Coal

I'm getting vibes about a coal shortage on heritage railways following the closure of both Daw Mill and Maltby collieries. Of the two railways I'm involved with, one has been struggling to get coal over the last couple of weeks (but has fortunately not run out of it) and I've heard of at least one other railway which has had to substitute diesel for steam for the same reason. My other railway's supplier says that it has had a number of enquiries from new customers for urgent delivery but is having to turn them down.

Are any other railways having similar problems? Hopefully, it will be a short term problem.

 

Many preserved railways from my understanding are having problems in not only getting a spply of coal but a good useable coal.

 

I"m sure i read in one of the rail mags some of the railways were grouping together and buying coal from Poland problem was it had to be a ship load at a time.
This was a few years ago anyone else remember this.

 

Yeah that was widely used for quite a few years and then the welsh found some really good coal in which supplies now have dried up and some of the stuff which is used now is absolute rubbish quality

 

Not good news:

BBC News - Scottish Coal cuts 590 jobs at mines in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Fife

Possibly the reason why I was getting vibes about supply problems (I didn't mention Scottish Coal in my earlier post but that was where my concern was). Quite a number of heritage railways use Scottish Coal from Killoch. Let's hope it is not the end and something will rise from the ashes.

 

Are any other railways having similar problems?

 

The SVR were using Scottish coal, but there are problems there with the Scottish company in administration. SVR currently using a Russian coal which it is said produces lots of clinker.
The South Wales opencast steam coal from the Ffos-y-fran site was said last year to be available by the lorry load for Heritage railway use, but I dont know if that is still correct. I think the bulk of the mined coal there appears to go for power station use.

If anyone needs it here is the url: http://www.millerargent.co.uk/coal-sales

---However, see next post please.

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An update, not good news: The Works Manager at Bridgnorth SVR says that he cannot even get hold of the Ffos-y-fran product to even trial it. There is a national coal shortage, and the SVR is getting by with coal from whatever source it can find. Difficult to believe this when there are no doubt millions of tons still uinderground in the UK.

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The Talyllyn has taken delivery of another 20 tons of the Ffosyfran stuff in the last week. No problem for us.

 

Maybe the suppliers are looking after their existing customers only, and not taking on new customers.

 

Wonder what the combined annual tonnage used by steam locos is ?

 

It seems the problem is spreading!

http://www.nymr.co.uk/2013/05/green-timetable-changes/

 

We've struggled a bit and had to try one load of pretty rubbish Scottish coal with a low calorific value and lots of ash. It got us by....just! We tend to use two regular suppliers and both seem ok at the moment. Hopefully suppliers will source something suitable in time for the main season. Next winter is a big concern when the house coal marked demand goes up.

 

WSR source coal from Ffos-y-Fran. So far so good, fingers crossed.

Steve

 

Ironic indeed that the cover of the brochure for Ffos-y-Fran steam coal appears to show ....Grosmont yard??

 

SRPS managed to obtain a delivery of coal from Killoch washery last week through Bruce Lindsay of Invergordon.(Contact Alan Jamieson 01349 854444)
However future supplies currently uncertain.

 

again reflecting on what I know from burning a wide variety of coal over the past 8-10 years to keep my drivers in business on the TR the Scottish coal didn't go down well! after the 3rd visit by Gwynedd Health and Environmental officer we vowed never to have it again! awful smokey dirty stuff I seem to remember

cheers

AT

 

Worse than Daw Mill? In the wrong hands that could black out a small town!

P.H.

 

Our environmental health more concerned about sulphur content and limiting black smoke omissions.
Hargreaves are believed to be in discussion with administrator of Scottish Coal concerning taking over some opencast sites formally operated by Scottish Coal.

 

Newpaper report today says that Hargreaves have bought "certain assets" of miner Aardvark, and are looking to buy the operational sites at Netherton and Duncanziemere in Ayrshire. Also Hargreaves reported as the " preferred bidder" for some of the assets of Scottish Resources Group.

Sounds rather more positive.

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