( ?I ~- - - ~"~ _., -- ........... / -- . , ·--....., __ t) \ ,-- The 1960's saw a dramatic change m the use of The 'A' station system was abandoned early m steam locomotion in the North West of 1947 as construction of 'B' station cooling to Cl!Jton Junc1:c'n ) England. Within the short space of 8 years the towers severed the line. Between then and its QI✓ . familiar sight of a steam-hauled train closure the 'A' station received coal by road. {not all 1he rm,ways shown exi~ad al the some time vanished completely from British Rail. For a A Stallon .,:· :·, ,: ' _::' .·. ·-~ ·.. while steam continued to be used at some ·'..,·.'. _. 1, · ,_ c · ·n... c····. ~:·y···,--·· Reception Sidings industrial sites in Lancashire but now only II AG hopper Agecroft Power Station, near Manchester, .if •i•>,c': fp , ' . ,. Ill ·• continues the tradition. Three power stations (A, B and C ) have been A completely ne w coal handling system using developed on the Agecroft site smce 1925 and steam locomotives, was built on a separate each has used a rrnl system in its coal site· to se rve···•· both 'B ' and 'C' stations. A senes of handling. lines, approximately I mile lung, was coalslockmg construc ted running from the original gmundwilh ,:···. ~ ~ -c·,.' .-:B.ft. .,. ....:;: y ·:·:· conveyor to Agecroft Junc tion. The line passed crone lrack (standard gmrgel -.. ~~:: .. ·~&--... 2 loco sheds and fanned into wagon sidings ,,,. .-n:v ...' ... which converged lo pass through the tippler. .. .. A new conveyor was built to take the coal over . .. ... the British Rail line and the canal to the power The original 'A' statio,n used a 2' 6" gauge station. The section between Agecroft Road electrified railway to carry coal from the qnd Agecroft Junction provided a loop with delivery tippler to the power station. The line connections to British Rail. began in a loop at the tippler and ran over approximately ½ mile of track lo either a Two standard design outside cylinder 0-4-0 bucket/elevato r conveyor system feeding the saddle tanks were bought from Robert power station boilers or to the coal stocking Stephenson and Hawthorns in l 948 to operate yard. the system. The locos had brass nameplates • Agecroft I (7416) and Agecroft 2 (7485). They The locomotives were supplied by the Preston were stored al Magnesium Elektron Limited, Works of the English Electric Company Clifton Junction, sidings until the new sidmgs Limited. They had a strong outside boJJ: frame and conveyor we re brought into action in loaded with weights (needed to provide rail September 1950. The locos were transferred adhesion), a smallcab at the rear with a trolley 'dead' to Agecroft by goods train and were pole mounted on top and an open work lower turned to face north at the Agecroft LMS shed. at the front carrying a second pole . They were Ho wever the tippler arrangements made it fitted with dumb buffers and centre link desirable to increase driver VJsibility by couplings and normally pulled a load ol four turning one loco to face south, so Agecroft No.2 wagons, each containing 2½ tons of coal. again visited Agecroft Shed m May 195 l. ;t/'Station locomotives yi.,rds 0 Works numbers 691 'lt.1 694 200 400 Weigh• 4 t n..· Wheelbase 3 4 Wheel diameter l 4· Master c0n~roller Traction M tor,; n"' on e<rh axle Jnvu:g eSidings thr · n"' s n 11@ mri· ic-t· nn worm gear ~ Ut:i .:~Ll: ·. V ■ 1: -ffG .SH::i:.,. w1, n · p n, r ·1:er .·· Tt • • .. 1w Tracuve effnrt . 3~ ll-. r; ~t ,;1Jf !.1. 3 <1!".d ~rrp• HS N . c 1s n- ; r 1.. ~ .r,ly : ;.in in· t•, • • · ymi (at l hr. wtmg uil •r,.., r ·nr ·1 q 1 IJ a•: 1,s :ilw:iys ii: ; •re. • :.i,x1!'-: ~B.:\ 1 ITJ(t 1nd~,..- rt and 220 V'Jlts rlc ::•,• r..1ryw ::i ; • r; rir. s iu ,,.-N). ". r · i:. : tn,., s•a•. :. ui: p: .1. 1 J·r'. J Speed 5-6rr.ph r _1 u,;t8'i :is a :-:rr,,e r )O,; x• wh . l,'., !€'f.-n!ll • s· ','{ J ; ns IP br , ,! ' v:.:. , n:: r '1t..1r .r.;r r p(Lr.• Jre 2 .un· d tl :.