Yes! There are still some coal trains running!

It used to be that in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire there would be a continual stream of coal trains running. Not so these days, but, there are still a few running, this time with imported coal. Over the last year I have managed to film a few of them running to or from power stations.
66786 "Cambridge University Railway Club" on the 6M61 Immingham Humber International Terminal to Ratcliffe Power station struggles up the incline from Mexborough to join the line at Swinton.
66782 works the 4E57 Ratcliffe Power Station to Immingham coal empties at Mexborough.
The empty 4E87 GBRF Ratcliffe Power Station to Doncaster Down Decoy GB hauled by class 66 66708 'Glory to Ukraine' at Swinton.
66785 on the loaded 6M81 GBRF Immingham Humber International Terminal to Ratcliffe Power Station at Swinton.
66956 is seen at Retford with the empties forming the 4Z41 West Burton Power Station to Barnetby Down Reception Siding.
Freightliner class 66 no. 66590 hauled the 6Z40 Immingham to West Burton service through platform 4 at Retford.
Freightliner 66607 at Retford on the 6M03 West Burton to Tunstead.
GBRf class 66 no. 66572 hauls the 6M61 Immingham Humber International Terminal to Ratcliffe Power station at a foggy Mexborough.
#coaltrain #freighttrain #class66 #diesel #locomotive #trainspotting #trains

[@AllenORourke1954]

Mad isn't it, more coal under our feet than you can shake a stick at and we're importing it, I live a few miles from the Tanfield Railway in County Durham, the whole site is sitting on top of millions of tons of high quality steam coal; they could literally dig a hole and get the stuff out yet they're now using coal from Columbia to run the trains. i should have added earlier that an application to opencast was turned down a few years ago because the local community in nearby Marley Hill complained that they wouldn't be able to peg their washing out to dry in the summer months because of the dust created by the mining, they never complained when Marley Hill Colliery was operating for 140 years up till 1980, utter madness...

[@marcotraini7495]

Coal is our future

[@Colonel_Blimp]

In New Zealand we have a coal fired power station to provide base load when our hydro lakes are low. It is located in the middle of a coal field. But the mines were closed and we import coal from Indonesia. We are very clean and green.

[@julianlane8313]

I am convinced we will be mining coal within years as we wont have any other means to keep warm. I agree utter madness hundreds of years worth of coal under our feet 🤦🏼‍♂️ and its imported

[@DaveM_thetrucker]

That’s because the coal over here in the uk isn’t worth anything or any good for burning, and that is why all the coal mines have been closed down, and not be long before coal it’s self will no be imported much at all in to the uk by train, as all power stations will eventually be going over to bio mass fuel, and the only coal that will be bought to the uk will be for the museum sites that have steam engines on site

[@Colonel_Blimp]

@@DaveM_thetrucker so logging and chipping Canadian softwood for shipping to England is good for the planet? As opposed to burning local coal?

[@smitbar11]

I live quite near Ratcliffe on Soar power station, the coal heaps were being depleted but are full size again for now, I often see CL66 and 60 coal trains there

[@andrewwilson6240]

I work close to Ratcliffe. These things are coming and going all day

[@AJ-yw5zy]

Great captures, Leicester, Burton, Coalville & Toton in the 80's were manic for MGR traffic day & night, Coal is still king!

[@paulbateman1744]

and even through Birmingham. There was a constant flow of coal trains to Didcot PS locally from Daw Mill plus all the East Midland pits.

[@BrianSeaman]

Great film - and thanks for sharing :) I find it crazy that we're importing coal from half way around the globe, when we could have our own supply. It really doesn't make sense to me, but I'm only an old bloke, so what do I know !

[@devilscoachman79]

Even more crazy is that we are all led to believe we are in a so called `climate emergency` that only seems to apply to the UK. We have reduced our coal fired power stations down to just 3 active, yet China has 1110 active coal fired power stations and they have no plans to reduce this number - very hard to believe such an `emergency` exists.

[@levelcrossing150]

Yes and we need much more to give this country some affordable power once again.

[@fraseradams7295]

Wind electricity is significantly cheaper (per KWh) than coal, I study energy engineering at University btw

[@levelcrossing150]

@@fraseradams7295 It's useless when the wind ain't blowing though, mechanical engineer taught by Aircraft Precision Engineer.

[@ds1868]

@@fraseradams7295 That means nothing at all.

[@jackking5567]

@@fraseradams7295 Only because it's subsidised. No wind = no electricity.

[@trainsmachineryldegmtrains3509]

Excellent rail video! Awesome images with coal trains! Good work! Thumbs Up Greetings form Dublin Andrew

[@DavidWilson-hh2gn]

Good to see some fuel,difficult managing without coal.They need to open some of our coal reserves up again as a matter of urgency and also the shale gas.

[@Brandalar]

It would make common sense to open up the coal mines. But alas, the people calling the shots do not have a brain, and would rather import everything from the other side of the planet

[@simonmason8582]

Now - coal = 2.8% wind = 34.8%.

[@SuperMikado282]

Are you prepared to go down a coal mine to extract it?

[@DavidWilson-hh2gn]

@@SuperMikado282 A good deal of coal extraction can be undertaken by opencast methods.The new mine in West Cumberland has quite a few prepared to go down,as for me my age would eliminate me from that line of work.

[@ddpeak1]

Great to see local trains. Well done. We just get container traffic odd steel past the museum at Aldwarke. I have put a couple of 66 films on.

[@andrewwhelan8004]

EWS class 66 run coal trains past my house every day in Barry back and forth at least six to eight times a day start around 0530 hrs then late in to the night .

