Action on steam coal essential as heritage railways run out of puff
Railway companies and politicians are warning that many of Wales’ iconic train services could soon run out of steam. Andrew Forgrave reports
EARLIER this month Talyllyn railway published an online video explaining why it was abandoning steam and converting its engine fleet to electric.
It was an April Fool’s stunt, of course, but no laughing matter.
The 12 heritage railways in Wales are facing an “existential threat” that could see all steam-powered engines shunted to the sidings by the end of the summer.
An All-Party Parliamentary Group is to launch an inquiry and ministers in Cardiff and Westminster are being urged to do all they can to prevent incalculable damage to the Welsh tourism sector.
Heritage railways right across the UK are facing a bleak future as stocks of bituminous coal – the type needed by steam engines – are running low.
Neither are there many viable alternatives: trials of a manufactured “bio-coal” are under way but it could be some time before the technology is proven.
Heritage railways in Wales are limited to rapidly dwindling supplies from the Ffos-y-fran mine, near Merthyr Tydfil, which is being wound down after its closure was announced in January 2021.
Some companies buy imported steam coal but as several of the world’s biggest mines are located in Siberia, and in the Donbas region of Ukraine, recent events have made this option both impractical and unpalatable.
Other exporters are still available, such as China and Australia, but shipping is costly and carbon-intensive, and is a route most heritage railways are loath to go down.
Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville-Roberts believes imports are not a sustainable solution – especially for a sector that is working hard to shed its reliance on fossil fuels.
She wants the Welsh and UK governments to recognise the threat and allow the continued mining of suitable coal until heritage railways can find an alternative fuel.
Without help, the great little trains of Wales face an “existential threat”, she said.
“It places a serious question over the future of a sector that’s important not just for tourism, but also as a way for young people to understand oldfashioned heavy engineering,” she said.
“Heritage railways are keen to explore solutions as they realise they cannot continue using traditional fossils in the same way.
“What they need is temporary support so they can continue using these fuels until a clean, low-carbon alternative is found.
“I understand some of the larger heritage railway groups will have sufficient stocks for this season but many will find it difficult to replenish supplies once the summer is over.
“Smaller groups, having seen incomes affected by the pandemic, might be in an even more difficult position.”
Many of the UK’s heritage rail companies have already had to cut services in the lead-up to the Easter break, just as their main operating season begins.
Last month, the Llangollen Railway announced it would be running a reduced timetable this season due to rising fuel costs.
Over the summer it will be operating a new historic locomotive, on loan from Telford, on its line between Llangollen and Corwen.
Spokesman Terry Pickthall said the company currently holds “good reserves” of coal that are sufficient for around 30 days of steam operation.
He added: “Further stocks of Russian steam coal are still available in the UK but we do not feel it would be ethical to purchase any more given the horrific situation unfolding in Ukraine.
“The situation is very challenging. As well as coal supply, diesel prices are also vastly inflated, making operation of our diesel railcars and diesel locomotives more expensive too.”
The UK’s 150 heritage rail companies currently use around 26,000 tonnes of steam coal each year.
Other users might be affected by the emerging crisis too, such as owners of traction engines, steam canal boats, historic houses and industrial museums, which collectively account for another 9,000 tonnes.
In contrast, the UK’s overall use of coal amounts to 12 million tonnes per year.
A 2013 inquiry by the Heritage Rail All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), which Ms Saville-Roberts now co-chairs, found the sector makes a “major contribution” to local economies, equating to around 2.7 times a railway’s turnover.
Nationally, this amounts to an economic benefit of just under £250m.
They also provide jobs and valuable skills training, as well as harnessing the abilities of 18,500 volunteers.
As these figures are likely to have risen since, the APPG is launching a new inquiry as a means of informing ministers of the need for action.
Paul Lewin, general manager of Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways (FWHR), said his company’s coal stocks are tight but he was “90% sure they will last the season”. Like many other heritage railways, the short-notice closure of Ffos-y-fran had caught them out and FWHR had been forced to buy stockpiles of Russian coal previously imported to the UK. These supplies are now exhausted and buying further imports is off the table.
“We will continue looking for supplies but I think we will be OK this season, though this is by no means certain,” said Mr Lewin.
In the meantime, FWHR’s engineers are experimenting with different blends of steam coal and south Wales anthracite.
Results have been mixed: while the blends are able to power light work, they lack the punch needed by many heritage railways in Wales to tackle steep inclines.
“Put it this way, I wouldn’t put it in a passenger train and expect it to get home,” said Mr Lewis.
Hopes of weaning heritage railways from steam coal rest with biocoal.
In February, Homefire Ecoal briquettes developed by CPL Industries were real-world tested for the first time in a locomotive.
The coal briquettes contain 20% biomass, the composition of which is being endlessly tinkered in the hope of finding an optimum mix. Everything from olive pips to coconut husks are being tried.
Biocoal works, but with a recurring problem – a lack of high-performance power. Some people also have concerns over its environmental credentials.
“It’s a bit like E10 petrol you put in your car,” said Mr Lewis.
“It may contain 10% biofuel, but if your vehicle covers 10% less distance there’s no real environmental gain.”
FWHR’s 75 staff include plenty of bright sparks, and one has proposed using oilseed rape waste as a biocoal, either blended or pure, as it contains energy-rich oil residues. Trials are under way at the railway.
Such work shows just how keen heritage railways are to find sootless, carbon-neutral solutions, said Ms Saville-Roberts.
But the transition will take time and, amid a shortage of traditional steam coal, the sector needs support. In Wales, this means allowing limited mining to restart at Ffos-yfran, she said.