Shed Allocations

[garethashenden]

Is there a searchable index of shed allocations somewhere? Or an online list? I'm looking for locomotives in Cornwall 1900-1914. If it makes any difference I;m looking for Dean Goods, 517s and 850PTs.

 

Thanks!

[Adrian Wintle]

Unfortunately, the lists at http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/index-st.htm don't deal with the earlier classes or, I think, pre-grouping allocations but they might be useful for others. The loco detail lists have selected shed allocations.

 

Other than that, there is the Wild Swan book with the 1921 shed allocations which might give some ideas.

 

Adrian

[MarkAustin]

The only way of getting an accurate list is by going to The National Archives at Kew. They have the Registers of monthly shed allocations of locomotive stock (Includes printed construction details of each engine for some of the earlier years), starting with RAIL 254/60 for 1902 and ending with RAIL 254/108 for 1963-64. I believe that there is one missing. Most of the printed material only gives allocation at either the beginning or end of the year (both if you're lucky), but locos moved about during the year, e.g. going for repair and being returned to the same shed, or jusrt swapping around between sheds and sub-sheds in a Division. Not sure what to do about 1901 and before---they may be in Board minutes, but I've never looked.

 

Mark A

[Kenton]

 

The only way of getting an accurate list is by going to The National Archives at Kew.

It is hard work and looking through endless minutes is even more tedious. You'll need a lot of time on your hands - which is why there is no online database. Time is money and even post BR allocations which were well documented is one heck of a lot of data to compile just for the love of it for the wider benefit of others.

[garethashenden]

Thanks everyone. I knew about the National Archives but I was hoping for an easier way. I have a Great Western Journal with an article about 850 saddle tanks. It has shed allocations for a couple of years. I'll track down the articles on the classes I'm interested in and see if they have the same thing. Otherwise I'll make the long trip across London to do the research I'm after.

[buffalo]

I haven't checked John Copsey's article on the 850s, but does it say anything about the panniers? Remember that none received pannier tanks before 1910, and only about thirty had been converted by 1914.

 

His article on the 517s is in GWRJ nos 74 and 75. The first part has 1901, 1906 and 1914 allocations and some comments on their use in Cornwall. In 1901, the furthest west are 218 at Plymouth and 552 at Liskeard. There is a comment that the latter probably worked to Plymouth. 849 was withdrawn from Truro in 1904/5. In 1906, 531 was at Truro and ran on the Perranporth and Newquay services, and use of a 517 on the Helston branch around 1910 is also mentioned. By 1914, 563 and 1165 were at Truro, 1159 was at Newquay. 1481 at Helston and 205 and 1467 were at Penzance.

 

As to the Dean Goods, I don't recall seeing any detailed allocation data for this period. The 1920s figures won't help as from this time they were rarely seen west of Exeter. However, the RCTS bible mentions that 2430 was the first standard gauge engine to reach west Cornwall in 1892 and "...for some fifteen years after that they were frequently used in Devon and to a lesser extent in Cornwall."

 

Nick

[garethashenden]

For the 850 I'm going to model 1907. It was converted in 1911 and has the desired combination of H-spoke wheels, half cab and pre-WW1 conversion date. As for the rest I may just choose one I like the looks of, but it would be nice if it were right.