Western Region Steam Locomotive Depots: A Pictorial Study

Laurence Waters

Feb 2024 · Pen and Sword

Tentang eBook ini

From the opening of the Great Western Railway in 1838 through to the end of steam traction on the Western Region in 1965 the ‘engine shed’ formed an important role in both the infrastructure and operation of the railway. As the Great Western system expanded so did the need for larger locomotive servicing facilities and from the 1870s right through to the 1930s many sheds were rebuilt into larger locomotive depots or in some cases replaced by entirely new structures

Nationalisation of the railways in 1948 saw the formation of the ‘British Railways Western Region’. Apart from a few early sub-shed closures the number of Western Region steam depots and sub-sheds remained almost unaltered until the regional boundary changes of 1958.

Using black and white and color images from the Great Western Trust archive at Didcot, the book illustrates Western Region steam depots and ‘sub sheds’ that were in operation in the mid 1950s. With many previously unpublished photographs the book should interest modellers, historians and enthusiasts of the Western Region.

Today the unique atmosphere of the steam ‘shed’ can be still be experienced at Didcot, where the original 1932 locomotive shed forms the centrepiece of the Didcot Railway Centre.

Tentang pengarang

A retired professional photographer and photography teacher, Laurence Waters has written or contributed as co-author to numerous books on local history subjects. He has an Oxford University Diploma in English Local History. His main interest, however, is the Great Western Railway and over the years he has written a number of books on the subject. Laurence is currently the Honorary Photo Archivist of the Great Western Trust at the Didcot Railway Centre.