LMS Route: Nuneaton to Birmingham New Street

LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Tamworth

Saltley Shed: mrsalt110a

Close up of image 'mrsalt110' showing Saltley No 3 Shed with one access road through to the 60 foot turntable and on the right the Sand House and chimney used to dry the sand. In front of the access road was a pit used by enginemen to service the locomotives by climbing beneath the engines to oil and grease bearings and inside motions. The two men in the pit appear to be cleaning the pit out indicating that ash must have fallen from the ashpans of the locomotives passing over the top when moving into and out of the shed. The sequence of construction at the new site at Saltley resulted in the third extension, No 3 shed, being built in front of the original shed later named No 1 shed. The entrance to Saltley No 3 shed was different to most 'roundhouses' insofar that the entrance was on the side and not the gable end as was normal practice. In the foreground on the left is the entrance road to No 2 shed on the left. Beyond the entrance road to No 2 shed is a weighbridge hut and tank wagon containing diesel oil for the depot on the right. The weighbridge was used to weigh the loco coal wagons before and after emptying and their use may have been extended to diesel oil too. The LMS had invested in the development of Diesel shunters from the beginning of the 1930s as they offered considerable savings by their very high levels of availability and the minimum time required to prepare and dispose the locomotives for each shift. Initially the fuel was provided by using tank wagons to both transport and distribute the fuel. After the Second World War more permanent facilities were provided and a diesel tank was erected in front of the left-hand corner of No 3 shed.

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