Defunct preserved railways

It may soon shut as a steam shed, now that they've built a brand new one beside it. I guess it will continue to be used for the carriage fleet.

 

There's also the old single road Pickering engine shed, which is over the Beck on the far side of the Ropery car park and which I gather is currently occupied by a joinery firm. The trouble with Whitby shed is that a row of cottages has been built slap bang in front of it, making rail access pretty well impossible. As a result, the NYMR is in the unique and unenviable position of having original engines sheds at both termini and being unable to use either of them.

 

There is one shed that has been preserved. Whitehaven. Awaiting eventual rebuilding somewhere on the GC.

 

That'll be 12D Workington. I'd forgotten about that one. It's in a state of limbo really. Not preserved but, not demolished either. It was dismantled brick by brick and is stored somewhere. The GC have gone quiet on that, perhaps when the missing link is completed, it may be rebuilt. It is odd that the much smaller and genuine GC shed at Dinting hasn't been moved to the GCR. It would make a handy sub-shed at say Leicester. (Leicester GC)

 

I believe that part of the reason it hasn't been rebuilt was the ground on which it was to be rebuilt was not stable enough to take the weight. Now with the missing link in play, I guess, as you say, it will have t o wait the outcome of that.

 

Retford GN shed is still there all be it covered in cladding

 

Re. Whitby. Looking at Google Earth, the space between the new cottages and the shed appears to have plenty of room for both shed roads, plus a turntable between the railway and the road, with space for a water column and small coal stage. However, those views were taken before reconstruction of the new platform so, perhaps a year or two ago. Has the space been filled since then?
Pickering shed is indeed unreachable. South of the A170 and, with a huge extension at one end. The only answer, is to dismantle it and move it to north of the station, off the turntable, assuming the joinery firm don't mind of course!

It does seem illogical that the NYMR ignores both sheds, which as said above would make their line unique where original sheds are concerned. It seems only locos, coaches and stations are important to preserve and conserve.

 

Are old steam sheds like the one at Whitby,say, of practical use to a preserved line?

I know undercover storage is useful, but is an old steam shed the best way to provide it?

 

Maybe not of practical use for locos if alternative facilities have been built but maybe other uses could be found for them.

 

Well quite a few have found alternate uses including the Whitby one.

 

What good is a steam shed in Whitby if there's no where safe to leave the coaches ?..
The sidings at Whitby station are bit open and exposed.


Dinting shed.. isn't it' just a 1 road, 1 loco shed... not a massive use for the return for the effort to dismantle and move it.

 

I was thinking more of alternative uses for the railway - assuming it came into their possession of course.

 

Well it was recently for sale, although road access seems a little limited as did interest in it.

http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/what-s-on/out-about/engine-sheds-fail-to-gather-steam-1-6468838

 

It has? Must have happened in the last week, then!

There is no room to lay any track in front of the Whitby shed unless the cottage owners agree to sacrifice their gardens and access. It might be possible to shorten Pl.1 and provide a rail access from the seaward end of the shed (which never existed). Whilst a nice idea, Whitby shed would be of no real use to the NYMR except possibly as a storage site.
Pickering shed has never been available to the NYMR.

 

Apologies for quoting a post from a few pages back but I've been away over the weekend (giving rides on a pump trolley at Kings Cross! But that's another story).

Here are two photos from Alan Gladden's collection, now in the NVR archive.

I believe I am right in saying that we have only ever officially had access to the line to Yarwell, however in the early days there were a couple of additional forays such as this one undertaken with express permission from the powers that be.

 

The Whitby Gazette article refers to 7 more houses given planning permission so, that would fill up the space in front of the shed presumably.

 

You mean it was supposed to be demolished brick by brick. The reality was rather different - the stonework arrived in the form of a large pile of rubble in several tipper trucks and the steelwork gives the impression of having been demolished by yanking it apart. I can't see too much of the original making it into any possible recreation, personally, though I'll gladly be proved wrong.

 

MSeeing the Barry thread reminds me that I forgot about 88C Barry shed. opened in 1888, by the Barry Rly, it is one of the best surviving steam sheds. Magazines often refer to it as the ex EWS depot, as if that is all it was. They can't have been there more than 5-10 years. It spent 77 years as a steam depot, a far more significant statistic and, the real value of the building. It's a shame they disfigured it with the pretty colours all over the front, making it look like a toytown building. Nothing that a repaint back to the appearance it had for over 100 years can't correct.

So, the score now is a 13-7 deficit, preserved but now lost sheds, against those that are still around.

 

Steam age sheds? well there is one , not actually a steam shed, but engines were overhauled next to it, and some even met their end here also, and its still in use today as the motive power depot , the former engineering shops whilst now either derilict, or gone still have the roads into them, where am i talking Ryde St Johns Rd, , of course the former steam shed on the other side of the yard has long since gone, but some small bits of it can still be made out, such as a ramp , which i guess was used for unloading the tube stock?

 

Spud UK was on the right lines as to lines no more on Isle of Wight - there was the 2 f 6in gauge Yafford Mill railway - both opened and closed in the 1990s(?) had a 0-4-0 Hunslet diesel and a bogie coach certainly operated for a few years.

Then really winding back the years, in the early 70s there was the Albany Steam museum with a 2 foot gauge line also on the island and they had the charming Wren 0-4-0 saddle tank 4256 Peter Pan, I recollect there were some planning issues.

Linked to Peter Pan there was a 2 foot gauge line - most track still down at Crich tramway museum - line would operate (not every year) when they had a transport extravaganza on the August BH weekend - Peter Pan visited in 1982, and Graham the owner and his pal Gary taught me to drive and fire it, in return for my pals and I coming to clean it each morning coal it, and keep it topped up with water - I was only 15 - those were the days!. In the early 70s Teddy Bostons Pixie worked the line, and between the two steamers visiting there was a period when a horse hauled a tramcar, which we later used with Peter Pan in 1982. Plus one year a Yorkshire Water 4 wheel Ruston with some open knife board coaches ran. The line had one siding.

Paul