Trivia: Shortest freight journey?

[jonty14]

Just out of interest what is the shortest journey for a freight train in the UK?
One I can think of myself is the Sellafield to Drigg low level waste train. Any shorter journeys?

Regards
Jon

 

[Darandio]

I'd imagine there are plenty tbh. A couple from here, not sure on mileages..

Tees Yard - Middlesbrough Goods
Tees Dock - Tees Yard

 

[BRblue]

After a few minutes searching I came up with these two...

487T 0822 Southampton Up Yard (Fl) to Southampton M.C.T. and
671I 0525 Swindon Loco Yard to Swindon Cocklebury

and I would think there are many more similar movements.

 

[dk1]

After a few minutes searching I came up with these two...

487T 0822 Southampton Up Yard (Fl) to Southampton M.C.T. and
671I 0525 Swindon Loco Yard to Swindon Cocklebury

and I would think there are many more similar movements.

They are strange headcodes.

 

[The Planner]

RTT masks freight headcodes unless you were being facetious.

 

[eastwestdivide]

For another where the journey is definitely to deliver freight, and not just shuffling wagons around, the Aldwarke-Stocksbridge Works steel trains don't travel very far, just between two Tata steel plants.
About 13 miles as the crow flies, probably nearer 20 by train.

 

[Pacerpilot]

When we Used to work coal trains between Newport docks and Fifoots PS, the distance between them was around half a mile as the crow flies, across the river Usk. By rail the journey was around 9 miles and took nearly two hours.
The 4mph limit from the coal pad back to AD Jn didn't help things!

 

[dk1]

RTT masks freight headcodes unless you were being facetious.

Not trying to be anything. Just never seen other than number-letter-number-number.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Briggs Sdgs-Tunstead in the Peak District must be one of the shortest flows.

 

[yorkie]

'487T' and '671I' are meaningless numbers; the real headcodes for freight are not available in the open data used by sites such as Open Train Times, Raildar etc.

 

[deltic]

How long is the route from Boulby Mine to South Bank Tees Dock - its only about 45min freight haul

 

[Pacerpilot]

Stoke Gifford - Avonmouth BBHT comes in at 7 miles.

 

[tsr]

'487T' and '671I' are meaningless numbers; the real headcodes for freight are not available in the open data used by sites such as Open Train Times, Raildar etc.

IIRC GBRf headcodes do show correctly (and some 3xxx maintenance/weedkiller/adhesion trains certainly do too).

 

[DarloRich]

How long is the route from Boulby Mine to South Bank Tees Dock - its only about 45min freight haul

miles too many for the purpose of this discussion - the line is very twisty between Boulby and Saltburn

After a few minutes searching I came up with these two...

487T 0822 Southampton Up Yard (Fl) to Southampton M.C.T. and
671I 0525 Swindon Loco Yard to Swindon Cocklebury

and I would think there are many more similar movements.

Are these not light engine movements?

 

[greatkingrat]

Are these not light engine movements?

No, the first number of the RTT headcode is accurate so these are class 4 and class 6 trains respectively. A light engine would show as something like 012A.

 

[eastwestdivide]

I'd be interested in narrowing all this down to trains which actually move "stuff" from place to place, i.e. they are loaded at one end and unloaded at the other.
The OPs Drigg/Sellafield obviously counts, as does the Aldwarke/Stocksbridge, and presumably the Boulby potash is unloaded at Tees Dock. Others? Is Briggs Sdgs/Tunstead just repositioning wagons?

Going way back, I have a photo from the 1980s of a 12T van labelled along the lines of "To work between Crewe Station and Crewe Stationery Stores only". Not an internal user, but a proper traffic number too.

 

[lewisf]

And yet I thought the Acton to Tolworth stone trains was a short run but several on here already beat that.

 

[221129]

Not sure if it still happens but Exeter Riverside - Exeter Alphington Road was a short run.

 

[Mag_seven]

671I 0525 Swindon Loco Yard to Swindon Cocklebury

HOPS train movement?

 

[theageofthetra]

Is there one which goes from Angerstein Wharf with a load of sand to another part of London?

 

[Boothby97]

There are paths on RTT for a daily flow of Ethanol IIRC from Lindsey Oil Refinery to the Immingham West Dock Tank Farm. However it always seem to run as an STP (short term plan) path, for example today http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O17997/2015/08/12/advanced
This must be a contender?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

2 I can think of ..

Aggregate - Chichester - Lavant (now defunct) , and steel exports Llanwern to Newport Docks via East Usk Yard.

Both "long shunts" - but quite good earners .....

 

[class 9]

Kellingley colliery to Drax power station, only about 20 minutes.

 

[33056]

Wembley Yard to Willesden Euroterminal or vice-versa is a relatively frequent one, there is one leaving shortly (real headcode is 6T47).

 

[furnessvale]

Is Briggs Sdgs/Tunstead just repositioning wagons?.

No. Following the closure of quarrying activity at the Dowlow end, stone is moved by rail from Tunstead so it can be processed in the still active plant.

The flow even received a section 8 grant for the purchase of new wagons.