New biofuel logs build a head of steam on railway at Launceston

UNDETERRED by the recent cold snap, Launceston Steam Railway conducted an experiment using Biologs instead of coal as fuel for one of its steam locomotives, Covertcoat.

The alternative fuel has impressed those at the steam railway.

The Biologs were supplied by Herbert and Tim Hooper of Devon Biofuels, who braved the cold to deliver a trial load. For dairy farmers, the ever-decreasing price for their milk rendered their business uneconomic, so they turned to producing biofuel, starting with biodiesel, for which they held the only licence for production west of Bristol.

Subsequently they diversified into Biologs, recycling sawdust from kiln dried wood and producing fuel for woodburners, chimineas and enclosed fires. They now have customers from as far afield as Cullompton and Falmouth.

Kindling

Looking for other outlets, they contacted Launceston Steam Railway to find out whether the logs were suitable for steam locomotives, and the offer of a trial was made.

With snow on the ground and ice on the rails, Quarry Hunslet Covertcoat was lit up as usual using waste wood kindling, and as the fire built up, Biologs were added, until, with a good head of steam, the locomotive moved off-shed and collected a coach for the trial run.

Woodburning locos are usually designed with larger fireboxes, blast-pipes of a greater diameter, and some form of spark arrestor (the smoke stack seen on locomotives in cowboy films). By contrast, the Quarry Hunslet locos have a small firebox, and a blast pipe and chimney arrangement designed for burning coal. A larger firebox is needed as wood is less efficient than coal.

Launceston Steam Railway managing director Nigel Bowman said: "The Biologs burned well and did not disintegrate too rapidly under the conditions in the firebox of a steam locomotive, as we had thought they might. The key factor will be the cost when compared with coal.