MORE STEAM TURNS “GREEN”
Green Steam – Biomass Fuel Trial, Barry Tourist Railway 07 05 19
Introduction
The Barry Tourist Railway is a relatively small preserved railway that currently operates over two routes totalling 2 miles of track. As such, it can never attract the number of passengers that the ‘first division’ heritage railways do. Consequently, the fare box revenue is a fraction of these major lines.
The Barry Tourist Railway therefore thrives by keeping a close rein on costs and limiting expenditure, save for those funds that must be spent to ensure safe operations. The railway is keen to showcase steam locomotives, but the regular use of conventional engines would be uneconomic. The line therefore invested in a Sentinel locomotive a number of years ago. This small vertically-boilered locomotive, Susan (Builder’s No.9537) is very powerful for its size and typically burns only 4-5cwt of coal for a day’s steaming, a fraction of that which would be used by a conventional steam engine.
It is planned to extend the Barry Tourist Railway from the present temporary terminus at Gladstone Bridge Platform, half a mile to Barry Dock Station, where an interchange with the Transport for Wales Valley Lines Station will be possible. Scrub clearance work has already commenced but it is clear that the Local Authority, responsible for the necessary planning permission, will impose restrictions on the emissions from steam locomotives on the extension, as the line passes close to a housing development.
As the Managing Director for the Company that operates the railway, Cambrian Transport, I am also a keen environmentalist. I have therefore been considering how the railway can take a more sustainable, environment-friendly approach in its operations. I had heard about the National Trust firing its steam launch, Gondola, on biomass fuel and wondered if this might be a solution for us. The South Tyneside narrow-gauge railway also fires it’s little Hunslet 0-4-2 steam loco on wood briquettes. Would biomass fuel work in our standard gauge Sentinel steam loco? Well there was only one way to find out – do a trial steaming!
Biomass Fuel Supply
We contacted the company that supply the Gondola steam launch, Blazers Ltd, and were given a lot of help and advice by their Sales and Marketing Director, Jon Watson, on the use of the biomass logs. A tonne of Blazers logs was therefore purchased and delivered on a pallet the next day!
We didn’t want to risk trying out the biomass fuel on one of our passenger-running days in case the loco experienced steaming difficulties. However we wanted to undertake a challenging test. We store main line stock on the railway and there was a need to undertake shunting of a rake of large 100tonne GLW hoppers which had been temporarily stabled on our running line. The gradients into and out of the sidings are quite steep at 1 in 60, so this exercise would be a good trial.
It was decided to undertake the trial steaming on 7th April 2019.
Lighting Up and Raising Steam
Lighting up of the engine was remarkably easy. Initially, by lighting just one 10kg bag of biomass logs in the firebox, a good fire was started immediately. With a vertical boiler having a ‘top feed’ firebox, care had to be taken to avoid filing the cab with flying embers before enough steam pressure was raised to operate the blower. This should not be an issue on a steam loco with a conventional boiler. Susan reached full pressure in under 2 hours which is a typical time for a Sentinel loco.
Loco Operation
The loco proved to be just as controllable as when fired by coal. Susan collected rakes of wagons from the running line, sorted them and shunted them into the sidings coping easily with the steep gradient.
The new fuel performed well, and the loco was fired at the same frequency as would normally be done with coal, putting on a ‘bag worth’ of biomass logs into the firebox at a time, rather than 5-6 shovelfuls of coal. Pressure was maintained even when the weir pump was being used to fill the boiler with water. The loco worked with train weights of up to 210t in high gear, (Sentinels have two gears), and was never struggling for steam.
Firing and Emissions
Emissions were significantly reduced, and it is considered that with some practice in firing with the new fuel to maintain a high temperature in the firebox, smoke could probably be further reduced.
The fuel logs burn down to nothing, and when checking the ashpan at the end of the day it was just as clean as when we started, the firebars were the same, so the dirty job of cleaning out the ashpan just wasn’t required (see attached photos).
Next Steps
Our plan is now to undertake a trial with Susan on passenger duty. However, it seems clear that Biomass fuel has a great potential to reduce our carbon footprint. Whilst the fuel is somewhat more expensive than coal per tonne, it would appear that the ‘cost per days running’ would be of the same order for a Sentinel loco. In any event, without this form of fuel, it is unlikely that we would be able to use steam locos on our new extension.
Already our Sentinel loco is being referred to as ‘Sustainable Susan’!
John Buxton
Director
Cambrian Transport
Barry Rail Centre, operator of the Barry Tourist Railway
M 07595023749
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