New Diesel Locomotive Maintenance Depot At Finsbury Park

1960 Article

A new depot for the maintenance of diesel locomotives has been brought into use at Finsbury Park by the Eastern Region of British Railways. The cost has been about £300,000. It is on the west side of the Great Northern main line, on the site of the Clarence Yard goods depot, south of Finsbury Park station. Kings Cross passenger and goods stations are only some two miles distant, and Ferme Park Marshalling Yard, Harringay, and the London area carriage sidings also are easy of access.
When working to full capacity, the new depot will maintain 152 main-line and suburban diesel locomotives and 31 shunters. Although daily servicing at present is being undertaken, it eventually will deal  solely with periodical examinations and light repairs. General servicing facilities, involving the replenishment of fuel oil, sand and water, will be available at Kings Cross, Hornsley and Hitchin, were most of the locomotives join their trains.
The principle building of the depot is the maintenance shed. This is a steel-framed structure with a single overall span of 111ft 6in., and a height from rail level to the eaves of 18ft 6in. The roof covering is double skinned asbestos cement with glass fibre insulation and continuous glazing. The sides consist of dwarf brick walls with full glazing above. The whole structure is carried on piles, of which there are approximately 400.
The shed contains six tracks, each of which will accommodate three locomotives. Permanent working platforms at cab floor level enable the workshop staff to reach easily the uppermost parts of the engine.
Electrically-operated sliding doors have been provided for each road at the open end of the shed. Heating of the building is by continuous radiant strips, supplied from an automatic oil-fired boiler. Electric ventilating fans have also been installed. The workshop equipment includes overhead runway lifting hoists, compressed air plants, battery charging facilities, and oil and air filter cleaning and engine injector test equipment. Service pipes, colour coded, serve all parts of the depot.
The rail approach to the shed is from the north end, and the refueling points, together with sanding dispensers, are situated on the approach lines. At the entrance a fixed five ton jib crane has been installed to handle heavy stores and locomotive components.
To the south of the shed stands the two- storied combined staff amenities and office block, which incorporates a mess room, lecture room and first aid room. Between this building and the shed is a workshop and stores at platform level, with further stores beneath.
On the west side of the shed, a rail connected loading and unloading platform equipped with a one-ton runway lifting hoist has been erected to handle general stores, lubricating oil containers and recovered scrap metal. Beyond stands the combined  boiler and compressor house. This is of brick construction and is carried on a reinforced concrete platform. The outstanding feature is the chimney, which is 55ft high and of reinforced concrete construction, with an enlarged lower portion to house later part of a water softening installation.
The depot was designed and has been built, under the general direction of the Chief Civil Engineer of the Eastern Region, to allow modification for dealing with the maintenance of electric locomotives at a future date.