BRITISH RAILWAYS SOUTHERN REGION LOCOMOTIVE DEPOTS 1948-59
In each case - at any given time - every steam locomotive would be allocated to a specific depot. Like the GWR and LNER, the Southern Railway had used a system of mainly alphabetical abbreviations for its locomotive depots between 1923 and 1947 - although Nine Elms was represented by the code 9E and Three Bridges by 3B! On Nationalisation however, the LMS system of alphanumeric shedplates attached to locomotive smokebox doors was adopted. For example, Stewarts Lane in Battersea went from BAT to 73A. Further pre-Nationalisation Southern Railway depot codes are given in [square brackets]. Some depots on the Somerset & Dorset Railway - formerly Southern and LMS Joint - at Bath and Templecombe also moved from LMS to Southern control on Nationalisation and their former alphanumeric codes are given in (round brackets)
The chart below shows the hierarchical relationships between different locomotive depots and the way in which they first grew and then 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 O.V.S. Bulleid in steam locomotive development
