Alcester GWR Shed

GWR Route: Alcester to Bearley

The Alcester company originally intended to erect a two-road loco shed to house two locomotives, and a turntable, but in the event the company was persuaded by their Engineer, William Clarke, to opt for a single-road shed and defer the options of a turntable until after the line was opened. The line's contractors, Scott & Edwards, erected the shed during July and August 1876 for £733 19s 4d. A direct connection from the shed to the branch line was not possible because of the gradients . Instead it had been originally intended to connect the shed to a spur from the Evesham & Redditch Railway goods yard, but when permission was refused a connection was made to the branch line via a short head shunt at the north end of the shed, the necessary point-work, etc, locked with the MR junction signal box being installed by October 1876. The engine shed opened in September 1876 and housed the Alcester branch locomotive. When the branch was closed and track removed during the First World War, there was no need for an engine shed and this was therefore closed on 1st November 1915, when the branch engine transferred to neighbouring Stratford-on-Avon, itself a sub-shed of Tyseley. After the war ended, following the reinstatement of the branch, the engine shed was also reopened in August 1923. The engine shed was finally closed on 27th October 1939.

The engine shed was 38ft long by 16ft wide internally. The walls were built in red brick and it had a gable style slated roof on timber trusses. The height to the top of the walls was 16ft and the height to the top of the ridge was 22ft 6ins. There was a 36ft long inspection pit inside the shed under the single road. Three smoke ventilation stacks were provided in the roof. A pair for wooden doors were provided at each end of the through shed. The adjacent red brick built water tank structure was constructed at the same time as the engine shed, but the two were not physically connected. It was 12ft by 8ft internally and the height to the bottom of the water tank was 16ft. A water crane was attached to the wall of this structure adjacent to the branch line. This could be swivelled flush against the structures wall when not in use. The supply is believed to have come from the nearby River Arrow, water being pumped up into the tank utilizing the branch engine. The shed road extended through the building for 400ft towards the station and was served by a 20ft x 9ft coaling platform, erected in April 1900, constructed in brick with a wooden platform, in front of which was another inspection pit, 26ft in length, both being provided in April 1900. Alcester was a sub-shed of Birmingham Bordesley (later Tyseley). It appears that the locomotive shed was the only building erected by the Alcester Railway Company.

Allocations:

• 1st January 1901 0-4-2T No 1156
• 1st January 1926 0-4-2T No 537
• 1st January 1934 0-4-2T No 4814
• 1st January 1939 0-4-2T No 4811

Robert Ferris

Much of the information on this and other pages of Warwickshire Railways is derived from articles or books listed in our 'bibliography'.

Ref: gwr-mra475 Anon View looking towards the junction with the MR's line whilst on the left the single road GWR shed can be seen

Ref: gwr-mra474 Anon Alcester Junction with the GWR branch on the right behind the engine shed and the MR line to Redditch on the left

Ref: gwr-mra474a Anon Close up of the Alcester Branches' Shed erected in 1876 by Scott and Edwards for the sum of £733 19s 4d

Ref: gwr-mra665 P Garland View from the junction with the MR showing the disused line towards Great Alne with the water tower on the right

Ref: gwr-mra549 Anon View of the derelict shed with the wooden doors and water tank still retaining the distinctive GWR painting policy

Ref: gwr-mra666 WA Camwell View of Alcester shed in September 1936 when 0-4-2T locomotive No.4801 was stabled here

Ref: gwr-mra1295a Anon View of the derelict shed and water tank, designed by William Clarke, and built with red brick and slated roof

Ref: gwr-mra1295 Great Western Railway Drawing showing a plan, sectional and side views of Alcester Railway's single road engine shed and water tower

Ref: gwr-mra1295c Great Western Railway Close showing internal and external sectional drawings of Alcester Railway's Single Road Engine Shed

Ref: gwr-mra1295a Great Western Railway Close up showing a plan and side view of the single road engine shed with internal and external inspection pit

Ref: gwr-mra1295b Great Western Railway Close showing a plan, internal and external elevations of the engine shed's water tower

Ref: gwr-mra320 GWR Official Documentation The GWR Rule Book, produced in January 1933, requiring staff to take proper care of themselves and others

A scale drawing by Steve Uphill

In quiet moments over December 2017 I managed to create some drawings of the GWR shed at Alcester. They come as close to the original structure as is I believe possible, I would say I am in the ninety percent plus bracket for accuracy, although some aspects were and had to be educated estimates, actually I think I spent more time redrawing past errors than drawing the end result. I have attached a PDF version of this work and it can be shared for all to use. To give a guide to my drawings each pixel is half an inch (on the PDF version), and therefore it can be scaled, as a brick is represented as being 9 ins x 4 ins x 3 ins inclusive of mortar on one end and one face, as is the Imperial standard. So it might also be of interest to the modelling fraternity, either way both sides, historians and modellers keep this once marvellous rail network alive. I must emphasise that whilst I have remained as true to fact as is humanly possible that does not apply to the brickwork, I have used stretcher bond throughout as a means to scale it, but it wasn't and couldn't be built in that fashion with solid walls which it definitely had, there are various bonds to do that, but clarity was first call.

I found it fascinating that Alcester company took the GWR drawings and adjusted them to suit what they needed. The roof is interesting inasmuch that it was boarded completely over, then tiled over that, an unusual practice, but given bonfires inside there are good reasons. Secondly the ducting inside, it could have been three bell mouthed ducts or one long trough, I have shown it as the latter. I have not included drainage for the pit and it looks like there may have been another gully adjacent to the benches. Back to the ducting, it surprised me that the three roof vents were not harmonious to the building but offset towards the rear end a tad. I haven't included the water tower, and it raises more than a few questions, several of the photos I found were taken on sunny days, and there is no sign of a light gap between it and the shed, that there is the two pits one inside one outside, so washing out took place, therefore the tower provided water either inside the building or in the alleyway between the coal store and the tower. That you state the loco engine proved the means for topping up, unusual, is that proven? as I would expect an engine within the base of the tower to do that which was common practice in outlying places. Then too the chimney, that is I dare say a conundrum, forge? steam driven pump? who can say.

Finally, for those that do not know, the engine shed is visible on Google earth, you have to set the time line back to the forties to see it, but hey, lovely.

Ref: gwra3894 S Uphill A drawing of the GWR's shed at Alcester showing side, sections and both end elevations

Ref: gwra3894a S Uphill The scaled drawing showing an intermediate section of the shed including the inspection pit

Ref: gwra3894b S Uphill The scaled drawing showing details of the shed's boarded roof and the smoke ducts and chimneys

Ref: gwra3894c S Uphill Two sections showing details of the shed's fully boarded roof on the left and the tiles and chimneys on the right

Ref: gwra3894d S Uphill The front elevation showing details of the shed's off-centre double doors and louvered ventilation

Ref: gwra3894e S Uphill A side elevation showing details of the side of the shed plus three sections through the wall

Ref: gwra3894f S Uphill The rear elevation showing details of the shed's off-centre double doors and louvered ventilation