Solid Refuse Fuels -SRF - what examples of rail transport of materials to power stations?

[enginelane]

There have been an increase in the number of power stations using solid refuse fuel as the main power source. 2 plants for example have been built at Ferrybridge. There are tracks and overhead crane in place but never seen any rail traffic there. 
 

Are there examples and if so what containers, wagons are used?

[Fat Controller]

At the moment, I believe there are flows of domestic refuse from Kirby (Mereyside) to Teesside and from West London to the former ICI-Severnside plant near Avonmouth. There are also  outward flows of furnace-bottom ash from Newhaven to London and Cardiff Docks to Avonmouth. The flows to the incinerators use containers, the ash is carried in bogie open wagons (JNA?)

[enginelane]

Thanks. Are the containers as were are used for domestic household waste? 

[Fat Controller]

I believe they are.

[Mark Saunders]

Manchester is still moving its domestic waste to Widnes for incineration! 
 

Likwise the Ferrybridge rail connection has not seen any use that I know of.

[phil_sutters]

1 hour ago, Fat Controller said:

At the moment, I believe there are flows of domestic refuse from Kirby (Mereyside) to Teesside and from West London to the former ICI-Severnside plant near Avonmouth. There are also  outward flows of furnace-bottom ash from Newhaven to London and Cardiff Docks to Avonmouth. The flows to the incinerators use containers, the ash is carried in bogie open wagons (JNA?)

This is Newhaven's loading point, adjacent to the local refuse incinerator. The refuse comes in by road from the local area which is in East Sussex. The train is straddling the end of the loop and so appears shorter than it is. The structure in the background is not part of the incinerator it is a cement facilitiy.

[enginelane]

47 minutes ago, Mark Saunders said:

Manchester is still moving its domestic waste to Widnes for incineration! 
 

Likwise the Ferrybridge rail connection has not seen any use that I know of.

I pass it every time I volunteer on the NYMR and have seen lots of lorries but never a train 

[enginelane]

46 minutes ago, phil_sutters said:

This is Newhaven's loading point, adjacent to the local refuse incinerator. The refuse comes in by road from the local area which is in East Sussex. The train is straddling the end of the loop and so appears shorter than it is. The structure in the background is not part of the incinerator it is a cement facilitiy.

New layout serves a cement works which uses SRF. There is a new SRF power station about 1 mile away. scenario is to use the old existing landfill sidings to bring in SRF. Good to know can use the same containers. Had not thought about the ash before. 

[Nearholmer]

Greatmoor Energy from Waste plant in Buckinghamshire is directly adjacent the Calvert landfill site, which is served by sometimes three trains each day from the London area. Some pictures here, easy to find more by googling http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/c/calvert/index0.shtml

 

What I have never really understood is how much of the waste that arrives by train is processed (burnt!) by the EfW plant before gong to landfill, because the EfW also receives deliveries by road - I think it discreetly specialises in burning medical waste.

 

But, the operation would make a good model - its quite entertaining to see how a train arrives, is shunted and emptied very efficiently.

[enginelane]

I believe the Ferrybridge units could burn up to 1.35 million tons? Which sounds an incredible amount 

[Andy Kirkham]

Here's the Up service returning with the empties from Avonmouth. It is passing through Redland and my house is just over the fence on the right. Only on Sundays in Summer does it pass in daylight.

 

Originally both Up and Down services were routed via Redand because it avoided reversal at Avonmouth, but more recently the loaded trains have been sent via the Filton-Hallen Marsh Junction route, I think because of concerns about a weak bridge at Sea Mills. 

One Saturday afternoon back in the summer I went out to Avonmouth hoping to see the rather complex sequence of shunting and running round implied by Real Time Trains. To my disappointment, the train was top 'n' tailed so it could just roll up at St Andrews Road and then simply depart in the opposite direction.

[Fat Controller]

34 minutes ago, enginelane said:

I believe the Ferrybridge units could burn up to 1.35 million tons? Which sounds an incredible amount 

5400 tonnes daily, based on a 5-day week, so three, perhaps 4 trains per day.

