18B Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Evening just having a discussion with a friend about what does and does not constitute a "Diesel Depot" and wondered what everyone else thought. what does a place need to have (In most people's opinion) in order to consitute being called a "Diesel Depot" i.e. fuel, a building offering cover, a loco allocation - mailine and or shunters? Drivers based there, one or all of the above? etc etc......... Obviously Toton, Tinsley, Immingham etc etc were def "Diesel Depots" but what about Westhouses - a mere stabling point, but it did have fuel facilities up until closure and movement of stabling to Tibshelf Sidings...... etc etc, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamperman36 Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I would say a depot should have an allocation of locomotives, maintenance facilities and fitters, as well as other staff booking on point, fueling facilities and offices. A stabling point would not have an allocation of locomotives or maintenance facilities and on site fitters. It could have minor maintenance facilities, ie; water,oil minor checks, it could also have fuel and staff signing on facilities such as the facilities that were at Healey Mills or Saltley. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stivesnick Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Hi 18B I would go for a loco allocation plus the ability to carry out examinations and repairs. Based on this the majority of diesel facilities you see on model layouts would be stabling points Regards Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 A cinder path? (No, that would be a steam shed). Actually I'd say it would be a base, with a shed code and an allocation of diesel locomotives (or multiple units), serving as their "home depot". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted June 3, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 3, 2016 I reckon if you restricted it to a location with maintenance facilities and an allocation of locos there wouldn't be (or have been) all that many 'diesel depots' around today or on BR. For example at one time many LMR diesel locos were allocated to 'Western Lines' or 'Midland Lines' and not to a specific depot. Smaller depots with fitting staff and electricians could fuel locos/dmus and carry out lower level exams plus minor repairs but many of them (probably the majority?) never had an allocation of locos because locos were only allocated to maintenance depots on some Regions. The presence or otherwise of traincrew isn't really relevant - the management of them generally in BR times was under the traffic/operating dept and nothing to do with the technical people once steam had ended. Any continuing co-location with loco servicing facilities etc was as much a matter of convenience and available space as anything else. Thus at several depots where I worked the technical side looked after the motive power and managed the artisan etc staff while the operating dept (under the local Area Manager) managed the traincrews. A stabling point would be exactly that - somewhere where locos or units were stabled and not somewhere where they received any sort of attention (other than possibly footplate staff topping up sandboxes as was the case at one place where I worked). If any sort of servicing work took place then it would be categorised as a servicing point/depot and would have artisan staff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 96701 Posted June 4, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 4, 2016 When I worked at Kingmoor in the seventies we had an allocation of DMUs and 08s, but not much more. However we did have a set of Matterson jacks that could lift a loco off its bogies, so we could deal with traction motor changes, we had an overhead crane that could lift cylinder heads off and lift pistons out of cylinders and lift cylinder liners out, so I reckon it was a Traction Maintenance Depot. We also dealt with A and B exams and faults on visiting locos such as electric locos and Class 50s. I have to say that I right enjoyed myself. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
black and decker boy Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 From my spotting days of the 80s and 90s, a depot would have had maintenance facilities in a shed with a small allocation (possibly as an out station) of something, be that a single 08 or DMU rather than a fleet of locos. A stabling point may have fuelling but little else and may be more associated with sidings and /or train crew. So Thornton Junction was a depot, Mossend was a stabling point. Warrington Arpley was a stabling point but then they built a shed and it gained 08s as an out station so I would say it's now a depot.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 I agree with the logic that there was a hierarchy - incidentally I think the days of traditional/ legacy diesel depots are well and truly over, consigned to history with the technology/ sophistication that they supported. I would contend that there was a hub and spoke operation, or main depot and outstation, as others have said. To give a few urban or regional examples: Edinburgh District had Haymarket which was a full TMD with a comprehensive allocation of express, mixed traffic, freight and shunting locos, plus DMUs. This was supported by Millerhill (loco servicing or inspection point), Dunfermline, Thornton, Perth etc each of which had its own shunters and could service freight locos on long term outstationment. Dundee was intermediate, with shunters and DMUs, and Aberdeen was similar, albeit much further afield. There is a historical backstory behind each depot, and in better times they had allocations of main line steam and/ or diesel locos. These days, there's basically the super-depot supported by fuel points, and a man-in-a-van technician service. What was once gloriously vertically integrated with all attendant disciplines and supporting structures, is now risk- and financially-driven, spreadsheet and cost-model based, pared down to the absolute minimum. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
18B Posted June 5, 2016 Author Share Posted June 5, 2016 would however people clas the burton upon trent Nemisis Rail depot as a "diesel depot"? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold tractionman Posted June 5, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 5, 2016 A depot would be somewhere listed in those good old Locoshed books published by Ian Allan, where each loco was given an allocation and code. Cheers, Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 would however people clas the burton upon trent Nemisis Rail depot as a "diesel depot"? No. It doesn't have an allocation of serviceable diesel locos. It resurrects rolling stock but it's not an operating base for diesels, unless I'm missing something - it's the old MGR wagon repair shop. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
18B Posted June 5, 2016 Author Share Posted June 5, 2016 No. It doesn't have an allocation of serviceable diesel locos. It resurrects rolling stock but it's not an operating base for diesels, unless I'm missing something - it's the old MGR wagon repair shop. I'd have thought that the 56's "based there" are allocated to the depot? and they do work from there and stable there, didb't some of them used to work the Boston steel train for example? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.