Ashville new siding

[noodlepoodle]

Ashville aggregates has remodelled and reopened an old rail yard on the West Drayton line, and made a couple of really fun, professional videos showing the process.

New siding:

Test train:

 

[mcmad]

Not sure embedding everything in concrete won't come back to bite them later down the road. It'll be a maintenance and inspection nightmare.

 

[Bigfoot]

Not sure embedding everything in concrete won't come back to bite them later down the road. It'll be a maintenance and inspection nightmare.

Many depots have concreted areas which cope just fine.

 

[mcmad]

Not constructed like that they don't

 

[sad1e]

I wonder when flows of freight will start running into that new yard , presumably no traffic to it yet.

 

[Adam Williams]

I enjoyed these; you can tell they put a lot of effort into the video production with all the 3D models and animations as well.

Shame they've filed for administration

 

[pokemonsuper9]

I wonder when flows of freight will start running into that new yard , presumably no traffic to it yet.

They've been running freight into it for months, the videos are long behind the actual works.
They release weekly videos on their Youtube channel which run a few weeks behind reality, the videos in #1 are work from months ago.

Shame they've filed for administration

Didn't know they'd filed for administration, is that a thing newer than what the weekly videos are caught up to?

 

[Adam Williams]

Didn't know they'd filed for administration, is that a thing newer than what the weekly videos are caught up to?

The case was filed on 3rd Jan 2025, I think it's the first step in a long process though

 

[Randomer]

Shame they've filed for administration

The case was filed on 3rd Jan 2025, I think it's the first step in a long process though

One of the Ashville companies that was the previous incarnation of its aggregate business (08987070) i.e. a similar business also directed by Daniel Ashville Louisy was put into what looks like a "pre-pack" liquidation and wound up in December 2024 but the assets seem to have been transferred to a main "holding" company Ashville Holdings (11477185) before this in 2022. Although I would note the accounts aren't as detailed as required for a larger company so I can only infer this. So I wouldn't be surprised but have no proof that this might be a similar move.

The videos are from memory only on a 2-4 week delay and they have been publishing weekly this year with no mention of the current Ashville Aggregates filing for administration but then I wouldn't expect it to be broadcast over the owners social media presence. They have however been quite opening about the company struggling with the business environment it found itself in separate to its rail related activities.

 

[Dunfanaghy Rd]

Not sure embedding everything in concrete won't come back to bite them later down the road. It'll be a maintenance and inspection nightmare.

ABP covered everything in concrete in both sides of Southampton Docks. They used a mix with masses of short steel wires in, rather than rebar. Worked just fine when I last saw it 7 years ago. At least Ashville have kept the switches in the open - ABP (or rather the arrogant little s**t of a consultant) left theirs in undrained wells in the concrete so they filled with water whenever it rained. When it froze it took a double propane burner on the back of a pickup to shift it (it looked like an EE Lightning on reheat).
Pat

 

[Meerkat]

Doesn’t appear to be drainage between the rails so that fills up with (shallow) water.
Do you not put slots for the flanges as they would just fill up with spilled aggregate?
Having between the rails almost the same as outside, but a little lower, would mean I would be constantly tripping over it!
How is the branch signalled?

 

[Russel]

Interesting videos, isn't this the company that also brought a class 153 to use as some kind of reception?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Interesting videos, isn't this the company that also brought a class 153 to use as some kind of reception?

Yes it is.

I've been watching their weekly videos for quite a while now, their big videos like in #1 are always high quality too.

 

[Highview]

Administrators appointed last week. Main company website down. The rail served depot is a valuable (leased) asset so hopefully there will be a buyer to keep it in use.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Spoiler: Video summary.

All the trucks are being sold to other parties, staff who would otherwise be unemployed have arangements to go to other companies.
Operations will continue using 3rd party hauliers if and when required.
Their sole goal will be to operate with their rail terminal "if it can be put on a train, we are in a position where we can offload, store, handle and reload".
They are negotating for partnerships with other companies.

Construction/refurbishment projects will continue and new orders made.

 

[Narrowgauge725]

At least they are continuing with the use of the railhead

 

[Westerndiesels]

I was very taken by Daniel and his enthusiasm as well as his get things done attitude, so that was a sad end to the business.

I hope to see him being successful in the future, though, and secure new jobs for budding engineers and drivers out there.

 

[GingerSte]

I was very taken by Daniel and his enthusiasm as well as his get things done attitude, so that was a sad end to the business.

I hope to see him being successful in the future, though, and secure new jobs for budding engineers and drivers out there.

I agree, although from the video it sounds like the railhead part of the business is continuing.

