2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Drax Power Station.
To commemorate the event a on site photo shoot organised by Drax staff Ian Broadhead and Mark Gibbons in conjunction with Chris Gee Northern Diesel photo charters was put together as well as a number of rail tours.
The events were to take place over the weekend of 17th and 18th of August with the cooperation of many volunteers acting as co organisers and stewards. The event chose to support local charity Martin House Children’s Hospice raising over £30,000.
The 17th featured two photo shoots, one day time and one night time. Many locos and wagons representing the history of railway involvement were present.
20118 + 20132 in large logo rail freight livery
37901 In metals sector tow tone grey livery
56098 in large logo livery
60076 in GBRf livery
59202 in Freight liner orange livery
66004 in Climate Hero green livery
66301 in Drax 50th Gold livery
70004 in Freight liner green and yellow livery.
Also present were a short rake of HAA MGR wagons from the Chasewater Railway as well as some coal hoppers and Bio Mass hoppers including the new liveried gold one.
Locos and wagons were set up in various configurations through out the day and night.
Drax started life in 1974 as one of three power stations designed to utilise the Selby coal field. Those being Ferrybridge (converted) Eggborough (new) and Drax also new.
At the this time Drax would consume 36,000 tonnes of coal per day being fed from Kellingley Colliery, Prince of Wales, Ackton Hall, Sharlston Colliery, Fryston Colliery, Askern Colliery and Bentley Colliery.
With the eventual demise of Britains coal industry in 2007 imported coal was brought to Drax via Port of Tyne, Hull,Immingham and Hunterston in Scotland.
From 2004 Drax was duel fired by coal and bio mass until eventually going to 100% bio mass in September 2012.
Drax is now the largest power station in Britain and the 3rd largest in Europe producing 6% of the counties electricity needs. She has 4 bio mass fired boiler units which drive turbines producing 14 Terra watts per hour.
The bio mass is stored in 4 domes each dome containing 80,000 tonnes.
Drax is still rail fed with a large rail loop passing through the bio mass unloader which means the trains can pass through the facility without stopping. Each train of 23-24 11A-D Bio Mass hopper wagons carries 71.6 tonnes. A whole train of approx 1800 tonnes can be consumed when Drax is running at full capacity in 1 hour.
Drax takes her cooling water from the River Ouse which is used to cool the recycled boiler water in the cooling towers. The emissions from these 374ft high towers is steam and not polluted products as some people think. The water is then cleaned before being returned to the Ouse.
The main chimney is a staggering 851 ft high with a diameter of 85ft. It comprises 3 flues, 1 flue serving two boilers.
