Peak Rail Presents - Doug Copley's Lineside Images #16.4 - Port of Immingham (2001)

'Doug Copley's Lineside Images' are 68 titles filmed 1980's, 1990's & 2000's.
Doug Copley
Doug gave annual shows to Peak Rail Sheffield Branch. When he died in 2008 his films were kindly made available to the Peak Railway Association by his family so that appreciative enthusiasts can continue to enjoy his work in his memory.
Filmed during the summer of 2001, the factoids and sequences are:-
location map with Immingham where the deep-water channel of the River Humber passes close to the south bank, thereby avoiding the silting problems affecting Grimsby Docks 6 miles downstream toward the mouth of the Humber.
the new dock in a greenfield site opened in 1912 just 6 miles north-west of Grimsby, and 18 miles from the blast furnaces and steelworks of Scunthorpe.
primarily to ship coal, particularly on coasters to Thames-side power stations, at the time of building the vast array of sidings comprised the third largest railfreight yard in the world.
the opening scene is container ship 'Bruarfoss' approaching and entering the lockpit for access to the impounded dock area.
alongside the lockpit a look at the Dock Offices and Lock Inn pub. In the late 1960s I worked 4 hours a day in the National Provincial Bank Immingham Dock sub-branch in the lower corner room of the Dock Office building. It would be totally overshadowed when the Tor Line ferries ('Tor Anglia' or 'Tor Hollandia') navigated the lockpit en route to Amsterdam. There were Dock Police but no security fences or booths and a favourite sunday evening jaunt was to drive through the dock estate 'ship spotting' - Ian Allan did 'Abc' pocket books of ships as well as trains - and perhaps call in for a pint at the Lock Inn. On some summer evenings, one of the New Holland to Hull paddle steamers would call in en route on a cruise to the estuary and Spurn Point, complete with a Jazz Band and a well-stocked bar.
tug 'Lady Laura' leaves the outer lock.
three more tugs inside the dock awaiting their next call to duty. 'Lady Stephanie', 'Lady Alma' and 'Lady Josephine'. Some fitted with fire-fighting equipment in coonection with the tankers and oil terminals.
the Ro-Ro (roll-on, roll-off) terminal with containers being unloaded.
the Eastern Jetty, a one time railway passenger terminal and visited by cruise ships.
now to the railways, and a look at the local network map.
mgr's at Ulceby where the Immingham Branch joins the Cleethorpes and Grimsby to New Holland Branch, and also a spur from Ulceby to Brocklesby to join the line from Cllethorpes/Grimsby to Barnetby for all points west.
looking towards Ulceby a Class 60 leads a rake of empty bogie tankers into the Conoco (now Humber) refinery complex. Lindsey Oil Refinery is on the opposite side of the tracks and its sidings are entered just out of sight a little further toward Immingham.
Freightliner Class 66 with empty bogie coal hoppers.
Humber Road overbridge at the perimeter of the dock estate where the railtracks diverge for Immingham West Jct and the various new terminals for coal, iron ore, and biomass, or alternatively straight ahead for Reception Sidings, MPD, Immingham East Jct and the 'light railway' to Grimsby. Class 60 with inbound iron ore empties, 56119 outbound with loaded mgr, then an inbound Loadhaul Class 56 light engine.
Doug then positions on a road overbridge near the security checkpoint. With the oil refineries as a backdrop, on the left bogie coal hoppers are passing through Reception sidings in the background, and then 56038 heads past you from Ulceby with a rake of empty HAA hoppers, followed by a Transrail Class 60 with empty bogie iron ore tipplers (JUA). The orange end of the wagon signifies the rotary-coupling fitted end which enables the wagon to be tippled at Scunthorpe whilst still remaining coupled.
the iron-ore and coal stockpiles at what was then 'Corus' terminal.
A level crossing at the neck of Mineral Quay Sidings with a couple of Class 08 at work, then an inbound Class 60 passes heading for Immingham West Jct with empty iron-ore tipplers.
At Immingham West Jct 56038 held at a signal with inbound HAA empties and Doug intrepidly sticks to his post through a sudden squall to get the shot as 60021 passes with outbound loaded HAA's.
apart from Corus, Coal Products Ltd have a loading pad where 66235 waits for its HAA's to be filled by JCB bucket loaders.
the timber signalbox with its wartime brick-cladding for bomb blast protection.
Queens Road overbridge with view south of Grimsby-Immingham Light Railway. On the right the pipeline runs on the course of the Grimsby-Immingham Electric Railway (closed 1961, replaced by new bus service) whose convoys of tramcars conveyed hundreds of workers to the originally remote Docks and Engine Shed.
from the north side of Queens Road overbridge, Immingham East Jct signalbox concludes the tour.
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peakrailwayassociation.co.uk/

[@johnabbott2575]

Brilliant and beautiful amazing thankyou

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

Another belter, great series

[@peakrailwayassociation9455]

Plenty more to come after Christmas!