Newton Abbot power station.

[andy stroud]

I am interested to know if there were any coal trains to Newton Abbot power station during the 'rail blue' period. I understand the power station closed around 1974 and that it was coal fired.

 

Sometime ago, I remember seeing a picture of a peak hauling a longish rake of  loaded 21ton hoppers  heading south at Cowley Bridge Junction (just north of Exeter) which I assumed to be heading for the coal yard at Exmouth Junction, but, could it have been heading to the power station or is that most unlikely?

 

Many thanks,

Andrew.

 

 

 

[stovepipe]

I looked into this a while ago, and I think the power station was only used intermittently in the last few years. Certainly there were no mandatory trains in the 1970 WTT, but a couple of years earlier might have seen some regular traffic I suppose.

[keefer]

You would maybe need to check the Conditional WTT, even for regular services.

Different area and era but even the MGR coal trains for power stations in Fife in the early '80s were in the Conditional.

[JohnR]

An image from the Britain from Above website shows that the power station was rail connected, but the capacity of the sidings was small.

 

https://britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/eaw021326

 

This site has more info on the power station, including information that it burnt 37 tons of coal an hour in 1961. Its use started being wound down from 1964 onwards, mainly being used at times of peak winter use. 

[stovepipe]

There were also facilities for deliveries by barge from Teignmouth, which was more common than you might think in this part of Devon. I understand it was not unusal for coal to come from the north of England and even Scotland via coastal shipping to the main river estuariesof the south west.

 

My WTT predates the Mandatory and Conditional split publications that came later in the 1970s; there are no conditional workings of coal only oil, which presumably was for the diesel depot, or perhaps for tripping up to Heathfield.

 

There was a coal working, 8V68 from Manvers Main to Exeter Riverside, which may have been the working seen at Cowley Bridge Jct.

Edited June 8, 2020 by stovepipe
additional

[andy stroud]

37 minutes ago, stovepipe said:

There were also facilities for deliveries by barge from Teignmouth, which was more common than you might think in this part of Devon. I understand it was not unusal for coal to come from the north of England and even Scotland via coastal shipping to the main river estuariesof the south west.

 

My WTT predates the Mandatory and Conditional split publications that came later in the 1970s; there are no conditional workings of coal only oil, which presumably was for the diesel depot, or perhaps for tripping up to Heathfield.

 

There was a coal working, 8V68 from Manvers Main to Exeter Riverside, which may have been the working seen at Cowley Bridge Jct.

 

Many thanks indeed for the very helpful replies.

 

I know that coal came by sea to the gasworks at Torquay so very possible for the power station as well.

 

I have checked the picture of the peak hauled coal train which although undated, has a 0000 headcode so that is obviously after the power station had ceased production.

 

[Rivercider]

Although I can find a photo on-line that shows part of the coal sidings at Newton Abbot the method of discharge is not clear (to me anyway), possibly a tippler?

http://www.uptonmanor.eclipse.co.uk/images/NAGSCoal.jpg  

The Middleton Press book Branch Line to Moretonhampstead says there were six sidings at the power station between 1928 and 1968,

 

cheers

[Fat Controller]

1 hour ago, Rivercider said:

Although I can find a photo on-line that shows part of the coal sidings at Newton Abbot the method of discharge is not clear (to me anyway), possibly a tippler?

http://www.uptonmanor.eclipse.co.uk/images/NAGSCoal.jpg  

The Middleton Press book Branch Line to Moretonhampstead says there were six sidings at the power station between 1928 and 1968,

 

cheers

There's what looks like the frame of a rotary tippler in the background. Many of these could also be used to unload hopper wagons. Looking at the figures quoted for consumption, might I suggest that the coal would probably arrive in a mixed freight, rather than a block train.

[stovepipe]

Based on the 27 GWh generated in 1972, which was about a 20th of the maximum output quoted in 1961, only around 11,000 tons of coal would have been needed. The bunker storage may well have exceeded that amount, so deliveries in the final years were likely to have been fairly minimal. 

 

I think the PS reception sidings were once shown on the East SB diagram, but obliterated in the only photo I've seen.

[Ian Smeeton]

Looks like a traverser in the Britain from Above photo which could make life interesting.

 

Regards

 

IAn