Bank Hall Locomotive Depot in 1948: two ex-Lancashire & Yorkshire engines outside the smaller through Shed: ex-L&Y 1F 0-6-0T No. 11535, fitted with dumb buffers and swinging spark-arrestor for working in the Docks; behind it is Class 30 6F 0-8-0 No. 12782. (Beyond can be glimpsed an 8F 2-8-0 with the unusual combination of 'M' as well as the BR initial '4' added to its number). Photo: 20 June 1848 by Ben Brooksbank, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

Recording Locomotive Sightings 1943 - 1968
A generation of enthusiasts recorded the movements of locomotives around the railway system. These records of visits to locomotive depots have been collected and carefully analysed to provide an overall portrait for the period 1943 to 1968. During that period of steam's final years, there was a marked change from the pre-grouping types that still found work at a few depots, to the modern BR designs that worked until the end in 1968. The handling of freight and passenger services was a major undertaking from town and cities, ports, coal mines and factories. All of it traversed the labyrinth of lines that criss-crossed the country. There were numerous 'sheds' spread throughout the length and breadth of the land that provided and serviced the vast army of steam locomotives (20,000 in 1948). Here is just a taste of that history.

Monday 27 April 2015

Bury St. Edmonds, Sudbury & Saffron Walden

The E4 2-4-0s built by Holden in 1892 spent their final days on remote branch lines in East Anglia. 
Photo: Ben Brooksbank Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license 2.0

Bury St. Edmonds
Pre Grouping Ownership - Great Eastern Railwayopened:1854prior to Jan 1950BSE
type:A 2TS, rebuilt as a 3TS through-road shed in 1904.closed:Jan-59Feb 1950 - Jan 195931E
location:On the north side of the line , west of Bury St. Edmonds Station.
AbbreviationsGER - Great Eastern RailwayGNR - Great Northern Railway
Sunday 11 September 1938BSEtotal:13
B12 4-6-0 (GER)D15 4-4-0 (GER)E4 2-4-0 (GER)F3 2-4-2T (GER)J15 0-6-0 (GER)J17 0-6-0 (GER)
7544880788977421746680648071754679248153
D2 4-4-0 (GNR)8892J39 0-6-0
43662985
Sunday 25 May 1947BSEtotal:13
E4 2-4-0 (GER)D15 4-4-0 (GER)J15 0-6-0 (GER)F3 2-4-2T (GER)F4 2-4-2T (GER)J69 0-6-0T (GER)
2783CAM2503BSE5362BSE7115CAM7187BSE8497BSE
2785BSED16 4-4-0 (GER)5442BSE7138BSE8579BSE
2615BSE5461CAM
5477CAM
Shed CodesBSE Bury St. EdmondsCAM Cambridge
Allocation August 1950 (14)D15 4-4-0GER1D16 4-4-0GER4
E4 2-4-0GER2J15 0-6-0GER3F6 2-4-2TGER3
J69 0-6-0TGER1
Sunday 20 August 195031Etotal:13
E4 2-4-0 (GER)D16 4-4-0 (GER)J15 0-6-0 (GER)J20 0-6-0 (GER)J69 0-6-0T (GER)F6 2-4-2T (GER)
6278131A6260731E536231E6468431A849731E6723631E
278531A6261531E6540531AB17 4-6-0723831E
279531E6542031E6161931A Welbeck Abbey
Shed Codes31A Cambridge31E Bury St. Edmonds
Sunday 20 September 195331Etotal:13
D16 4-4-0 (GER)F6 2-4-2T (GER)C12 4-4-2T (GNR)J15 0-6-0 (GER)J69 0-6-0T (GER)
6251331E6260731E6722231E6737531E6540531A6849731E
6254331E6261531E6723631E6738531E6542031E
6256631E6723731E
Shed Codes31A Cambridge31E Bury St. Edmonds
Sunday 18 September 195531Etotal:10
E4 2-4-0 (GER)D16 4-4-0 (GER)J15 0-6-0 (GER)C12 4-4-2T (GNR)J69 0-6-0T (GER)
6278131A6254331E6257631E6542031E6739531E6849731E
6256631E6258831E
6257031A6261531E
Shed Codes31A Cambridge31E Bury St. Edmonds
Sunday 26 May 195731Etotal:10
B12 4-6-0 (GER)J15 0-6-0 (GER)J17 0-6-0 (GER)J69 0-6-0T (GER)N7 0-6-2T (GER)
6154631E6156731E6540531E6554131A6849731E6961931A
6155431E6157631E6542031E
6155531A
Shed Codes31A Cambridge31E Bury St. Edmonds
Bury St. Edmonds shed was closed on 5th January 1959.
Sudbury
Pre Grouping Ownership - Great Eastern Railwayopened:1849Bury St. Edmonds subshed
type:A brick-built 1TS through-road shed.closed:1959
location:In the goods yard on the north side of Sudbury Station.
AbbreviationsGER - Great Eastern Railway
Sunday 20 September 1953Sunday 1 July 1956Tuesday 23 July 1957
total:1total:2total:2
E4 2-4-0 (GER)J15 0-6-0 (GER)E4 2-4-0 (GER)J15 0-6-0 (GER)
6279031A6539031A6546131A6278531A6544231A
Saffron Walden
Pre Grouping Ownership - Great Eastern Railwayopened:1866Cambridge subshed
type:A brick-built 1TS through-road shed.closed:1958
location:On the south side of the line, east of Saffron Walden Station.
AbbreviationsGER - Great Eastern RailwayGNR - Great Northern Railway
Sunday 25 September 1955Friday 8 August 1958
total:3total:1
E4 2-4-0 (GER)G5 0-4-4T (NER)0-6-0 diesel
6279231A6727931AD2008
6732231A
Shed Codes31A Cambridge
Note: Ely and Huntingdon, now listed under Cambridge.
Updated and revised - October 2021.