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Gas Holders in Birmingham

1. Are there any gasometers still standing in Birmingham? I remember some at Saltley, Aston and one other place, was it Washwood Heath?
2. Do you all remember how natural gas was the ultimate solution to our heating and etc needs?
3. Remind me how was gas made, was coke involved?
Bob
 
The last ones are in Nechells and are in the process of being demolished. In the heritage week there was the opportunity to visit the site and see them, but it was all booked up by the time I heard of it
 
1. Are there any gasometers still standing in Birmingham? I remember some at Saltley, Aston and one other place, was it Washwood Heath?
2. Do you all remember how natural gas was the ultimate solution to our heating and etc needs?
3. Remind me how was gas made, was coke involved?
Bob
Gas was made by airless baking of coal to extract the gas and other useful elements, coke was what was left over after the extraction process.
 
natural gas is different to the old coal gas.

The discovery of large reserves of natural gas in the North Sea off the English coast in 1965 led to the expensive conversion or replacement of most of the UK's gas cookers and gas heaters, except in Northern Ireland, from the late 1960s onwards.
natural gas (also called fossil gas; sometimes just gas) is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting of methane and commonly including varying amounts of other higher alkanes, and sometimes a small percentage of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, or helium. Natural gas is colorless and odorless, and explosive, so a sulfur-smell (similar to rotten eggs) is added for early detection of leaks.

Coal gas (TOWN GAS) contains a mixture of calorific gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane, ethylene and volatile hydrocarbons together with small quantities of non-calorific gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
1632303385398.jpeg
 
Eric and mw0njm
Many thanks for your info. Railways, utilities, the list could go on and now on your buses it could be NX Stagecoach. SORRY MODS SLIPPED OFFTHEME THERE. I have slapped my wrist
Bob
 
Some years ago my dad, Norman Williams, wrote these words about his time working for the Gas Board in Birmingham (1948-52).

'I applied to the Birmingham Corporation Gas Department as they wanted men to train and work in their laboratories. The applicants should have a school certificate in Maths, Physics and Chemistry. I was offered a job as a junior chemist. I started at the Central Laboratory on the Gasworks at Nechells at the beginning of April 1948.

My first morning job was to go on the roof of the Central Laboratory and record data including maximum and minimum temperature in degrees F, wet / dry bulb temps i.e. humidity, barometric pressure and wind speed – I’ve maintained an interest in weather since then. Weather conditions often determined gas demands and helped to predict demands. Other work included analysing coals, cokes, viscosity of tars, flashpoints of tars, calculating British Thermal Units (BThUs) of gases i.e. heat values using a Boys Calorimeter Test'.

Unfortunately dad's memory is not so good (he is 95) but he was interested when I told him about the demolition of the gas holders at Windsor Street
 
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Perhaps an error in transcription but the calorimeter was devised by Sir Charles Boys F.R.S.

Always facinating to read about how people did their jobs, especially those involving science and technology.
 
1. Are there any gasometers still standing in Birmingham? I remember some at Saltley, Aston and one other place, was it Washwood Heath?
2. Do you all remember how natural gas was the ultimate solution to our heating and etc needs?
3. Remind me how was gas made, was coke involved?
Bob
We could see the Nechells ones from our bedroom window in Hodge Hill Also had a good view of the cooling towers , although from ground level you would never have known they were there.
 
Your gas holder link popped this up on my computer on a red page Morturrn

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No problems with the site on my iPad and no problem on my Win 11 laptop with Defender guarding. I've switched off the Defender Smartscreen feature because it was too fussy.
 
Only ones I remember were the ones in Saltley, for some reason did the number 8 inner circle bus go past them. This is the only way I think I would have past them as a child . I think the outer circle 11 bus would have been on a route further out the city. You could smell when you we’re getting close.
 
Only ones I remember were the ones in Saltley, for some reason did the number 8 inner circle bus go past them. This is the only way I think I would have past them as a child . I think the outer circle 11 bus would have been on a route further out the city. You could smell when you we’re getting close.
I can still recall vividly this view from the upper deck of the No. 8, can you imagine the view from the back windows of the houses.
 

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