ASH-DISPOSAL PLANTS

THE preserved engine shed at Carnforth is truly remarkable, for in addition to having the nation’s last ferro-concrete coaling tower, it also possesses the only remaining mechanical ash-disposal plant.

It is surprising how many enthusiasts mistake the ash-lifting facility for a second coaling tower On occasions over the years, pictures submitted to this magazine showing engines at the ash plant have often been captioned “beneath the mechanical coaler”.

Reinforced-concrete ash plants do look at first glance like coalers but they were much smaller and more slender and featured far fewer design variants Most of them were built from the early-1930s onwards