Rugby Shed - Part One

LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton
LMS Route: Rugby to Leamington
LMS Route: Trent Valley Line

For memories of Rubgy MPD click here

Rugby's importance as a junction station combined with being almost equidistant between Euston and Crewe meant that for nearly one hundred years Rugby Shed was strategically important, first to the LNWR and then to its successors, the LMS and the British Railways Board. Hawkin's & Reeve's state in their book 'LMS Engine Sheds: Volume One - The L&NWR' that 'at various times Rugby was an engine changing point for a variety of services, particularly the Liverpool and Manchester to London expresses in the 1870s.

Being an important and complex junction it 'was an obvious site to locate an engine shed and servicing facilities' something recognised as early as 1847. McConnell, Superintendent of the LNWR's Southern Division formerly the London to Birmingham line, reported in 1850 'that additional shelter for engines is much required at Rugby, there being twenty-two engines in steam daily and shed room for only ten'. His solution to the immediate problem was a shed 'like the one to be erected at Bletchley which may be removed at little expense'.

Hawkins & Reeves state that this shed was erected the following year and by 1853 two sheds were in use, one for the Northern Division and the other for Southern Division locomotives. Within thirteen years the numbers of locomotives had increased to one hundred, thirty-four passenger types, fifty-four goods engines, five bankers for passenger services, five goods engine shunters and two 'ballast engines'. In 1909 there were no less than one hundred and sixty locomotives with twenty-six being the newest 'Precursor' type express engines.

The abandonment of engine changing on many express services by the 1930s had resulted in Rugby's allocation of locomotives becoming more focused on servicing goods traffic for the area's industrial and mining communities. However as 'Hawkins & Reeves' state 'its position on a critical junction ensured it remained one of the primary depots of the LMS, and it received a large share of Stanier locos when they were built. In 1954 Rugby's allocation included some forty 'Black Fives', ten 8Fs with the remaining ninety odd locomotives comprising ten 0-8-0s, nine 2-6-4T's, 'a motley collection of ex-MR and 4F 0-6-0s, 3F tanks and 4P 4-4-0s not forgetting No 46604 one of two surviving Webb 2-4-2Ts.

Additional pages divided on different thematic subjects are available by clicking on the links below:

Select an image below to view the larger version with accompanying text:

Ref:lnwrrm345 - E Talbot LNWR Southern Division 2-2-2 'Small Bloomer' No 602 seen outside Rugby's first shed circa 1868

Ref:lnwrrm349 - E Talbot LNWR Southern Division 2-2-2 Lady of the Lake class No 804 'Shah of Persia' seen outside Rugby's first shed

Ref:lnwrrm1018 - Railway Magazine Panoramic view of the shed showing the main depot and the sub-depot or garage

Ref:lnwrrm1020 - Railway Magazine Looking across the tracks of the sub-depot towards the Signal Department building

Ref:lnwrrm978 - W Potter View of the entrance to the three road engine repair workshop with the stationary boiler on the left

Ref:lnwrrm1019 - LGRP View of the sub-shed with passenger locomotives on the left, freight in the centre and passenger tank locomotives on the right

Ref:lnwrrm1019 - LGRP Close up view of the sub-shed with a mixture of LNWR and LMS passenger locomotives standing in front of the shed

Ref:lnwrrm1019 - LGRP Close up view of the sub-shed with a mixture of LNWR passenger and goods locomotives standing in front of the shed

Ref:lnwrrm1067b - Weston Collection Close up showing the both sheds and the approach roads as viewed from the GC bridge

Ref:lnwrrm1064 - Railway Gazette The shed staff pose for the photographer inside the shed on pay day

Ref:lnwrrm970 - Railway Magazine Another view inside the shed showing crew signing on and locos standing ready to leave for duty

Ref:lnwrrm950 - L Hanson Ex-LNWR 0-6-2T 'Coal Tank' No 257638 stands in line adjacent to the coal stacks with the Engine Repair Workshop in the background

Ref:lnwrrm951 - W Potter View of a long line of locomotives standing either side of the coal stack in front of the Engine Repair Workshop

Ref:lnwrrm951a - W Potter shows a number of 0-6-0 and 0-6-0Ts standing on the far side of the coal stack

Ref:lnwrrm1026a - L Hanson Close up showing the old ex-LNWR stationary boiler that was erected alongside the Engine Repair Workshop

Ref:lnwrrm1028 - LGRP View of Rugby's coaling stage and the method of coaling locomotives prior to the introduction of mechanical handling

Ref:lnwrrm1028a - LGRP Close up showing the simple manual method of coaling locomotives at Rugby's shed

Ref:lnwrrm1067c - Weston Collection Close up of the LMS coaling plant erected in 1934 with the old coaling shed and tank immediately behind

Ref: lnwrrm860a - Weston Collection Another close up of the LMS built Coaling plant and the approach lines with a coal wagon ready to be discharged

Ref:lnwrrm988 - Railway Gazette View of Rugby's No 1 type Coaling plant introduced as part of the LMS's modernisation programme

Ref:lnwrrm988a - Railway Gazette Close up of the top of the Coaling Plant showing the hoist used to raise the coal wagons

Ref:lnwrrm988b - Railway Gazette View of the Coaling Plant being used by an LNWR 0-6-0 goods engine not long after it had been built

Ref:lnwrrm1048 - Ex-LNWR 4-6-0 Prince of Wales class No 25979 was never named and is seen standing below the coaling plant

Ref:lnwrrm1048a - Close up showing the process of coaling with the water spray on to minimise the amount of dust

Ref:lnwrrm990 - Anon LMS 4-6-0 large boilered Claughton class No 6017 'Breadalbane' is seen standing under the Ash Plant at Rugby

Ref:lnwrrm1541 - WoW View of Rugby Loco Cabin which controlled access to the shed from the spur off the line to Market Harborough

Ref:lnwrrm1060 - Hawkins & Reeves The shed layout of 1935 showing the two Engine Sheds and the Signal Dept Yard