The last coal train?

[Bald Rick]

The relative price of coal and natural gas determines where Ratcliffe sits in the merit order. Cheap coal, and it come on ahead of CCGT plant.

Its not just that. A few other factors:

* No need for future maintenance, so it is cheaper to run the coal unit(s) than put ‘miles on the clock’ of the gas units that will need maintenance.

* Ratcliffe will be burning stuff that has sat at the bottom of the stockpile for a long time. This will be low grade, but is ‘free’ (bought and paid for a long time ago) and therefore bringing in some new coal to mix / bulk it up helps.

* similarly it is possible (although i really dont know) that there is ‘spare‘ limestone in the Flue Gas Desulphurisation stockpile, and that it is cheaper to burn more coal than cart that away for disposal.

 

[Dan G]

Ratcliffe only runs to provide grid stability. Nothing to do with the clean spark spread etc

That's why it's never more than half a unit at part load.

 

[crosscity]

Ratcliffe only runs to provide grid stability. Nothing to do with the clean spark spread etc

That's why it's never more than half a unit at part load.

It's working, but only just! Have just seen 6M61 arrive with today's (Wed's) consignment.

Here's a photo I took of it.

01May2024. Ratcliffe Jct. 'Shed' Class 66 66787 (Ex 66184). [P1190092] by Ray Honke, on Flickr

 

[43066]

It's working, but only just! Have just seen 6M61 arrive with today's (Wed's) consignment.

Here's a photo I took of it.

01May2024. Ratcliffe Jct. 'Shed' Class 66 66787 (Ex 66184). [P1190092] by Ray Honke, on Flickr

As shown in the photo, the track quality of the curve into the power station complex from Ratcliffe junction is looking decidedly dodgy these days, even by MML standards!

It will be fascinating to see how the local area, and the local railway, develop over the next few years.

 

[Spartacus]

66789 making it's way to Ratcliffe today with what looks like a fully loaded 6M61.

Realtime Trains | 6M61 0827 Barnetby to Ratcliffe Ps Gbrf | 06/05/2024

Real-time train running information for 6M61 0827 departure from Barnetby to Ratcliffe Ps Gbrf on 06/05/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

It's working, but only just! Have just seen 6M61 arrive with today's (Wed's) consignment.

Its going out in style not bad for a 56 year old asset still able to deliver close to its full output (1.87GW vs 2GW design delivered in mid January 24). Ratcliffe also has the honours of delivering the most energy from any 500MW set in a year which was a late 1950s design. Presumably Uniper own the coal down at Immingham and worked out its cheaper to haul it upto Ratcliffe then charter a ship and take it somewhere else in the world. So be interesting to see how much longer they can run it but it will never achieve full load again as unit one has been stood down.

Edit this pic on Flickr taken a week ago shows how low coal stocks are

Countdown to Closure

66781 Darius Cheskin slowly draws 6M61 Immingham to Ratcliffe-on-Soar along A Road discharging its load of coal to replenish the depleted stocks to keep the station ticking over before closure occurs in September, one unit was put into preservation during April 2024.

www.flickr.com

 

[crosscity]

66789 making it's way to Ratcliffe today with what looks like a fully loaded 6M61.

Realtime Trains | 6M61 0827 Barnetby to Ratcliffe Ps Gbrf | 06/05/2024

Real-time train running information for 6M61 0827 departure from Barnetby to Ratcliffe Ps Gbrf on 06/05/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

It would be great if someone can confirm it's loaded. The path for the empties to be taken to Immingham for loading this morning was cancelled, and I can't see anything that ran in its place over the weekend.

 

[Mldaureol]

66789 making it's way to Ratcliffe today with what looks like a fully loaded 6M61.

Realtime Trains | 6M61 0827 Barnetby to Ratcliffe Ps Gbrf | 06/05/2024

Real-time train running information for 6M61 0827 departure from Barnetby to Ratcliffe Ps Gbrf on 06/05/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

6M61 ran today 21/5/24 arriving at Ratcliffe at 11:48 being hauled by 66783.

 

[crosscity]

6M61 ran today 21/5/24 arriving at Ratcliffe at 11:48 being hauled by 66783.

Thank you for the comment. As it happens I've been keeping an eye on Railcam.
Since the coal trains restarted on Mon 29Apr 6M61 ran M/W/F for the first two weeks, then daily last week (Mon-Fri from 13May) and it looks as though it may be the same this week.

