Guest oldlugger Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I used to hate the look of the class 66, but these days I rather like them and to me they were best suited to the EWS maroon livery especially when grubby. Andy's photo of 66117 (above) captures this very nicely. I bought a Bachmann model of one in this livery and spent a fair bit of time weathering and detailing it but eventually sold the loco; I'm wishing now that I'd kept it and converted it to P4 to run on my layout. Back to Didcot; I suppose the famous cooling towers will be demolished at some stage which will be a great shame; they have been such a distinctive landmark in the area, even appearing in at least one episode of "Morse". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Thanks for all the photo,s now the lights will start to go out ! Surely the station had years of life in it ,maybe they could have converted to bio mass, as the country needs every bit of generating capacity there is? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted March 21, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 21, 2013 Thanks EWD. The 58 era is one that almost totally passed me by so those shots are great. Also lads the rest of the shots on here are excellent; lovely viewing at lunchtime. P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldlugger Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200808568526803&set=a.2042903722484.191164.1541086588&type=1&theater Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted March 21, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 21, 2013 So if they are shutting down Didcot power station tomorrow, where is the replacement power station to supply Didcot's output? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Welly Posted March 21, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 21, 2013 I do remember visiting Didcot PS on a school trip back in 1986, seeing the coal being unloaded, the furnaces and the steaming, roaring, rumbling Turbine Hall. It's a shame that coal fired part has ceased generating - now where do I buy a diesel generator set for my house?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D1059 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Thanks for all the photo,s now the lights will start to go out ! Surely the station had years of life in it ,maybe they could have converted to bio mass, as the country needs every bit of generating capacity there is? Bumped into a senior member of Didcot PS staff while out photographing Clan Line on Saturday and asked him if the station could be kept going - his answer was that like anything complex thats 40 years old it needs a bit of TLC - for that I read 'expense', so probably Yes, but commercially and legally (with the emissions legislation), No Some more MGR shots 66s http://www.flickr.com/photos/d1059/6696064163/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/d1059/7961577418/ And a vintage one from 1982 http://www.flickr.com/photos/d1059/6531640721/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I don't have much older stuff - this is 58001 and 58019 heading North through Leamington with empties - I don't have a date, but the debranded livery with no Mainline logo's on both suggests maybe circa 1994/1995?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steadfast Posted March 21, 2013 Author Share Posted March 21, 2013 Thanks everyone for the comments on the photos, I'm glad people have enjoyed them and its led to some interesting discussion and memories being shared. The older photos are fantastic, it's fascinating to see the changes that have gone on, not just to the trains but to the infrastructure too. Thanks Mike and Brian for the input from actually being involved in the operations, it's brilliant to hear about the development of the operations, and its so strange to see the Avonmouth terminal when it was new, and with a 60 to top it off! I can't believe those photos are nearly as old as me! Thanks again everyone, please keep it coming! jo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted March 21, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 21, 2013 I used to hate the look of the class 66, but these days I rather like them and to me they were best suited to the EWS maroon livery especially when grubby. Andy's photo of 66117 (above) captures this very nicely. I bought a Bachmann model of one in this livery and spent a fair bit of time weathering and detailing it but eventually sold the loco; I'm wishing now that I'd kept it and converted it to P4 to run on my layout. Back to Didcot; I suppose the famous cooling towers will be demolished at some stage which will be a great shame; they have been such a distinctive landmark in the area, even appearing in at least one episode of "Morse". Presumably Didcot A, the coal burning station, and its cooling towers will go but Didcot B, the gas burning station, and its bits & bobs will no doubt remain until the gas runs out (in a few months time). Power stations don't need much in the way of converting to burn biomass (horrible stuff that some of it is) but they do need the necessary handling plant and - most importantly - the proper storage methods as it can ignite spontaneously if not correctly stored. Didcot has another problem alas in that it lacks Flue Gas Desulphurisation (which would possibly have been to expensive to add at this time it in its life?) together with all the necessary handling and storage capacity it would need - and FGD is still required when burning biomass as it can, depending on what it is, push out some nasty stuff into the atmosphere along with all the CO2. The other problem is that Govt seems to be unable to make up its mind on biomass - a scheme to more or less wholly