<.11r.;1s by :p • tt.e> · lliery ~ u: • M1mmum Radi ,s Curv>:> ne ~ tl 1bl~ l"' ::. th<> pa : Wl ! •n,,, nv y r ) J ..: L In 1961, to cope with the mcreased coal Today locos collect full wagons from the south demand of 'C' station a direct conveyor link sidings and propel them to the two tipplers. was opened between the re-opened Agecrof; The tipplers are designed to deal with two Colliery and the power station taking the rakes of wagons simultaneously but in pressure off the rail system. Later that year, in practice wagons are pushed through one side anticipation of a reduced workload, a diesel only and emptied singly. Wagons are then locomotive (a Stephenson & Hawthorns 0-6-0, pushed to the north sidings and subsequently 7746 of 1954) was brought by low loader from hauled back to the south sidings to await Brom.borough Power Station. The locomotive collection by the BR loco brmging the next was fitted with a Crossley direct reversing six train of fulls. cylinder scavenge pump diesel engine, better suited to trip working locomotives than In 1977 the three locos were renumbered shunters. Operations involving shunting AG-I, AG-2 and AG-3 (by this time Nos. l and backwards and forwards were very time 2 had lost their nameplates). All three have consuming with this type of engine. At each recently been repainted and can look forward change of direction the engine had to be shut to a secure working future. off involving laborious starting and direction changing procedures. Having been found t/-~v:_·,.·/~R-·• u·-, ...: : --·u·:. 'JI . unsuitable for the work at Agecroft the diesel ~..,._.. _: 5 ;,_, . : ...........- .. ~ was transferred to Whitebirk Power Station at Basic maintenance and overhaul of the -AG-1- Blackbum in July 1963. Agecroft locos 1s carried out at the shed. Larger jobs are undertaken by outside A third Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns 14'' x With the re-opening of Agecroft Colliery, the contractors, as when No.3 had a new firebox 22" 0-4-0 saddle tank (7681 of 1951) was rail system south of Agecroft Road bridge was fitted in 1961 and when No.2 had some saddle obtained to give increased cover. 7681 was altered. The CEGB lines were connected and tank plates renewed at Houghs of Wigan and originally ordered for Bolton Power Station. incorporated into the new colliery sidings as a her wheels retyred elsewhere. However, the capstan system at Bolton was back-up delivery system in the event of still operating sahsfactonly so the loco was conveyor breakdo wn or maintenance. An Towards the end of 1972, Agecroft No.2 was transferred to Chadderton Power Station, experiment in 1971 to make Agecroft Colliery given a major overhaul mcluding the fitting of Oldham, in 1952. Bolton No . 1 arrived at the sole coal supply and to make all deliveries new piston rings, rebushing the piston rod Agecroft by goods tram in September 1954. It by conveyor was unsuccessful and the Board neck and glands, facing up the valves and was repainted unlined blue in November and reverted to the rail system to make up the fitting new metallic packmg to the valve rods. subsequently became known as Agecroft Agecroft shortfall from collieries in Yorkshire Jn addition the axle boxes were replated, the No.3. and Leigh. axle brasses built up, the reversing shaft refitted at the bearings and the brake linkage and hangers rebushed. 1J& 'C'Station locomotives A1ecr At Nos. i, 2 anJ 3 vi rks N)S. 7416 ~435 ard 7681 Cylinders ,4 x22' Wher,! diameter 3 G' Wheelbase :, 6" Heatings lrlace 621 sq.ft. Grate area 8.87sq.ft. Water capuc1ty 700g~lbns Coal capao!)' 17 cwt Work Pressure :65 lb sq.m.::h Weight 28t:,ns Tractive effort a! 85°'o workmg pressure ~4,400 :.b Co;o'.lr Green with black lnimg edged m re cl and yellow -AG-2- -AG-3- Typical winter day demand curve and how CEGB which carry electricity at 400,000 and been flowing mto our na tional gnd smce the CEGB might meet the demand 275,000 volts), its mid-voltage Imes are its Calder Hall was opened m 1956. ELIC·TRICl·rv A-roads and its low-voltage lines are its mmor roads (these are the lines operated by the Area In fact there are a lready eight CEGB 'magnox' IN ENGLAND Electricity Boards which serve industry. towns nuclear powe r stations in England and Wales and villages, and the home). and another four of a more advanced design ANDWAL!S (the' AGR') nearing = mp!etion. Soon nuclear The Central Electricity Generating Board 4 The National Grid is a lso used to even out power w ill supply one-fifth of all our electricity {CEGB) is the 'wholesaler' of the electricity supply; for example by send.mg surplus requu ements. supply industry. It makes, distributes and sells electricity from one part of the UK to another electricity in bulk to twelve independent Arna 3 part where there 1s exceptional demand. The North West Region of the CEGB has been Electricity Boards - the 'retailers· such as in the forefront of this nuclear power MANWEB and NORWEB - which supply 50 The demand for electricity varies widely p rogramme. The Region's first 'magnox' m illion customers. during any 24-ho ur period.