I don't seem to have heard anything lately about the experimental
Aberystwyth-Chirk timber trains that started running in March.

Has the trial now concluded?

Has anyone heard whether it was considered a success?

Every so often we hear encouraging news about innovations in rail
freight, but most of  them seem to quietly vanish after the initial
publicity (Mini-Modal containers, Freightbus, various attempts to
revive milk traffic), I do hope this is not one of those.

Andy Kirkham

In article ,
Andy Kirkham  wrote:

>I don't seem to have heard anything lately about the experimental
>Aberystwyth-Chirk timber trains that started running in March.
>
>Has the trial now concluded?


It was a 5 week trial - and after that time it stopped.


>Has anyone heard whether it was considered a success?


Well, it was certainly a success from the technical PoV - the
MPVs handled the load well, they didn't hold up the passenger
service. The financial case for a permanent service would depend
on a supporting grant from the SRA (or successor thereto),
and there might be hold-ups there.

Certainly if the service becomes a regular thing it'd not be 
operating from Aberystwyth, but from somewhere nearer the
forestry operations.

-- 
Andy Breen ~ 	Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
		http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
		"Who dies with the most toys wins" (Gary Barnes)

>Andy Kirkham  wrote:
>>I don't seem to have heard anything lately about the experimental
>>Aberystwyth-Chirk timber trains that started running in March.
>>
>>Has the trial now concluded?
>
>It was a 5 week trial - and after that time it stopped.
>
>>Has anyone heard whether it was considered a success?


According to;

http://www.tnn.co.uk/UKNews/plonearticle.2005-04-18.1924927929#

the forestry lot considered it a success:

"Consultants overseeing the project will now meet Welsh Assembly and 
Forestry Enterprise managers to seek grants for two new specially-designed 
trains, each with a 200-tonne carrying capacity.

Each new train will cost an estimated £1.3m, with private money coming 
from railway leasing specialists HSBC.

During the trial 4,500 tonnes of timber were taken from Aberystwyth to the 
Kronospan wood mill 75 miles away, equivalent to 180 lorry-loads.

Forestry Enterprise is considering a five to 10-year contract for rail 
haulage which would remove an estimated 4,000 timber lorry journeys from 
Wales' roads..

It is hoped all Welsh timber will be carried by rail from sidings built 
near their forests of origin. Forestry Enterprise also aim to run rail 
timber services to the Shotton paper mill on Deeside."

Incidently, I hope that those in this 'froup who complain about the
Beeb's choice of photographs to illustrate rail-related stories
will be equally outraged by the image used to illustrate this
one...

-- 
Andy Breen ~ 	Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
		http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
		Feng Shui: an ancient oriental art for extracting
		 money from the gullible (Martin Sinclair)

Andy Kirkham wrote:

> I don't seem to have heard anything lately about the experimental
> Aberystwyth-Chirk timber trains that started running in March.
> 
> Has the trial now concluded?
> 
> Has anyone heard whether it was considered a success?
> 
> Every so often we hear encouraging news about innovations in rail
> freight, but most of  them seem to quietly vanish after the initial
> publicity (Mini-Modal containers, Freightbus, various attempts to
> revive milk traffic), I do hope this is not one of those.


Problem is there are no spare MPVs during the weed and leaf
seasons.... if the project was a success they would have
to buy some.

Charlie

In article <dc5b30$2ahg$1@godfrey.mcc.ac.uk>,
Charlie Hulme   wrote:

>Andy Kirkham wrote:
>> I don't seem to have heard anything lately about the experimental
>> Aberystwyth-Chirk timber trains that started running in March.
>> 
>> Has the trial now concluded?
>> 
>> Has anyone heard whether it was considered a success?
>> 
>> Every so often we hear encouraging news about innovations in rail
>> freight, but most of  them seem to quietly vanish after the initial
>> publicity (Mini-Modal containers, Freightbus, various attempts to
>> revive milk traffic), I do hope this is not one of those.
>
>Problem is there are no spare MPVs during the weed and leaf
>seasons.... if the project was a success they would have
>to buy some.


According to the sources came accross (see prev. post for URL) 
the hope was to build two new trains - if funding could be 
found. 

-- 
Andy Breen ~ 	Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
		http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
		Feng Shui: an ancient oriental art for extracting
		 money from the gullible (Martin Sinclair)

"Andrew Robert Breen"  wrote in message 
news:dc51h5$v83$1@central.aber.ac.uk...

