East Yelland power station, North Devon.

[Cowley]

A bit of a long shot really but I’m trying to find a bit of information out about this place.

The power station was situated between Barnstaple and Bideford and had a small internal rail system with a little shunter, photo here by Gordon Edgar:

CEGB East Yelland Power Station, Bideford

Veteran standard gauge works shunter 'No.3' at C.E.G.B. East Yelland Power Station near Bideford on 31st May 1971, a 4-wheel diesel-mechanical Motor Rail 'Simplex' (Works No.3966). It had been rebuilt in 1939 from a First World War 60cm gauge 'Simplex' armoured loco and had previously worked at...

www.flickr.com

As far as I know the coal was bought in by sea but I’m not sure whether it had its own quay or whether it went to nearby Fremington Quay?
Also though did the small shunter pictured above run on BR metals when receiving a delivery?
Finally was there ever a delivery of coal directly by rail not involving marine transport at all?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

 

[Ashley Hill]

A search bought up this item which suggests it had a purpose built jetty.

East Yelland Power Station 1973/74 -... © Ian Knox cc-by-sa/2.0

The East Yelland Power Station was once an operational coal-fired electricity production plant located in a partially hidden area on the estuary, next to the Tarka Trail. The power station was one of only two located to the west of Hinkley Point. The power station was opened on 21 April 1955 by...

www.geograph.org.uk

I wonder what became of the Simplex shunter.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The power station had its own specially built jetty with cranes for unloading and a conveyor belt system. There is an aerial shot at the start of this ITV report.

East Yelland

 

[Ashley Hill]

The power station had its own specially built jetty with cranes for unloading and a conveyor belt system. There is an aerial shot at the start of this ITV report.

East Yelland

Just found a photo of the jetty on Wiki Common.

And another from Sandpit 82.

 

[Cowley]

Interesting, thanks both.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Considering that coal was brought directly in by sea to the power stations dedicated jetty, I’m wondering why it had such an extensive private rail system with a connection to the Barnstaple - Bideford line for what was a relatively small facility - would perhaps the ash have been shipped out by rail for use in the production of local building materials back in the day?

 

[NoRoute]

The jetty and the rail connection are shown on some old OS maps, see example below:

Georeferenced Maps - Map images - National Library of Scotland

 

[Ashley Hill]

I think the John Nicholas book Lines to Torrington has a piece on the power station and its rail connections. Unfortunately my copy is 30 miles away.

 

[Gloster]

The sidings consisted of three loops on the north side of the line east of the power station accessed by a point trailing to up trains and operated by a Ground Frame released by the token; they were brought into use circa 1952. The boundary between BR and the power station was close to the points. Beyond the loops the siding continued on round to the side of the power station; there may have been, possibly only early on, a short spur leading off the northernmost loop.

The sidings were mainly for the construction of the power station, but were also capable of receiving coal, equipment and supplies. A crane had to be hired for unloading coal; at least once this came from Fremington by rail. The power station started generating in 1953, although construction spread from 1950 to 1957, and stopped in 1984. The loco was apparently available until 1974.

Sources: Cooke’s diagrams, 1960 Sectional Appendix and Middleton’s Branch Lines to Torrington.

 

[NoRoute]

Considering that coal was brought directly in by sea to the power stations dedicated jetty, I’m wondering why it had such an extensive private rail system with a connection to the Barnstaple - Bideford line for what was a relatively small facility - would perhaps the ash have been shipped out by rail for use in the production of local building materials back in the day?

Just thinking out aloud - it provides an alternative delivery route if the jetty becomes unavailable for any reason such as due to damage, repairs, bad weather conditions affecting deliveries. For export of by-products as you mentioned, though the article below suggests these were transported by road. It's likely the power station would also have required fuel oil for lighting the boilers.

Given that the power station was built in the early 1950s, rail may have been used for delivery of construction materials or large components and the article refers to branches to the turbine hall loading bays and the substation,

https://www.361energy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/The-Engineer-May1955-East-Yelland-Power-Station-pp664-665.pdf

 

[randyrippley]

Presumably the site wasn't single sourced on just South Wales coal. While that may have been the primary supply shipped across by coastal freighters, anything coming from the midlands or Lancashire would need a rail link.

