Why we should worry about our coal supplies
Welcome to the November EIM and another packed issue with I’m glad to say quite a lot of variety – everything from stationary engines to a rare appearance of clockmaking! I’ve always fancied building a clock, but sadly I suspect with my manic lifestyle it would become yet another half-finished project – even this month it was a struggle to finish the issue as my family insisted I take some weird thing called a holiday...
Of all the features in this issue one you really should take notice of is the first, starting on page 6 and detailing the experiences of the Andover Model Engineers in trying out the new ‘eco-coal’ that is becoming available. I’m delighted to say that it was a news story in our August issue, which reported on the 15-inch gauge Bure Valley Railway’s experiments with this coal, that persuaded the Andover members to purchase a bag and try it out for themselves. Their results make interesting reading as you will see.
Why, however, should you be concerned about this? Quite simply, becasue future supplies of the traditional steam coal we use in our locomotives, road engines and stationary plants is by no means certain. Domestic coal production in the UK is about to come to an end as an increasingly strong environmental lobby encourages the Government to pursue an ever more strict green agenda. As it should, you might say, except that some of the decisions don’t make a lot of sense, such as importing coal we still need for industry from countries such as Russia in ships that pump out a lot more harmful emissions than does mining the stuff at home.
In my other role as editor of Narrow Gauge World magazine I have been following and reporting on developments in what is a very real issue – according to the Heritage Railway Association despite Covid, maintaining coal supplies is the biggest threat to the future of our preserved railway network and heritage steam in general.
So we need to find an answer, and ‘green’ coal could provide one – particularly as even if we can secure future supplies of traditional coal at an affordable price, burning it in our engines is going to be seen as increasingly unacceptable in the environmentally-concerned environment of today...
In other news - tech ed Harry has had me driving Fairbourne steam locos! It’s great fun, and thoroughly recommended. Enjoy your EIM...