> In article ,
> Andy Kirkham  wrote:
>>I don't seem to have heard anything lately about the experimental
>>Aberystwyth-Chirk timber trains that started running in March.
>>
>>Has the trial now concluded?
>
> It was a 5 week trial - and after that time it stopped.
>
>>Has anyone heard whether it was considered a success?
>
> Well, it was certainly a success from the technical PoV - the
> MPVs handled the load well, they didn't hold up the passenger
> service. The financial case for a permanent service would depend
> on a supporting grant from the SRA (or successor thereto),
> and there might be hold-ups there.
>
> Certainly if the service becomes a regular thing it'd not be
> operating from Aberystwyth, but from somewhere nearer the
> forestry operations.


Isn't the "forestry operation" overseas? I thought it was shipped to 
Aberystwyth.

KW

In article <voqFe.14419$Wi3.3939@newsfe5-gui.ntli.net>,
Ken Ward  wrote:

>
>"Andrew Robert Breen"  wrote in message 
>news:dc51h5$v83$1@central.aber.ac.uk...
>> In article ,
>> Andy Kirkham  wrote:
>>>I don't seem to have heard anything lately about the experimental
>>>Aberystwyth-Chirk timber trains that started running in March.
>>
>> Certainly if the service becomes a regular thing it'd not be
>> operating from Aberystwyth, but from somewhere nearer the
>> forestry operations.
>
>Isn't the "forestry operation" overseas? I thought it was shipped to 
>Aberystwyth.


Nope. It was timber extraction up in the hills around here. There's
no way whatsoever that anyone would be shipping stuff into
Aberystwyth (it's not been a working harbour, really, since
the 1930s and the last merchant ship to use it was nearly
14 years ago - and it's silted up a lot since then).

There was certainly no shipping involved - and I walk
by the harbour every morning.

If you're shipping timber then you ship to Swansea
or Avonmouth and cut out the difficult bit.

-- 
Andy Breen ~ 	Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
		http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
		Feng Shui: an ancient oriental art for extracting
		 money from the gullible (Martin Sinclair)

Andrew Robert Breen wrote:

> In article <voqFe.14419$Wi3.3939@newsfe5-gui.ntli.net>,
> Ken Ward  wrote:
> >
> >"Andrew Robert Breen"  wrote in message
> >news:dc51h5$v83$1@central.aber.ac.uk...
> >> In article ,
> >> Andy Kirkham  wrote:
> >>>I don't seem to have heard anything lately about the experimental
> >>>Aberystwyth-Chirk timber trains that started running in March.
> >>
> >> Certainly if the service becomes a regular thing it'd not be
> >> operating from Aberystwyth, but from somewhere nearer the
> >> forestry operations.
> >
> >Isn't the "forestry operation" overseas? I thought it was shipped to
> >Aberystwyth.
>
> Nope. It was timber extraction up in the hills around here. There's
> no way whatsoever that anyone would be shipping stuff into
> Aberystwyth (it's not been a working harbour, really, since
> the 1930s and the last merchant ship to use it was nearly
> 14 years ago - and it's silted up a lot since then).
>
> There was certainly no shipping involved - and I walk
> by the harbour every morning.
>
> If you're shipping timber then you ship to Swansea
> or Avonmouth and cut out the difficult bit.
>


There was indeed a newspaper report at the time suggesting that the
timber would be imported through Aberystwyth harbour. This caused some
puzzlement and discussion on this newsgroup, but it was eventually
concluded that the journalist must have got the wrong end of the stick.

Andy Kirkham

Upon the miasma of midnight, a darkling spirit identified as Andrew 
Robert Breen  gently breathed:


>Incidently, I hope that those in this 'froup who complain about the
>Beeb's choice of photographs to illustrate rail-related stories
>will be equally outraged by the image used to illustrate this
>one...


LOL!

Clearly that isn't the Cambrian, a truly horrific gaffe... :-)

-- 
  - Pyromancer Stormshadow.
http://www.inkubus-sukkubus.co.uk   <-- Pagan Gothic Rock!
http://www.littlematchgirl.co.uk    <-- Electronic Metal!
http://www.revival.stormshadow.com  <-- The Gothic Revival.

