Carlisle Log Train

[Traintrackertm]

I live on the settle- Carlisle railway and I loved seeing the log train. Does anyone know why it isn't running anymore?

 

[Condor7]

I dont know for certain but I would imagine the same reason that a great many freight services and passenger services are not running, and that is because of the virus pandemic we are all experiencin.

At the moment there is only one booked freight a day Monday to Friday on the S&C running the full length of the line and that is the 6K05 Carlisle to Crewe departmental train and just recently restarted the Tuesday to Friday Tees Dock to Kirkby Thore gypsum train and the return working, although i note it hasn’t run this morning.

Although it won’t affect you at Crosby Garret (a beautiful village by the way) some limited services are also running to Arcow Quarry.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

It's still in the Working Timetable (optional Q path) according to RTT.
Kronospan at Chirk takes in logs from several originating points.
It also seems to have an enormous stockpile of logs, so maybe the flow is not continuous.
Production of MDF may also be affected by building trade demand in the current climate.
There are paths in the WTT via either the S&C or Shap, so might use Shap if WCML traffic is low.
The return Carlisle empties run from Chirk overnight via Shrewsbury, Crewe and down the WCML via Shap (one path via Bushbury, another via Whitchurch).

 

[Ploughman]

Does the general acceptance of a stop on tree felling during the bird nesting season have any affect on this?
I know it is not a total ban.

 

[Pacef8]

If it doesn't stop grouse shooting then i would say not one jot. Most of the wood is pine and not natural woodland.

 

[Condor7]

It's still in the Working Timetable (optional Q path) according to RTT.
Kronospan at Chirk takes in logs from several originating points.
It also seems to have an enormous stockpile of logs, so maybe the flow is not continuous.
Production of MDF may also be affected by building trade demand in the current climate.
There are paths in the WTT via either the S&C or Shap, so might use Shap if WCML traffic is low.
The return Carlisle empties run from Chirk overnight via Shrewsbury, Crewe and down the WCML via Shap (one path via Bushbury, another via Whitchurch).

Like a great many workings they still remain in the working timetable as the services are intended to resume as soon as possible. The Carlisle to Chirk log train however is not currently running in either direction either along the Settle & Carlisle line or the West Coast main line. It is true it can be a (Q, as required) working but in normal times that just means the occasional short break, but in reality it can be relied upon to run most days M-F and sometimes Saturday.

Stop Press. Following on from my previous comments above, the 6S94 (Wednesday only) Wembley to Irvine China clay train is running today via the Settle & Carlisle, the first time in three months, so a few movements are slowly returning, so maybe the logs will follow soon.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

It's worth mentioning that the Kronospan factory site at Chirk has recently (14 January) suffered from a significant fire in the log storage zone.
The works itself was not affected, but it might well have caused interruption in the flow of new material for storage.

Kronospan Wrexham factory sees third fire in three years

Crews are dealing with an "isolated" blaze in a log wall at wood panelling manufacturers.

www.bbc.co.uk

Firefighters are continuing to tackle a blaze at a factory, the third in less than three years.
Crews were called to the Kronospan panelling factory in Chirk, near Wrexham, at 02:15 GMT on Monday where a fire started in an "isolated" log wall.
The company, which employs more than 600 people at the site, has confirmed no-one was hurt in the latest fire.
A fire also broke out in one of the filter towers in July 2018 following an earlier major fire in September 2017.
North Wales Fire and Rescue service said the blaze was under control and would be "extinguished as soon as practicable" depending on the weather

 

[InOban]

Oban is normally plagued by timber lorries passing through on their way to BSW in Fort William. Haven't seen one for weeks, so I think that demand by the timber processors has collapsed.

 

[Geeves]

No need to make miles and miles of packaging for businesses and industry if they are all closed I suppose.

 

[NI 271]

It's worth mentioning that the Kronospan factory site at Chirk has recently (14 January) suffered from a significant fire in the log storage zone.
The works itself was not affected, but it might well have caused interruption in the flow of new material for storage.

Kronospan Wrexham factory sees third fire in three years

Crews are dealing with an "isolated" blaze in a log wall at wood panelling manufacturers.

www.bbc.co.uk

Trains were running normally by the following week. They're not running now because the customer doesn't require them, presumably, seeing as they were still running in early March, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent downturn in global trade.

 

[Traintrackertm]

Thank you! It's very helpful. And yes... Crosby garret is beautiful!

 

[4F89]

It's worth mentioning that the Kronospan factory site at Chirk has recently (14 January) suffered from a significant fire in the log storage zone.
The works itself was not affected, but it might well have caused interruption in the flow of new material for storage.

Kronospan Wrexham factory sees third fire in three years

Crews are dealing with an "isolated" blaze in a log wall at wood panelling manufacturers.

www.bbc.co.uk

It's always catching fire, I wouldn't worry. It's a quaterly occurrence.

 

[Condor7]

Thank you! It's very helpful. And yes... Crosby garret is beautiful!

I lost out on buying a house there 15 years ago. A beautiful quite village with a railway, what more could you ask?

In case you are not aware the following are what is currently scheduled freight trains past you.

Tuesday to Friday Tees Docks to Kirkby Thore Gypsum due in the early hours at 05:23 but almost always runs earlier than that. Likewise the return working (although not necessarily to Tees Dock) passes you at 11.00am.

The daily (M-F) Carlisle to Crewe departmental at 13:53.

For sometime now the Carlisle Crewe was the only scheduled freight on the line but the Kirkby Thore train started a few weeks ago, and this past week the Wednesday only Wembley to Irvine China clay restarted
scheduled to pass at almost the exact time the Carlisle Crewe does but in the opposite directio. That said even in normal times this is only an ‘as required’ run so can be hit and miss, but a check on Real Time Trains should tell you.