[doilum]

9 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

5400 tonnes daily, based on a 5-day week, so three, perhaps 4 trains per day.

Probably taking about half that by road at present

[phil_sutters]

2 hours ago, enginelane said:

New layout serves a cement works which uses SRF. There is a new SRF power station about 1 mile away. scenario is to use the old existing landfill sidings to bring in SRF. Good to know can use the same containers. Had not thought about the ash before. 

I was incorrect to call it an incinerator. It is termed an energy recovery facility, annually turning 210,000 tonnes of locally sourced waste into electricity for about 25,000 homes. This is right beside the sidings shown, as can be seen in this later photo. The covered bins seen in both photos are for the fly-ash from the ERF. The sidings also serve Days Aggregates depot. This has seen sea sourced aggregates shipped in from the port and transported on by train. It also receives other grades of quarried aggregates for use in this south coast area. There is now a new terminal for dredged aggregates a couple of miles south, just beyond the former site of Newhaven Marine station. The aggregates are off-loaded from dredgers by conveyor and carried to storage areas. The rail wagons there are loaded by front bucket loaders.

Edited November 5, 2020 by phil_sutters

[enginelane]

1 hour ago, phil_sutters said:

I was incorrect to call it an incinerator. It is termed an energy recovery facility, annually turning 210,000 tonnes of locally sourced waste into electricity for about 25,000 homes. This is right beside the sidings shown, as can be seen in this later photo. The covered bins seen in both photos are for the fly-ash from the ERF. The sidings also serve Days Aggregates depot. This has seen sea sourced aggregates shipped in from the port and transported on by train. It also receives other grades of quarried aggregates for use in this south coast area. There is now a new terminal for dredged aggregates a couple of miles south, just beyond the former site of Newhaven Marine station. The aggregates are off-loaded from dredgers by conveyor and carried to storage areas. The rail wagons there are loaded by front bucket loaders.

 

1 hour ago, phil_sutters said:

I was incorrect to call it an incinerator. It is termed an energy recovery facility, annually turning 210,000 tonnes of locally sourced waste into electricity for about 25,000 homes. This is right beside the sidings shown, as can be seen in this later photo. The covered bins seen in both photos are for the fly-ash from the ERF. The sidings also serve Days Aggregates depot. This has seen sea sourced aggregates shipped in from the port and transported on by train. It also receives other grades of quarried aggregates for use in this south coast area. There is now a new terminal for dredged aggregates a couple of miles south, just beyond the former site of Newhaven Marine station. The aggregates are off-loaded from dredgers by conveyor and carried to storage areas. The rail wagons there are loaded by front bucket loaders.

it is interesting how the term has changed. My understanding is that the solid refuse fuel is made up of all the bits that cannot be composted or recycled. Some plants turn it into a pelleted form before it is taken to the power station or cement works. Effectively rubbish is being burnt rather than put into land fill.

[enginelane]

Thank you for the replies. There is enough evidence provided to add the traffic to the proposed layout and an additional traffic flow of ash to a landfill site to fill in the cement works quarry.  If we ever come out of lockdowns etc might even get round to building it! 

[mikejames]

 

 

  On 05/11/2020 at 14:36, Mark Saunders said:

Manchester is still moving its domestic waste to Widnes for incineration! 
 

I was under the impression manchester now sent a lot of domestic waste to runcorn for burning

certainly at lease one train a day each way through altrincham

 

Edited November 9, 2020 by mikejames
spelling correction and another trivial error

[Mark Saunders]

2 hours ago, mikejames said:

 

 

  On 05/11/2020 at 14:36, Mark Saunders said:

Manchester is still moving its domestic waste to Widnes for incineration! 
 

I was under the impression manchester now sent a lot of domestic waste to runcorn for burning

certainly at lease one train a day each way through altrincham

 

A senior moment no idea why I put Widnes!