Rolling Stock Storage Sites

[BestWestern]

Something that I find fascinating is the network of hidden locations used over the years to store withdrawn or out of use stock. Many of these places seem to seldom feature anywhere, yet they are surely some of the most interesting places on the system; row upon row of forgotten rusting relics is surely Christmas for any anorak!? We all know about the obvious ones of course, Crewe diesel depot, Eastleigh, the former EWS 'Component Recovery and Disposal Centre' site at Wigan and so on, but more interesting still are those places about which less is known.

I'd never heard until very recently of 'Pigs Bay', the MOD location at Shoeburyness used to store various stock over the years. A couple of glimpses on Flickr showed former GatEx MK2s and LU stock lined up awaiting their fate, though I don't know how old the images were so it may well have been long since scrapped.

A 'hidden' place I find especially curious is East Grimstead quarry, located just off the Salisbury - Romsey route and still visible today, with a crossover and disc shunting signal still in place, though the access is now fenced. I'm told this was a storage location at one time, does anyone have any further snippets on when that was or what was kept there?

I understand that during the mass cull of MK1 'Slammer' sets on the Southern, many of them were towed to a 'holding' location prior to continuing to Wales to be cut, where was this? Having mentioned Wigan, is this place still active, are there still hulks there?

Any other 'secret' hidey holes out there, it's a truly curious subject!?

 

[swt_passenger]

Regarding East Grimstead quarry, Vic Mitchell's book on the Salisbury line suggests that it was opened as late as 1972, to provide chalk for ECC's works at Quidhampton on the other side of Salsibury. Extraction ceased after about 10 years, and the book refers to redundant 4TC trailer sets being stored there from 1989 - which is when the REPs were being withdrawn and 4TC use wound down as 442s were being built.

I don't remember any further use of the sidings for storage though.

 

[bnsf734]

I seem to remember seeing withdrawn SR EMUs stored in the sidings at Micheldever on the South Western main line during the 70's & 80's.

There is still stock & locos stored at the former MOD depot at Long Marston and the MOD depot at Kineton.

 

[mirodo]

Strategic Reserve in Woodhead tunnel?

 

[Darren R]

I'd never heard until very recently of 'Pigs Bay', the MOD location at Shoeburyness used to store various stock over the years. A couple of glimpses on Flickr showed former GatEx MK2s and LU stock lined up awaiting their fate, though I don't know how old the images were so it may well have been long since scrapped.

I used the low-level 'satellite' shots on Google Earth to have a good look around the MOD sidings at Shoebury a few years ago. The extent of the sidings on the branch really surprised me - as did the sheer amount of stock stored there. I counted well in excess of a hundred before giving up! Huge amount of carriages, multiple units and locos. On the current images though there is only a small amount in comparisson (just looked!)

Curiously, although the depot is connected to the C2C lines at Shoeburyness station, I used to see old carriages being transported there on the back of a low-loader. Looked very strange to see them driving along the sea-front at Southend!

This was always the cue to expect the big artillery going off a few days later. Apparently the army used the old rolling stock as target practice when they were testing the big guns. (And I do mean big guns! Even five miles away the ground shook at each firing - it was like the Siege of Paris!)

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Up until a couple of years ago there were few dead 56s abandoned in the middle of an almost empty Healey Mills yard. It's pretty spooky running round the outside of the yard on the Huddersfield-Wakefield DMUs now!

 

[Temple Meads]

There are still various items of decaying rolling stock (plus 47701 "Waverley") at Meldon Quarry on the Dartmoor Railway, although I think these items are technically in preservation, their chances of long term survival look pretty slim.

 

[jimm]

Lots of ex-Southern Region stock found its way to Long Marston in Warwickshire (former Royal Engineers depot) for storage after withdrawal prior to scrapping. Long Marston remains active today as a storage site, though most stock at present is freight wagons, some between jobs, though others have been there several years and probably not going to find new work.

Europhoenix/Electric Traction Services is also based at Long Marston, though the supply of withdrawn 86s at the site which could be revived for Hungary is now running out.

Local photographer Peter Tandy has been photographing the site and the branch from Honeybourne over many years, back to when it was still in military use, see http://www.petertandy.co.uk/longmarston page.html

 

[tranzitjim]

What about Southhampton, there are Mk2 cars stored there.

Are any of these items of rolling stock ever get put up for sale, so someone else may buy them rather than go to scrap?

 

[swt_passenger]

What about Southhampton, there are Mk2 cars stored there.

Are any of these items of rolling stock ever get put up for sale, so someone else may buy them rather than go to scrap?

Do you mean Eastleigh?