Industrial Railways

Nechells Power Station: nechells110

View of the coal tipping equipment in operation outside Nechells Princes Power Station. The use of coal tipping equipment allowed coal wagons without bottom doors to be emptied completely without the need for an extensive labour force. The coal requirements and the significant increases in labour costs following WW1 meant that mechanisation was required to provide a cost effective alternative. The wagon comes from Griff colliery near Nuneaton, one of the many collieries that would regularly supply slack coal to the new power station. With the exception of the NE Railway most main line railway companies did not generally provide wagons for transporting minerals (coal, coke or stone) and the collieries and Coal Factors either provided their own (or hired) wagons or used wagons provided by the purchaser. The GWR 5 plank open wagon in the background would most likely be associated with transporting construction materials.

Robert Ferris

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