The End of a Dynasty

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21 күн бұрын

A sad and proud day filming the arrival of (possibly) the last ever coal train for power generation in the UK at Ratcliffe Power Station. Ratcliffe is the last coal fired power station in the UK and due to close in September this year. I also managed to film the naming ceremony of loco 66781. Other footage around the power station and departure of the train from Ratcliffe was filmed by my colleague Louis Hurst. The older pictures are taken by my Dad John Potts. The music and narrative is from the film Aerial Voyage which I always loved watching due to the amazing nostalgia behind the Coal Industry and UK Industry as a whole. Coal is King but has the Kingdom ended?
Unfortunately the nostalgia is added in this video as my Dad passed away on Saturday 6th July. I dedicate this video to my Dad who I love and miss very much. RIP!

Пікірлер: 60

@matt154uk9 13 күн бұрын

So sorry to hear about your loss Ben. This is a lovely tribute to him. My Dad passed away in 2007 and I was away in Kazakhstan on a plane trip and Mike kindly drove to Heathrow to pick me after I got an earlier flight back to the UK. Take care, Matt

@pmallenuk 10 күн бұрын

Great coverage of this historic event. Nicely put together & presented. So sorry for your loss Ben. A lovely tribute dedicating this to your Dad.

@darrenhillman8396 19 күн бұрын

My condolences for your sad loss. I lost my Dad in September 2015 and miss him greatly, particularly his wisdom and droll sense of humour. But well done for the video. It makes a lovely tribute to him and to the wider industry that the UK has lost.

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Thanks Darren. Yes at least you can look back with great memories which I know I will in time as well.

@werringtonjunction 19 күн бұрын

A nicely put together documentry by you on the passing of another great institution in our once great industrial nation. A nice touch too with the dedication to your Dad who I am sure was very proud of his family and his son's achievements. Take care Ben, remembering all those good times you had together will help heal sadness.❤

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Thanks Mick. A sad few weeks that's for sure

@alanjewell9550 19 күн бұрын

I could see the steam from the cooling towers from my bedroom window from the year dot. Always fascinated me. I later worked in coal related industry. Visited it once on an open day in the 1980's. I'll be sad to see the end of it as it's been like a friend & an iconic landmark.

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

It's simply iconic. A part of the scenery. Thanks for watching Alan

@antman09ful1 19 күн бұрын

Superb coverage of the event Ben, yes you was right saying I will enjoy the footage, but its not great that it was the last coal train. Very good idea to include your dads photos, and to dedicate the video to him. On Friday you was talking about your dad and then to hear on Sunday he had passed away was quit a shock for me as I had the pleasure of meeting him twice. I'm sure we will talk more on Thursday, regards Mike.

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Thanks Mike. It was crazy putting these photos on what was a sad day anyway and the tragic news adding to the nostalgia and sentimentality of this video

@colingarwood9971 19 күн бұрын

A truly magnificent video Ben. The past and present footage you and your colleague have put together is a fitting tribute to Ratcliffe PS and the coal industry as a whole, and one i'm sure your Dad would have been proud off mate. Thanks Ben, you take care , Colin.

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Thanks Colin. Much appreciated as always

@riggers6214 19 күн бұрын

It's criminal that in the late 70's and early 80's that British Gas and the CEGB (spurred on by the anti coal mining union, Thatcher government) couldn’t agree to collaborate more effectively to develop IGCC technology, instead defaulting to the adoption of CCGT's burning massive amounts of North Sea Gas. That way we could have saved a lot of mines, maintained the volume of rail traffic and built newer power stations producing low carbon electricity. Not to mention all the engineering apprenticeships that each of those industries would have sustained.

@northernblue1093 19 күн бұрын

Criminal? No crime unless a law has been broken.

@riggers6214 19 күн бұрын

@@northernblue1093 It's simply a figure of speech.

@georgeyboyhowe1685 18 күн бұрын

@@northernblue1093 pratt

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Yes surely more could have been done but it's all too late now unfortunately. Thanks for watching

@donnypete 19 күн бұрын

Fantastic mate. That was the best thing ever.