 

[stuving]

There is a lot of the footprint of the power station still visible on Google Earth, including what were railway lines. That includes the jetty and the substation with its two pylon lines to the grid substation at Alverdiscott. I doubt it still has any operational use, though a few years back NG were proposing to build a new substation there to handle offshore generation. I guess that's the successor to your local coal-burning power station, but with no need for coal handling by sea, road or otherwise.

 

[D Williams]

By way of a similar arrangement. Hayle power station received coal by sea and this was discharged at its own wharf but extensive rail sidings were also provided and some coal arrived by rail. I think this depended on the source of supply and freight rates. There is a reference to this in Gerard Fienne's book " I Tried to Run a Railway". The arrangement at East Yelland may have been similar. Security of supply was very important to the CEGB. This site has now been covered by development although the high voltage switch room remains in use, although unstaffed.

https://www.361energy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/The-Engineer-May1955-East-Yelland-Power-Station-pp664-665.pdf

 

[Andy873]

There are some general details about the power station and its recorded output here:

Yelland - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The capacity and output figures should give someone (with better maths than me) the ability to calculate just how much coal arrived each year until closure. It also gives the reason why the power station closed. The coal from the Welsh mines dried up and it would have been too expensive to bring coal in from other parts of the country.

The loco was apparently available until 1974.

The output between 1972 and '79 isn't shown but by '79 the output is way down. It could be the 1974 was when it really dropped.

With regard to coal requirements either by sea or rail it is well to note that it was an obligation for each power station to stockpile no less than 3 months worth of coal and the preferred was a 6 months supply to hand in case of supply problems / strikes etc.

 

[DarloRich]

where would the coal come from? South Wales?

 

[Cowley]

where would the coal come from? South Wales?

I think so yes.

 

[DarloRich]

I think so yes.

thanks - knew there was a coal field around Bristol/Forest of Dean so wondered if it could have come form there but South Wales seems an easy chug!

 

[stuving]

The local council were told in 1949 that the jetty was designed for "ships up to 750 tons capacity". I'm not sure what "capacity" means there - measuring ships' size is a weird business - but I guess it's the coal carried. Either way, it's not very big so I guess they would not go very far.

 

[randyrippley]

thanks - knew there was a coal field around Bristol/Forest of Dean so wondered if it could have come form there but South Wales seems an easy chug!

Forest of Dean probably too small scale
Bristol/Somerset coal was no good for steam raising, main use was for gas production

The local council were told in 1949 that the jetty was designed for "ships up to 750 tons capacity". I'm not sure what "capacity" means there - measuring ships' size is a weird business - but I guess it's the coal carried. Either way, it's not very big so I guess they would not go very far`

It wouldn't be surprising if they actually brought it across in barges/lighters pulled by tugs. Coal to the Isle of Man went across in something similar and I'm sure I've read that some of their vessels came from the Severn/Bristol Channel

 

[Gloster]

A report on 28DaysLater says that the coal originally came from South Wales. It also says that the power station was opened (officially) on 21 April 1955 and it was announced in March 1984 that it would close by the end of the following October.

 

[HSTEd]

By way of a similar arrangement. Hayle power station received coal by sea and this was discharged at its own wharf but extensive rail sidings were also provided and some coal arrived by rail. I think this depended on the source of supply and freight rates. There is a reference to this in Gerard Fienne's book " I Tried to Run a Railway". The arrangement at East Yelland may have been similar. Security of supply was very important to the CEGB. This site has now been covered by development although the high voltage switch room remains in use, although unstaffed.

https://www.361energy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/The-Engineer-May1955-East-Yelland-Power-Station-pp664-665.pdf

The CEGB was, by the late 1980s, running weekly optimisations on fuel supply and routing for all power stations in its system. I'm not sure when this practice began, but it was a long running theme of CEGB operations from the very beginning.

Its highly likely that in some situations it would be cheaper/easier to provide coal via rail than sea, for example if maintenance on the sea connected coalfields was underway, or any number of other causes.

 

[6Gman]

The sidings consisted of three loops on the north side of the line east of the power station accessed by a point trailing to up trains and operated by a Ground Frame released by the token; they were brought into use circa 1952. The boundary between BR and the power station was close to the points. Beyond the loops the siding continued on round to the side of the power station; there may have been, possibly only early on, a short spur leading off the northernmost loop.

