The End of a Dynasty

[@pmallenuk]

Great coverage of this historic event. Nicely put together & presented. So sorry for your loss Ben. A lovely tribute dedicating this to your Dad.

[@benGBRf]

Thanks Paul. Its been very difficult but life moves on.

[@darrenhillman8396]

My condolences for your sad loss. I lost my Dad in September 2015 and miss him greatly, particularly his wisdom and droll sense of humour. But well done for the video. It makes a lovely tribute to him and to the wider industry that the UK has lost.

[@benGBRf]

Thanks Darren. Yes at least you can look back with great memories which I know I will in time as well.

[@matt154uk9]

So sorry to hear about your loss Ben. This is a lovely tribute to him. My Dad passed away in 2007 and I was away in Kazakhstan on a plane trip and Mike kindly drove to Heathrow to pick me after I got an earlier flight back to the UK. Take care, Matt

[@benGBRf]

Thanks Matt. I literally met him a few days before he passed to get the photos for this video. Not did I know it would be a tribute to him in the end 😢

[@werringtonjunction]

A nicely put together documentry by you on the passing of another great institution in our once great industrial nation. A nice touch too with the dedication to your Dad who I am sure was very proud of his family and his son's achievements. Take care Ben, remembering all those good times you had together will help heal sadness.❤

[@benGBRf]

Thanks Mick. A sad few weeks that's for sure

[@antman09ful1]

Superb coverage of the event Ben, yes you was right saying I will enjoy the footage, but its not great that it was the last coal train. Very good idea to include your dads photos, and to dedicate the video to him. On Friday you was talking about your dad and then to hear on Sunday he had passed away was quit a shock for me as I had the pleasure of meeting him twice. I'm sure we will talk more on Thursday, regards Mike.

[@benGBRf]

Thanks Mike. It was crazy putting these photos on what was a sad day anyway and the tragic news adding to the nostalgia and sentimentality of this video

[@colingarwood9971]

A truly magnificent video Ben. The past and present footage you and your colleague have put together is a fitting tribute to Ratcliffe PS and the coal industry as a whole, and one i'm sure your Dad would have been proud off mate. Thanks Ben, you take care , Colin.

[@benGBRf]

Thanks Colin. Much appreciated as always

[@donnypete]

Fantastic mate. That was the best thing ever.

[@benGBRf]

Thanks Pete. I knew you would enjoy this. Sad day though

[@gavin18787]

Condolences on the passing of your dad ❤ Very fitting and well put together film. Thanks for sharing the end of an era moment

[@benGBRf]

Thank you. Pleased you enjoyed it

[@MisterHughie]

Lovely video, I was on site the week before and took plenty of footage of the 3rd to last coal train (66784) going through the unloading shed at Ratcliffe, great tribute.

[@benGBRf]

Thank you

[@warrenhardcastle8858]

Great Job Ben and a lovely touch dedicating it to your Dad , thinking of you all .

[@benGBRf]

Thanks Warren. Much appreciated.

[@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge]

Super vid, really well put together.

[@benGBRf]

Thank you. Much appreciated.

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

Magnificent ben

[@benGBRf]

Thanks mate

[@hornet1068]

Fantastic video, loved it, well done. For someone from Lincoln, heading back home from down south from any trip or dropping off the M1, the sight of these cooling towers always got me. For I then know the trip home is almost done. they were my gateway to home counties. Are there any rail tours planned to go around the site before decommissioning? like they did with Cottam recently?

[@benGBRf]

I hope so because that would be fitting. Thanks for your comment.

[@alanjewell9550]

I could see the steam from the cooling towers from my bedroom window from the year dot. Always fascinated me. I later worked in coal related industry. Visited it once on an open day in the 1980's. I'll be sad to see the end of it as it's been like a friend & an iconic landmark.

[@benGBRf]

It's simply iconic. A part of the scenery. Thanks for watching Alan

[@HSTHoward]

Fantastic video mate, really is the end of an era. Also thoughts with you at this difficult time with the passing of your father.

[@benGBRf]

Thanks H. Much appreciated.