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Thanks Pete. I knew you would enjoy this. Sad day though

@gavin18787 19 күн бұрын

Condolences on the passing of your dad ❤ Very fitting and well put together film. Thanks for sharing the end of an era moment

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Thank you. Pleased you enjoyed it

@warrenhardcastle8858 17 күн бұрын

Great Job Ben and a lovely touch dedicating it to your Dad , thinking of you all .

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Thanks Warren. Much appreciated.

@Shelfandtabletoplayouts00gauge 15 күн бұрын

Super vid, really well put together.

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Thank you. Much appreciated.

@HSTHoward 17 күн бұрын

Fantastic video mate, really is the end of an era. Also thoughts with you at this difficult time with the passing of your father.

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Thanks H. Much appreciated.

@hornet1068 15 күн бұрын

Fantastic video, loved it, well done. For someone from Lincoln, heading back home from down south from any trip or dropping off the M1, the sight of these cooling towers always got me. For I then know the trip home is almost done. they were my gateway to home counties. Are there any rail tours planned to go around the site before decommissioning? like they did with Cottam recently?

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

I hope so because that would be fitting. Thanks for your comment.

@MisterHughie 18 күн бұрын

Lovely video, I was on site the week before and took plenty of footage of the 3rd to last coal train (66784) going through the unloading shed at Ratcliffe, great tribute.

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Thank you

@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329 19 күн бұрын

Magnificent ben

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Thanks mate

@philipalldred333 19 күн бұрын

Very, very interesting to know a wee bit about Ratcliffe power station. Now I wonder what will happen to all those wagons that use to carry coal in

@andrewthompson3587 18 күн бұрын

Those wagons will probably be used for aggregates as they already have been for several years. Due to the volume of coal the wagons are large so loading with a different material can be tricky. I was a loader of aggregates into these wagons and the stone would only need to be around halfway up. Stone loaded into wagons built for the job came right up to the top. Gross weights would be 102 ton max

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

they are quite old, so probably cutters torch. We will see. Thanks for watching

@johnemsden735 18 күн бұрын

Ben so very sorry for your lose of your father, never evert thought this day would come in the 70's and 80's coal trains ran every where one after the other and took it for granted it would carry on for ever, a very sad day indeed, just hope the tosspots in government don't make the country live to regret this Also believe the postal trains are now going to end with the post office using lorries, yet another part of the railway gone forever

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Thanks John. Very sad times across the country.

@marklelohe3754 14 күн бұрын

A great shame that the politicians have decided to cease coal production and power generation from it. Britain's CO2 output was less than 2 % of world manmade output. An insignificant amount in my view and a great loss to close off an energy resource. Furthermore, hardly economic or environmental sense to be importing coal from places like Venezuela when there are still huge deposits here. Thank you for caring to record this great but sad event.

@benGBRf 14 күн бұрын

@marklelohe3754 Yes it was a sad day Mark. Thanks for watching and commenting

@WCGUK2024 19 күн бұрын

Sad day for all involved, will they all lose their jobs?

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

There will be a decommissioning process and rumours of becoming a hydrogen plant possibly. What that means for jobs I don't know. Thanks for watching

@Mike-kc8rl 19 күн бұрын

Great Britain is now Britain! Nothing more can be said?

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Such a shame how this country has gone down hill. Thanks for watching

@kenstevens5065 18 күн бұрын

Past my human lifespan the truth might be told of climate change and other things in the 21st century and the wicked people who impoverished this United Kingdom, not to save humanity but for huge financial gain for themselves. I say thank you to all working people who over hundreds of years made Britain and the world a better place.

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

like you said time will tell. Thanks for watching

@susansmith3568 18 күн бұрын

Plenty more of this shit to come under labour

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Time will tell. Thanks for watching

@wollyxl 17 күн бұрын

Do something with your sound levels...

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Apologies. Wind was quite bad that day

@paulnolan1352 17 күн бұрын

Close it all down and transition into what?, where is the work to soak up all these redundancies?, I know people still out of proper work since 2010 when all this chaos started with Coal Plants, Opencast Mines, Coking Sites, Steelworks etc. If it had made the difference they said it would at the time we would all be enjoying plentiful affordable energy. If people are priced out of the economy then what’s it all about?.

@benGBRf 15 күн бұрын

Sad times. Thanks for watching