29Apr 01May 03May 06May 08May 10May 13May 14May 15May 16May 17May 20May 21May
66781 66787 66787 66789 66789 66784 66783 66783 66783 66783 66783 66783 66783

I made a final pilgrimage to Ratcliffe last Friday (17May), my third visit this year. Here is one of my photos.

17May2024. Ratcliffe Power Station. 'Shed' Class 66 66783 (Ex 66058). by Ray Honke, on Flickr

You can see some other of my photos starring Ratcliffe power station taken on the same day by clicking this link:

MrDeltic has shared 20 photos with you!

www.flickr.com

 

[Trainbike46]

Thank you for the comment. As it happens I've been keeping an eye on Railcam.
Since the coal trains restarted on Mon 29Apr 6M61 ran M/W/F for the first two weeks, then daily last week (Mon-Fri from 13May) and it looks as though it may be the same this week.

29Apr 01May 03May 06May 08May 10May 13May 14May 15May 16May 17May 20May 21May
66781 66787 66787 66789 66789 66784 66783 66783 66783 66783 66783 66783 66783

I made a final pilgrimage to Ratcliffe last Friday (17May), my third visit this year. Here is one of my photos.

17May2024. Ratcliffe Power Station. 'Shed' Class 66 66783 (Ex 66058). by Ray Honke, on Flickr

You can see some other of my photos starring Ratcliffe power station taken on the same day by clicking this link:

MrDeltic has shared 20 photos with you!

www.flickr.com

Biffa, as in the waste company?

Seems like that would be more likely to pull a waste train than a coal train!

 

[sharpley]

Biffa, as in the waste company?

Seems like that would be more likely to pull a waste train than a coal train!

It's a GBRf loco wearing a Biffa livery. It's used wherever they need, it's not dedicated to Biffa work only.

 

[Trainbike46]

It's a GBRf loco wearing a Biffa livery. It's used wherever they need, it's not dedicated to Biffa work only.

that makes sense tbh

 

[43066]

It's a GBRf loco wearing a Biffa livery. It's used wherever they need, it's not dedicated to Biffa work only.

Is that the one named “The Flying Dustman”?

 

[sharpley]

Is that the one named “The Flying Dustman”?

Yeah, I think it is

 

[M7R]

Just been past and the power stations turned off at the moment, odd to see it with no steam from the towers

 

[mac]

Load left Immingham this morning for Ratcliffe due 1117

 

[Dan G]

That's surprising, given the station hasn't run for over four days now.

On the other hand I understand that just one of the three remaining generation units at Ratcliffe-on-Soar burns 5,000t of coal a day at full output – five train loads? – so it's kinda odd that it's just one train load now and then. I'd have thought they have knocked it on the head by now.

 

[father_jack]

For everyone else here's a link to show you what electricity is being made from at the current time (please pardon the pun) https://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

 

[crosscity]

That's surprising, given the station hasn't run for over four days now.

On the other hand I understand that just one of the three remaining generation units at Ratcliffe-on-Soar burns 5,000t of coal a day at full output – five train loads? – so it's kinda odd that it's just one train load now and then. I'd have thought they have knocked it on the head by now.

Coal was stockpiled at the site from the regular timetable of trains up until the 1st January this year. For four months (Jan-Apr) the power station relied on its stockpile, with no coal arriving at all. Since 29th April there have been 26 trains including today's. Others on this thread reported that there would be thirty in total, so the last coal train is likely to run during this or next week.

One of the four boilers was shut down in April, so the station can only run at 75% of its maximum capacity of 2GW.
I don't know whether when it is NOT supplying the grid, it is still using coal in standby. Certainly the last time I was at Ratcliffe it wasn't supplyingthe grid, but there was aural evidence that the cooling towers were still working (but no steam was coming out of the tops).

According to https://www.energydashboard.co.uk/ Ratcliffe last supplied the grid for a few hours on the evening of 5th June at just under 0.5GW.

With the blast furnaces having closed (or about to) there will be no more coal trains required. I thus went out on a pilgrimage last Friday to get my last photo of one.

