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Warwickshire's Industrial Railways

Birmingham - Soho - Perry Barr - Birmingham

Handsworth Power Station

Robert Ferris writes, 'I came across this article from 'The Engineer' dated 13th October 1905, which indicates that the Power Station here had a private siding with weighing facility. I remember going there to switch in substation housed in the old generation station building in the 1980 and 1990s, when I worked for the MEB. Unfortunately I never took any photographs of the site and this has now been redeveloped'.

Looking towards the site of the former station with the remains of the booking office just visible on the left
Ref: lnwrsohord1519
DJ Norton
Looking towards the site of the former station with the remains of the booking office just visible on the left
Close up showing on the right part of the single freight only branch line to Soho Pool goods station
Ref: lnwrsohord1519a
DJ Norton
Close up showing on the right part of the single freight only branch line to Soho Pool goods station
Looking towards Winson Green junction with the single line to Soho Wharf Pool falling away to the left on 3rd October 1965
Ref: lnwrsohord3424
J Alsop
Looking towards Winson Green junction with the single line to Soho Wharf Pool falling away to the left
An unidentified LNWR 4-4-0 Precursor class locomotive stands at the station whilst at the head of a local service
Ref: lnwrsohord3747
National Library of Scotland
A 1912 OS map showing the single line to Soho Wharf and the siding leading to Handsworth Power Station
A 1912 Ordnance Survey map showing Soho Road station and, on the right, Handsworth Power Station
Ref: lnwrsohord3748
National Library of Scotland
A 1912 Ordnance Survey map showing Soho Road station and, on the right, Handsworth Power Station

NEW POWER STATION AT HANDSWORTH

At Handsworth, near Birmingham, immediately adjoining the Soho-road Railway Station of the London and North Western Railway Company, the Urban District Council of Handsworth have, at a cost of some £50,000, erected a.handsome new electric light and power station, which was officially opened on Monday last. The site of the new station was formerly part of the estate upon which stood the famous old Soho Foundry, which estate was purchased from a member of the Boulton family.

The engineering work has been placed in the able hands of Sir Alexander B. W Kennedy and his partner, Mr. Bernard M.Jenkin, who entrusted the design of the generating station to Messrs. Henman and Cooper, architects, of Birmingham. The site, in the Piers road, is a central one, with sufficient area to provide for both present and future needs, and the station has its own siding connected with the adjoining railway near Soho road Station, so that coal can be conveyed and delivered by rail straight into the bunkers in front of the boilers. The slope of the ground has been conveniently taken advantage of by placing these bunkers and boilers on the lower level, and the building has been arranged with a temporary end so that it can be extended eastward as may be needed. The present provision is for three boilers, the heated gases from which pass through economisers into the stack. Next to the boiler-house is the engine-room with an initial size of 72ft. by 39ft. The remainder of the lower floor is occupied by the pump room, stores, men's room, battery room and Engineer's offices, while an upper floor provides space for the meter room, drawing office, bath and lavatories, sample rooms, and committee room. The building has been kept simple in character, and depends for its architectural effect externally upon the general grouping. The exterior is pleasing, the louvred gables of the boiler-house being surmounted by the higher roof of the engine-house, having its termination in the two ventilating turrets, the whole being dominated by the tall chimney shaft. Red brick and Portland Stone are used as facing materials. The contractors for the buildings were Messrs. Wbitehouse and Company, of Monument-road, Birmingham. The three boilers which have so far been installed are of the water-tube type, and have been made by the Stirling Boiler Company, Limited, of Motherwell. Each boiler has a grate area of 31 square feet, and is capable of evaporating 6600 lb. of water per hour at a pressure of 200 lb. per square inch. The boilers are fitted with superheaters. There is room in the present boiler-house for four more similar boilers, or seven in all.

The engine-room is now of sufficient size to contain some 1700 horse-power of machinery. At present there are four vertical high-speed engines, built by Messrs. Belliss and Morcom, of Birmingham. Two of the engines are of 150 horsepower each, and two of 200 horsepower each. Each of the smaller engines drives two dynamos, while the large engines each drive a single large dynamo. These large dynamos are compound wound, and will supply electric energy for tramways as well as for lighting. The dynamos have been made by the General Electric Company, Limited, of Witton, who had the contract for both engines and dynamos.

