Whitby, Scarborough and Boulby

[seacoaler]

So it looks like the potash will not be rail traffic. But the road salt by-product (which is also produced by Boulby now) could be quite an important traffic, so road salt loading on the Tees somewhere for distribtion around the UK might be a real possibility. Some care needs to be put into this sort of traffic, it is well removed from the standard 40 hy-fits trains we used to use from Over & Wharton!

Very real -Boulby delivers to a rail served salt storage depot in Middlesbrough that distributes road salt 'grit' all over the country . The firm who manage the depot and distribution are called Cobra ( some info here link - http://www.riversideparkmiddlesbrough.c ... rough-ltd/ ) their is only them and Cheshire Salt who supply grit in this country and its being in great demand recently , in fact Boulby haven't fulfilled last years orders yet !

[60044]

As I said earlier my Google Search revealed not a single case where a pipeline was used to remove the raw Potash product so I can only assume this 35 mile pipeline will be the first?

So what? That there are apparently no other pipelines of this sort doesn't make them impossible to conceive of. In this instance there is a local access issue that may not exist elsewhere. I agree that a pipeline transporting fluidised powder may seem unfeasible, but as we don't really know whether it is that or a concentrated brine (which would be perfectly feasible in a plastic pipe) that they intend to ship it seems a bit premature to discount the possibility. They could easily be the first without taking a significant technical risk.

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

I seem to recall that the Alexander Graham Bell was told - "Good idea, this telly phone thing. Never catch on of course."

There is a first time for everything.

[Bryan]

Latest developments from the BBC North Yorkshire site
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-yo ... e-15478865

[seacoaler]

Wonder if this is a bit of spin from Sirius as it must be well known that Potash is there because it was a very close call in 70s wether the Boulby Mine would be built at Hawsker ( and the coast line reinstated all the way to the south of Whitby , shame it wasn't )

[richard]

Perhaps some spin, but ground-truthing with boreholes will give accurate thickness and grade information.

Pretty much everywhere with Permian rocks of the right age in Britain has thick evaporites. Although it is eroded (ie. missing) from Scotland, the Pennines, and much of Yorkshire, the deposits are under SE England and most of the North Sea. I've seen a lot of North Sea seismic surveys, and the "Zechstein" (Permian evaporites - mainly salt,anhydrite,and gypsum) are the most obvious thing on them. They form seals for most of the North Sea gas fields, and also some of the oil fields too. Economically important stuff, all things considered!

[Bryan]

I believe they have been awarded a grant of about £2 million to develop a research centre on site.

[PinzaC55]

Yes I read that and it's fairly bizarre given that they are not exactly short of cash.

[Coboman]

Yes I read that and it's fairly bizarre given that they are not exactly short of cash.

It amazing what you can get when your buddies with the whitehall wallies

[seacoaler]

Perhaps freight locos will be regular sight in Whitby again. This 37 was in Whitby last winter.

[Coboman]

Latest news is they have found a 19meters thick seam of high concentrate potash. Now thats what I call a seam!

[Bryan]

That should do wonders for the roads and properties in the area with a little bit of subsidence.

[PinzaC55]

Latest news is they have found a 19meters thick seam of high concentrate potash. Now thats what I call a seam!

Good. Let's hope it all goes out by rail!

[Coboman]

Obviously the most sensible way to get it out would be by pipe, but where could the pipe go to? Would Scarborough want an unloading facility, has it even got a dock capable of building such a thing? Whitby is out of the question, so that leaves Tees estuary. That would be one hell of a long pipe line, and I'm not sure it would be possiable to carry such a product along such a long pipe with it causing a shed load of problems. Unless the company think they can overcome those problems I cannot see any other alternative than railing out via closed/existing lines. I believe the trackbed is virtually intact between Whitby and the proposed mine?

[PinzaC55]

"I believe the trackbed is virtually intact between Whitby and the proposed mine?"

There's a road overbridge (road over rail I mean) missing just south of Hawsker station but apart from that it would be easy peasy