Felixstowe North Terminal derailment (19/06/2024)

[800001]

Am hearing reports of a derailment within Felixstowe North Terminal, which is blocking entry/exit to the terminal.

South terminal seems to be operating as normal. RTT showing services from Noryh terminal as cancelled.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Take it that the hourly Ipswich -> Felixstowe passenger trains operated by Greater Anglia are unaffected by this?

 

[800001]

Take it that the Ipswich -> Felixstowe passenger trains operated by Greater Anglia are unaffected by this?

Yes, operating as normal. As are freights to South terminal I believe.

 

[ac6000cw]

Take it that the hourly Ipswich -> Felixstowe passenger trains operated by Greater Anglia are unaffected by this?

They appear to be running as normal. All of the container terminals are on freight only branches and the passenger station at Felixstowe is on its own branch i.e. the line splits into three routes beyond Trimley.

See https://traksy.uk/live/M+45+TRIMLEY+10 (Felixstowe Beach = South Terminal).

 

[Jobi-wan]

You are hearing correctly. Spare turns galore for the next week then!

 

[66701GBRF]

It’s done a number on a couple sets of points and likely to be closed a week or more.

 

[LAX54]

Am hearing reports of a derailment within Felixstowe North Terminal, which is blocking entry/exit to the terminal.

South terminal seems to be operating as normal. RTT showing services from Noryh terminal as cancelled.

It’s done a number on a couple sets of points and likely to be closed a week or more.

Looks like came off on plain line and ran for quite a distance until it met the points.

 

[londonmidland]

This was posted on Facebook:

Picture shows a derailed freight train, with wagons having becoming derailed and resting across multiple tracks, upright.

 

[dk1]

Take it that the hourly Ipswich -> Felixstowe passenger trains operated by Greater Anglia are unaffected by this?

Thought it was quiet on the branch. Had a fabulous run early everywhere with Green lights both ways.

 

[ac6000cw]

This was posted on Facebook:

View attachment 160416

I think I know where that photo was taken from, in which case it's roughly where the branch from Trimley enters the port area and splits into a fan of tracks, with a public pathway alongside - https://www.google.com/maps/place/F...1.961726!4d1.351255!16zL20vMDF6NXA2?entry=ttu

There's actually two terminals at the end of the branch, North and Central, with the two tracks in the foreground leading to the North Terminal (and the wagon at the left heading for the Central terminal...)

 

[dk1]

There is an aerial photo on the East Anglian Daily Times facebook page.

 

[bspahh]

There is an aerial photo on the East Anglian Daily Times facebook page.

Its at https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/24398857.train-derails-felixstowe-port-causing-extensive-damage

Train derails at Felixstowe Port causing extensive damage

The photo is by Ian Sharman who has more photos of the incident at https://www.flickr.com/photos/68729621@N03/ where he writes: "All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without my explicit permission."

 

[800001]

Slightly off topic but not a good day for GBRF, 6L35 stands at Tamworth blocking the down fast and has been there since about 0330 with locked axle.

Down slow at Tamworth also blocked due to Freightliner 4M61 failing, so all services are having to use Up fast and Up Slow, some nifty signalling going on!

 

[greatkingrat]

Do North and South terminals have roughly equal traffic levels or is one the main terminal?

 

[class 9]

Slightly off topic but not a good day for GBRF, 6L35 stands at Tamworth blocking the down fast and has been there since about 0330 with locked axle.

Down slow at Tamworth also blocked due to Freightliner 4M61 failing, so all services are having to use Up fast and Up Slow, some nifty signalling going on!

There's talk of L35 being there until Friday or Saturday night to facilitate possessions & OHL isolations and fitting of wheel skates.

 

[800001]

There's talk of L35 being there until Friday or Saturday night to facilitate possessions & OHL isolations and fitting of wheel skates.

Oh dear! Not good!

 

[ac6000cw]

Its at https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/24398857.train-derails-felixstowe-port-causing-extensive-damage


The photo is by Ian Sharman who has more photos of the incident at https://www.flickr.com/photos/68729621@N03/ where he writes: "All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without my explicit permission."

I notice that Ian Sharman says in the captions: "Extensive damage to the track here and all the way back to Trimley" - that's about a mile of track.

