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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Last of the Welsh Coal Trains

The Last of the Welsh Coal Trains

Davies, Chris

Paperback

Series: The Railways and Industry

Technology & EngineeringTrains

Currently unavailable to order

ISBN10: 1913295737
ISBN13: 9781913295738
Publisher: Key Pub
Published: Jun 16 2020
Pages: 128
Language: English
Despite the substantial decline of coal mining in the UK over the last three decades, until recently, coal was still a vital energy source for the nation's power stations. During 2013 and 2014, coal accounted for 36 percent of all UK rail freight, but that amount plummeted in 2015 due to the doubling of the top-up carbon tax, a measure implemented to encourage power stations to use greener fuels. With the government's phase-out of all coal-fired power stations by 2025, many have already closed.

South Wales is one of the last places in the UK where coal is still mined and dispatched by rail for domestic consumption. Aberthaw power station was the principal customer for this coal until 2017, when they turned to imported coal. This measure was taken to reduce toxic nitrogen emissions at the plant and was the beginning of the end for the power station, which finally closed in late 2019.

Coal is still mined in South Wales and is supplied by rail to Tata steel in Port Talbot, to British Steel's Scunthorpe works, to Breedon cement works in Derbyshire and to Immingham for export. However, the future of the industry remains uncertain as we move away from fossil fuels towards more eco-friendly forms of energy.

This book looks at the last of the coaling operations in South Wales, from 2013 to early 2020, and features over 190 color images of coal trains running to and from the mine sites along the scenic South Wales Valleys and the picturesque stretch of coastline that the Vale of Glamorgan line takes to Aberthaw

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