I thought this was a great find by @AndyK the other week so it's probably worth a slightly more detailed look.
Back when myself and @clebby explored the Winnington site last year we spent a good while hauled up near this building scoping out activity at the live section of the works and we just knew then it had potential to harbour epic. As it happens the run of the explore took us the other way across site and in the end we didn't really have time for a proper look. If only we had approached the building from the other side and seen the 'control area' signs it would have been all too obvious this was a mistake but that's the way it goes sometimes, big places crammed with eipc are the most likely places to miss epic! Every time one of these control rooms of 'lost stations' turns up i always find myself thinking 'this has got to be the last' but it never is. My guess is that we have missed many over the years. I even hear recently that the remains of the Nuns Mill station in Northampton has been demolished without anyone getting inside, most likely another one missed, at the same time tho, i bet theres more out there!
Approaching the room from the main entrance the heavy brass door handles give a hint of grandeur.
The control room itself takes up most of the top floor of the 3 story building.
At its heart the main control station sits totally intact now with a thick layer of dust.
The lights indicate the status of various trips and breakers
The desk drawers still stocked with documents and schematics. It looks like the station last ran around 1998.
The other drawer contained a similar array of items, in a way to modern to really excite me but in other ways great to see them untouched.
The dials on top of the desk showed pressures in various parts of the system. The beige CRT monitor starting to look extremely dated in 2016 was probably up to date tech when this was last used.
The desk was flanked by four control boards for the 4 turbine feeders. It was interesting to see how the room had been updated as new turbines were fitted. The station must have evolved over its life rather than just being built in one go..
In front of desk you find an array of gauges and controls. The usual time clocks are in the center followed by panels for the four turbines and substation feeders, then at each end a hinged synchroscope. All control rooms of this era seem to follow a similar layout.
Behind the desk another panel this time controlling the feeders between all of Brunner Mond's Major electrical hubs. Namely Winnington A and B Plants, Wallerscote sub and, as shown here, the familiar Lostock plant we have explored a few miles down the road.
Next to this panel a beautiful BTH badged example controlling yet more substation feeders.
I took many close ups here, the lighting in the room unfortunately does not lend itself to photography but none the less it's very atmospheric, one you really have to see yourself to appreciate.
Yet more switchgear
Moving into a back room one of the few references to where we actually were.
I also made a point of sticking my head in a few more rooms. This is the middle floor of three where cables entered and exited onto an external cable bridge. It's worth noting some of the building is still live so dont go treating this like a derp!
One parting shot. I spent well over an hour in here and loved every minute, i only wish the photos were a tad better!
Back when myself and @clebby explored the Winnington site last year we spent a good while hauled up near this building scoping out activity at the live section of the works and we just knew then it had potential to harbour epic. As it happens the run of the explore took us the other way across site and in the end we didn't really have time for a proper look. If only we had approached the building from the other side and seen the 'control area' signs it would have been all too obvious this was a mistake but that's the way it goes sometimes, big places crammed with eipc are the most likely places to miss epic! Every time one of these control rooms of 'lost stations' turns up i always find myself thinking 'this has got to be the last' but it never is. My guess is that we have missed many over the years. I even hear recently that the remains of the Nuns Mill station in Northampton has been demolished without anyone getting inside, most likely another one missed, at the same time tho, i bet theres more out there!
Approaching the room from the main entrance the heavy brass door handles give a hint of grandeur.
The control room itself takes up most of the top floor of the 3 story building.
At its heart the main control station sits totally intact now with a thick layer of dust.
The lights indicate the status of various trips and breakers
The desk drawers still stocked with documents and schematics. It looks like the station last ran around 1998.
The other drawer contained a similar array of items, in a way to modern to really excite me but in other ways great to see them untouched.
The dials on top of the desk showed pressures in various parts of the system. The beige CRT monitor starting to look extremely dated in 2016 was probably up to date tech when this was last used.
The desk was flanked by four control boards for the 4 turbine feeders. It was interesting to see how the room had been updated as new turbines were fitted. The station must have evolved over its life rather than just being built in one go..
In front of desk you find an array of gauges and controls. The usual time clocks are in the center followed by panels for the four turbines and substation feeders, then at each end a hinged synchroscope. All control rooms of this era seem to follow a similar layout.
Behind the desk another panel this time controlling the feeders between all of Brunner Mond's Major electrical hubs. Namely Winnington A and B Plants, Wallerscote sub and, as shown here, the familiar Lostock plant we have explored a few miles down the road.
Next to this panel a beautiful BTH badged example controlling yet more substation feeders.
I took many close ups here, the lighting in the room unfortunately does not lend itself to photography but none the less it's very atmospheric, one you really have to see yourself to appreciate.
Yet more switchgear
Moving into a back room one of the few references to where we actually were.
I also made a point of sticking my head in a few more rooms. This is the middle floor of three where cables entered and exited onto an external cable bridge. It's worth noting some of the building is still live so dont go treating this like a derp!
One parting shot. I spent well over an hour in here and loved every minute, i only wish the photos were a tad better!
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