GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Stratford on Avon Shed

The first engine shed at Stratford-on-Avon was built in 1859 to house the OWWR branch engine. This single road structure was located opposite the Stratford West Signal Box and deemed inadequate once construction of the North Warwickshire Railway and Honeybourne Line were proposed. A new Stratford-on-Avon shed was authorised in March 1906 and the contract awarded to Messrs. CK Hunt & Son in December 1909 for £3,147. It was opened in 1911 as a sub shed to Tyseley Shed and given the number 5171. The Shed consisted of an engine shed built to the Churchward standard straight road design and a combined coaling stage and water tank. The engine shed was 155 foot long by 38 foot wide and accommodated two railroads. The red brick walls were 18 foot high with large windows along both sides and posts at 10 foot intervals supporting a series of single 30 foot span trusses on which was an asbestos slated roof with a glazed clerestory. The roof trusses were constructed with timber rafters and cast steel ties to reduce the corrosive effect of the smoke fumes. Integral to the roof were smoke troughs above each railroad, which lead to ten pairs of square vent shafts. The two gable ends were also red brick with large double wooden doors for the tracks a both ends of the engine shed.

The rear doors were provided despite the fact that the railroads stopped just short of the back gable end. Inspection pits ran almost the full length of both railroads inside the engine shed and externally pits were provided adjacent to the entrance. Small red brick office (43 feet by 14 feet) and store (50 feet by 14 feet) buildings abutted the eastern side wall and were accessed from the engine shed. The engine shed, attached buildings and yard were all lit by gas lamps. The coal stage was unusual in having a steel framework with timber walls and the roof was a 22,500 gallon water tank. A cantilever awning provided some protection from the elements for the unloading of the coal wagons on the ramp. The water was obtained from the Stratford Canal which was owned by the Great Western Railway. A small sand furnace was also provided just outside the engine shed, but post nationalisation a new sand drier and hopper was provided inside the engine shed. Dry sand was carried in sand boxes on all locomotives. When required this could be directly applied via pipes to the rails adjacent to the locomotive’s driving wheels to aid adhesion. Stratford-upon-Avon's locomotive shed 84E was a sub-shed of Tyseley shed and was situated on the down side of the main line from which it had no direct connection. Access to the shed therefore involved several reversal moves and must have been the bane of the crews' lives. There was no turntable at Stratford and consequently crews had to use the triangular junctions at either the former SMJ station or Bearley, although the latter was the more frequently used.

Known Shed allocations were:
1921
2-4-0T Metro No 627
2-4-0 Stella Nos 3504, 3527, 3535
0-6-0 Dean Goods No 2306

1934
4-4-0 Duke No 3281
4-4-0 Bulldog Nos 3423, 3426
2-6-2T Nos 5108, 5134, 5139, 5154

1948
0-6-0 Nos 2206, 2297
2-6-2T Nos 3151, 3180

1962 Shed Closed on September 1962.

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: gwrsa1573 Great Western Railway Official Great Western Railway photograph of Stratford-on-Avon engine shed shortly after its completition in 1911

Ref: gwrsa1573a Great Western Railway Close up of the new engine shed and, behind the gas lamp post, the sand bin and furnace for drying the sand

Ref: gwrsa1449 FA Wycherley GWR 2-6-2T 51xx class large prairie No 5134 standing over the pit in front of Stratford-on-Avon engine shed

Ref: gwrsa614 RC Riley The single road leading to Stratford on Avon's two-road shed after passing the coaling and watering facilities

Ref: gwrsa614a RC Riley Close up of the combined coaling stage and water tank with a wagon placed to coal the next engine

Ref: gwrsa1446 J Moss The combined coal stage and water tank at Stratford-upon-Avon shed, showing the ladder to inspect the tank

Ref: gwrsa1448 J Moss A view of the East end of Stratford on Avon shed's combined coal stage and water tank in September 1956

Ref: gwrsa1446a J Moss Close up of the drawbridge type door which allowed the coal tubs to run out over the tender or bunker

Ref: gwrsa3037 JS Doubleday An oblique view of the coaling stage erected in 1911 on the opening of the North Warwickshire line

Ref: gwrsa1739 PJ Garland View of the water crane adjacent to the coaling stage at Stratford-on-Avon shed in September 1956

Ref: gwrsa496 J Hyde Ex-LMS 0-6-0 4F No 44353 is standing at the GWR coaling stage for coaling and watering before returning to the SMJ

Ref: gwrsa1499 RS Carpenter Another view of the two-road shed, storage siding and water column and the coaling station and approach roads

Ref: gwrsa1499a RS Carpenter Close up showing locomotives being stabled on the siding to the left of the shed and the general facilities available

Ref: gwrsa1447 TE Williams Ex-GWR 0-4-2T 58xx class No 5813 at the coaling stage at Stratford-on-Avon shed on 28th April 1957

Ref: gwrsa1456 G England British Railways built 2-6-2T 5101 class large prairie No 4161 standing in front of the engine shed

Ref: gwrsa1553 B Morrison British Railways 2-10-0 Standard Class 9F No 92223 is seen standing dead outside Stratford on Avon shed

Ref: gwrsa1450 RS Carpenter View of the west elevation of the shed in June 1965 almost three years after closure in September 1962

Ref: gwrsa1451 RS Carpenter View of the front of Stratford on Avon Shed seen in June 1965 almost three years after closure in September 1962

Ref: gwrsa3182 G England Ex-GWR 2-8-0 No 2879 stands in front of the shed adjacent to the water column on 16th August 1959

Ref: gwrsa3183 G England Ex-GWR 2-6-0 No 6338 stands in front of the shed alongside Austerity No 90483 on 5th January 1960

Ref: gwrsa3195 LC Jacks Ex-GWR 2-8-0 No 2807 stands fully coaled and watered outside Stratford on Avon shed shed in July 1960

Ref: gwrsa320 GWR Official Documentation The GWR Rule Book, produced in January 1933, requiring staff to take proper care of themselves and others

Recording Locomotive Sightings 1943 - 1968

The following information is provided courtesy of Shed Bash UK (http://shedbashuk.blogspot.co.uk/)

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.