The sidings were mainly for the construction of the power station, but were also capable of receiving coal, equipment and supplies. A crane had to be hired for unloading coal; at least once this came from Fremington by rail. The power station started generating in 1953, although construction spread from 1950 to 1957, and stopped in 1984. The loco was apparently available until 1974.

Sources: Cooke’s diagrams, 1960 Sectional Appendix and Middleton’s Branch Lines to Torrin

gton

Not sure what I did there to break Gloster's post in two!

The size of the resident loco would seem to suggest that it was lightly used, basically pottering around on the odd wagon or two rather than bulk deliveries.

Though, from my years planning power station coal traffic, there were sometimes occasions when power stations required a mix of coal types from different pits or coalfields so there may have been small amounts brought in (by rail) from coalfields other than South Wales.

EDIT: I posted the above before seeing the contribution from @HSTEd which is along similar lines. Each week my boss would be involved in what was called the Tripartite Meeting (NCB, CEGB and BR). This involved a lot of shouting and swearing, though all good-natured, as the ability of the NCB to supply, the requirements of the CEGB, and the ability of BR to move the stuff were matched up so far as was possible.

 

[nw1]

I'm amazed there was a power station in this area, as I have always understood North Devon to be an AONB / protected area. It presumably must have impacted the views around the area. However it was built in 1955 and I guess stricter planning laws for areas like this only came in later.

I've only visited this area once but that was in 2010, well after it closed.

 

[Cowley]

I'm amazed there was a power station in this area, as I have always understood North Devon to be an AONB / protected area. It presumably must have impacted the views around the area.

I've only visited this area once but that was in 2010, well after it closed.

It’s probably fair to say that it wasn’t pretty… But back then there were various types of industry in the area - China clay from around Meeth, the shipyard at Appledore, various large dairies etc.

 

[Gloster]

I'm amazed there was a power station in this area, as I have always understood North Devon to be an AONB / protected area. It presumably must have impacted the views around the area. However it was built in 1955 and I guess stricter planning laws for areas like this only came in later.

I've only visited this area once but that was in 2010, well after it closed.

The area was not designated as an AONB until 1959, when it was among the first, but it looks as though the AONB did not come east of the Torridge. From something I read up in relation to the Rjukan facility in Norway (admittedly somewhat earlier), I think the problem was transmission over long distances.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

East Yelland was specifically designed to burn South Wales coal (the Somerset and Forest of Dean coalfields were on their last knockings by the '50s) and have it delivered by sea in coastal vessels as shown in the 'Engineer' article. It had all the necessary unloading and handling facilities and a large stocking yard (also served by the conveyors) to weather any supply shortages. There were no dedicated facilities for unloading rail deliveries. David St. John Thomas, however, in his 'West Country Railway History' (1973) says 'coal was brought from"up country" into Yelland ... but although this remains rail connected, for many years most has come by via sea'.

Nearer to Barnstaple, the railway owned Fremington Quay also imported large quantities of coal by sea from South Wales, for domestic and industrial use in Devon and Cornwall. Locomotive coal for the LSWR / Southern in the area also came this way.

 

[nw1]

It’s probably fair to say that it wasn’t pretty… But back then there were various types of industry in the area - China clay from around Meeth, the shipyard at Appledore, various large dairies etc.

Ah ok, thanks. Not quite what I imagined North Devon to be like back in the early 80s (when the power station was still active) and not what it was actually like when I visited the area (specifically the Braunton/Croyde/Woolacombe area) in 2010. By then it was wide and attractive views across the bay without any hint of industrial grittiness.

 

[D6130]

The Wikipedia article states that this was one of only two power stations West of Hinkley Point....the other being at Hayle in Cornwall, which I remember seeing in the 1970s, when it was very prominent in the view from the St Ives branch. However, I'm sure I also saw another power station in the Eastern outskirts of Plymouth at around the same time. I don't always trust Wikipedia to be correct though.

 

[leezer3]

Definitely.
That would be Plymouth 'B' opened 1951 on the banks of the Plym.
Closed 1981, demolished 1992.

 

[D6130]

Definitely.
That would be Plymouth 'B' opened 1951 on the banks of the Plym.
Closed 1981, demolished 1992.

Thanks....I'm glad to hear that my memory hasn't totally gone! Presumably there was once a Plymouth 'A' station as well nearby. Come to think of it, there were also small power stations at Exeter and Newton Abbot as well. Surely they must have been further West than Hinkley Point?