Kings Cross Top Shed was a large

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

maintenance and stabling depot just north of King's Cross railway station on the far side of

Regent's Canal Regent's Canal is a canal across an area just north of central London, England. It provides a link from the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal, north-west of Paddington Basin in the west, to the Limehouse Basin and the River Thames in eas ...

History

The first Great Northern Railway engine shed at London was built in 1850, three quarters of a mile north-west of where Kings Cross station is located today. It was built on a large area of open land, with the East and West India Docks and Birmingham Junction Railway to the north, the main line of the Great Northern Railway to the east and

to the south. The East and West India Docks and Birmingham Junction Railway which ran from

Chalk Farm Chalk Farm is a small urban district of north London, lying immediately north of Camden Town, in the London Borough of Camden. History Manor of Rugmere Chalk Farm was originally known as the Manor of Rugmere, an estate that was mentioned in ...

to Poplar was still being built in 1850, and by 1853 it was known by the simpler title of The

North London Railway The North London Railway (NLR) company had lines connecting the northern suburbs of London with the East and West India Docks further east. The main east to west route is now part of London Overground's North London Line. Other NLR lines fell ...

. Most of the land in the area around Top Shed was developed into Kings Cross Goods Yard. LNER A4 Pacifics, 1937 (Our Generation, 1938)

A temporary passenger terminus had been sited at Maiden Lane (now called

York Way York Way (part of the A5200) is a major road in the London Borough of Islington, running north for one mile from the junction of Pentonville Road and Euston Road, adjacent to King's Cross railway station towards Kentish Town and Holloway. At ...

) from August 1850 and the locomotive depot was constructed nearby. However, when Kings Cross station was opened in October 1852 it was located further south, on the other side of Regent's Canal and at a lower level than the Top Shed to allow for the lines running underneath the canal. The Top Shed finally closed in June 1963, and demolition began soon after. Nearby was Kings Cross Goods Yard.

Buildings

The Running Shed

Originally constructed in 1850, the Main Shed had twenty five roads. Although there was no turntable in front of the main running shed, it was built in the shape of a shallow curve which gave the shed a unique appearance.

The Midland Roundhouse

In December 1857 the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...

negotiated with the Great Northern Railway for running powers over the main line from

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town and unparished area in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 35,842. History Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce peopl ...

to King's Cross. As part of this agreement the GNR undertook to provide engine sheds at its own cost for the MR, with the Midland paying for its water use, plus six percent interest for the rent of the premises. The Roundhouse (also known as the Derby Shed) opened in 1859 and grew to be a considerable size, with eventually twenty four roads circling the forty foot diameter turntable. But by 1861 the Midland had decided that they wanted their own Goods and Minerals Station, which they subsequently built at Agar Town. When they left the Great Northern took the Roundhouse over as a carriage and wagon shop, and then as a running shed for their tank locos. In 1931 it was demolished and the tracks were then used for open air stabling until the Met Shed was built.

The Met Shed

The Met (Metropolitan) Shed was put together in 1932 following the demolition of the Roundhouse. The front half was part of the original 1850 running shed whilst the rear was formed by the 1862 extension to the carriage and wagon shops. It housed the tank engines and locomotives which worked the inner and outer suburban services from Kings Cross.

Access

Unidentified Deltic, Holloway Bank, 1970s

Most of the sidings at the Top Shed and Kings Cross Goods Yard funneled down into the junction at Freight Terminal junction near Belle Isle, which was the cause of the fan-shaped layout of both areas.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Various images of Top Shed

Video: A Visit To Kings Cross Shed - Railway Roundabout 1959
:Railway depots in England :Railway roundhouses in the United Kingdom Rail infrastructure in London Railway depots in London