The first ever bio-coal trial to be undertaken on a standard gauge steam locomotive has been completed on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

Using BR Standard 2MT 78022, the trial has been hailed as a ‘milestone’ for steam.

On Monday 14th February, the 2-6-0 was fired using a batch of Homefire Ecoal. Hauling five carriages, as it would have done with traditional coal, the Standard 2MT hauled its trains up the steeply graded, five mile long, heritage line in West Yorkshire.

Homefire Ecoal has been developed by CPL Industries Ltd for use with steam locomotives, with the previous two trials taking place in June and November 2021 on the Bure Valley Railway, which gave enough confidence to trial the bio-coal on a full size steam locomotive.

The aim of the bio coal is to find an alternative solution to traditional coal, which the Heritage Railway Association says is becoming ‘increasingly difficult to source’.

The Homefire Ecoal blend has been carefully changed following the last trials. The latest trials on the KWVR was to prove the concept and to further refine the composition of the fuel.

Up to 20% of the new coal is biomass and is manufactured using CPL’s hot cured process to provide durability. The special shape of the coal is to sit on the firebars of both narrow gauge and standard gauge steam locomotives, just like traditional coal – all while being classed as smokeless and emitting up to 80% less particulate matter than traditional coal.

The urgency behind the trials has become clear in recent weeks after the last source of steam coal said it would no longer be supplying coal to the heritage sector. The Heritage Railway Association says there is now ‘significant’ concerns that heritage railways could experience a coal shortage within months.

Heritage Railway Association Chief Executive, Steve Oates, said: “Even though this is just an initial trial, it is a significant milestone in the history of steam locomotives in the UK.

“Heritage steam is a small and very responsible user of high-quality, low emissions coal, but it’s clear that huge challenges are ahead for the fuel we depend upon. That’s why trials like this to find alternatives are so important.”

Julian Martin, Sales Director from CPL Industries Ltd, said: “This is the first trial of our latest Homefire Ecoal product, designed for standard and narrow gauge locomotives. Previous trials at Bure Valley Railways and other railways have given us a great insight into what the driver needs to optimise the performance of the boiler, and it’s encouraging that a large number of steam engine users are already using Homefire Ecoal instead of traditional coal or other steam coals.

“The availability of coal for steam engines is already proving challenging and prices continue to increase. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like this will ease in the near future as price and availability remain incredibly volatile. However, we are confident that we can produce a range of smokeless ovoids that meet the needs of all the steam engine users, which will be consistent in quality and performance and at the same time will be affordable and environmentally better to burn.”

Noel Hartley from the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway acted as fireman on the day of the trials, he said: “It’s been really interesting to try it out, it’s very different to what we’d normally use. It’s a completely different technique, you’ve got make sure you get it really hot to start with.

“I think in time, it could be with tweaks made really useful for heritage railway use.”

John Hind from the Advanced Steam Traction Trust said: “The trials are part of a development process. Every trial we do, more and more is learnt and fed back to CPL Industries Ltd so that the heritage sector can be ready for a carbon neutral world.”