Leicester Midland loco depot: 15A to UKRL

[Dava]

I travel to work in Leicester by rail several times a week and often observe the activity on the former Leicester MPD site which is now operated by UK Rail Leasing as a loco overhaul, hire operations, storage and other services location since late 2013, after EWS finally closed the depot in 2007.

 

The aim of this thread is to welcome anyone wishing to share their photos or information on the history of rail operations at Leicester Midland, over nearly 180 years from the steam era to the present day. I believe there are some excellent archived collections from the 1970's to 1990's and later out there, for example.

 

The depot site has a long history of rail operations, having first been opened by the Midland Railway as a steam loco roundhouse in 1840, with the number of roundhouses increasing to three until they were replaced by the vast LMSR concrete roundhouse in 1945, before this closed to steam traction in 1966. National Collection steam locos including V2 4771 'Green Arrow, and the 04 63601 were preserved and part-restored there in the late 1960s before the idea of a Leicester Transport Museum was abandoned, they moved on and the shed was demolished to be replaced by the present diesel depot structure.

 

Adjacent to the Midland mainline, the depot is now owned and actively used by UKRL, with a fleet of class 56s, both stored and several active; 37, 47, 50 and 57; and contract overhauls on other locos including a 27. 33035 is now on site and 58016 stored. There are barrier vehicles for Mark 3 trailer and MU haulage, with movements of HST trailers occuring during 2018-19. Its an interesting site, with a variety of operations and it could be a prototype for a model MPD with lots of potential for both loco display and operation.

 

Lets have a look at two aerial views of the site to start with. First, one of the excellent series of 'Britain from Above' images from 1949 showing the great steam roundhouse surrounded by goods and loco sidings but in a very recognisable location. Some of the industrial buildings on the site perimeter are still there but most of the housing and goods warehouses are long gone.

 

For comparison, here is a high-level drone shot from Richard Clinnick in July this year. It was posted on Twitter and I did try to contact him to request permission to use it. It shows the site after a lot of tidying up by UKRL, with some of the collection of stored, active and locos being worked on. It is busier today.

 

That's hit my size limit for tonight, I have some of my own shots to share next time, meanwhile anyone with interesting shots of Leicester Midland, 15A, LR or UKRL, feel free to post!

 

Dava

Edited February 25, 2019 by Dava
corrected

[HullCityB17]

The Class 33 at LR is 33053 & not 33350 as listed. Also the Class 58 is 58016 and not 58018 as also incorrectly listed.

[Dava]

OK, my spotting days are well over. 

[tigerburnie]

I have many memories of the old roundhouse from the late 1950's to the mid 60's, sometimes being chased out and other times allowed to "cab" the steam locos before going off to the "birdcage" to get the locos further out in the yard, somewhere there are some pictures, including inside the roundhouse that I took with my dads camera, all at my brothers who is working his way through the archive of old negatives. There is one image on my topic  "Great Central in and around Leicester" in the layout section that I made into a Christmas card, that was taken from the birdcage looking across to the parcels area, can't find the original just now, but I will look.

[Dava]

Thanks, any photos of or in the roundhouse would be of interest,  you describe it as 'old', certainly it was when compared to the diesel depot which replaced it though it was post-war so newer than most. The only [colour] photo I've seen is by Colin Garratt, showing the 04 and V2 being restored after the shed was closed.

 

Dava

[tigerburnie]

This is the image taken from the bird cage in the early 1960's

[Dava]

Further north, I was amazed to see a Class 58 in freshly painted BR blue & yellow livery in the Mountsorrel Lafarge sidings this afternoon. Didn't see the number but I guess its unique. Anyone know whose it is?

 

 

[eastwestdivide]

LR depot in 1983, from the birdcage:

 

[Dava]

Here is a recent view from the same location, 36 years later. And a closer view of the depot.

 

Today 47749 'City of Truro' was at the depot, not in photo view but looking splendid in gloss blue livery, as was 47727 'Edinburgh Castle'. 

[JDW]

Those are very nice comparisons of "then and now", for a second I did wonder about the "red" 50 on the left though!

[w124bob]

From my own Flickr site, taken in 1979 from the birdcage.

[Sir TophamHatt]

What is the "birdcage"

[AeBor]

On 11/03/2019 at 18:02, Dava said:

Further north, I was amazed to see a Class 58 in freshly painted BR blue & yellow livery in the Mountsorrel Lafarge sidings this afternoon. Didn't see the number but I guess its unique. Anyone know whose it is?

