Loco sheds and other railway buildings...

Nine Elms was another favourite with its concrete coaling tower and turntable next to a block of flats. It always seemed to be raining when I went though...

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Yes, some re-railing!

Tim Dunn on The Architecture The Railways Built commented during his visit to Barrow Hill "square house" that the shape allowed for a longer loco to be shedded in the corners.
Assuming the turntable could accommodate it of course...

Two 08's resting in the evening sunlight at my home depot, Longsight in Manchester. Now home to some of the Avanti West Coast Pendolino fleet. Great thread by the way.

I thought the Hydraulics were withdrawn owing to reliability? The diesel Hydraulic system being far more complex than the simplicity of a diesel electric?

Excellent write up and pics of Old Oak. I was a relative latecomer, starting in 86. Happy days

Lovely pictures, thanks for sharing these. Old railway buildings and depots are disappearing at a rate of knots, I did a historic building survey a few year ago of a nice old goods shed (later a Vauxhall dealership/garage) at Llandrindod Wells on the Heart of Wales line. That was demolished very shortly afterwards.

I loved walking around the old steam sheds when I was in my spotting and gricing era, sadly I missed UK steam only starting in 74. But the atmoshphere was still there. The greater Manchester sheds were the best for me, they seemed to have a much more loose attitude than the Yorkshire sheds I lived closer too. Springs Branch, Newton Heath, Reddish were brilliant, Longsite less so, they did throw you out. I got a right bking at Wath once, thought they were going bring the police in.

I finally achieved my ambition regarding real steam sheds in South Africa, Bloemfontain, Beaconsfield De Aar, Germiston.... etc absolute heaven. Must find some photos....

Turkey was good too, but I did end up in a Police Station at Zonguldak... that was quite frightening.

Usually yes, in those days most jobs were double manned so what often happened was the driver and secondman probably assumed that the other applied the handbrake - result, the loco slowly creeps into the pit. Most shed turns at Old Oak had two or three men per shift in those days too, so it was easy to assume 'the other bloke' did it.

Voila....!

I don't think so no, there isn't really room to get the large crane in close enough, I'd imagine it was all done with hydraulic bottle jacks etc.

Here's Leicester in 1984, with the stabling and fuelling point laid out on the site of the '50s roundhouse....

Willesden Roundhouse in may 1962....



Leeds Holbeck in 1974, another one built on the site of a former roundhouse....



I took these shots of the admin block at Saltley a few weeks before it was demolished, I was waiting to relieve a train there and had a mooch about....











A full house at Saltley in 1972, the 33 on the right has probably worked some oil tanks into nearby Bromford Bridge....



The train crew lobby at Wigan Springs Branch in August 1974....