Rail Freight returns to Boston - 1997

In 1997 I produced a Video about the re-establishment of Rail traffic on Boston Dock, It shows the official Opening of the new Rail Terminal with shots of the replica Sailing Ship "Endeavour". featuring 37712, 08704 & 60025. I hope you enjoy watching.

[@peebee143]

Thank you, Roy, this has shown me what work went on before Malcolm brought me over to help in around 2008-2009. Very interesting to watch. The operation changed whilst I was working there, and there was no Redlands stone train operations during the time I was there. I left Boston a few months after Malcolm's untimely death.

[@grahambaker1122]

Another great film Roy!brings Back loads of memories of an Interesting period on our railways!

[@MrDimcore]

Thank you Roy for the job. Interesting story.

[@francismewton1200]

Great to see freight back on the lines , in my younger days I spent many hours at truro station watching goods coming and going .

[@cinqueportcentral1602]

Enjoyable film. reminds of Dover town yard/Dover western docks where the freight wagons being loaded onto the train ferry. All gone now, everything goes through the channel tunnel now.

[@saltspringrailway3683]

I can't believe the track layers aren't wearing hard hats or hi viz jackets.

[@michaelgamble296]

Thank you for shewing this! Full of movement and culminating in the pomp of local dignitaries. The Boston Stump we could see from Hun'stan.

[@royharrison4122]

Glad you enjoyed it Michael

[@akrills]

Very enjoyable, thanks!

[@royharrison4122]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@captainboing]

really informative,well put-together vid - thanks (why the 3 downvotes I wonder?)

[@royharrison4122]

Thank you, there is always someone downvotes, Can't please all.

[@rorysadventures6149]

Amazing video! Fascinating to see it then compared to what it is like now. I took a trip down there today for the first time and managed to see it being pulled by 08375. I believe that it runs 3 times a week now and it takes 2 trips going up and down to the docks to sort out all of the steel wagons. The men operating the level crossing let me go into the crossing hut and told me about the operations. It seems as if it is quite a regular working now.

[@royharrison4122]

Very cool!

[@robertsmalley8138]

That was a nice weekend treat Roy many thanks . Good to see Pete on the dock crossing gates and of course Mally Hughs ( always working ) Will be watching this a few times . Thanks again mate Bob .

[@robertsmalley8138]

Roy i guess you gathered that was from your old spotting mate Bob

[@EssexGayBoi]

Absolutely brilliant, thank you for sharing this story Roy, very interesting to watch & wonder if it's still running to this day ??

[@royharrison4122]

Yes still running but not on such a regular timetable these days.

[@EssexGayBoi]

That's ace, long may it continue :)

[@Isochest]

@@EssexGayBoi And may it grow and grow

[@enforcer9381]

Thank god common sense prevailed and this line was reinstated thanks for this video very interesting

[@FreightLocos]

Fabulous footage!

[@gb5uq]

Fantastic scenes many thanks Roy.

[@brucedavenport1324]

A gem of a vid Roy .

[@royharrison4122]

Thank you Bruce.

[@terrysmith5684]

Brilliant

[@timstrainvideos142]

excellent video!

[@royharrison4122]

Thank you very much!

[@annescholey6546]

Boston south yard vanished under the bypass

[@k333vrr4]

Hi Roy, its been a long time since i was at boston by rail. Im guessing your from the Shire? My most memorable time at Boston was coming from Skeg on a pair of Choppers. We had a huge delay due to somebody sadly jumping in front of a DMU, slightly past the level crossing. :(

[@royharrison4122]

I lived in Boston for a number of years in the 1950/60's, its much quieter there now days Kevin.

[@simontaylor9972]

Great vid. Why do wagons squeal? Is there a brake locked on?

[@SunsetRailMultimedia]

Nope. Flanges on the wheels make contact with the outside rail on curved tracks, producing a squealing or hissing sound.

[@rickyreed8354]

i use to load paper reels from Boston docks back in the day

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

Do these trains still run? The last few times I've been to Boston I saw no signs of any activity in the relaid goods yard (rusty rail tops denoting little use); of course I may have been there on the wrong days.

[@royharrison4122]

I don't think they run so often now Neil, but I see on RTT that two ran last week.

[@peterbester]

They've dropped off since DB took over the contract. Colas ran them when the customer wanted them run. DB only run then when there is a full trainload

[@personwhotalkstomuch4898]

Yes, they do still run but as peterbester says, they only run when DB can do a full train. I live very close to this track so I do see them when they run.

[@peebee143]

After Round Oak they used a new terminal at Washwood Heath. That closed at the end of 2017 (to make way for HS2) at which time Colas lost the rail contract to DB. DB took the trains to a different terminal. Whilst I worked at Boston we usually had trains in several per week, each with around 1,000 tons per train being shipped out for a typical ten wagon train (normal length), obviously around double that for twenty wagons which ran less often. I also saw the operation at the Washwood Heath end, where the trains were unloaded at their full length inside the steel terminal shed onto the shed floor rack system using two overhead cranes. They would operate trains until the racks were close to full, then slacken off until the stock was deplenished over a few weeks (maybe only 2 trains per week). The top end of the shed had a double road transport loading area which would be busy taking coils out for delivery throughout each week day from around 06:30 to 17:30.

[@dabsan]

Yes there is a steel train usually on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday also now Total Aggregates run a stone train which is operated by DC Rail Freight Class 56's which runs when and as needed.

[@TheDaf95xf]

Great story but shame it didn’t fully fill its true potential 🤔