Earles Sidings (Hope) Cement Train Full Working (Remade)

This is a remake of a video previously uploaded to the channel. The original had a couple of mistakes in it, which I have hopefully now eradicated. I have re-edited it from scratch, reducing the number of written captions and adding some narration. As it's from scratch, it's likely that the scenes are cut slightly differently too.
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I spent a few hours at Freightliner's Earles Sidings (Hope). It lies on the Hope Valley Line and connects with a 1.5 mile single line branch down to Breedon's Hope Cement Works.

During this visit I saw the complete metamorphosis of full cement train and some empties returning for refilling. Cement trains are hauled by either a class 66 or class 70 locomotive and consist of 36 PCA bulk cement wagons. Each loaded PCA has a gross laden weight of 51 tons. More than two thirds of the cement produced at Hope is transported by rail.

We begin with locomotive 20906, resident shunter "number 3", trundling down the branch from the cement works and into the yard. It has a rake of 18 loaded PCAs, which are destined for the siding where 18 others were deposited earlier. The locomotive draws forward and then slowly backs its wagons onto the others. The Freightliner staff then walk the length of the train to check all is in order. Number 3 then uncouples, runs forward and then backs up towards the cement works.

A short time later train 6M89, the 0950 Dewsbury to Earles Sidings cement empties, enters stage left. Locomotive 66602 draws its rake of 36 empties into Earles Sidings and then reverses them into a headshunt. The rear 18 are then uncoupled and the train draws forwards. It then reverses the remaining 18 wagons into an adjacent headshunt. Job done, 66602 then disappears off the scene.

Finally, 20906 reappears and couples onto the first 18 PCA empties. It then draws forward and reverses onto the remaining 18 PCA empties, before hauling the entire rake of 36 back to the cement works for refilling.

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Filmed on 21st February 2023.

Video created by Northumberland Snapper:
https://northumberlandsnapper.blogspo...

Footage was captured using a Panasonic HC-VX1; https://amzn.to/3vJnqNJ; fitted with a Rode VideoMic Go; https://amzn.to/3rpMeIA