Great Western Railway Sheet Dept. Worcester?

[chrisjo]

There is a 1914-1919 roll of honour inside the waiting room at Shrub Hill, with the title 'Great Western Railway Sheet Dept. Worcester'.

What and where was this?

 

[RedPostJunc]

I did a quick search using Google and AI came up with the following. I take no responsibility for its accuracy (or not).

The Great Western Railway (GWR) had a "Sheet Department" in Worcester, specifically located at Shrub Hill Station. This department was responsible for maintaining and managing tarpaulins or "sheets" used on railway wagons. A memorial plaque dedicated to the men of this department who died in World War I is located at Shrub Hill Station. The original Roll of Honour from the Sheet Department is kept in the National Railway Museum.

 

[Taunton]

I think the sheets department were in the yard to the north of Shrub Hill, in the triangle of lines there. It was a significant part of railway inventory for large canvas sheets, sometimes known as tarpaulins, being used to cover goods in open wagons. There were many thousands of them, serial numbered, on a large railway like the old GWR, and they needed distribution and regular repair, being sent back and forth to this central point. For lorries nowadays, covering loads with a large tarpaulin is still known as "sheeting" the goods. They would be sent back and forth between the central stores and the various goods depots by the wagonload, of course. They were a significant capital investment for the railway. If they went onto a "foreign" line, not only the wagon but the sheet as well had to be returned, the serial numbers having been taken at the exchange point.

The Midland Railway had the same, the name still being used for Sheet Stores Junction, on the line between Derby and Nottingham.

 

[chrisjo]

Thank you both. Google didn't help me at all!

 

[edwin_m]

The Midland Railway had the same, the name still being used for Sheet Stores Junction, on the line between Derby and Nottingham.

Some of the buildings survive, now occupied by a business park on the northeast side of the line in the direction of Long Eaton station. On the opposite side is a concrete pad with a narrow gauge track, where I assume there was once a tunnel through the embankment and things would have been pushed through on mini-wagons.

 

[Gloster]

If you look at the 25” maps there are a number of buildings on the north side of Tolladine Road just east of the goods lines at Worcester marked Sheet Sheds, which I presume were the Sheet Dept. It is possible that this area either was previously a part of the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway’s works or was chosen because there were staff (and land) available when the adjacent works was cut back.

EDIT: There is an article from 1925 on the .lmssociety.org.uk web pages under topics, which explains that company’s practice at Trent, which is probably little different to the GWR‘s at Worcester. The space needed for drying explains the size of the site.

 

[Bevan Price]

The LNWR had a similar works at St. Helens Junction, the site now being occupied by housing. The sheets were designed to keep dry goods being conveyed in open wagons. I understand that at least one of my long-departed aunts worked there in WW1, replacing men away at war.

 

[stuving]

I've found a news report of a fire at the MR Trent sheet store on 22nd September 1871. The site was said to have "several huge sheds", used for manufacturing the sheets. This process used a large amount of oil and fat, boiled up in big "iron coppers". Spillage onto the floor, during ladling this liquid out, was lit by the "flues running underneath". Wisely, a fire engine was kept on the premises.

There was another fire, at the Caledonian Railway's sheet department in the goods yard at North High Street, Perth, on 21st October 1921. This store was above the offices, and sheets that had been "tarred" and hung up to dry bunched together. In this case they only smouldered, but holes were burned in about 100 sheets - reckoned at £12 each.

GWR's sheet department had other branches of course, though Worcester may have been the biggest. Bordesley Junction, Gloucester, and Bridgwater I can find mentioned.

 

[chrisjo]

The original Roll of Honour from the Sheet Department is kept in the National Railway Museum.

You can see it here:

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8067822/roll-of-honour-of-employees-of-great-western-railway