WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

Looking back to Tinsley open day in April 1996, where issue 1 of Rail Express was launched to the crowds of diesel & electric traction fans.

A look back to Tinsley open day in 1996, which was our launch event but turned out to be the depot’s last.

THE open day at Tinsley on April 27, 1996 turned out to be the final major event to be held at the Sheffield depot, as it was to close for good just two years later. It had opened in April 1964 on the hillside above the large marshalling yard of the same name, replacing a number of steam-era sheds in the area.

Tinsley was purpose-built for servicing and maintaining diesel locos, and throughout the 1960s to 1980s was home to a large allocation of freight locos to serve the area’s coal mines and heavy industries. Most notable were Classes 20, 31, 37, 47 and 56, but it was also famously home to the three Class 13 ‘master+slave’ shunters that were specially formed to work the hump yard.

By the 1990s, however, the main allocation was Class 47s for

British Rail’s Railfreight Distribution sector, which was privatisated in

1997 and acquired by EWS. With the operator having other depots nearby at Doncaster and Toton, it deemed Tinsley surplus to requirements and the depot was closed at the end of March 1998 before being demolished a year later. Today the site is home to a large car showroom.

The list of exhibits at the 1996 open day show the dominance of the ‘47s’ at that time, with no less than 39 on show, including preserved No. 47192. There was a nod to the depot’s past with Waterman Railway’s black-liveried ‘Choppers’ Nos. 20042+20188, preserved ‘Peak’ No. 45060, and ‘Grids’ Nos. 56004/100. Other preserved diesels included a ‘46’, ‘55’ and three ‘50s’, while a very unusual sight at this diesel depot was no less than five electric locos of differing classes.

Two tours visited Sheffield that day bringing visitors to the open day – Hertfordshire Rail Tours’ ‘Tinsley Humper’ from King’s Cross and ‘Pennine Perambulator’ mini-tour featured

Nos. 31462+31468, 37010+37372 and 47704; while Pathfinder’s ‘Tinsley Open Day Specials’ from Westbury made use of Nos. 59005, 59103, 59203 and 59205. Of note is that the latter was the debut for a set of Riviera Trains stock.

All in all it was the sort of event that British Rail did very well, and provided a springboard for this magazine to be here after 25 years and 300 issues!

Robert McCulloch 1 1: Nos. 47287 and 47145 bookend the ‘50s’ by the trade stands at the eastern end.

Robert McCulloch 3 3: Porterbrook-liveried No. 47817 and RfD’s No. 47375 are in the foreground, with preserved two-tone classmate No. D1842 (47192), Class 46 No. D172, and one of the Waterman ‘Choppers’ behind.

David Rapson 2 2: Preserved Nos. 50044, 50031, 50007 – the latter still in its controversial GWR green livery.

Robert McCulloch ‘Deltic’ No. 55015 was one of the star attractions at the eastern end of the shed, in front of the three Class 50s and ‘Peak’ No. 45060.

Robert McCulloch 4: Visitors queue up at the western end to cab Type 4 No. 47276, the bodyside decals indicating it is part of the Distribution fleet.

David Rapson 5: The five electric locos were positioned together at the western end – just visible behind is No. 92041, then from left is Class 77 No. E27000 and Nos. 86604, 90133 and 87101.

David Rapson 6: No. 47287 carries a headboard that marked the start of freight traffic through the Channel Tunnel, which was the main work for the Railfreight Distribution fleet.