diesel-electric locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...
traction maintenance depot
The motive power depot (MPD) or locomotive depot, or traction maintenance depot (TMD), is the place where locomotives are usually housed, repaired and maintained when not being used. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine shed ...
, formerly Crewe Diesel Traction Maintenance Depot or Crewe Diesel TMD, situated to the south of and visible from
Crewe railway station
Crewe railway station is a railway station in Crewe, Cheshire, England. It opened in 1837 and is one of the most historically significant railway stations in the world.British Railways it was used as a maintenance facility for the diesel locomotives that were at the time replacing steam traction across the national rail network. Following the
privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was the process by which ownership and operation of the railways of Great Britain passed from government control into private hands. Begun in 1994, it had been completed by 1997. The deregulation of the indust ...
depot ownership transferred to EWS, now
DB Schenker
DB Schenker is a division of German rail operator Deutsche Bahn that focuses on logistics. The company was acquired by Deutsche Bahn as Schenker-Stinnes in 2002. It comprises divisions for air, land, sea freight, and Contract Logistics.
Histo ...
and continued as a base for diesel traction, latterly becoming a facility for storing surplus rolling stock. In 2014 ownership transferred to Locomotive Storage Limited who have been and are continuing to renovate the site.
British Railways
Constructed in 1957 and opened the following year, the site was built to maintain the growing fleet of British Railways diesel locomotives and multiple units used on the Midland region.
It was wide, with five through roads and five of . Oil-fired boilers heated the offices, messroom, locker room and toilets, designed to accommodate up to 100, with a maximum of 80 at any one time. A fuel tank supplied three fuelling points. The depot had a 2-ton electric hoist block for unloading stores from wagons and a
trichloroethylene
The chemical compound trichloroethylene is a halocarbon commonly used as an industrial solvent. It is a clear, colourless non-flammable liquid with a chloroform-like sweet smell. It should not be confused with the similar 1,1,1-trichloroethane, w ...
degreasing machine.Railway Magazine March 1958 pp. 193-194
Privatisation
Following privatisation the depot passed into the hands of EWS who continued to use the site for the assessment, maintenance, repairing, storing and scrapping of diesel-electric locomotives.
Throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s the site fell into an increasing state of disrepair, being used for the long-term storage of DB Schenker locomotives. The site was also extensively used by
Riviera Trains
Riviera Trains Limited is a railway spot-hire company based at Burton-on-Trent and Eastleigh in England.
History
Riviera Trains was founded in 1995, initially based at Cranmore on the East Somerset Railway. It later relocated to Crewe and ...
for the storage of rolling stock.
Current Ownership
In early 2014 the lease was signed for Locomotive Storage to operate and develop the facility. This included the 12 outside roads - one of which is electrified - 8 internal roads and the depot building itself, along with the dedicated paint shop and heavy lift building.
Since the transfer of ownership, the site has been extensively renovated. The main building has seen the complete renewal of its roof along with internal refitting that has included the complete renovation of the living and office areas, allowing the site to become home to both Locomotive Storage Limited and LNWR Heritage's offices.
The internal layout of the building has been modified, with the installation of a partition protecting three of the internal roads from dirt and dust from the workshop areas. 5 ton cranes have been installed along with heavy lifting jacks, to expand the maintenance and overhaul capabilities of the site.Steam Railway Magazine, Issue 440 April–May 2015, Pg 19-23
LNWR Heritage
LNWR Heritage a heritage rail restoration company owned by the
Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust
The Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust (RSL>) is a charitable trust set up in 2009, to enable ownership and restoration to mainline running condition of the London Midland and Scottish Railway Royal Scot Class locomotive No. 6100 ''Royal ...
moved to the site in early 2015, transferring much of their operation from their former base north of the railway station at
Crewe Heritage Centre
Crewe Heritage Centre is a railway museum located in Crewe, England. Managed by the Crewe Heritage Trust, the museum is located between the railway station and the town centre; the site was the location of the 'Old Works' which was demolished i ...
.
Leasing several of the roads inside the main building, LNWR Heritage can make use of 5 and 45 ton cranes, heavy lifting jacks, pit roads and dedicated workshop and paint shop facilities, aimed at providing a permanent base for their heritage rail engineering work for many years to come.
Future
It is planned that further developments on the site will include the construction of a dedicated boilershop, to be used by LNWR Heritage, for the overhaul of steam locomotive boilers. Locomotive Storage Ltd will also oversee the construction of a two road, roughly 250m long shed to allow the under-cover storage of carriages and other vehicles at the site.
These developments will likely see changes to the current track layout at the site.
References
* Rail Atlas Great Britain & Ireland, S.K. Baker
Further reading
*
*
External links
{{commonscat, Crewe Diesel TMD
A overhead view of the depot. The
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...