[@philipalldred333]

Very, very interesting to know a wee bit about Ratcliffe power station. Now I wonder what will happen to all those wagons that use to carry coal in

[@andrewthompson3587]

Those wagons will probably be used for aggregates as they already have been for several years. Due to the volume of coal the wagons are large so loading with a different material can be tricky. I was a loader of aggregates into these wagons and the stone would only need to be around halfway up. Stone loaded into wagons built for the job came right up to the top. Gross weights would be 102 ton max

[@benGBRf]

they are quite old, so probably cutters torch. We will see. Thanks for watching

[@riggers6214]

It's criminal that in the late 70's and early 80's that British Gas and the CEGB (spurred on by the anti coal mining union, Thatcher government) couldn’t agree to collaborate more effectively to develop IGCC technology, instead defaulting to the adoption of CCGT's burning massive amounts of North Sea Gas. That way we could have saved a lot of mines, maintained the volume of rail traffic and built newer power stations producing low carbon electricity. Not to mention all the engineering apprenticeships that each of those industries would have sustained.

[@northernblue1093]

Criminal? No crime unless a law has been broken.

[@riggers6214]

@@northernblue1093 It's simply a figure of speech.

[@georgeyboyhowe1685]

@@northernblue1093 pratt

[@benGBRf]

Yes surely more could have been done but it's all too late now unfortunately. Thanks for watching

[@johnemsden735]

Ben so very sorry for your lose of your father, never evert thought this day would come in the 70's and 80's coal trains ran every where one after the other and took it for granted it would carry on for ever, a very sad day indeed, just hope the tosspots in government don't make the country live to regret this Also believe the postal trains are now going to end with the post office using lorries, yet another part of the railway gone forever

[@benGBRf]

Thanks John. Very sad times across the country.

[@marklelohe3754]

A great shame that the politicians have decided to cease coal production and power generation from it. Britain's CO2 output was less than 2 % of world manmade output. An insignificant amount in my view and a great loss to close off an energy resource. Furthermore, hardly economic or environmental sense to be importing coal from places like Venezuela when there are still huge deposits here. Thank you for caring to record this great but sad event.

[@benGBRf]

@marklelohe3754 Yes it was a sad day Mark. Thanks for watching and commenting

[@Mike-kc8rl]

Great Britain is now Britain! Nothing more can be said?

[@benGBRf]

Such a shame how this country has gone down hill. Thanks for watching

[@susansmith3568]

Plenty more of this shit to come under labour

[@benGBRf]

Time will tell. Thanks for watching

[@wollyxl]

Do something with your sound levels...

[@benGBRf]

Apologies. Wind was quite bad that day

[@WCGUK2024]

Sad day for all involved, will they all lose their jobs?

[@benGBRf]

There will be a decommissioning process and rumours of becoming a hydrogen plant possibly. What that means for jobs I don't know. Thanks for watching

[@kenstevens5065]

Past my human lifespan the truth might be told of climate change and other things in the 21st century and the wicked people who impoverished this United Kingdom, not to save humanity but for huge financial gain for themselves. I say thank you to all working people who over hundreds of years made Britain and the world a better place.

[@benGBRf]

like you said time will tell. Thanks for watching

[@NeilSaunders-o5d]

Sad ending this country for job is not be good anymore is gone

[@tonyrobinson362]

When the UK had a future no woke rubbish, And people had proper jobs, Now we are on a downward spiral.

[@EP-bb1rm]

Lol

[@benGBRf]

Thanks Tony. It is worrying times unfortunately

[@roydrink]

OK Grandpa, it’s time for your nap.

[@glenwooded8523]

Who exactly are you blaming when you use the word ‘Woke’?

[@paulnolan1352]

Close it all down and transition into what?, where is the work to soak up all these redundancies?, I know people still out of proper work since 2010 when all this chaos started with Coal Plants, Opencast Mines, Coking Sites, Steelworks etc. If it had made the difference they said it would at the time we would all be enjoying plentiful affordable energy. If people are priced out of the economy then what’s it all about?.

[@benGBRf]

Sad times. Thanks for watching

[@NeilSaunders-o5d]

Use be great but not anany more