Scunthorpe Steel Tracker
Saturday 28th February 2015
In recent years the Society has
operated quite a few fixtures with the Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society (AFRPS)
at Scunthorpe steel works, who must be uniquely fortunate in having their infrastructure provided
and maintained for them, at present by Tata Steel. In 2014 the BLS was the main donor to AFRPS funds
and demand for these BLS railtours, unique in the modern era at Britain's largest private railway,
continues to be strong. A record 46 people joined the latest one on 28 February starting at 10.30.
During the next six hours the brakevan trip covered 24 miles with the usual lunch break in the buffet car at
the AFRPS shed where sandwiches, cakes, crisps and drinks etc. were kindly provided. Loco 1 (the 1963
built Yorkshire Engine Company 0-6-0 2877) was used first, collecting the party on three brakevans from
Frodingham platform. At the AFRPS depot their Class 03, 03901 recently smartly painted in black (as part of
its re-engining; previously D2128) took over. Some of the locations visited or passed, in order:
| 1. AFRPS Depot Headshunt. | 14. Rail Service Centre 5 Bay East. |
| 2. Barclays Loop. | 15. *Welding Plant No2 Road. |
| 3. Heavy Plate Mill Entrance 22. | 16. *Welding Plant No1 Road. |
| 4. Winn's Siding No3. | 17. Trent Sidings Low Yard No9. |
| 5. Appleby Coke Ovens Line. | 18. Trent Sidings West. |
| 6. *Blast Furnace Area (north). | 19. Trent Sidings High Yard No5. |
| 7. Torpedo Repair Bay 5. | 20. Container Terminal 'C'. |
| 8. Torpedo Repair Bay Gate 15 line. | 21. Anchor Exchange Sidings. |
| 9. Lime Avenue Siding. | 22. Mills Exchange Sidings No10. |
| 10. BOS - Basic Oxygen Steel - (making) Plant. | 23. Bloom & Billet Mill. |
| 11. *Blast Furnace Area (south). | 24. Slab Bay. |
| 12. CORUS Rail Sidings No3. | 25. Bridge 44. |
| 13. Rail Service Centre 2 Bay East. | 26. South Melting Shop. |
*The first Society tour to reach these lines. A marked map (which needs magnification and looks good at A3
size) of the tour and a chronological detailed route list with distances is a supplement to e-BLN 1229 with thanks
to Martyn Brailsford and Andy Pullar.
Our 28 February 2015 Scunthorpe Steel Tracker tour on Road 3 of Container Terminal 'C'.
[© Alan Sheppard 2015]
We are very fortunate to be able to run tours like this in the year 2015 and must remind
ourselves that the function of the railway is actually heavy industry rather than just to entertain us!
Participants are guests of the AFRPS and the steelworks. We hope to continue to run these fixtures a couple
of times a year if possible and providing there is sufficient demand. Watch the Fixtures Grid!
