At the far side of the yard, overlooking the main line, was the coaling plant. The centrepiece of this was the hopper, which was the tallest building for miles. As the locomotives came onto the shed, this was the first place they visited. They would stand to have their tenders or bunkers replenished with coal before being left on the ash pit for disposal.
The hopper was supplied by a raft of wagons stabled on an adjacent line; each wagon was uncoupled and drawn individually on to the hopper cradle, with the aid of a capstan and rope. Each wagon was then taken up by the cradle and its contents emptied into the hopper by the coaling plant attendant.
The total weight of the wagon and contents was limited to 21 tons; anything over that weight had to be passed over the cradle and returned to the place from whence it came.
A periodic inspection was made by a Board of Trade official, before which the coal in the hopper had to be discharged into empty wagons placed under it while the inspection took place. On other rare occasions, when the coal was determined to be inferior following complaints by the engine crews about its ability to make steam, the hopper’s contents would be emptied into wagons and returned to the
