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BR DEPARTMENTAL LOCOMOTIVES & STABLING POINTS

Compiled by Paul and Shirley Smith
Updated and amended by Tony Booth (ESS Member) 2009.
 
  Departmental locomotives and their stabling points is an area of railway operations that has not, thus far, been too well documented, in fact much of the information is decidedly sketchy. As an adjunct to the researches that we undertook with Roger Griffiths in producing "The Directory of British Engine Sheds" we were driven to compile details of these locomotives and sites used in BR days. 
  On the face of it, this appeared to be a relatively easy task - just skim through the old ABC Locoshed Books, check through the Departmental listings in each edition and draw up the relevant lists.
  This, of course, was merely the starting point. It was knowing where to stop that proved problematical. In the 1950s and '60s the Departmental Locomotives were pretty well organised into neat categories, the PWMs, EDs and the ER Numerical Series taking up most of them with virtually all engines used for shunting. In the 1980s, however, the scope and use of the Departmental Locomotive expanded with redundant diesel and electric rolling stock being utilised on all manner of tasks. This was considered to be a can of worms too far, and although relevant locomotives have been listed and will appear in subsequent editions of LINK, dmus and emus have not and neither have the locations at which the later locomotives were used or stabled.
  In our work so far we would like to thank fellow ESS members Chris Bush, Roger Griffiths, Dave McGuire, Allan Sommerfield, Philip Stuart and Ron Wood for their input, and any additional help that can be supplied will be very useful. Specific requests, not least details of servicing arrangements for the Departmental B1’s used for carriage heating, have been highlighted in the text.
  The process of compiling the lists and sourcing maps and material is still continuing and those detailed below (which show the name of the site, departmental locomotives allocated there, location and facilities) represent just a brief summary of our researches so far.
 
  Each of the locations dealt with has a brief resumé of its history, the locomotives allocated, a map and, where available, photographs of the site and/or the locomotives allocated there. All of the locomotives that fall within the scope of this subject are similarly listed along with a brief allocation history
  The pages are grouped into four main sections;
1. Departmental & Engineering Depots.               
2. MPDs & Diesel Depots with Departmental Locomotive Allocations.

3. The Locomotives.
4. The ex-LNER Class B1 4-6-0 Locomotives which were chiefly employed for carriage heating during the 1960s.

This is very much a "work in progress" and we will warmly welcome any amendments, comments
or photographs that will add to the accuracy and quantity of the information presented here.

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