On shed
MOST depots built for diesel or electric locomotives and units were the direct result of the 1955 British Railways Modernisation Plan, but a few preceded this such as EMU depots on the Southern or Reddish, in south Manchester, which was built for the Woodhead electrification scheme.
While many diesel depots were built on the site of former steam sheds, others were built from scratch. Most were on the site of sidings, but some were on green field sites – especially those built to serve major new marshalling yards, which were another result of the Modernisation Plan – such as Tinsley, near Sheffield.
Some of these new depots proved to be short-lived and were gone by the end of the century, examples being Reddish, Blyth Cambois, Finsbury Park and Shirebrook. Privatisation led to more closures, with EWS in particular declaring many depots surplus, including Crewe Diesel, Healey Mills and Thornaby.
A recent closure is Washwood Heath depot in Birmingham, which had been used by Boden Rail, British American Railway Services and Colas locos as a restoration and maintenance base. Remaining locos were being cleared out over the winter as the site is being developed as the main depot for HS2 trains.
Washwood Heath was formerly the Metropolitan Cammell works, which produced thousands of trains for British Rail, London Underground and overseas operators. It was then home to Alstom, with classes being built there including ‘156’ and ‘175’ DMUs and ‘334’ and ‘458’ EMUs. Class 390 ‘Pendolinos’ were fitted out here, although body shells were imported from Italy.
Privatisation of British Rail actually led to an increase in the number of depots, as there are relatively few where two or more train operators share the same site. Some depots were built specifically for manufacturers on long-term maintenance contracts rather than operators, and examples of these include Central Rivers (Bombardier, for CrossCountry and Virgin); and the new Alstom facility at Widnes, near Liverpool.
The fracturing of the railway industry after Privatisation has created new players, such as Nemesis Rail, which reopened a former wagon works at Burton-upon-Trent for restoration; and Arriva Traincare, formerly LNWR. Crewe, which originally had three BR steam-era sheds at North, South and Gresty Lane, now has no fewer than five depots. So the depot scene is actually more diverse and interesting than at the turn of the century.
Another reason is the rapid growth in passenger traffic over the last 20 years, which has led to the reopening of Allerton depot, in Liverpool. Yet
