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Stations, Junctions, etc
Engine Sheds
Other
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Saltley Shed
The original Saltley Shed was first erected in 1854 to the
south and on the opposite side of the Derby to Birmingham line to the shed seen
below. According to Chris Hawkins & George Reeve in the second volume of
LMS Engine Sheds - The Midland Railway, the Midland Railway drew up
plans for "a 'Round Engine Shed', with stores, smithy and three road fitting
shop at the rear, the building having twenty-four roads grouped around a 39
foot turntable". They recount, "problems arose almost immediately, and the shed
was ordered 'to be repaired at a cost of £5 due to the incompetence of a
driver running his engine through the wall. He has been ordered to repay the
money". A 42 foot turntable was later added outside in the yard and although
the 'Round Engine Shed' was in 1864 given an extensive refit, the Midland
Railway must have realised the limitations of the site as they began to search
for another location the same year.
The new 'Square' Roundhouse was
opened in 1868 on the site seen in the images below although according to
Hawkins & Reeves, "the old depot, particularly its fitting shop, remained
in use for several years". A second square roundhouse, No 2 shed, was erected in 1876 alongside what was now
designated No 1 shed and an eight road fitting shop was added to the rear of No
1 shed. The new shed was intended to accommodate a 42 foot turntable but the
diameter was subsequently enlarged to a 46 foot turntable. Hawkins & Reeves
state that the opening of the new fitting shop in 1877 resulted in the "final
abandonment of the old 'Round Shed' and the transfer of remaining usable
equipment (valued at £431) to the new depot was completed on the
year".
In 1900 Saltley shed was again extended with the addition of
a third roundhouse, No 3 shed, which was built in
front of the original 1868 roundhouse, now designated No 1 shed. Larger than
its predecessors, it contained a 60 foot turntable purchased from Messrs
Eastwood for £1057. 15s. 10d (1,057 pounds, 15 shillings and 10 pence or
£1057.79 in decimal currency). This was larger than the 50 foot turntable
first envisaged when the extension was first mooted in 1894. Hawkins &
Reeves state that this "brought Midland developments at Saltley to a close" and
in March 1900 the old abandoned 'Round Engine Shed' was ordered to be removed
'at once'. In 1876, with the opening opening of No 2 roundhouse and an
allocation of 72 locomotives, Saltley shed became the Midland's busiest depot
after Derby which was the headquarters of the Midland Railway.
Whilst Saltley shed primarily catered for handling freight
traffic there were however some notable express passenger turns, principally
the 'Scotch Expresses' to the West of England and fast trains to the East
Midlands. Prior to 1870, Sharp Stewart 2-2-2s which were introduced in 1853,
worked almost to the exclusion of other types on the Bristol trains. Hawkins
& Reeves noted that a number of the locomotives built to the last 2-2-2
design and introduced in 1863 were shedded at Saltley; Nos 94, 97, 98 and 99,
specifically for these services. However, by the end of the First World War the
majority of Saltley's passenger trips were associated with local passenger
services. Ahrons, a notable railway author of the inter war years, was quoted
as saying in 1920 "that 'Birmingham' was another centre for tank engines",
referring to the 0-4-4Ts working the suburban services to Kings Norton,
Redditch and Walsall.
By 1933 these services had become the domain of the Deeley
0-6-4Ts, with nearly half of the class allocated to Saltley shed. Saltley shed
was coded No 3 by the Midland, more commonly referred to as 'Birmingham'. The
LMS' 1935 reorganisation saw Saltley's shed code changed to 21A, the code most
familiar to railway enthusiasts until September 1963 when British Railways
re-coded Saltley as 2E for the last four years of its life as a steam depot. In
Midland days, Bournville, Walsall and Redditch were sub-sheds of Saltley.
Following grouping in 1923, Walsall shed closed in September 1925, Bournville
became a garage in 1935 with Redditch being the only survivor as a sub-shed
until it closed in the 1960s. With grouping in 1923 the LMS did however add the
Stratford Midland & Junction Raliways' Stratford upon Avon shed to
Saltley's authority although this too was subsequently designated as a garage
from 1935 until its closure in 1957.
The LMS and its successor, British Railways, undertook to
film various aspects of operating steam locomotives and other railway
operations. We have provided below links to some of the films related to shed
operation that we know exist. Films on other aspects of railway operations can
be viewed via our Video and Film Clip
section.
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Railway Roundabout 1959: 'Saltley Shed 1959'
Pat Whitehouse's
and John Adam's S.L.S final shed bash of 1959 was a visit to Saltley shed on
Midland Railway territory in Birmingham. (3 minutes 57 seconds) |
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Wash and Brush Up 1953
Shows the procedures that a steam
engine goes through as part of its regular maintenance cycle. The locomotive
being featured in the film is a British Railways Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 No
73020 at 6D Chester (Midland shed. (25 minutes 19 seconds) |
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LMS - On the Shed - Part One of Two
Various shots of an
engine being prepared and serviced ready for its next trip. Includes actions
and responsibilities of crew. (9 minutes 44 seconds) |
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LMS - On the
Shed - Part Two of Two
Various shots of an engine being prepared and
serviced ready for its next trip. Includes actions and responsibilities of
crew. (9 minutes 31 seconds) |
Select an image below to view the larger version with
accompanying text:
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