On this day: PiChem working at Traeth Hafren…

The PiChem Severnbank works was a chemical manufacturing facility on the banks of the River Severn. Production ceased in 1992 after nearly 80 years at the site. Back in 1990 however, a daily weekday trip working operated along the Traeth Hafren branch serving the facility…

After the M4 had been built and the branch truncated the works was effectively accessed by a trailing spur, arriving trains propelled backwards into the works from Traeth Hafren. There was a loop in the reception sidings, so departing trains could run around before being propelled back onto the branch and returning to Twnel Hafren junction.

In these wintry photos taken 24 years ago this morning we see 31131 with its short train of PCA tank wagons used for one of the powdered salts used in detergent manufacture by Lever brothers at Ellesmere Port and Warrington. The photographer hasn’t noted quite what was going on but the train has drawn into the platform at Traeth Hafren which wasn’t always the case, usually they stopped at the telephone beside the line to phone for permission to access the works siding. Note the brakevan used on the trip working, due to the requirement to propel back into the works, an action that crossed several plant roads before reaching the loop.

Of course, this is my latest N gauge HifiMicro ‘Traeth Hafren’. The blue 31 on a short freight shows that even a small single track layout can have a variety of operation if a backstory is carefully crafted. The balance here is believable reality. The ICI works at Severnside was a trailing connection from the Severn Beach branch, trains could run around the train in the reception siding… it didn’t take much to go from that information to the faux history presented here. This concept is one I hope to expand on with a future, slightly larger single track scheme - one that features a chemical works AND a nuclear power station giving two excuses for freight traffic on an otherwise boring passenger branch-line. For now though, until next time, more soon…

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