Recent freight on Enfield/Cheshunt Line

[Dave W]

I live close to Bury St Junction and in the last few weeks I have noted (both audio and visual!) a range of freight services in the afternoon, all of which appear on Real Time Trains as STP. Today, aside from a number of movements marked "civil engineer" this morning (also rare!) there was a train marked as "aggregates" (I've seen this one before) and just now a freightliner for Gateway which I heard on the breeze.

My question to learned colleagues is: why the sudden "up tick" of freight through Edmonton? I've been here for almost 2 years and the number of non passenger movements I've heard and seen on the line previously can be counted on one hand.

Thanks!

 

[Freightmaster]

The Freightliner (4L73) runs that way because Network Rail won't permit it to run via the ECML at that time of day.

The first week or so that it ran, it was routed via Water Orton and Sutton Park before it was decided
that running it via the WAML was preferable.

The other daytime freight movements on the WAML (empty boxes from Foxton and loads to Harlow Mill)
have been running that way for years and are definitely not new.




MARK

 

[Class 170101]

I live close to Bury St Junction and in the last few weeks I have noted (both audio and visual!) a range of freight services in the afternoon, all of which appear on Real Time Trains as STP. Today, aside from a number of movements marked "civil engineer" this morning (also rare!) there was a train marked as "aggregates" (I've seen this one before) and just now a freightliner for Gateway which I heard on the breeze.

My question to learned colleagues is: why the sudden "up tick" of freight through Edmonton? I've been here for almost 2 years and the number of non passenger movements I've heard and seen on the line previously can be counted on one hand.

Thanks!

Some Cross country Freight appears to have been diverted from Felixstowe Port via Bury St Edmunds to London Gateway (Tilbury) Port via the West Anglia Main Line, Bury St Jn and T&H instead

The Freightliner (4L73) runs that way because Network Rail won't permit it to run via the ECML at that time of day.

The first week or so that it ran, it was routed via Water Orton and Sutton Park before it was decided
that running it via the WAML was preferable.

MARK

and crossing the GEML between Stratford and Forest Gate Jn causes chaos everytime.

 

[Class15]

The 4L73 Freightliner is interesting. It has also caused another Freightliner, 4L46 Lawley St - London Gateway, to be held at Wembley from 15:40 to 00:15 - yes, an 8 hour and 35 minute stop!

Additionally, I think it can only run with the smaller Freightliner wagons as the loading gauge on the WAML is restrictive.

6M03, the stone train, seems to be a little ad hoc. It starts at Chesterton Junction going down to Wembley and then the mendips. It seems to run very randomly and I’m not quite sure why it goes via Seven Sisters instead of via Tottenham Hale; unlike 4L73, it doesn’t need to head towards Barking.

 

[Dave W]

The Freightliner (4L73) runs that way because Network Rail won't permit it to run via the ECML at that time of day.

The first week or so that it ran, it was routed via Water Orton and Sutton Park before it was decided
that running it via the WAML was preferable.

The other daytime freight movements on the WAML (empty boxes from Foxton and loads to Harlow Mill)
have been running that way for years and are definitely not new.




MARK

Thanks. I'm not sure how I've never seen it before - I think I may have been thrown as they're marked STP, but thus presumably for some other reason.

And thanks to all others for freightliner situation. Very interesting.

 

[30907]

6M03, the stone train, seems to be a little ad hoc. It starts at Chesterton Junction going down to Wembley and then the mendips. It seems to run very randomly and I’m not quite sure why it goes via Seven Sisters instead of via Tottenham Hale; unlike 4L73, it doesn’t need to head towards Barking.

If RTT is to be believed, it runs via Hertford N and the North London Incline.

 

[Class15]

If RTT is to be believed, it runs via Hertford N and the North London Incline.

You’re looking at the wrong 6M03:

Realtime Trains | 6M03 1225 Chesterton Junction Fhh to Wembley Receptions 1-7 | 30/05/2025

Real-time train running information for 6M03 1225 departure from Chesterton Junction Fhh to Wembley Receptions 1-7 on 30/05/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[dk1]

Some Cross country Freight appears to have been diverted from Felixstowe Port via Bury St Edmunds to London Gateway (Tilbury) Port via the West Anglia Main Line, Bury St Jn and T&H instead

and crossing the GEML between Stratford and Forest Gate Jn causes chaos everytime.

It’s like all our yesterdays. That used to be commonplace until the late 2000s when the Goblin route got upgraded.

 

[Class15]

Thanks. I'm not sure how I've never seen it before - I think I may have been thrown as they're marked STP, but thus presumably for some other reason.

And thanks to all others for freightliner situation. Very interesting.

The stone train via Edmonton is new. I think @Freightmaster was referring to the other stone/spoil trains running via Brimsdown, which have been running for years. However, these don’t take the Edmonton line so don’t fall under this thread.

 

[30907]

You’re looking at the wrong 6M03:

Realtime Trains | 6M03 1225 Chesterton Junction Fhh to Wembley Receptions 1-7 | 30/05/2025

Real-time train running information for 6M03 1225 departure from Chesterton Junction Fhh to Wembley Receptions 1-7 on 30/05/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Apologies!

 

[Class15]

Apologies!

No problem - it’s easily done and it’s not great to have two freight services sharing parts of the route with the same headcode!