The switchboard has been manufactured by Messrs. Ferranti, of Hollinwood, to the design of the consulting engineers. The total length of the board is 21ft.; it contains four dynamo panels, one for each of the large dynamos and one for each pair of small dynamos. There are also four panels for instruments and switches required in connection with the storage battery, and in connection with the small "boosters," or motor-driven dynamos-made by Messrs. Newton, Limited, of Taunton- used for charging or discharging the battery. There is in addition a blank panel, on which will be fitted the instruments required by the Board of Trade when the tramways are supplied, and, finally, at the extreme left-band end of the board there are the feeder panels. Meters for recording the total electrical output of the dynamos and battery are arranged against the wall at the back of the main switchboard. The connections between the dynamos and switchboard and between the switchboard and the end of the tunnel under the battery room to the outside of the building are almost entirely of bare copper rod, supported by porcelain insulators from iron framework. The fire risk is thus reduced to a minimum, as there is an entire absence of inflammable material about the switchboard. The contract for the whole of the steam, exhaust, feed, and drain pipes, together with the boiler feed pumps, a feed heater and economiser, has been carried out by Messrs. John Spencer and Co., Ltd., of Wednesbury. Messrs. J. P. Hall and Sons, Ltd., of Peterborough, were sub-contractors for the feed pumps; Messrs. J. Wright and Co., of Tipton, for the feed heater; and Messrs. Lowcock, Limited, of Shrewsbury, for the economiser. The battery, which is installed in a separate room on the north side of and adjoining the engine-room, WM supplied by the A.B.P. Accumulator Company, Limited, of Stockton-on-Tees. It consists of 256 cells, and has a capacity of 360 ampere-hours; that is to say, it will give an output equal to that of one of the large engines and dynamos when fully loaded for about an hour and a quarter. The overhead travelling crane in the engine-room was supplied by Messrs. John Hitchin and Son, of Halifax, and is designed for a. working load of 10 tons.

The lighting of the whole of the buildings has been carried out by the West Bromwich Light and Power Company. Arrangements are made by which the whole of the station lighting can be switched over to the battery in case of emergency. With reference to the work outside the generating station, the mains that have been laid at present for the supply of electric energy for lighting or power purposes extend over a considerable area of the district from Hockley to Hamstead Hill, and from the far end of Trinity-road to Wattville road, or practically from end to end of the urban district. The whole of the area supplied is divided into separate sections to facilitate the locating of any fault caused by damage to the mains. The wires are insulated with the best Manilla paper impregnated with oil, and are covered in special hydraulic presses-with a seamless lead sheath. These lead -covered cables are laid in wooden troughs tilled with bitumen and covered with blue Staffordshire tiles. The normal depth is 12in. under the footways, and at least 2ft. under all road crossings. All the cables have been manufactured and laid by Messrs. Johnson and Phillips, Limited, of Old Charlton.

A large number of arc lamps has been provided for the public lighting of the main thoroughfares. The lamp pillars are of simple yet handsome design, and were cast by Messrs. Mackenzie Brothers, of Edinburgh. Two small brackets, each fitted with an incandescent lamp, are provided two-thirds of the way up each pillar. It is intended to switch off the arc lamps and switch on the incandescent lamps in their place during the latter part of the night, and a saving will thus be effected not only in the amount of energy, but in the cost of carbons for, and in trimming, the arc lamps. The arc lamps ware made by Messrs. Crompton and Co., Limited., of Chelmsford, who secured the contract for the lamp pillars and lamps. Provision is made throughout the installation to ensure the greatest possible economy in the working of the station. With this object in view the coal is measured by a weighbridge on the siding as it is delivered in the trucks. The water pumped to the boilers is measured, so that an accurate record is kept. The current supplied by each dynamo is recorded by an electrical meter, thus enabling those in charge to know exactly the amount of power or electrical units generated corresponding to a certain weight of coal burned and water evaporated. The current supplied to consumers from the mains in the streets is measured by a. meter placed in each consumer's house. The readings of all the consumers' meters give the amount of power of electrical units sold. In this way it is possible to keep an accurate record from day to day and month to month of the working of the station and to obtain the best possible efficiency throughout the whole system. Mr. F. A. Nixon has supervised the whole of the work from the start, including the laying of the electric mains throughout Handsworth, the erection of the arc lamp posts, and of the whole of the plant in the generating station, acting as resident engineer for the consulting engineers - Messrs. Kennedy and Jenkin- and be has now been appointed by the Council to take charge of the station and of the supply of electricity, both for power and lighting purposes, in the capacity of electrical engineer to the Council.