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Echoes of the Past

WELCOME to Trains Online’s own window on the lost world of British Railways. Pictures appearing on this page date from the late 1960s through the 1970s and 1980s to the demise of British Rail. These pictures are replaced on a monthly basis and may occasionally show ‘past and present’ scenes. Page last updated January 07


Class-47-at-Castle-Donington-(perhaps-summer-84)-1-WEB

COAL fired power stations were once a common site across the UK, but in this more environmentally conscious age many have been converted to burn other fuels or have been reduced to rubble. In the summer of 1984 an unidentified Class 47 runs round its train of HAA wagons at Castle Donington Power station. Opened in 1958 it was completely closed in 1994.

Class-47-at-Ratcliffe-on-Soar-(perhaps-summer-84)-2-WEB

WHEN this Class 47 was pictured at Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in the summer of 1984 Type 4 haulage of Merry Go Round coal trains was a regular feature of its operation, and, unlike nearby Castle Donington, it remains a key part of the UK’s power generation network. The track layout in the area has been altered to accommodate East Midlands Parkway, which is adjacent to the power station.