Stratford TMD

Stratford TMD was a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Stratford, London, England, and was also the site of a Railway Works. Originally built in 1847 for the
Northern and Eastern Railway, it was used successively by the Eastern Counties Railway, the Great Eastern Railway, the London and North Eastern Railway, and British Railways. The depot ceased all operation in the 1990's. The British Rail code of the depot was SF for diesel locomotives, and 30A for steam locomotives. Locomotive construction took place at Stratford Railway Works between 1847 and 1924, although heavy repair of steam locomotives continued until 1964 when the works changed to repaining diesel locomotives; the British Rail depot code for the Railway Works was SR. Stratford TMD was located on a spur off the west side of the Lea Bridge to Stratford High Level line, immediately north of Stratford station. The site of the depot is now taken up by Stratford International station.

Beginnings

Stratford Depot, as it was often called, was built by the Northern and Eastern Railway whose line from Stratford to Broxbourne opened in 1840. By 1843 the main building was a 16 road roundhouse which eventually became known as the Polygon, with outbuildings including workshops, a blacksmith and saw pits also contained within the shed complex. On 19 February 1846 additional accommodation was authorised, which resulted in completion of the Erecting Shop the following year. From this time, the accommodation grew by accretion so that by 1867 the carriage department was using a building 370ft by 80ft (113m by 24m) attached to the north side of the Polygon.

In the 1860s moves were made to increase the locomotive accommodation with a new shed for forty locos proposed. The cost of the most desirable land and perceived difficulties with alternative sites led to delays, so that it was not until 1871 that land to the west of the existing shed was made available and erection of the new building commenced. Even then things did not go smoothly, with the Engineer reporting on 30 august 1871 that "during a gale on 24th instant both the gable ends blew down". Even with such setbacks, the "New Shed" opened that very year, retaining its epithet throughout its life.

References

*cite book | last = Hawkins | first = Chris | coauthors = Reeve, George | title = Great Eastern Railway Engine Sheds Part One | publisher = Wild Swan Publications Ltd | date = 1986 | location = Didcot| isbn = 0 906867 40 1
*cite book | title = British Rail Eastern Stratford Traction Maintenance Depot Open Day souvenir brochure | publisher = British Rail | date = 1979
*cite book | title = British Rail Traction Depot Directory | publisher = The Railway Enthusiasts Society Limited | date = 1980 | isbn = 0 907183 02 6