• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Steam shed for St Pancras?

Status
Not open for further replies.

EM2

Established Member
Joined
16 Nov 2008
Messages
7,523
Location
The home of the concrete cow
I was thinking last night of the main engine sheds associated with each of the London terminii (Camden for Euston, Stewarts Lane for Victoria etc.) and realised I had no idea what the shed was for St Pancras. Was it Cricklewood back then? Seems a bit of a way out...
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

D841 Roebuck

Established Member
Joined
16 Mar 2012
Messages
1,891
Location
Rochdale
Kentish Town was the "passenger" shed, with Cricklewood dealing with freight locos. Similar to the Camden/Willesden split next door on the LNWR.
 

John Webb

Established Member
Joined
5 Jun 2010
Messages
3,048
Location
St Albans
Kentish Town shed was just north of the station, on the east of the line where there was once a connection round to the Tottenham line. The whole site is now occupied by the civil engineering contractors Murphy's.

Several books on the Midland's 'London Extension', including Goslin & Conner "St Pancras to St Albans" published by the Middleton Press, have photos and diagrams of this shed before closure.
 
Last edited:

LE Greys

Established Member
Joined
6 Mar 2010
Messages
5,389
Location
Hitchin
Some interesting views of Cricklewood shed in an escape film, although I can't remember which one. It was masquerading as a German shed at the time. The film was probably shot at Cricklewood Studios, so it would have been very convenient.
 

John Webb

Established Member
Joined
5 Jun 2010
Messages
3,048
Location
St Albans
Some interesting views of Cricklewood shed in an escape film, although I can't remember which one. It was masquerading as a German shed at the time. The film was probably shot at Cricklewood Studios, so it would have been very convenient.
The film you're thinking of was, I suspect, "The Password is Courage", made in 1962, starring Dirk Bogarde. The film was based on the real-life adventures of an army Captain who was captured but who escaped and set about sabotaging the German war effort.
Cricklewood MPD was used for scenes where Bogarde is sent to work at a railway depot.
Other scenes were shot at Scratchwood sidings, on the east side of the Midland main line roughly where the M1 now crosses just south of the Elstree tunnels. These scenes included the explosion of a munitions train and the derailment of a goods train.
Radlett station is in a scene during his escape attempt - he ends up at Brighton station, all before the age of "Thameslink"!
(Information from Glyn Horton's "Guide to Britain's Railways in Feature Films.)
The studio was MGM on Elstree Way at Borehamwood, by the way - still relatively close to the Midland line, but like Scratchwood sidings, long gone. It's a cold store now with much of the grounds behind it developed for housing.
 

LE Greys

Established Member
Joined
6 Mar 2010
Messages
5,389
Location
Hitchin
The film you're thinking of was, I suspect, "The Password is Courage", made in 1962, starring Dirk Bogarde. The film was based on the real-life adventures of an army Captain who was captured but who escaped and set about sabotaging the German war effort.
Cricklewood MPD was used for scenes where Bogarde is sent to work at a railway depot.
Other scenes were shot at Scratchwood sidings, on the east side of the Midland main line roughly where the M1 now crosses just south of the Elstree tunnels. These scenes included the explosion of a munitions train and the derailment of a goods train.
Radlett station is in a scene during his escape attempt - he ends up at Brighton station, all before the age of "Thameslink"!
(Information from Glyn Horton's "Guide to Britain's Railways in Feature Films.)
The studio was MGM on Elstree Way at Borehamwood, by the way - still relatively close to the Midland line, but like Scratchwood sidings, long gone. It's a cold store now with much of the grounds behind it developed for housing.

Yes, that sounds like the one. I've always found the attempts to make typically British scenes (in many other films and the BBC series Colditz for instance) singularly amusing. In this case, they didn't do too badly, but it seemed a bit half-hearted (lack of Reichsbahn logos or UIC-type numbers for instance, which would be easy to apply and remove).

The destination docket swapping was great, though. I love the idea of a vanload of torpedoes for Ste Nazaire turning up in Italy instead of a van full of army rations.
 

43106

Member
Joined
6 Jul 2008
Messages
376
Location
South-ish Edinburgh
Returning to the original topic, I also thought about what depot 'serviced' each station.
I always associated Willesden with Euston, as I believed Camden was a stabling point rather than a depot. Having said that, it probably depends on WHEN Camden was the main depot. At the moment, I'd say Wembley is the current depot for Euston.
Bounds Green is the current depot for Kings Cross, but there must have been another depot between Bounds Green opening and Kings Cross closing. Was it Hornsey? There was a depot at Finsbury Park, but I think that was for local freight traffic.
Stratford serviced Liverpool Street until replaced by Ilford, for services via Romford, but did Stratford also supply trains for services via Hackney Downs?
Fenchurch Street is serviced by East Ham, but it looks new-ish. Would Ripple Lane have functioned as its predecessor?
Marylebone had its own depot immediately north of the station, east of the line (now occupied by housing, north of Rossmore Rd). What's its depot now?
 

NXEA!

