Not sure about that last sentence: suburban services were (also) served from out-of-town sheds such as Strawberry Hill, Orpington and Slades (sic) Green which became EMU depot locations.
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Significant Depots That Have Closed
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Far north 37
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Immingham and bescot.
Bevan Price
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I would agree that steam needed a lot more people than diesel traction, but I would question that diesel is "more reliable" than steam. Steam locos did sometimes - rarely - have total failures, but often, if a problem occurred, they could limp on at reduced speed, and eventually reach their destination, albeit rather late.
Modern traction - particularly those afflicted with computers and connected sensors - seem much more prone to becoming total failures. If the computer decrees that there is a problem, it seems to stop the job completely. I experienced something like that last week on a new Class 195. Computer seemingly refused to believe that the doors were closed. Crew could not solve problem. Train cancelled.
During several years of steam era commuting, I never experienced a cancellation of a steam-hauled train due to failure. Yes we were sometimes late, but we always got to our intended destination without causing punctuality problems (at Uni.)
I doubt that I could expect the same level of reliability if I had to make a similar commute now.
ac6000cw
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Oops - I should have split the post into more paragraphs - what I meant to say was that modern freight diesels are more reliable and need refueling less often than the old ones, resulting in little need for the large depots of the BR era, and allowing for effectively 'distributed' day-to-day maintenance.
Some BR-era depots seem to have '9 lives' though - Cambridge DMU depot (dating from the 1950s) was closed by BR when Norwich Crown Point opened, then re-opened by RES for parcels & mail van maintenance, closed again, then re-opened for overnight servicing of the DMUs used on Birmingham-Cambridge-Stansted services. It seems to be the right sort of facility in the right place.
Err isn't that still there?
delt1c
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Has anyone mentioned Hamilton or Dundee? These were 2 significant DMU depots in Scotland
Dr Hoo
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I think that it did close when locomotives were displaced by DMUs on ScotRail but the site was reactivated soon afterwards as service growth (such as the ‘Northern Circle’ and Rutherglen & Coatbridge new local passenger services) meant that Corkerhill could no longer cope as the only Glasgow diesel depot and moving stock too and from Haymarket was too inefficient.
GrimShady
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12 years later it was turned into a stabling point, that's all.
EbbwJunction1
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My namesake, Ebbw Junction, was very big ... it had, after all, two turntables, a repair shop and other facilities.
It became a much smaller TMD and then closed ... all that's there now is a Network Rail depot which, to my way of thinking is odd, isn't rail connected!
It became a much smaller TMD and then closed ... all that's there now is a Network Rail depot which, to my way of thinking is odd, isn't rail connected!
RichmondCommu
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Hellifield. Rebuilt by the LMS in the 1930s even though it was some way from industry (both Leeds and Bradford had substantial sheds) and Hellifield was a small village on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.
The rebuild appears to have been substantial although the coaling stage was left untouched.
The rebuild appears to have been substantial although the coaling stage was left untouched.
Ploughman
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York shed has been mentioned but there was also
York Carriage Works later BREL
York Wagon works
Leeman Rd On Track Machine Depot
Poppleton Nursery
York Carriage Works later BREL
York Wagon works
Leeman Rd On Track Machine Depot
Poppleton Nursery
The closure of Chart Leacon Depot, which stands empty and since closure has had many rumours of what is going to happen to it. I think of how much work and how many staff went through the depot. I thought like many that i would retire at this depot but unfortunately all the staff ended up redundant or the lucky ones moving onto different depots or jobs.
warwickshire
On Moderation
Buxton high peak freight depot. Around side off station.
Rugby. Prior to 94 guards and drivers Depot.
Stonebridge park. London.
Horwich brel.works Lancashire
Altrincham depot and bury depots due to the Metrolink Manchester
Rugby. Prior to 94 guards and drivers Depot.
Stonebridge park. London.
Horwich brel.works Lancashire
Altrincham depot and bury depots due to the Metrolink Manchester
D16
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D16
Member
It was vast, I'd say larger in its "sprawl" than Toton. Nowadays it's factory units and retail outlets. A tiny bit of the site still exists as an oil terminal for the Colwick oil tanks and there is a small amount of old trackwork still hidden in the undergrowth. There's a public footpath right through the site which is quite handy!
Whistler40145
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Does Immingham still exist?
Drayton Park, formerly depot for the Moorgate branch of the LU Northern Line. It was a very gloomy place, down in a cutting; actually it still is a gloomy place, remaing derelict (last time I checked). It was closed (co-incidentally) shortly after the Moorgate crash, the memory of which still seems to hang there.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/recliner/albums/72157650987271739/with/16842852041/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/recliner/albums/72157650987271739/with/16842852041/
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