In article ,
Pyromancer   wrote:

>Upon the miasma of midnight, a darkling spirit identified as Andrew 
>Robert Breen  gently breathed:
>
>>Incidently, I hope that those in this 'froup who complain about the
>>Beeb's choice of photographs to illustrate rail-related stories
>>will be equally outraged by the image used to illustrate this
>>one...
>
>LOL!
>
>Clearly that isn't the Cambrian, a truly horrific gaffe... :-)


Nor was the timber train propelling the dead tail-load ahead of it ;)

-- 
Andy Breen ~ 	Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
		http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
		Feng Shui: an ancient oriental art for extracting
		 money from the gullible (Martin Sinclair)

"Andy Kirkham"  wrote in message 
news:1122390988.198309.205280@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

> Andrew Robert Breen wrote:
>> In article <voqFe.14419$Wi3.3939@newsfe5-gui.ntli.net>,
>> Ken Ward  wrote:
>> >
>> >"Andrew Robert Breen"  wrote in message
>> >news:dc51h5$v83$1@central.aber.ac.uk...
>> >> In article ,
>> >> Andy Kirkham  wrote:
>> >>>I don't seem to have heard anything lately about the experimental
>> >>>Aberystwyth-Chirk timber trains that started running in March.
>> >>
>> >> Certainly if the service becomes a regular thing it'd not be
>> >> operating from Aberystwyth, but from somewhere nearer the
>> >> forestry operations.
>> >
>> >Isn't the "forestry operation" overseas? I thought it was shipped to
>> >Aberystwyth.
>>
>> Nope. It was timber extraction up in the hills around here. There's
>> no way whatsoever that anyone would be shipping stuff into
>> Aberystwyth (it's not been a working harbour, really, since
>> the 1930s and the last merchant ship to use it was nearly
>> 14 years ago - and it's silted up a lot since then).
>>
>> There was certainly no shipping involved - and I walk
>> by the harbour every morning.
>>
>> If you're shipping timber then you ship to Swansea
>> or Avonmouth and cut out the difficult bit.
>>
>
> There was indeed a newspaper report at the time suggesting that the
> timber would be imported through Aberystwyth harbour. This caused some
> puzzlement and discussion on this newsgroup, but it was eventually
> concluded that the journalist must have got the wrong end of the stick.


See!   Thanks Andy, they had me thinking I was getting old and se (a river 
in Egypt).

KW

PS. Anyone know when the Endeavour Club stopped operating their boats out of 
Aberystwyth (I was a member for a while).

"Pyromancer"  wrote in message 
news:YRDZWdEYTo5CFwYg@nemesis.as15758.net...

> Upon the miasma of midnight, a darkling spirit identified as Andrew Robert 
> Breen  gently breathed:
>
>>Incidently, I hope that those in this 'froup who complain about the
>>Beeb's choice of photographs to illustrate rail-related stories
>>will be equally outraged by the image used to illustrate this
>>one...
>
> LOL!
>
> Clearly that isn't the Cambrian, a truly horrific gaffe... :-)



 At least they removed the Containers.

KW

In article <8NzFe.3396$hc4.1707@newsfe6-win.ntli.net>,
Ken Ward  wrote:

>
>PS. Anyone know when the Endeavour Club stopped operating their boats out of 
>Aberystwyth (I was a member for a while). 


Now //there//'s a question. It's a few years back, certainly. One of /em 
was laid up out of the water (on St. David's quay, and thus - ob.
uk.r.! - on the course of the old harbour sidings) for until about
18 months ago, but it's a good few years since there were more than
one around. IIRC it dropped back to one boat during the time I
was away in .de (1998-99)

Picture of the last of the Endevours laid up at:

http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/outside/tanybwlch.html

-- 
Andy Breen ~ 	Interplanetary Scintillation Research Group
		http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/
		Feng Shui: an ancient oriental art for extracting
		 money from the gullible (Martin Sinclair)

"Andrew Robert Breen"  wrote in message 
news:dc7ni1$35jg$1@central.aber.ac.uk...

> In article <8NzFe.3396$hc4.1707@newsfe6-win.ntli.net>,
> Ken Ward  wrote:
>>
>>PS. Anyone know when the Endeavour Club stopped operating their boats out 
>>of
>>Aberystwyth (I was a member for a while).
>
> Now //there//'s a question. It's a few years back, certainly. One of /em
> was laid up out of the water (on St. David's quay, and thus - ob.
> uk.r.! - on the course of the old harbour sidings) for until about
> 18 months ago, but it's a good few years since there were more than
> one around. IIRC it dropped back to one boat during the time I
> was away in .de (1998-99)
>
> Picture of the last of the Endevours laid up at:
>
> http://users.aber.ac.uk/azb/outside/tanybwlch.html
>

Thanks for the link.. Wonderful memories when Three went out together.

KW