[@donwright3427]

I think the longest was 25 wagons. This is excellent footage

[@riggers6214]

At 9:25 I believe I counted 27 wagons - but could be wrong?

[@curmudgeon66]

Why? 25 or 27, either number is so low, surely thy could add a 2nd or 3rd engine. And pull 50, 80, 100 or more cars, still need the same number ber of engineers, it would reduce the cost of transport. Seem very inefficient means to move freight.

[@Ron-u1z]

Curmudgeon 66 or whatever, you obviously don't know ANYTHING about British railways. This isn't the states.

[@bigturboxr3i]

Coal is king. Great videos..

[@simonmason8582]

Now - coal = 2.8% wind = 34.8%.

[@dieseldave3879]

11:00 Some serious Shed-thrash! 🚂👍

[@kevintucker8564]

Fantastic work

[@guyneeve9365]

Great clips. Subscribed too!

[@robnewman6101]

You're a really useful railway.

[@jeremypark3734]

Near where I used to live we get the biomass train going to get the wood pellets from the docks and taking it to drax power station and its a really long train.

[@johnabbott2575]

Cant beat a 37 56 or 58 on a mgr train miss them

[@Radio478]

Good to see, thanks 😊, love diesels ⛽

[@MG06ZT]

Good catches!

[@bernicewild5979]

It is a joke ,the Community of nearby Marley Hill complaining about dust on a Summers day , what if the power goes off No washing and no pegging out !

[@SimonTog]

Super video :)

[@josephinebennington7247]

I believe graffiti “artists” keep the spray paint industry viable, and not those who respray their cars

[@railkrishana5071]

Fantastic 🙏

[@henkdraaijer2525]

Hele mooie opnames 👍

[@paulsenior946]

yep freightliner and gbrf from immingham docks.

[@davidbarrett1487]

Brit coal does not have to be WORLD MARKET PRICE, we can produce all here for a price that is ours & sensible. Only nuclear beats COAL for power to make electricity and gov failed nuclear power.

[@robnewman6101]

You're a really useful engine.

[@likklej8]

Burn coal the technology is there for clean air on coal burning but it would mean free electricity and the materialist system can’t allow that. ie air filtration is too expensive and profits would be minimal. Go Vedic.

[@RobloxTrainspotting]

I sawed one at dorchester south yesterday and 2 class 444

[@p.istaker8862]

A coal train ? Must have been loaded at Weymouth quay.

[@tamc4319]

The price of coal is now ridiculous 2 years ago I used to pay £240 for a tonne of doubles now it is £660 if you can get them

[@andrewdking]

Very nicely filmed. By the very controlled zooming, you weren't using a smartphone I'm sure

[@MyLoveOfRailways]

Thank you. The smartphone is in reserve, the vast majority of my filming is on a Panasonic HC-VX1

[@andrewdking]

@@MyLoveOfRailways a camcorder, not many of those made anymore

[@SPECHG92]

Great video. Shocking amount of vandalism to the hoppers though. What on earth makes these dick heads think we all want to look at their mess?

[@paulmarwood4325]

Lovely to see, such a pity its all foreign coal and as many comments have said, there's so much under our own feet, one day hopefully we will wake up to this fact.

[@michaelwells6797]

It was not filmed recently,all in summer clothes, not this freezing time of year.

[@MyLoveOfRailways]

No, some over the last few weeks, others earlier in the year. That's why in the description I say filmed over the last year.

[@cfcstevie1888]

just a mater of interest wheres the coal going and wheres it from, a few years ago the only coal mine in scotland was closed due to some iffy goings on and then flooding ,this mine supplied longannet power station,so an old rail line was relaid and used to ship in coal from the west side of scotland, where the coal was actually sourced i dont no,after a couple of years the longannet power station was deemed dirty so closed and sine flattened,cutting a short story long a brand new rail line lays unused at the cost of millions,the last train to run along these rusting rails was the flying scotsman last year

[@railphotoblog]

thanks for sharing nice footages! As i understand, coal trains is a rarity now. How often do they run?

[@MyLoveOfRailways]

It varies, there are a few trains a day delivering to Ratcliffe Power Station, but West Burton is only receiving one train per day at the most.

[@starpawsy]

No need to worry! No one who is still alive to watch this video will live to see the day when there are no coal trains. Calm down.

[@sharpley753]

Ratcliffe Power Station is scheduled to be shut and decommissioned in 2024 I believe.

[@simonmason8582]

Along with all UK coal power.

[@teamtrains]

Where do they come from

[@jonathanmoser4500]

Humber International (bulk) Terminal, Immingham. At Retford, they will all be destined for West Burton as Cottam is now closed. Other trains will currently be running to Ratcliffe-on-Soar and Drax (the latter in addtion to the biomass flows)

[@50mi55ile]

Usually running from immingham docks to Drax power station

[@Kevthevillan]

With Wood Pellets

[@TheMicksterdee]

@Kevthevillan only the blue Northern Powerhouse hopper convey pellets. All other hopper trains convey coal.

[@EWSTrains]

When was 66607 at Retford filmed?

[@MyLoveOfRailways]

66607 is the earliest shot I have included and was filmed in February 2021.

[@dhewitt2514]

I remember the old coal trucks that discharged in the centre. Do this type still discharge underneath?

[@MyLoveOfRailways]

Yes, discharge is underneath.

[@Thursdaym2]

Dirty Russian coal being imported?

[@MisterHughie]

Ratcliffe is South African and Colombian now.

[@wu-choomusic3384]

Latest Vessel unloading coal at Immingham was MV Contamines which sailed from Newcastle in Australia.