 

[Bigfoot]

I was very taken by Daniel and his enthusiasm as well as his get things done attitude, so that was a sad end to the business.

I hope to see him being successful in the future, though, and secure new jobs for budding engineers and drivers out there.

Did you actually watch and listen to the whole video? Clearly not.

 

[Highview]

There is a comment on that video from one of his now ex-drivers who has lost their job, assuming it is genuine, it gives a somewhat different picture of what happened.

This is his second failure/administration in a year so it will be a tough call to keep the remaining businesses afloat if debt financing is needed to do this.

I hope he does make it, however, as he is a very talented and hard working person.

 

[Meerkat]

There is a comment on that video from one of his now ex-drivers who has lost their job, assuming it is genuine, it gives a somewhat different picture of what happened.

This is his second failure/administration in a year so it will be a tough call to keep the remaining businesses afloat if debt financing is needed to do this.

I hope he does make it, however, as he is a very talented and hard working person.

Give us any clues about this comment please? i don’t want to wade through three thousand of them to find it!

 

[Melancholia]

There is a comment on that video from one of his now ex-drivers who has lost their job, assuming it is genuine, it gives a somewhat different picture of what happened.

How would we know this is a genuine ex-driver, or just some troll attempting to make him look bad?

 

[Bigfoot]

How would we know this is a genuine ex-driver, or just some troll attempting to make him look bad?

Precisely, almost every video has endless trolls commenting, they dislike anyone who tries to succeed.

 

[Highview]

The comment is still there on the video but I take the point that it could be a troll so won't repeat the contents here.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

New video today, shows the process of loading a train (something they hadn't done before) and how a temporary weighing system works, 66053 with 22 wagons.

Appeared (in less detail) in today's weekly, it occured on Monday the 10th of March.

 

[dmkc]

They seem to be well up to speed on their railops now... 3 trains a week etc

 

[Wyrleybart]

They seem to be well up to speed on their railops now... 3 trains a week etc

I have been watching the Ashville Weekly podcast for a few months now on youtube and I really admire Daniel's pluck and courage, and his general stance on doing business. There are a coupe of interviews of him and his business which actually explain how he is the guy he is.

It seems that now that the Ashville group of companies has been restructured, the tipper trucks have gone and he yard has been reorganised, the company is surviving. I am more interested in the rail side of things and I think the future is promising so long as there is a need for the industry to shift large volumes of aggregates. Daniel certainly seems to understand that and has set his base up for it.

The potential issue might be that he only has a single LH60 loader, and that is key to his rail operations. It would be real good for trains to run regularly so that Ashville can invest in a second large machine. The other issue I see is that Daniel appears to be hoping to receive and despatch trains with a minumum of 22 wagons laden at 75t each - both ways. I am guessing the rail freight operators can take a train to a quarry, load it with "clean product", tip at at Ashville, then reload with "non haz" as Daniel calls it, to ship out. Where does the "non haz" go, and how does the train move from the tip back to the quarry ? I hope his currect railfreight partner (DBC) can meet Daniel's aspirations. Also wonder if Ashville are tied to DBC or whether other freightcos can work with him. IS it GBRf who operate the Colnbrook fuel trains which pass the yard.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Also wonder if Ashville are tied to DBC or whether other freightcos can work with him. IS it GBRf who operate the Colnbrook fuel trains which pass the yard.

I think I recall GBRf being involved in the weighbridge testing and when the new yard was first set up.

 

[furnessvale]

The potential issue might be that he only has a single LH60 loader, and that is key to his rail operations. It would be real good for trains to run regularly so that Ashville can invest in a second large machine. The other issue I see is that Daniel appears to be hoping to receive and despatch trains with a minumum of 22 wagons laden at 75t each - both ways. I am guessing the rail freight operators can take a train to a quarry, load it with "clean product", tip at at Ashville, then reload with "non haz" as Daniel calls it, to ship out. Where does the "non haz" go, and how does the train move from the tip back to the quarry ? I hope his currect railfreight partner (DBC) can meet Daniel's aspirations. Also wonder if Ashville are tied to DBC or whether other freightcos can work with him. IS it GBRf who operate the Colnbrook fuel trains which pass the yard.

If he can get it working with new stone in and non haz out, he is potentially increasing a 50% load factor to 66%, as instead of two empty trips for the train there is only one, from the discharge point for the waste to the loading point for the new stone.

Conveniently for Ashville, there is no requirement for the wagons to be thoroughly cleaned at their yard to receive the waste. This would need to be done at the waste reception siding, wherever that is. The question is, who pays for that cleaning and does it destroy the economic case for a triangular working?