‘Forgotten’ engine shed rediscovered
THE remains of an old steam locomotive shed have been discovered by Cambrian Heritage Railways at its Gobowen station site.
The small depot's remains were found by CHR volunteers on land located a short distance south of the station, which is in the organisation's possession.
The Shropshire-based educational charity is appealing for information about the servicing facility, which closed almost 100 years ago.
Henry Thomas, one of the CHR volunteers, said: “Railway boundaries are traditionally marked by post and wire fences. However, we found a section that was formed of an old stone wall and realised it was a surviving part of the engine shed shown on historical maps.
Information
“Steam engine sheds, as well as being a vital part of the railway system, were places which had an irresistible attraction for enthusiasts.
“They were the subject of numerous photographs over the years, and many of their names became legendary. It is therefore surprising that so little is known about the single-road shed at Gobowen – and as far as I know no images of it exist.
“Therefore, we are appealing for anyone who knows the whereabouts of further information or images to email henry@henrythomas.co.uk
“Fortunately, another CHR volunteer recently acquired at auction a copy of a drawing dated 1912, which provides some interesting detail, including the presence of inspection pits both inside and outside the shed.
“Another useful source has been the large-scale Ordnance Survey maps, which show minor changes to the shed layout over the years.”
The shed was about 120ft long and 18ft wide, and built of 18in thick stonework with a slate roof, and the smithy building was of similar construction. When the facility was demolished, the lower part of the smithy gable wall was retained as a boundary wall.
Henry continued: “The only written description I have found is in An Historical Survey of Great Western Railway Engine Sheds 1837-1947 by E Lyons and E Mountford (Oxford Publishing Company).
“Some doubt is cast on the date of the shed's construction, but the authors assume it was built for the opening of the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway in 1848 to serve the Oswestry branch, and that the building was possibly extended in about 1860 to 1864.
“The book gives the locomotive allocation in 1901 as 0-4-2ST No. 547 – constructed at Wolverhampton in 1869 and later rebuilt with side tanks; and 0-6-0STs Nos. 2010 and 2711 – a standard design, later rebuilt with pannier tanks.
“The official closure date was December 4, 1922, following the Great Western's absorption of the Cambrian Railways and the availability of locomotives from Oswestry shed to operate the branch. However, demolition did not take place until January 1937.
“The book's layout plan labels the side building at the south end as ‘smithy', and at the north end as ‘tank over pumphouse' and ‘messroom'.”'
Future
Unfortunately, there can be no prospect of rebuilding the shed as the CHR running line to Oswestry will have to follow more or less the same alignment as the former shed road.
Henry added: “However, we plan to stabilise and protect what remains of the shed masonry, tidy up the site, and excavate carefully to discover whether much has survived of the floors, inspection pits, etc.
“Work is now being carried out to cut through the ivy and kill it off so that it can be removed later with less damage to the masonry, and to cut back vegetation before the nesting season starts in March.
“This will allow more detailed clearance, exploration, and recording during the summer.
“Then the site will be available for laying new track as soon as the resources are available.”