The last four decades have seen many changes in rail freight patterns, as small-scale operations requiring shunting and trip working have given way to ever longer and heavier block trains.
Construction traffic has increased year on year, with a wide variety of flows from the Mendips, Leicestershire and the Peak District, as well as from ports in the South East. Intermodal traffic has grown too, despite the closure of Freightliner’s two London terminals at Stratford and Willesden.
On the other hand, oil trains from Thames Haven and Fawley are now a distant memory and steel traffic from Sheerness is no more. Several freight-only branches in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire have closed.
Illustrated with more than 160 photographs, many of which are previously unpublished, this volume looks at the changing face of rail freight in London and the South East of England. It details the transformation in traction, rolling stock and railway infrastructure over four decades. Photographs are presented in two-per-page format, with informative captions accompanying each. 96 pages.