tarboat's photos with the keyword: quay

The Uniper owned Connah's Quay power station is is seen along the tidal Dee behind the approach spans to the fairly new road bridge. This Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power station has a capacity of 1420MW. It is made up of four 330 MW modules - hence the four chimneys. Each module has a General Electric Frame 9FA gas turbine, a Stein Industrie heat recovery steam generator and a steam turbine; in a single-shaft layout. The gas comes via an eighteen-mile pipeline from the Point of Ayr gas terminal, where gas is received from Eni's Celtic gas fields (Hamilton and Hamilton North) in Liverpool Bay via the Douglas Complex.

Today it is hard to imagine that this spot was once a bustling wharf from which coal, clay and bricks were exported in large quantities. All that now remains are these timbers that formed part of the quay. A quay developed at Lower, or King's Ferry on the River Dee, for the shipment of coal from about 1740 when the Mancot Tramway was built to link Big Mancot Colliery with the Dee at Mancot Mark. Around 1793 this was replaced by an iron plateway. Aston Quay, as it came to be known, expanded further following the construction of a second tramway, or in fact a system of tramways, which extended from Pentrobin Colliery, Buckley. The various sections of the tramway had different names but are generally referred to as the Aston Tramroad. The south section was built by Rigby, the Hawarden Ironmaster, and Hancock, the Buckley brick manufacturer, after the formation of a partnership in 1792. The lower 1¼ miles was replaced by an iron plateway around 1799, which served a number of businesses including Lane End brickworks at Buckley and Aston Hall Colliery. The plateway was eventually replaced by the standard gauge Aston Hall Colliery Railway. All that now remains are a few of the timbers that formed part of the quay.

When I visited Australia there were a few hours to wait in Sydney before catching the train across the country. The time was spent in walking across the city and viewing a few of the tourist attractions. We started with a proper breakfast in a cafe close to the harbour and then moved on to Circular Quay. This is said to have been the site of the initial landing of the First Fleet in Port Jackson on 26 January 1788. I wonder what those 18th century arrivals would have made of the place today?

The two bridges over the Manchester Ship canal and Mersey Estuary between Runcorn and Widnes. The previous transporter bridge stood slightly closer to the camera which was on the Old Quay swing bridge. Old Quay lock can be seen between the canal and theMersey.