The LNER Encyclopedia

Some time ago, I had a link to a site which was, in effect, a database of shed allocations. This enabled you to enter the shed and discover which locos were based there, or the loco and discover which shed it was allocated to. Does anyone still have this link? i would really appreciate it if some one could post it.
Cheers

This one?

http://web.archive.org/web/200706252329 ... coshed.htm

Thank you for that. This is interesting and helpful but it isn't quite the one I had in mind.
Cheers.

How about this one?
http://www.brdatabase.info/

Both are a bit misleading in my opinion. For the first one; there was a reorganisation of regional boundaries which resulted in a large number of re-codings on 9.9.63 (including every shed on the LM). Most sheds had closed by 1971 so these codes drop down into a gap.
For the second one; it seems to list mainly sheds that were open in BR days, but extrapolates back to their opening. As a result, this gives the impression for instance that some sheds had the LMS/BR code about fifty years before the former existed; and it also overlooks sheds with different ownership on the same site (eg Shrewsbury GW and LNW ) and also towns with several company's sheds if they closed before 1948 (eg includes one of the two Northampton LNWR sites - also used by the GN but not mentioned - but omits the Midland Railway one).
Unfortunately, like some infamous books of the past, errors often become 'facts' when later authors rely on secondary sources.

I would hope any researcher uses all allocation 'sites' with due caution. Every site is incomplete in some respect, therefore can be misleading. This is a fact not a criticism.

They are in later cases a useful shorthand, but do not expect them to unravel the mysteries of say: GER 0-6-0 tanks.

The books/photos required to answer even the most basic questions, not necessarily correctly, can fill a room! I do not care to think of the cost.

John

And you probably need to think about the cost of reinforcing the floor joists if storing them upstairs. I simply have examples of class members that regularly appear in photos of the area in the right date span. Easy enough in a well photographed main line context, where one is not attempting anything remotely like 100% coverage: plenty of choices of those that were 'definites'.

I often wonder what the operators would have thought about the present interest in discovering just which precise configuration loco from a given class was allocated to some long demolished shed. As a user of very different plant, which was both modified and moved about significantly according to the needs of the manufacturing orgs concerned, it was of pressing interest to myself and colleagues to know what was where and how it was currently utilised. But as the kit went obsolete or was superseded all records were near instantly discarded, and from among those still living I doubt we could now reconstruct the configuration and allocation status with any accuracy.

'LNER 150' - Whitehouse and StJohn Thomas - has on Page 99 a list of LNER Locomotive Stock as at 31st December 1947. Continuing on from that it has a set of Locomotive Allocations as at 11th January 1947. This is set out area by area and shed by shed, and lists just the locomotive (post 1946) numbers.

From these two sources I've created an MS Access database for the NE Area. For the classes I'm interested in I've also entered additional detail from the RCTS and Yeadon books, such as sub-class, boiler diagram, tender type etc.

This allows me to look up a particular Shed, a particular Class, or a particular Locomotive.

Obviously, given the dates, the Allocations do not include Locomotives that came into service during 1947, such as a number of the B1 Class.

I did this partially as a project to explore Access.

If anyone is interested I can supply more details.

Perhaps I should also point out that for myself I'm not particularly interested in post-1948 information, except in-so-far as it relates to its LNER antecedents. There is Paul Bolger's book on the North Eastern Region's Steam Depots which is useful for this.

What about Chris Banks book 'British Railways Locomotives 1948'. This lists the locomotives with their new BR numbers and shed allocations.

May I suggest "LONDON & NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVE ALLOCATIONS The Last Day 1947". Author W.B. Yeadon Irwell Press ISBN 1 871608 06 6 ? Mine was £2 from Nevis. Gives allocation both by class and by shed. Irwell produced one for each of the group companies, I believe, and also ones for the first day (not as clear cut because some railways did not give in straightaway on 1.1.23).

Of course, the Yeadon register gives details of allocations by loco, and contemporary ROs and SLS mags. gave 'snapshot' allocations.

There's a number of books offering BR allocations; for example "The Xpress Locomotive Register", publisher Xpress: What Happened to Steam: and, probably the best IMO, one produced by the Midland Railway Centre.

Thanks folks for the suggestions, but none is the site I was seeking. I'll keep on looking.
Chers.

Hi John

have you tried the Shed Bash UK website: http://shedbashuk.blogspot.co.uk, which usually provides locomotive details from 1946 onwards?

Regards

Greedy Boards