wales on the Coatbridge to Cardiff Pengam ‘liner. The paper in large reels was also delivered to such locations as Cowley Freight Terminal (Oxford) using the Speedlink network via Bescot, with smaller consignments conveyed in Railfreight vans to the likes of Pensnett and Wolverton.

The Speedlink from Fort William would have also conveyed aluminium from the Lochaber plant. Again, some traffic (aluminium blocks, as seen on the front cover of TRACTION 269) was conveyed using Freightliner sets for forwarding from Coatbridge to Cardiff Pengam from where it was delivered by road to Alcan at Rogerstone. There was also aluminium in vans from Lochaber for trunk Speedlink haulage from Mossend to the West Midlands. This was tripped from Bescot to the Black Country steel terminals at Brierley Hill, Wednesbury and Wolverhampton, some of it being handled by “T-Four-Two” (see article in TRACTION 270 & 271). There may have also been aluminium in Continental vans for export via the Dover train-ferry. Finally, the sodium carbonate (aka Soda Ash) block train, which arrived at Mossend with a Class 37 and continued south with a Class 86, was most likely the Larbert to Oakleigh empties.

DAVID J. HAYES, WEDNESBURY