Fri 7 Jun 2024 at 11:09. This coal train is one of the last to serve the UK's remaining coal-fired power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Nottinghamshire. The site is nine miles away, and there is a glimpse of its chimney and cooling towers just to the right of the phone mast. #he power station will close for good at the end of September 2024.
GM 'Shed' No 66785 JOHN ELLIS (ex-66132) is hauling [6M61] the 08:00 from Immingham HIT.
(Photo taken from the Grade II*-listed Bennerley Viaduct in the Erewash Valley near Ilkeston). by Ray Honke, on Flickr

 

[dangie]

I don't know whether when it is NOT supplying the grid, it is still using coal in standby. Certainly the last time I was at Ratcliffe it wasn't supplyingthe grid, but there was aural evidence that the cooling towers were still working (but no steam was coming out of the tops).

When no generation is taking place, no coal is being used. The electricity the station is using is imported from the National Grid.

If a generating unit is on load it is supplying its own electricity. For example Ratcliffe has (had) 4x500mw units. If a unit was on full load it would generate 500mw. Approximately 12/15mw are ‘tapped off’ to supply the unit auxiliaries, leaving 485/488mw to feed onto the grid system.

Even with the station not generating, various items of plant will still be running and thus will need to be cooled. That is why you may see a cooling tower in service, but none or little steam visible.

Note: I worked at Rugeley ‘B’ Power Station for nearly 40 years.

 

[Freightmaster]

With the blast furnaces having closed (or about to) there will be no more coal trains required.

There is one other coal flow - to Hope cement works (Earles sidings in railway terms),
which should continue on for a while longer.



MARK

 

[crosscity]

When no generation is taking place, no coal is being used. The electricity the station is using is imported from the National Grid.

If a generating unit is on load it is supplying its own electricity. For example Ratcliffe has (had) 4x500mw units. If a unit was on full load it would generate 500mw. Approximately 12/15mw are ‘tapped off’ to supply the unit auxiliaries, leaving 485/488mw to feed onto the grid system.

Even with the station not generating, various items of plant will still be running and thus will need to be cooled. That is why you may see a cooling tower in service, but none or little steam visible.

Note: I worked at Rugeley ‘B’ Power Station for nearly 40 years.

Thank you for explaining, that is very informative.

There is one other coal flow - to Hope cement works (Earles sidings in railway terms),
which should continue on for a while longer.



MARK

That is interesting. How often does Hope receive a coal train?

 

[Freightmaster]

How often does Hope receive a coal train?

Twice a week (from Immingham)



MARK

 

[dangie]

When no generation is taking place, no coal is being used. The electricity the station is using is imported from the National Grid.

I should add, that the power station has to pay for the imported electricity it uses. All the time a power station such as Ratcliffe is shutdown or on standby it is still using electricity. All of that electricity comes from the National Grid.

 

[mac]

And another Immingham to Ratcliffe this morning

 

[trainswitheddy]

Where are the Ratcliffe trains running via atm? Or is it just whatever path is available

 

[Freightmaster]

Where are the Ratcliffe trains running via atm? Or is it just whatever path is available

The final batch of trains are all via Mexborough and the Erewash:

loaded - https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:H24544/2024-06-11/detailed
empties - https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R15581/2024-06-11/detailed



MARK

 

[crosscity]

Where are the Ratcliffe trains running via atm? Or is it just whatever path is available

The final batch of trains are all via Mexborough and the Erewash:

loaded - https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:H24544/2024-06-11/detailed
empties - https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R15581/2024-06-11/detailed



MARK

In addition the empty wagon rake is held at Barnetby, and taken to Immingham early in the morning as 4E63 for loading with coal. This is an STP (short term) schedule to run Wed, Thu and Fri this week (today's was https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:R15583/2024-06-11/detailed). If 4E63 doesn't run, then 6M61 can't run.

Assuming 6M61 runs tomorrow and Thursday, then Friday will be the thirtieth of the thirty coal trains. If there are any Ratcliffe's running next week then the STP schedules for 4E63 should be viewable on realtimetrains sometime over the weekend.

I have monitored the Ratcliffe trains since the beginning of the year, and since the trains started up on 29Apr 24 of the 27 trains have arrived at Ratcliffe within 45m of the booked time (11:12). Of the empties, the number is 20 leaving Ratcliffe within 45m of 13:58.

 

[mac]

Thursday one is running

 

[crosscity]

Today the 30th train ran to Ratcliffe since they started up again at the end of April. Does anyone know if any more are planned, or is this the end of them?