convert Drax was dropped last year which meant my latest little exercise in 12":1ft scale layout planning fell by the wayside. Only for me to be told last week that the Drax conversion is back on and I might yet get a chance to plan a bit of full size track layout and how to operate it, possibly (not at Drax). One day I might get to plan and get built my ultimate 4mm:1ft layout instead of on/off doodles for big ones Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted March 21, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 21, 2013 how good do class 58s look! one of those classes that just did its job without fuss or fanfare but now they aren't about you can appreciate just how nice they look and how well they did the job asked of them, especially nice seeing photos of them in areas which are now practically freight free apart from liners (banbury, leamington etc) nice shot by someone of one of the fastline workings passing through hinksey http://bobfostersrailgallery.weebly.com/uploads/7/8/7/0/7870804/9861..05.03.10..hinksey..66305..6z37_daw_mill_to_didcot_p.s._fastline_coal_filtered.jpg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Couple of more modern ones from Didcot: 66228 arriving, Oct 2006 (pretty sure this was the same train I shot at Swindon, which I had then overtaken on the way to Didcot!) Not an amazing shot by any means, bit of a grab shot (in Oct 2011) with no loco's ID'd, but an interesting bit of operation, with the Wentloog-Soton freightliner zig-zagging it's way between the coal train and the loco running around it. (Edit - just looking at that it's bulktainers on the back, might have actually been one of the Bristol trains and not the Wentloog...) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted March 21, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 21, 2013 Thanks for all the photo,s now the lights will start to go out ! Surely the station had years of life in it ,maybe they could have converted to bio mass, as the country needs every bit of generating capacity there is? See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21878059 and he ought to know. You just have to shake your head.......politicians..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 emissions , bah ! That old global warming hoax again..........Stick a great big nuclear reactor in it's place. It was a bit unusual this, a coal train heading for leafy affluent Oxfordshire, my favourites being when Loadhaul class 60s appeared on it. As has been said it doesn't help, railfreight west of didcot, but lookin g at realtimetrains.co.uk there is still a bit about here... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timara Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I've only got the one digital shot of anything coming from Didcot, though there are a lot more from film days. 66163 heading north past Hinksey. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Here are some 20's bound for/from Didcot in about 1972 at a guess. We did have quite a few in a day through. I must scan a page from my early spotting books with all of in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernman46 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Here's one thats' still running - taking the ex-coal (ash) out to Calvert. 56303 (looking fetching in DCR green with SYP) returning the 6Z91 empties from Calvert past Radley going back to Didcot earlier today with a couple of satisfied looking individuals up front. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 A couple of 31's in there, these were very rare. I went in with 31131 to take out the tanks into the yard. 31253 was sent in to retrieve a de-railed HAA. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Its a truly enormous site I used to deliver fish to the canteen ,like getting into a military establishment with all the forms to fill in ,just for twenty boxes of frozen cod!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Following on from the 2 37 pictures earlier on coal your only chance to see one in the Power Stn was on the tank trains. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Only ever saw 2 trains with 40's on and although it was over a year apart it was 40002 on empties both time! I don't know of any 40's on loaded trains these just went back with empties after it went pear shaped. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 A couple of 33's I got pictures of were on the regular Southampton to Didcot which was a 33/73 combo and a 33/1 that rescued a 56 somewhere up north. I doubt the 33/1 would be doing all the work as they ain't that powerfull! I suspect the 56 had a speedo or brake fault so was still able to push the 33 towards Didcot. The train has a green on the up through so was signalled all the way to Didcot but whether the 33 went into the Power Stn or into the yard I don't know. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian daniels Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Didn't see many 45's but I think they were common in the early days. 45017 only worked the empties back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Yorkie Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Am I right in believing that GWS Didcot used to have a 'GWR' wagon appended to coal trains from Taff Merthyr colliery? This closed in the early 90s, so did any other colliery supply coal in this way? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 The Barrow Hill - Didcot MGRs were a long established flow. Invariably hauled by Tinsley Cl.56s during the late 1970s/early-mid 1980s. Here one passes through the outskirts of Derby with coal bound for Didcot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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