Wandsworth Road goods yard

[Southernfrance]

Hi

 

Does anyone have any photos or information relating to the type of traffic and buildings at Wandsworth Road goods yard. To be specific, I'm talking about the ex-Midland Railway one to the NE of the ex-LCDR line from Victoria, just after this line crosse the line out of Waterloo, on the opposite side of the line to Stewarts Lane depot. 

 

I've got the 1895 track plan from the Middleton Press book for the area, I've got some colour photos of trains on the line in the late 1950's (the period I am modelling) where you can see rakes of coal wagons, lots of buildings of all shapes and sizes, but nothing specific to the site. I cannot seem to find any photos of the yard itself taken at any period despite numerous internet searches, so can anyone help point me in the right direction? 

 

I am in France so can't use UK libraries (plus we are all on lockdown anyway!) so any help will be greatly appreciated

 

Dave

[Wickham Green too]

I guess you're not a member of SECSoc ? ..... there's an article in the current 'Invicta' detailing goods services in this area ; you can probably contact the author / editor via secrsociety@gmail.com.

[SED Freightman]

The 1956 Hand-Book of Stations, published by the British Transport Commission, shows Wandsworth Road as having facilities for Goods Traffic, a 10 Ton crane and facilities for handling Furniture Vans, Carriages, Motor Cars, Portable Engines and Machines on Wheels, although I suspect that coal formed the bulk of traffic.  In the early 1980's the Rom River Co. had three private sdgs (Nos.9, 10 & 11), shunted by their own loco and used for the delivery of reinforcing rod from Sheerness Steel.  I also recall an attempt to institute a service of block trains conveying scrap in minfits from Wandsworth Road to Sheerness Steelworks, this ended almost as soon as it started due to the large number of dirty wagons supplied to the scrap merchant who occupied part of the goods yard.  The scrap yard is still operating on part of the former yard, now under the ownership of European Metal Recycling.

[Southernfrance]

Thanks for the responses. Wickham Green Too  - I will try the SECSoc and see what comes from that. 

 

SED Freightman - a very useful response. I could see mineral wagons on site in the photos I can find, but also a large warehouse and what appears to be loading platforms. As my model is only based on (and less than half the size) of the real thing then I think a couple of coal roads, a rail connected warehouse, a couple of loading dock sidings and a general road with crane should cover most bases and fit with the bulk of my stock. It's only a model after all so I don't have to be precise, but it's nice to know what I can legitimately get away with. Scrap is something I hadn't thought of though but I haven't the room to do it well. I'll even be strapped for coal storage so it'll have to be representative at best.....

 

I've attached a photo to show current progress. I'm just trying out a few things for rough size before going on to make some better mock ups. The warehouse is being represented by my mock up of a carriage shed, so will end up being about 750mm long in N, so quite impressive hopefully.

 

Dave

[Compound2632]

On 26/03/2020 at 16:49, SED Freightman said:

The 1956 Hand-Book of Stations, published by the British Transport Commission, shows Wandsworth Road as having facilities for Goods Traffic, a 10 Ton crane and facilities for handling Furniture Vans, Carriages, Motor Cars, Portable Engines and Machines on Wheels, although I suspect that coal formed the bulk of traffic.  

 

Likewise the 1904 RCH Handbook of Railway Stations (reprinted David & Charles, 1970) - the very same description 52 years earlier, except the crane was only 8 tons. 

 

The National Library of Scotland has on-line copies of the 1950 1:1250 survey: northern half; southern half. The latter clearly shows an end loading ramp for handling all those categories of wheeled traffic and also a number of small buildings in a line near the weighing machine, which I imagine are coal merchants offices. 

 

The Midland Railway Society may be as relevant if not more so than the SEC Society. I had a quick search on "Wandsworth Road" in the catalogue of the Midland Railway Study Centre but I'm afraid that only turns up various inter-company agreements - lettings, wayleaves for pipes, etc. There might be other material if one digs deeper. 

 

There have been several discussions of cross-London goods and mineral traffic, chiefly in the 19th century, in the Pre-Grouping section of RMWeb. Midland traffic for Wandsworth Road was worked via the St Pancras tunnels and Metropolitan Widened lines, by condensing tank engines. From their introduction in 1900 to the last withdrawals in 1963, 2441 Class 0-6-0Ts (1900 Class after 1907) allocated to Kentish Town or Cricklewood were used - the Midland precursor of the LMS standard 3F 0-6-0T. I believe that in later years the goods and mineral trains on the Widened Lines ran in the middle of the night, after the London Underground services had finished for the day - this would be point to bear in mind when operating your layout!

 

Not quite your area but there is an article on West Kensington coal depot by Giles Brown in Midland Record No. 29 (Wild Swan, 2009) which includes some BR-era photos featuring the usual 16 ton mineral wagons and 3F 47432 - West Kensington was reached via Acton Wells Junction and the N&SWJ line, so no need for a condensing engine.

 

I find the whole subject area of Midland goods depots in partibus infidelibus quite fascinating.

 

 

[Southernfrance]

Hi Compound, thanks for the links to the maps. I had searched that site on several occasions but could not find the area you have shown, just areas close by. I used "Battersea" and "Wandsworth" as search terms so don't know how I missed them. 

 

As it's a model trains will run as required, and as there is no facility for lighting, always in daylight! The attraction of this whole area is the chance to run locos of all four companies plus a good selection of early diesels, both on cross-London freight but also on excursion traffic. 

 

I can now take another look at how to set the yard out, and it's road access.....

 

Dave

[Karhedron]

I gather that Wandsworth road regularly received milk tankers in the post-nationalisation years. I can't identify a dairy in the vicinity of the depot. Does anyone know how the milk was handled? Was there a bottling plant at the depot or was the milk decanted into road tankers and handled elsewhere?