PETROFINA
Operations
It sounds like one of the urban myths I have been studying
for the past thirty years, but it also sounds logical that coast line signalmen
were instructed to ensure the daily Petrofina petroleum service from Humberside
to Wearside was given a clear road of green-aspect signals between Seaton Carew
and Easington. Such a priority dispensation normally applies to royal trains,
state funerals and record-breaking attempts, but it made sense to give a clear
road to so heavy a train on such a gruelling stretch of continuous uphill
gradients from almost sea level to the cliff tops of the magnesium limestone East
Durham Plateau. I have seen the northbound stopped at the Seaton Carew station
signal, doubtless held until there was as assurance that the train would face
no disruption ahead and ensure a safe passage.
The loaded train passed Seaton Carew around 08.25 and the
loco/s ran light to Thornaby for fuelling and any fitter attention required
before returning to the terminal and passing through Seaton Carew with empties
around 15.20.
The loaded wagons began the marathon journey from
Immingham’s Lindsey refinery, a jointly-owned facility shared as equals by
Petrofina and Total. A second refinery is Humber, which at the time of this
service’s operation (1986 – 2000) was operated by Conoco. Motor spirit, derv
and gas oil were distributed in trainloads to Leeds, Kingsbury, Nottingham and
Hendon (Sunderland). The first sighting I made of this service was on 25
February 1986 and hauled by a Class ‘45’ of Toton depot, 45059. I assume that
despite the fanfare to unveil a new facility at Sunderland in 1988 on the South
Docks branch, there were adequate storage facilities to receive these
trains.
That new terminal complemented deepwater and bunkering
facilities at Corporation Wharf, which had been in operation since 1946. This
flexibility, basically a logistics exercise transferring seaborne traffic to
rail, had a capability of handling around half a million tons of oil products a
year. The aim formed a commitment to expand Fina’s products throughout the
North-East and ensure the long-term viability of the company’s operations in
the area. At the time of the terminal’s opening, Petrofina was Belgium’s
largest company and ranked 14th among global oil companies.
The rail facility cost £82,000 and was officially opened by
Sunderland South MP Gordon Bagier and at the same time the opportunity was
taken to mark this petro-industrial event with the naming of a Class ‘56’
diesel-electric loco. That honour went to Dr Pierre Jungels, chief executive and
managing director of Petrofina (UK) Ltd. , who pulled the cord to reveal a Fina Energy nameplate affixed to 56132. The
name was carried between October 1986 and March 1989. The loco was cut up at C
F Booth, of Rotherham, in December 2007.
By 1992 the service had settled down to a regular pattern of
haulage by the more powerful Class ‘60’s until the end of 1997. A couple of
shortened trains ran in 1998 behind Class ‘47’s. During 199 I noted the duty
only three times and only once in 2000, on 23 June behind an UID Class ‘60’. R.
I. P.
Motive power
After the extraordinary novelty of a ‘Peak’ on the coast
line, motive power for this jumbo-sized load was initially provided by the
capable Class ‘56’s and ended with the more powerful ‘60’s. In between it
enjoyed the dubious coupling of pairs of ‘31’s and the superior ‘37’s.
Highlight for me was Res-liveried 47475 Restive,
which I photographed with five or six wagons on 25 March 1988.
1986. ‘45’: 45069
(TO). ‘56’: 56022/5 (TI), 56050 (CF), 56080/7 (GD), 56091/5/102/3/11/3 (TI),
56119 (GD), 56120 (TI), 56125 (GD), 56127 (TI), 56134 (GD).
1987. ‘37’: 37059
(GD), 37146 (ED). ‘47’: 47221. ‘56’: 56015/25/70/3/4 Kellingley Colliery /6 (TO), 56082 (GD), 56091 (TI), 56092 (TO),
56109 (TO and later GD), 56111 (/4 (TI), 56126 (GD).
1988. Pairs of
Immingham Class ‘31’s appeared from 19 June in various coupled combinations.