 

 

 

Are you 100% sure it was a Class 58?

These never carried BR Blue. They were released in Railfreight Grey with Red Stripe.

It is likely to be the Class 66/7 in Large Logo Blue.

The only Cl 58’s are on Preserved Railways. 58016 is still in LR undergoing restoration into Railfreight Triple Grey - Coal Sector Livery.

Also some parts have been loaned to the Battlefield Railway Class 58 in order to get it up and running.

[Covkid]

On 11/03/2019 at 18:02, Dava said:

Further north, I was amazed to see a Class 58 in freshly painted BR blue & yellow livery in the Mountsorrel Lafarge sidings this afternoon. Didn't see the number but I guess its unique. Anyone know whose it is?

 

 

Thanks for starting this interesting thread off Dava.

I have a feeling you misidentified this loco, whatever it is, but someone might yet prove me wrong.

AFAIK there are only a small handful of class 58s in the UK, possibly just four.  I think there are two on the Battlefield line, the preserved one at Leicester (58016) and the Ivatt recreation donor which I think is at Darley Dale.  The remaining class 58s are in France and Spain, unless DB have repatriated one or more.    

 

Problem is there is nothing else on UK metals which resembles a class 58, unless one of the stored / preserved ones from Shackerstone has been moved  The other issue is that blue and yellow was only applied to the class 58s which EWS exported to Spain, and unlikely to be a livery which would apply to a preserved loco.   

[Covkid]

1 hour ago, Sir TophamHatt said:

What is the "birdcage"

 

The birdcage at Rugby was the huge bridge where the Great Central passed over the LNWR / LMS / BR.

Was there a similar bridge over the Midland at Leicester - obviously not the mainline which crossed over at Loughborough ? 

[AeBor]

14 minutes ago, Covkid said:

 

The birdcage at Rugby was the huge bridge where the Great Central passed over the LNWR / LMS / BR.

Was there a similar bridge over the Midland at Leicester - obviously not the mainline which crossed over at Loughborough ? 

 

The birdcage was the cage on the road bridge which went around down the side of the shed next to the footpath. The other side was a load of bushes.

[eastwestdivide]

On 23/03/2019 at 12:39, Sir TophamHatt said:

What is the "birdcage"

I knew it as the footbridge/alleyway populated with half  a dozen spotters visible on the right hand side here. It wasn't really fully caged in, just the locals' name for it. Depot in the centre background and behind the 31. This was taken from almost under the road bridge across the North end of Leicester station, with Leicester North signalbox just out of sight behind the hut at the left of the photo.

Edited June 19, 2019 by eastwestdivide
Clarity

[tigerburnie]

Days in the late 1950's and early 1960's saw us get the train from Blaby to Leicester London Road, after checking out the platforms it was round to the shed first(usually got round on a Sunday, often chased out on other days) then back to the birdcage to get the locos in the yard in front of the shed off Conduit Street. We also cycled the 4 miles into the town on occasion and went home via the canal and the Great Central shed and along the canal tow path back to Aylestone and home.

The bird cage bridge in Rugby was another summer haunt, we either got the train or cycled 17 miles and again after checking the station, then round to the shed(often chased out of here as well, did a lot of running in my yoof lol), then under the bird cage to get both lines covered. I often did these journeys on my own, probably less than 12 years old, I guess the freedom we had back then has long gone(and the tickets didn't require a mortgage to buy either). A day out spotting, a Jubbly, a Swiss Roll and a Wagonwheel and change out of five shillings lol.

[Dava]

Thanks for the comments and great photos.

 

We still see regular daily HST services through Leicester, as with 43055 below, and 57312 shunting two Arlington barrier vehicles, both on 21.2.19.

 

 

Re the 'Class 58 sighting' on 11.3.19 I have to concede mistaken identity, its difficult to get a clear view from the sightline of a Voyager window at speed. I suspect a combination of one of the tractor vehicles with yellow ends at Mountsorrel terminal, and a blue 66. I did say my locospotting days were well & truly over!

 

[Dava]

Class 33 33053 was running on the long siding past the old power box at UKRL Leicester this afternoon, producing plenty of blue smoke, I hadnt seen it running before. Still in its as-delivered Banger Blue livery.