The coal fired power stations made tons of ash of a very fine type known as fly-ash. Some were to put this ash was needed. The clay pits around Peterborough were chosen, with transport by rail. Presfro wagons which had been used for cement were what the ash was to be transported in.

As the power stations had merry go round facilities, this was also put in place at the Peterborough end. A new railway line was made from Fletton junction to a plant which then pumped the ash out with water and pumped this slurry which was a semi-liquid mixture of fine ash particles and water into the old clay pits were the ash sunk to the bottom and the water was later pumped away. When the pit was nearly full top soil was placed on the ash. The new Peterborough township of Hampton with its many new houses and a large Tesco store was once clay pits.

Class 47 206 waits to discharge its load of fly-ash. This train of fly-ash wagons has run around a clay pit which was full of water which was used to pump the ash out before  the train returned to the the power stations for more without needing to uncouple in the true merry go round tradition

This photo of the same flyash train which was taken in the winter as during the summer the trees hid this part of the line which was next to the A15 road, near the new roundabout at Hampton not far from the Hampton Tesco.

This part of this fly-ash line was built around a large water filled worked out brick pit. The track was a large loop which trains travelled around the lake in a clockwise direction. The class 47 is waiting at the signal if another train is discharging it load or the plant is not ready, before moving in the plant and discharging its load of fly ash. The water in the lake was used to make the slurry that was pumped into the pits to be filled then the water pumped back into the lake.

The Fly-ash line this time with a Class 56. Having been around the loop around the lake the class 56 is moving up one of the signals placed about 30ft apart at a time, as the fly-ash is discharged from the wagons.

The Fly-ash line from the other side with Class 47007. Having been around the loop around the lake the class 47 is moving up past one of the signals placed about 30ft apart as the fly-ash is discharged from the wagons.

Were these two photos above of the class 56 and 47007 were after discharging there loads, there are new houses ,were the track was just the bridges remain.

Note the wagons pulled along by a rope. These turn over the bridge to the right and share part of the bridge with a small foot path which may have been a busy road when all the brick yards were open. This bridge was rebuilt for the overhead wires by which time the wagon way(?) had been removed.