BRITISH RAILWAYS EASTERN REGION LOCOMOTIVE DEPOTS 1948-59
In each case - at any given time - every steam locomotive would be allocated to a specific depot. LNER locomotives had their depot name painted - and even shaded -on the bottom right hand side of the bufferbeam.
Upon Nationalisation however, the LMS system of alphanumeric shedplates attached to locomotive smokebox doors was adopted. Kings Cross thus went from KX (often painted as "Kings +") to 34A. Further examples of pre-Nationalisation London North Eastern shed codes are listed below in [ square brackets ]. The codes of Eastern Region locomotive depots - such as Plaistow - that had belonged to the London Midland and Scottish Railway before 1948 are shown in ( round brackets).
The chart below shows the hierarchical relationships between different locomotive depots and the way - during the 1950s -in which they moved from one family group to another as British Railways regions reorganised.From the 1960s onward locomotive depots diminished in number as the traditional labour-intensive practices of steam locomotive maintenance gave way to the more centralised care of a smaller fleet of diesel and electric units.
Main district depots are shown in bold with their sub sheds listed beneath alongside each shedcode.
Click on the picture for more on the role of A4 Pacifics in steam locomotive development
1950
1957
1959
