DBC have been bringing out two fully loaded trains daily for the past couple of weeks whereas GBRF were only running one train a day during the period when they were operating. Do GBRF have enough stock (40+ wagons) to run at this frequency?
There were only 25 KEAs converted, all of which were on 6Z92 listed above. 22 of them are now en route on 6C92 for Portbury. They are VTG owned and possibly hired directly to Tata rather than GBRF. It seems logical that Tata would leave themselves an option of running a second train to Portbury when required, which would need to be a DB service (due to the limited number of non-DB slab wagons) unless they retimed the second working to run at night or something using the same set of wagons. We'll see what happens, but at least for this week I'm not expecting any DB trains to run.
There is a similar freight which is regularly booked this way (but in the opposite direction, does via Kew before the West London line)… 6M78 Churchyard Sidings (St Pancras) to Wembley Yard. My first thought is always ‘why can’t they reverse’?!
You’d think top and tailing it might make a quick reversal practical for what is quite a short trip, but I guess there might be other reasons such as signalling that prevent this.
I don't think a run round is practical unless the wagons can fit in the centre road at Kensington Olympia, and even then might not be the preferred option while passenger trains are running. Otherwise you have the wagons blocking one line and the loco blocking the other while it runs round, while simultaneously trying to run 10 passenger trains an hour past them.
It's not unknown for run rounds to happen at Kensington Olympia, as seen here with class 325 mail units being dragged from Willesden PRDC to Crewe in 2022, with a similar scenario of engineering works blocking the usual route:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sparkiesphotos/51895102499/ (Photo: Sparkies photos)
For top & tailing, the problem is that you need another "spare" loco in the right place to do it, otherwise it ties up a second loco on an unnecessary diagram or ends up in the wrong place for its next working. Also on the West London line the train would be blocking passenger services while the driver changed ends (like AndrewE says) , or they end up using a second driver who has to be found from somewhere and is paid for a minimum number of hours even if there is nothing much else for them to do during the shift. Generally, top & tailing is usually avoided where possible to avoid having to use a second loco (although it's quite common on possession trains). Speaking of the St Pancras Churchyard workings, freight trains coming from Acton / Dudding Hill had to be top & tailed for a few weeks during March and early April due to a crossover being out of action at West Hampstead.
I noticed another fun route through London for the 6O54 23:45 Bardon Hill to Crawley on 9th April - running via the Midland main line, it ran via from Cricklewood via Carlton Road Jn and the amusingly named Junction Road Junction, South Tottenham, Copper Mill Jn, Temple Mills, High Meads Jn, Canonbury and Gospel Oak. This reminds me of the
London Orbital DVD by Locomaster Profiles, featuring an engineering diversion of a Hoo to Temple Mills train in 1996 (when the North London line was being upgraded) from Longhedge Jn through Clapham Jn, Kew, Acton Wells, Dudding Hill, Carlton Road Jn, Junction Road Junction, South Tottenham and Copper Mill Jn...
There was a time when the Northolt-Severnside binliner used to be top and tailed which must have made the multiple reverses at Avonmouth easier, but that doesn’t seem to happen anymore.
The top & tailing on that working usually happens when it has to run in both directions via Filton due to engineering work on the route via Clifton Down. Normally 6C03 arrives via Filton and runs round in the bulk handling terminal, there's another run round at Severnside, and then 6A03 departs via Clifton Down. 6C03 usually runs into Avonmouth via Filton because although it would avoid a run round, the gradients on the line through Clifton Down would limit the maximum load if it arrived that way. On departure from Severnside, the track layout prevents 6A03 from running directly into the bulk handling terminal to repeat the outward route in reverse, and although you could run round in Avonmouth Bennett's siding, I think it's quite often occupied by other trains. If a propelling move at Holesmouth Jn onto the Filton line to draw forward into the Bulk Handling terminal is not an option (it might not be a authorised movement or maybe the signalling doesn't allow it), the only realistic option is to run top and tail. [Edit - looking at the track layout in a Trackmaps book, I'm not even sure how 6C03 gets from the bulk handling terminal into Severnside without some sort of propelling move being involved.]
These bin workings have been top & tailed again over the Easter weekend on Friday and Saturday, although in this case I'm not sure of the reason since 6A03 ran via Clifton Down on Friday and Sunday night - probably related to engineering work somewhere though.
Another regular use of top & tail is at night when engineering works on the relief lines prevent trains arriving or departing from the west end of Llanwern steelworks. In that case, a service such as Margam to Dee Marsh can end up attaching a second loco at Newport AD Junction, reversing at Severn Tunnel Junction, calling in at Llanwern and then reversing at Severn Tunnel Junction again, where the second loco gets detached to run back to ADJ.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:H32274/2025-04-16/detailed
I have regularly seen photos and videos of Freightliner’s Tees Dock/South Bank to Felixstowe intermodal being top-n-tailed.
I was wondering why the top & tailing was necessary, but the caption to this photo of 4E93 Felixstowe - Tees Dock explains that the usual run round at Darlington (required due to route clearance issues via Yarm for the containers) is not available due to the construction of a new platform, with the train reversing at Ferryhill instead:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/97918072@N03/53899202262/ (Photo: Liam Williamson)
There's also a nice drone shot of this service at Tees Dock:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/35663521@N04/54100519881/ (Photo: Stapleton Road)
I think I found the reason: Traksy shows entrance to goods line at Gorton Junction, from the east as "NOGO" . Ashburys yard (stone terminal) can only be accessed from the west at the moment and for some reason there is no run around possible there, despite the layout being suitable.
It really needs up & down goods lines operational. The east bound line hasn't been used for years even though still signalled and intact.
As furnessvale mentions there are suspected to be further potential issues with earthworks between New Mills and Strines, with freight being diverted to avoid destabilising the embankment any further (through the vibrations from heavier trains compared to passenger I assume).
The NOGO at Ashburys appears to be on the down goods, with the down arrival still usable by trains arriving from the east... if the route was open. If the eastbound up departure line is permanently out of action, that might explain why trains can't run round or depart east from the sidings, but I'm not especially familiar with the signalling constraints there and what moves are possible.
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Speaking of diversions, as previously discussed the planned Easter closure of Stockport means the Knowsley bins and Liverpool biomass are running via the Hope Valley and Sheffield, with 6E26 Knowlsey - Wilton and 6E09 Liverpool Bulk Terminal - Drax heading that way as I write this...
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
