boilers would burn 52,000 tons of coal and produce 9,000 tons of ash per week. When running at full load the two stations together burnt a total of 8,400 tonnes of coal every 24 hours. The coal was delivered by 'merry-go-round' trains which shuttled continuously between pitheads and power stations. Each train brought about 1,000 tonnes of coal and passed through the sidings at a non stop 0.5 m.p.h. The doors in the bottom of each wagon opened automatically as the train went over the hopper beneath the rail tracks, the coal then fell through onto the conveyor. From there it either transferred to the stockpile or was taken to the boiler bunkers to be used immediately. Ash & dust plant Dust from the flue gases was extracted by electrostatic precipitators and collected in hoppers. From there it was taken by lorry or pipeline to fill in nearby disused gravel pits. When completely filled they were covered with topsoil and returned to agriculture. Every day up to 1,400 tonnes of ash was produced in the boilers. Some of this was sold for use in civil works such as motorway construction or for the manufacture of lightweight building blocks and the remainder was taken by lorry to gravel pits. Electrical system The two stations sent onto the grid system about 125MW of electricity. The three chimneys were each 425 ft high together weighed over 15,000 tons. The five cooling towers were each 300 ft high and approximately 200 ft in diameter at the base and each weighed 6,500 tons. References External links Photo showing the construction of Willington Power Station in 1956 Buildings and structures in Derbyshire Power stations in the East Midlands 1957 establishments in England 1999 disestablishments in England Energy infrastructure completed in 1957 Energy infrastructure completed in 1962 Coal-fired power stations in England Former coal-fired power stations in the United Kingdom Former power stations in England