 

[800001]

I notice that Ian Sharman says in the captions: "Extensive damage to the track here and all the way back to Trimley" - that's about a mile of track.

Apparently one bogie had derailed prior to the points and there is substantial damage to sleepers.

 

[dk1]

Do North and South terminals have roughly equal traffic levels or is one the main terminal?

North is busier from what I witness.

 

[Boodiggy]

There's talk of L35 being there until Friday or Saturday night to facilitate possessions & OHL isolations and fitting of wheel skates.

That is because it is the least disruptive.
No diversion available for freight due to the OLE dewirement between Stechford and Aston.
Skates needed on both sides so if it was done beforehand there would be no route.

My money is on Saturday night.

4M61 now moving after being rescued.

 

[fodphil]

One of the wheelsets

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jun 2024 ==

Cam footage

 

[P Binnersley]

There appears to be an internal rail connection between Felixstowe North and South terminals. Is it available as a diversionary route?

 

[Class15]

4M92 is at Stratford having left Felixstowe North at 18:05. Presumably running via the south terminal?

 

[dk1]

There appears to be an internal rail connection between Felixstowe North and South terminals. Is it available as a diversionary route?

It’s not very easy to use due to level crossings and the paraphernalia that goes with getting through the port.

 

[ChristopherJ]

Felixstowe North is far, far busier than Felixstowe South. Just do a ZZ search in RTT for Trimley to see how much more freight traffic serves North rather than South.

I guess the mentioned internal connection between North and South is the Felixstowe Beach loop? Does any freight traffic actually use this? My understanding is container trains just reverse directly in and out of each terminal towards Ipswich.

 

[66701GBRF]

There appears to be an internal rail connection between Felixstowe North and South terminals. Is it available as a diversionary route?

The connection is central to south. Arrivals and departures are do able and indeed one did depart central via south earlier. There is currently zero access to north terminal and will be that way untill incident resolved.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jun 2024 ==

One of the wheelsets

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jun 2024 ==

Cam footage

The picture of the wheel is not part of this incident.

 

[LAX54]

The connection is central to south. Arrivals and departures are do able and indeed one did depart central via south earlier. There is currently zero access to north terminal and will be that way untill incident resolved.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jun 2024 ==


The picture of the wheel is not part of this incident.

Thanks for the info, for a while I was thinking that wheel may have been the reason for the initial derail on plain line.

 

[Adrian Barr]

Do North and South terminals have roughly equal traffic levels or is one the main terminal?

Looking at departures for Thursday 13th:

Felixstowe South - 8 departures (all GBRF)
Felixstowe North (and Central) - 29 departures (9 GBRF + 3 DB Cargo + 17 Freightliner)

Schedules don't usually distinguish between Central and North terminals (they all say North terminal) as the entry to either one is close enough for it not to make much of a difference.

Pictures to compare the size (South terminal is smallest, North terminal is largest)
South terminal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/yorkshires-finest/15841254474/
Central terminal (formerly north terminal until the new north terminal was built): https://www.flickr.com/photos/robmcrorie/40588605133/
North terminal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/robmcrorie/32605256787/

The connection is central to south. Arrivals and departures are do able and indeed one did depart central via south earlier. There is currently zero access to north terminal and will be that way untill incident resolved.

It's good that this connection is still available, I've seen it on maps before and wondered if it was actually usable!

Yesterday (Thursday) it appears there were two arrivals and two departures via this route. 4L89 and 4L41 arrived from Ipswich, 4M53 departed for Trafford, and 4M92 appears to have run empty and terminated at Colchester.

 

[ExRes]

According to WNXX this morning there are 12 Class 66s still trapped at Felixstowe, 508/518/561/569/572 in the Central Sidings and 125/185/515/525/543/703/768 in the North Sidings, track work repairs are still ongoing

 

[66701GBRF]

According to WNXX this morning there are 12 Class 66s still trapped at Felixstowe, 508/518/561/569/572 in the Central Sidings and 125/185/515/525/543/703/768 in the North Sidings, track work repairs are still ongoing

The North locos are trapped but the central locos are released each time their respective inbound train has departed.