Fully Coaled Withdrawn Loco's

Most likily bent up and tipped into skips along with what ever spares that were left after steam had finished, that is one of the reasons why you are finding locos that were cosmetically restored by BR works at the time being given what ever spares they happened to have because they knew that they were going to end up going in the skip anyway . if you look at any picture of a steam shed at the end of steam, you will see firing irons just thrown into pits or just left on the ground .

 

Lots of tools, oilers, spare gauge glasses and the like arrived with the locos at Barry but being, for the most part, portable didn't stay there for long.

 

At some sheds eg.Birkenhead,where the Shedmaster was an enthusiast,most of the loco tools and fireirons from the stores found their way "into preservation"! At others Aintree,for instance,I was told (at the time}that all the loco spares were dumped into the pits and and the drums of oil poured down the drains. Anybody feel like a bit of amateur archaeology? Ray.

 

I'm led to believe lots of loco parts were put in to pits at Eastleigh towards the end of steam. I take this is just another rumor

 

bearing in mind how acidic the soil must be round the average shed I wouldn't hold out too much hope for quality of preservation...

 

Found a photo taken at Lostock Hall on the last day 11. 8. 68. The shed labourers had been busy emptying tenders.

 

Surprising some of the steam sheds in the North West area still haven't been built on.

 

Lostock Hall is to be some kind of nature reserve, I believe,
Rose Grove is a motorway
Patricroft is an industrial estate
Bolton is built on
Aintree is an overgrown site, as is Speke Junction
Edge Hill is part of the Technology Park
Bankhall is Kirkdale electric depot
Birkenhead is overgrown
Newton Heath is still in use, but rebuilt
Sutton Oak is the site of a supermarket
Chester is a housing estate
Mold Junction is still there, in use as a scrap yard
Bangor is still there, use?
Heaton Mersey is part motorway
Southport is the site of a supermarket
Widnes is a derelict site
Walton-on -the- Hill is a housing estate
Agecroft has industrial units built there?

 

Chester West [ex GWR] site is a depot servicing Arriva 175 DMUs - bits of the original depot survived the end of steam as it became a BR diesel depot but those disappeared when the current buildings were erected.

Bidston initially disappeared under a steel works but that in its turn closed and is now a Tesco store and industrial units.

Getting back to David's original query I found a photo in Steam for Scrap Vol 2 of Kings 6012/14/17 at Stafford Road from September 1962 and the caption comments that they were still coaled. 6017 had been withdrawn in July '62 and the others in September but still had sack covered chimneys from storage.

Although not directly related to this topic the post withdrawal movement of some locos is puzzling. I was scanning some old B&W negs today and came across one of Castle 7033 Hartlebury Castle , derelict at Oswestry in, I think, February 1963. I believe 7033 had been an Old Oak engine and was cut up a Oldbury later that year. Why was it at Oswestry, some way north of the West Midlands? There is some record of that loco visiting the works at some time but the state it was in it was clearly not for overhaul and component recovery would be odd as Oswestry did not normally deal with Castles, especially at that late date. Can anyone enlighten me?

 

Quite recent! ) Actually the shed was demolished in late Feb / early March 1996 - over 16 years ago. The shed itself was just a shell complete with roof but with all pit roads all infilled although you could make out were the rails went. I could see the shed from where I used to work and do have pictures of the empty shed and during its demolition. HTH.

Adding other info to some of the other sheds listed in an earlier reply.

Speke Junction (8C): Was in the triangle of the lines between Allerton Junction, Speke Junction and Garston Junction, the area is basically treed over with the exception of the running lines and some sidings around it.

Sutton Oak (8G): This shed was quite remarkable unknown to most people. It was converted into a supermarket with new extended walls added to the shed entrance, so outside appearance wise, there was no doubt it was an ex steam shed. However, Morrison's decided to completely rebuilt the site in 2001 but during the latter part of 2000 when the old supermarket (shed) was being striped bear to basic's, it uncovered the interior of the original shed which quite remarkably included all the old hanging lamps most with the blubs still in, some lamps were still on the shed roof supports too. Althought the shed pits were infilled, you could quite clearly see were the rails use to be and you could easily outline the shed offices at the back of the shed too. As for the roof, it was never touched and all intact. To be honest, when it was converted into a supermarket, it seems that all the builders done was "lined" the interior of the shed and left everything in place. Yes, I did take images but as yet not got around to scanning them.

Southport (27C): This was one of the last L&Y sheds in existence, although it was obviously in preserved state due to the presence of "Steamport", but when the shed was being emptied in mid 1999 and especially with roads one and two being completely free of loco's and rolling stock, again it was a remarkable sight as if the shed was still in the 1960's with the rails, original pits fully intact and all you needed was a couple of BR Black 5's or ex L&Y loco's to complete the scene. Again, all recorded on film. For added information, the very last occasion of a L&Y loco to steam in an ex L&Y shed took place in February 1998.

One shed missing off the above list is "Brunswick" (8E) as the south complete wall of the shed still exists along with the entrance part of the north wall with standing in the middle of it is a Gasometer. No mistaking it is an ex steam shed and easily seen from the nearby Brunswick Station on the Liverpool Central to Hunts Cross line.

 

According to this it was withdrawn 1/63 from 81A & cut up at Cashmores, Great Bridge in 6/64.
BRDatabase - the Complete British Railways Locomotive Database 1948-1997

 

Sutton Oak in its last few dayas as a supermarket. The 'customer' side was rendered and painted, but the other side was largely untouched and very much recognisable.

 

Doesn't Bury shed count ? The building is the former ELR works of the 1840's/50's, L&Y 1300 was based there until just recently.

 

First shot definitely not last few days of the supermarket (Sutton Oak) - more like late 70's / early 80's. The car's alone are the big giveways - Ford Escort Mk2, Poss early Escort Mk3, Lada, & Leyland Princess. The car in the fore ground either a 1950's Ford Popular or Prefect which would be applicable for the shed when open! Given a larger image, prob would be able to recognize the other cars too.

 

The 100E was mine!

 

One missed off the list is Barrow (12E) which was used as a diesel stabling point until it fell apart, and was then used by Barrow Corporation as an asbestos dump. It's still contaminated ground.

Two of of my Uncles were Barrow firemen and - to answer a previous point - I had two shovels which they walked away with on redundancy. They've long since been donated.