Photo Request - Broomgrove Power Station

[Geoff]

Going back to my original Bing screen grabs. Don't these look suspiciously like the same roofs?

[Derek Jempson]

Yes, they do, but the rooftops in the original photo seem to be close to the camera position and I would think that they were demolished to make way for the Housing Association blocks in Farley Bank, or whatever it's called these days. All the old houses in that area were probably built at about the same time, and in the same style.

I think we can agree that the power stations stood where you say they did, Geoff (on the patch of cleared land), and that my original assertion on my orientation was wrong, but Fortune of War it was, whichever way round I was standing!

[Richard Pollard]

I would like to correct Steve Peaks insertion for the Gas Powered Station at Broomgrove.
Each set contained 4 Rolls-Royce AVON jet engines (Total 8 engines).
The sets were designed to come into full power within 3 minutes delivering 55mw per set.
I worked at this station for some 5 years before it was closed down as an electrical engineer and operated the sets daily when on shift.

This was not intended to be offensive in any way to the originator but just a correction to the facts.

[Richard]

Quite some power generation capability then, the equivalent of four supersonic jet planes in one place.
I hadn't quite realised the close ties between Industrial Power generation companies and the Military.

[Richard Pollard]

Hi Richard
Yes when the sets were on line the sound in the turbine hall was quite deafening to say the least even with ear defenders on. You only entered the hall if really needed.

Occasionally there would be an explosion from the booths where the engines were operating, only to shut down the set and investigate to find the compressor blades had broken and shot through the engine case covering the whole area in fuel oil and lube oil. It took about 8 hours to remove the lids and disconnect the engine/s and lift it out onto the side loading bays using the 20 ton overhead gantry crane. 2 engines sat on top the other two, you just hoped that it wasn't a bottom one as the top engine immediately above had to come out first. These were transported back to RR on a low loader lorry to Scotland where a replacement was ferried in quickly, the price back in those days to the CEGB was around 1 million pounds per replacement. The main idea was not to be around in the main turbine hall when the blades broke!!
In my service we replaced only 3 engines due to faults, but several were replaced due to excess running hours and returned for service.
Every time the sets were run up they consumed 90 tons of air per hour and fuel oil was consumed at about 100 gallons per set per hour. unlike an aeroplane which once reaching its height pulls back on engine speed, ours ran at full throttle all the time which consequently reduced its serviceable life span.

Fuel was delivered by rail on a regular basis and the tankers were off loaded into a dumping tank were this was centrifuged into a clean tank and then into the station, the tankers were either 45 ton singles or 90 ton boggie tanks, nevertheless there was nearly always a derailment or the train went through the buffers!! All good fun?
Many a time the loco that brought the tankers through from Bexhill couldn't make the slope into the station grounds and forced the loco back out onto the running rails by the weight against the engine, this is where it sat till a second loco came to assist in pushing them up the gradient, nearly every time they took a run at it near enough from Ore tunnel, this is when the problems started when the fuel train came up the hill at some speed and not taking the curves on the worn out track well and that's when the whole lot came unstuck, that's where it stopped again until the rail people came along to put the tankers back on the track, they (the rack workers) weren't at all happy as they nervously lifted the tanker/s full of oil back onto the rails, and of course all this time the gates were closed on the road through to lower Broomgrove Road.

Sorry this dragged on but it was all fun looking back!!

[Richard]

Richard, It's good to hear from someone with enthusiasm and experience of the 'Avon' engines, and I know these, or variants, are still in use today, I believe the later RB211 engines are now employed in Offshore Oil & Gas plants.
I heard reports of an exceptional 'Avon' being operated in an Industrial installation in Canada, running continuously for 53,000 hours before requiring a major overhaul.
The technology of the latest 'Trent' series beggars belief, with hollow turbine blades, grown at a Plant in Rotherham from a single metal crystal, precisely perforated for cooling purposes.
However, I expect they are way too valuable to put into Industrial use just yet.

[Geoff]

The history page on the power stations is finally good enough to go live.

Many thanks to Richard Pollard for his invaluable knowledge and supplying the fabulous photos of the coal-fired plant. Also to Derek for the nice shot of both power stations in situ at the same time.

Still lacking photos of the most recent power station, but I will add some if and when I come across any.

For anyone who is interested in having a read, History of Broomgrove Power Stations

[Richard]

So where is the nearest power station to Hastings now, does it mainly come from Dungeness?

[Oldhands mike]

Hi
just been reading the info on the power station ,absolutely fascinating-have trawled through my fotos last weekend but could nt find those ones i knew I once had of the oil powered one.
but I can confirm that the foto already showing of the 2 power stations together is taken from the Hughenden road /mount pleasant road junction ,probably from an upper window at the rear, looking up the valley towards Alsford yard direction ,it is not viewed from where the FOW pub once stood because from there you would be at right angles to the combined site of the 2 power stations.
Does anybody remember the signal box mans allotment and fish pond that once stood adjacent to the signal box-oh happy days, digging up a few spuds btweeen trains,

I'll keep looking though for those fotos you need
regards
mike

[Geoff]

Hi Mike and welcome to the forum.

Afraid i'm not quite old enough to remember the signal box alotment at Ore Station, however there is still a station plot at the West St Leonards Station (or at least was a couple of years back).

It would be fantastic if you could find a photo of the newer power station, thanks for looking.