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Warwickshire's Industrial Railways

Nechells Power Station

The growth in electricity demand meant that the City of Birmingham needed a new power station to supplement its Summer Lane Power Station beside the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal in the city centre. Following purchase of a suitable plot of land next to Birmingham & Warwick Canal and Midland Railway, construction work commenced on the Nechells’ site in 1914, but the start of WW1 resulted in labour and material shortages, which halted the work and a temporary generating station had to be built instead. This was brought into operation in November 1915 and during 1916 a short standard gauge rail line from the Midland Railway’s sidings at Washwood Heath was built together with a single road engine shed. Once the war was over, work recommenced on the originally planned Power Station and it was eventually opened by the Prince of Wales in June 1923 and was unofficially called the Princes Power Station.

By 1933 the City’s electricity Department owned 314 railway wagons and seventy canal boats which transported coal from collieries in Warwickshire, South Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Cannock Chase. At Nechells most coal was supplied by rail although a there was a large Telpher installation for unloading canal barges. In 1946 a second larger Power Station (Nechells B) was started and this was completed in 1954. Extra sidings were laid to serve the coal handling plant of the new Power Station and additional 0-6-0T locomotives were introduced requiring the rebuilding of the engine shed. Rail traffic ceased when the Nechells B Power Station closed in July 1982.

The table below details the Standard Gauge Steam Locomotives that worked on the Nechells Power Station Site.

Locomotive Type Manufacturer Date Acquired Disposal
No 1 0-4-0ST Peckett & Sons Ltd. Atlas Locomotive Works, Bristol 1916 (New) 1972
(CEGB Northampton Power Station)
No 2 0-4-0ST Peckett & Sons Ltd. Atlas Locomotive Works, Bristol 1917 (New) 1950
(BEA Hams Hall)
No 3 0-6-0T Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd. Forth Bank Works, Newcastle 1949 (New) 1972
(Shackerstone Railway Society)
No 4 0-6-0T Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd. Forth Bank Works, Newcastle 1951
(ex BEA Meaford Power Station)
1972
(Shackerstone Railway Society)
No 5 0-6-0T R&W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. Forth Bank Works, Newcastle 1954
(ex BEA Hams Hall Power Station)
1955
(Returned to Hams Hall Power Station)
No 8 0-6-0T Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd. Forth Bank Works, Newcastle 1966
(ex CEGB Hams Hall Power Station)
1972
(Scrapped)

Robert Ferris

Industrial Locomotives (36) Colliery Locomotives (8)

A panoramic view of the Nechells Princes Power Station Site and its various components
Ref: nechells111
MEB Archive
A panoramic view of the Nechells Princes Power Station Site and its various components
View of Nechells B Power Station's step-up transformers which supplied the electrical network with electricity
Ref: nechells112
MEB Archive
View of Nechells B Power Station's step-up transformers which supplied the electrical network with electricity
Another view of the coal unloadig area of Princes Power Station with several Private Owner 7 plank wagons
Ref: nechells109
MEB Archive
Another view of the coal unloadig area of Princes Power Station with several Private Owner 7 plank wagons
View of the coal  tipping equipment in operation outside Nechells Princes Power Station
Ref: nechells110
MEB Archive
View of the coal tipping equipment in operation outside Nechells Princes Power Station
Construction of the coal unloading area outside Nechells Princes Power Station and the Telpher installation
Ref: nechells108
MEB Archive
Construction of the coal unloading area outside Nechells Princes Power Station and the Telpher installation

Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns No 4 is seen shunting at Nechalls Power Station on 3rd June 1970
Ref: nechells100
JA Peden
Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns No 4 is seen shunting at Nechalls Power Station on 3rd June 1970
Baguley Drewery 0-6-0 Works No 3681 is seen at rest at Nechells Power Station on 21st September 1976
Ref: nechells101
AJ Booth
Baguley Drewery 0-6-0 Works No 3681 is seen at rest at Nechells Power Station on 21st September 1976
CEGB 0-6-0T No 3 hauling a rake of empty mineral open wagons from the Nechells Power Station
Ref: nechells1103
R Shill
CEGB 0-6-0T No 3 hauling a rake of empty mineral open wagons from the Nechells Power Station
Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-6-0T No 3 and Peckett 'W6' class 0-4-0ST No 2 standing stationary
Ref: nechells166
M Wood
Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-6-0T No 3 and Peckett 'W6' class 0-4-0ST No 2 standing stationary
Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-6-0T and Peckett 0-4-0ST locomotives stand head to head outside the 'new' locomotive shed
Ref: nechells167
M Wood
Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-6-0T and Peckett 0-4-0ST locomotives outside the 'new' locomotive shed

Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-6-0T No 3 waits as Peckett 'W5' class 0-4-0ST No 1 collects empty wagons
Ref: nechells168
M Wood
Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 0-6-0T No 3 waits as Peckett 'W5' class 0-4-0ST No 1 collects empty wagons
An unusual type of Baguley–Drewry 0-6-0 Diesel Hydraulic locomotive seen on 14th October 1982
Ref: nechells137
R Monk
An unusual type of Baguley–Drewry 0-6-0 Diesel Hydraulic locomotive seen on 14th October 1982
A comparatively rare example of a post-nationalisation 'private owner' coal wagon seen dumped on the tippler 14 October 1982
Ref: nechells136
R Monk
A comparatively rare example of a post-nationalisation 'private owner' coal wagon seen dumped on the tippler
One of the Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn locomotives stands near to Nechells Power Station's shed in November 1971
Ref: nechalls299
R Carr
A Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn locomotive stands near to Nechells Power Station's shed in November 1971