‘31’: 31154/6/85/8/99/201-3/7/10/2/33/8/43/9/73/99/302/4/19. 31403. ‘37’+’31’:
37002 & 31238 (both IM). : ‘47’. 47299 (IM) s.b. only after running light
n.b. ‘56’: 56020/5/6/77/93/103/20/7/31 Ellington
Colliery (all TO).
1989. Immingham
‘31’s in various combinations: 31106/54/6/70/85/8, 31201 Fina Energy (newly-named; name transferred from 56132, which I
never even saw on this duty), 31203/5/10/33/8/43/73/99/302/4/19. ‘37’: SF/Ripple
Lane combinations: 37707-9, 888 Petrolea
/92 Ripple Lane. ‘47’: 47125 Tonnidae (CD/Stanlow), n.b. 15.55.
1990. First
observation of the year was 37888 Petrolea
(SF) plus 37138 (IM) on 30 January, after which it settled back to pairs of
Immingham ‘31’s in various combinations including: 31108/68/85/6/99/201 Fina Energy /3/5/38/43/85/6/8 (three
times singly) /304.
1991. ‘31’:
Immingham locos in various combinations: 31108/26/63/8/88/201 Fina Energy /7/10/38/55/86/8/ 302/4/19. ‘37’:
Immingham locos in various combinations: 37116/28/202/9/85, 37707/8/890. Also
there was Petroleum sector locos 37215 + 37294, normally operating from Murco’s
Baglan Bay terminal. Then in October Immingham
(IM) Class ‘60’ examples made appearances:
60026 William Caxton, 60028 John Flamsteed, 60039 Glastonbury Tor, 60053 John Reith, 60054 Charles Babbage, 60058 John
Howard, 60064 Back Tor, 60067 James Clerk-Maxwell, 60078 Stac Pollaidh. On 5 November 60039/64
were in tandem.
1992. ‘60’: All
haulage by IM locos of this class – 60003 Christopher
Wren, 60005 Skiddaw, 60026 William Caxton, 60027 Joseph Banks, 60028 John Flamsteed, 60039 Glastonbury
Tor, 60053 John Reith, 60054 Charles Babbage, 60058 John Howard, 60064 Back Tor, 60067 James
Clerk-Maxwell, 60082 Mam Tor.
1993. ‘60’: All IM
– 60002 Capability Brown, 60003 Christopher Wren, 60008 Moel Fammau, 60013 Robert Boyle, 60014 Alexander
Fleming, 60021 Pen-y-Ghent, 60024
Elizabeth Fry, 60025 Joseph Lister, 60026 William Caxton, 60027 Joseph Banks, 60053 John Reith, 60054 Charles
Babbage, 60064 Back Tor, 60090 Quinag, 60091 An Teallach.
1994. ‘60’: All IM;
names given only to new entries – 600002/3/8/13/4/21/4-6/8/50 Roseberry Topping /51 Mary Somerville /53/4/64/9 Humphry Davy /91.
1995. ‘60’: All IM
- names only for new entries – 60004 Lochnager
/8 Gypsum Queen II (renamed)
/14/21/4-6/50/2-4/67/70 John Loudon
McAdam.
1996. ‘60’: All
IM – 60008/19 Wild Boar Fell (had
been denamed May 1996) /24/5/7-9/30 Cir
Mhor /8 Bidean Nam Bian (denamed
May 1995) /50/9 Swinden Dalesman /67/70/91.
1997. ‘60’: All
IM – 60020 Great Whernside /1/6/49 Scafell/51/64/7/77 Canisp.
1998. No
full-length trains spotted all year. Only two Class ‘47’s. Firstly I was on
Seaton Carew station early one morning and witness around five or six tanker
wagons hauled by Res-liveried 47475 Restive
northbound. Another crimson Res example was spotted at a distance on
another date.
1999. An
improvement of sorts (was maritime shipping being used partly/mainly/then
wholly instead after 1996?). ‘56’: 56057 British
Fuels, 56073 Tremorfa Steelworks.
‘60’: 60068 Charles Darwin.
2000. ‘60’: UID
loco s.b. 15.55 on 23 June.
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