Wide angle shot showing a coal train passing through the unloading Hopper house

View looking towards Didcot Station

View from the starting signals outside the hopper house

Unloading coal from the trains is carried to the top of the conveyer and drops to form a 'volcanic' heap the dispersed by the Spreader Dumpers

Top Loading. Takes place when a certain type of coal has to be separated and mixed with the main coal heap by the Spreader Dumpers

Three Spreader Dumpers wait for the coal to start pouring into their hoppers

The Outgoing empty train waits at the exit signal for an incoming loaded coal trian to clear the Up Loop. The loco has just run around the train at Didcot and is now pulling towards the power station and will cross in front of the empty coal train at the crossover just ahead

The noise and force of the hot water changes according to the peak hours of use

The new coal for mixing is directed from the hoppers and loaded into the Spreader Dumpers

The Locomotive has just entered the hopper house

The locomotive exits from the east end of the hopper house

The Loco of the loaded coal train from Avonmouth Docks has runround at Didcot and is waiting to enter the Power Station for unloading

The Loco of the loaded coal train from Avonmouth Docks has runround at Didcot and is waiting to enter the Power Station for unloading

The high temperature water from the generating plant is forced into and around the cooling towers and under gravity begins it's cooling before returning to the river Thames

The coal trian is approximately half way through the unloadong house

The Class 37 had arrived light engine to pick up empty coal wagons left over the weekend before

Telephotos picture, cropped to cut out the less interesting foreground

Rear of a coal train in it's final unloading stage on No2 road in the hopper house

Moving towards the hopper house

Loaded coal train waits at the main signal gantry to pull round to the unloading plant

Loaded coal train waits at the main signal gantry to pull round to the unloading plant

Loaded coal train waits at the main signal gantry to pull round to the unloading plant

Loaded coal train waits at the main signal gantry to pull round to the unloading plant

Even the large coal trains and locomotives are dwarfed by the scale of the Cooling Towers

Didcot train crews have been working the coal trains from the first day of opening. This is an early (1973) photo of that period

Coal trains can move through the plant none-stop, at 0.5mph. but ocassionally have to stop to allow the underground hoppers to clear a bit

Cab view of the cooling towers and creep signals

Cab view from No. 1 road and the creep signals

An HST runs past as the coal trainw aits for the signal to enter the power station for unloading

Along with gravity water is also forced through a large pipe and 'flutes' that help break the flow into drops

A Spreadrer Dumper clears the coal from the flutted shute. The 'flutes' allow the coal to pour evenly around and in a uniform heap

A Spreader Dumper returning for a reload

A quiet moment when no water is running

A pleasant sunrise after a very cold night when water lying around was still frozen

A First HST passes on the down main while the empty coal train waits for a loaded train to clear the Up loop

A Dumper spreads the newer coal to mix in with the main heap

A cropped image giving a widescreen effect

A coal train creeps along discharging coal on No. 2 road. The yellow 'Daleks' are only used for the older Merrygoround wagons. The new EWS 100tonn wagons are unloaded manually by power station staff as the train creeps along

A 6xZoom view of the chimney and side of one cooling tower