UK Heritage Railways Run Out Of Coal THIS YEAR?

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Fri Jan 07, 2022 2:51 am

We're screwed.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... HSTAN.html

Quote:

'We'll soon be running on coal dust': Heritage Railway chief warns ALL 400 steam trains will be forced to run on coal imported from thousands of miles away after UK's last pit closes in 2022

Boss of Heritage Railway Association said firm will be forced to buy from abroad
He warned that companies are under threat as the last mine in UK closes in 2022
It comes after it emerged one started importing coal from over 3,000 miles away
Bodmin and Wenford Railway had been supplied by Ffos-y-Fran in South Wales
But is now using products sourced from Kazakhstan after a ban on British mining

More at the link (in the Daily Mail's usual hyped style)..............

Steamguy73 · **Joined:** Wed Dec 24, 2014 3:15 pm **Posts:** 636

This is definitely something they need to reaaally work together on. Whether that’s combining funds to get coal from abroad or to team up and find a proper biodegradable substitute.

How did the bio coal on Everett #11 work out a few years back?

70000 · **Posted:** Fri Jan 07, 2022 1:37 pm

They have been doing some trials on the Bure Valley Railway ( a 15" gauge line) here using "Ecoal" which is 50% solid fuel fines and 50% crushed olive husks (which have to come from Spain...)
The latest edition of Steam Railway that arrived today suggests that it does the same job as the real thing, but you end up using 28% more of the stuff to achieve the same results, so its hardly economic!
I think this saga is going to be running a bit longer before a suitable solution is found.....

joe6167 · **Posted:** Fri Jan 07, 2022 9:05 pm

Have you heard the news about Khazakstan lately? Now's probably not a good time to count on getting coal from them...

Speaking of coal, the price has gone absolutely insane in recent times, demand is totally screwed up all over the world...

Xi Jinping got mad at Australia because they dared ask for an investigation into our favourite airborne ebola, and responded by BANNING AUSTRALIAN COAL IMPORTS... causing all kinds of power shortages all throughout the country, resulting in black outs like no tomorrow, and all kinds of factories shutting down, or only running a few days a week...

It's a nightmare all over the world right now... a nightmare intentionally manufactured, of course... remember those days where we had cheap and reliable electricity? Those days are LONG gone...

Ed Kapuscinski · **Posted:** Sat Jan 08, 2022 1:10 am

How did classic car people handle the end of leaded gas?

Kelly Anderson · **Joined:** Tue Sep 14, 2004 7:52 am **Posts:** 2477

Ed Kapuscinski · **Posted:** Sat Jan 08, 2022 12:14 pm

Kelly Anderson wrote:

Ed Kapuscinski wrote:

How did classic car people handle the end of leaded gas?

Marvel Mystery Oil.

Seems like this is a business opportunity instead of a reason to run around like the sky is falling then.

OldColony · **Joined:** Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:19 am **Posts:** 56

FYI...
https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2020/12/newcastle-coal-mine-council-refuses-application-steam-locomotive-coal-supplies-in-britain-to-run-out-in-2022.html

Great Western · **Posted:** Sat Jan 08, 2022 1:40 pm

Smoke 'em while you can!
Another business opportunity in the UK might be in the cement business laying down plinths to display the many cold and rusting locos. Are they taking bids on what town gets Tornado?

Rick Rowlands · **Posted:** Sat Jan 08, 2022 3:31 pm

Ed Kapuscinski wrote:

Seems like this is a business opportunity instead of a reason to run around like the sky is falling then.

Do you have ANY idea what you are talking about?

Hey, if they could just put some additive into their pile of coal to use it, then yeah no problem. But this isn't that. Not even a little bit.

The tried and true alternative to coal is oil, however the same forces wanting to eliminate coal also want to eliminate oil. Price is also a huge factor as oil is quite a bit more expensive than coal.

I do not know where the CSR folks are with their pellets, but if that is a real technology that can be used and not just a gimmick to spend grant money, then build the plant and start selling the stuff! I will take the first truckload.

Steamguy73 · **Joined:** Wed Dec 24, 2014 3:15 pm **Posts:** 636

Unlike the US, British steam locomotives are pretty much coal exclusive. Rightfully so given the availability of the stuff.

Oil conversions probably just won’t happen.

bbunge · **Posted:** Sat Jan 08, 2022 4:58 pm

Ed Kapuscinski wrote:

How did classic car people handle the end of leaded gas?

General Aviation airports have 100 Octane low leaded gas because that is what small aviation engines burn. Both my kids have worked at a small airport and say there are regular car guy customers who show up with 100 gallon tanks in the bed of their pickup trucks.

Bob

Ed Kapuscinski · **Posted:** Sat Jan 08, 2022 5:24 pm

Rick Rowlands wrote:

Ed Kapuscinski wrote:

Seems like this is a business opportunity instead of a reason to run around like the sky is falling then.

Do you have ANY idea what you are talking about?

Hey, if they could just put some additive into their pile of coal to use it, then yeah no problem. But this isn't that. Not even a little bit.

The tried and true alternative to coal is oil, however the same forces wanting to eliminate coal also want to eliminate oil. Price is also a huge factor as oil is quite a bit more expensive than coal.

I do not know where the CSR folks are with their pellets, but if that is a real technology that can be used and not just a gimmick to spend grant money, then build the plant and start selling the stuff! I will take the first truckload.

What I'm saying is that yes, it might take some creativity, and yes, cost structures might change, but simply complaining isn't going to change things.

jayrod · **Posted:** Sat Jan 08, 2022 5:30 pm

Ed Kapuscinski wrote:

How did classic car people handle the end of leaded gas?

Lead substitutes available at most auto parts stores and/or hardened valve seats. The lead substitute prevents the micro welding of the valve face to the seat that causes erosion.

softwerkslex · **Posted:** Sat Jan 08, 2022 6:12 pm

Steamguy73 wrote:

Unlike the US, British steam locomotives are pretty much coal exclusive. Rightfully so given the availability of the stuff.

Oil conversions probably just won’t happen.

Sorry, it is not true. The Ffestiniog was oil burning for many decades. They can easily convert back. British Rail experimented with oil firing in 1946, back when oil was really cheap from the Middle East.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/vintage-steam-locos-converted-run-2294041

https://youtu.be/qISLfouQJIw

Notice the oil is filled from ground level. I think it is also funny the public policy thought it easier to convert railway locomotives to oil than to convert home heating to oil, which I am sure would have been much more attractive to the average resident. Six years later, 10,000 people died in London due to a severe smoke pollution event due to a weather inversion.

It required maybe 90 seconds to research this. I think all the hysteria about coal shortages could be resolved with a little more effort to research the problem.