Railwatch Coal trains at Knottingley, Grids

Class 56's on MGR trains in the coalfields of Yorkshire. 56069 passes through a power station discharge building. also a view of maintenance at Knottingley depot.

[@robmasterman]

An excellent video capturing this once so common part of the country's movement of coal to the Power Stations. 5*

[@Trusten1984]

Great video, usefull, five stars to this early 90`s broadcast

[@tom101086]

oi! That man is a total legend. West Cowick's finest.

[@madmax200769]

Great memories if the late 80s :)

[@banksroadmodernimage7358]

Good old rail watch!!!

[@panther590]

i think the HAA deserves a metion becouse it is an icon of colliery to power station and represents our country best (the wagon that powerd the nation) and the loco what pulled it (the 58s) 5*

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

One of the last surviving versions built at Shildon is at Locomotion, Shildon.

[@TheDraxFlyer]

56069 has not been scrapped its at Leicester as part of the UK Rail leasing fleet.

[@phwbooth]

'The world we have lost...' (Peter Laslett)

[@ACTractionLTD]

LOL! thats spooky, ive got a part from 56069 from when was scrapped

[@djtrainspotter]

Brilliant! Looks like 1989 judging by the haircuts and all them red-stripe 56's

[@squeaksvids5886]

Think this was filmed in 87 as one episode showed BR unveiling the Trainload Freight liveries.

[@Thunderer0872]

No at best late 1988 but the broadcast was Feb 1989 with filming that week or weeks just before then.

[@Bevoin1970]

Excellent... !!

[@Thunderer0872]

@salfordbabe indeed they were!

[@Thunderer0872]

Indeed that was the main reason for posting, Today all these freightliner coal trains seem so boring now, not just the fact they are 66 hauled but the wagons are rubbish too!

[@Grid56006]

Happy days :-)

[@mylordz]

driver looks a right crank

[@johnmoore8016]

why don't they increase the tonnage on the train? thanks for a very good video.

[@Thunderer0872]

John Moore - Back this time the HAA 4 wheel wagons used were in set formations of 36 wagons this was the maximum length for sidings at track infrastructure such passing loops, the tonnage per train wasn't raised due to gradients and the power of the locomotive, The main reason they didn't raise the tonnage is in fact several trains go round and round all day from Pit to Power station, so the supply is covered, hence the name Merry Go Round.

[@COIcultist]

@@Thunderer0872 I left British Coal in 1987 and hadn't worked at a colliery since 1985 (ish) The last colliery I worked at changed over from internally hauled where we had to break up the trains and re-couple them to BR hauled. When BR took over I'm certain we went from trains of 30 wagons to trains of 45 wagons.

[@Thunderer0872]

Certain train lengths for areas were determined but the loco's and gradients for MGR trains I saw mostly 36 wagons, but yes some were longer.

[@tom101086]

I know the driver!!!