Member
Joined
22 Oct 2009
Messages
482
I'm pretty sure Willesden was a freight depot, there were a lot of 8F's, 9F's and Super D's allocated to Willesden weren't there? I think Finsbury Park was a main depot at one point - I think Bounds Green opened when the Mark 4's and 91's were delivered (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong), and Finsbury Park had an allocation of Deltics if I remember correctly, they were easy to identify as they had white window surrounds. I've read somewhere that East Ham used to be the old District Line depot until 1958 which is when the current facilities in Upminster were opened, not sure if this is correct though. Finally for the Chiltern lines, they have a depot at Wembley adjacent to Wembley Stadium station. Nothing is allocated there I don't think, everything is based at Aylesbury - Wembley is used as a fuelling point and stabling point I think. Hope this helps 43106. :)
 

LE Greys

Established Member
Joined
6 Mar 2010
Messages
5,389
Location
Hitchin
I'm pretty sure Willesden was a freight depot, there were a lot of 8F's, 9F's and Super D's allocated to Willesden weren't there? I think Finsbury Park was a main depot at one point - I think Bounds Green opened when the Mark 4's and 91's were delivered (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong), and Finsbury Park had an allocation of Deltics if I remember correctly, they were easy to identify as they had white window surrounds. I've read somewhere that East Ham used to be the old District Line depot until 1958 which is when the current facilities in Upminster were opened, not sure if this is correct though. Finally for the Chiltern lines, they have a depot at Wembley adjacent to Wembley Stadium station. Nothing is allocated there I don't think, everything is based at Aylesbury - Wembley is used as a fuelling point and stabling point I think. Hope this helps 43106. :)

Finsbury Park was certainly a major shed, housing not just Deltics, but the 31s and 47s that handled other traffic. The stabling point at King's Cross also had facilities for A-exams, reducing the need for locos to shuttle up and down the bank. Back in steam days, King's Cross depot was divided in two, Top Shed, now underneath the HS1-St Pancras connection, which was a major shed with full servicing facilities and Bottom Shed, which was a coaling point with a turntable and is now underneath that giant stack of Portakabins (if they're still there) and became the stabling point. I think Hornsey used to house most of the N2s, and went on to be the DMU shed, then the EMU shed. I'm not sure how long Bounds Green has been there, and I think coaches used to stable in Feame Park on the other side.
 

NIMBUS

Member
Joined
13 May 2011
Messages
176
I think Hornsey used to house most of the N2s, and went on to be the DMU shed, then the EMU shed. I'm not sure how long Bounds Green has been there, and I think coaches used to stable in Feame Park on the other side.

Bounds Green opened in 1976, to service HSTs. Locos continued to be handled at Finsbury Park until it closed in 1981. Finsbury Park consisted of a diesel running shed, furthest from the main line, with a DMU shed between the 'loco' and the ECML.

Coaching stock was stabled and serviced at Holloway carriage sidings (on the down side, where there is new housing adjacent to the flyover), Harringay, Hornsey/Ferme Park and Coronation Sidings, just north of Hornsey on the up side.
 

RichmondCommu

Established Member
Joined
23 Feb 2010
Messages
6,912
Location
Richmond, London
There was also a diesel stabling just outside St Pancras called Cambridge Street. I'm guessing that this must have closed after HST's were introduced to the MML.
 

causton

Established Member
Joined
4 Aug 2010
Messages
5,504
Location
Somewhere between WY372 and MV7
Coronation Sidings, just north of Hornsey on the up side.

Are these the ones that seem to have been disused for years, grassy but with ancient-looking OHLE installed (that I doubt works!) Been looking at the Alexandra Palace - Finsbury Park work to open the new up line for trains and seen those sidings...
...it's so weird there are so many sidings that are out of use around London. Is this now because of vandals etc, so trains are moving into sheds indoors? Or are there a lot less trains about now?
 

IanXC

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
18 Dec 2009
Messages
6,331
...it's so weird there are so many sidings that are out of use around London. Is this now because of vandals etc, so trains are moving into sheds indoors? Or are there a lot less trains about now?

I would have thought its because there is less stock sat around waiting for unknown events; the kind of rakes BR would pull out once in a blue moon. Also stock utilisation is much higher, and often needs much less time consuming maintenance than older stock did.
 

NIMBUS

Member
Joined
13 May 2011
Messages
176
Are these the ones that seem to have been disused for years, grassy but with ancient-looking OHLE installed (that I doubt works!) Been looking at the Alexandra Palace - Finsbury Park work to open the new up line for trains and seen those sidings...

Correct.
 
Joined
29 Aug 2010
Messages
696
Between the diesel depot at Finsbury Park and the station there was "Western Sidings" which was home to the Cravens DMU suburban fleet.- although the major work - engine and gearing changes - was carried out at Cambridge.
 

ChiefPlanner

Established Member
Joined
6 Sep 2011
Messages
7,768
Location
Herts
I would have thought its because there is less stock sat around waiting for unknown events; the kind of rakes BR would pull out once in a blue moon. Also stock utilisation is much higher, and often needs much less time consuming maintenance than older stock did.

Rolling stock much more intensively used - e.g Paddington arrivals were pre 1967 dragged out to OOC , and then back in again (maybe the next day!) - the layout of the station was such that turning a train around in the station was a "no - no" - some did though , laughinly called "accelerated turnrounds" in a mer 90 mins ! All this made much work for pilot engines and later 31/4.

The Marylebone steam shed was at Neasden - the diesel depot opened at ME in the carriage shed saw it off. By all accounts a neglected backwater in the post war era.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top