STEAM LOCO SHED OPERATIONS GUIDE
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Time to read 3 min
The Daily Life of a Steam Loco Shed
Step inside a Great Western Railway steam loco shed and see how our detailed Modelu figures and accessories bring every stage of a locomotive’s working day to life.
A loco MPD is a busy place, with an army of attendants maintaining a fleet of locomotives. There existed a whole host of crafts, skills and arts, some of which are described below. Here we follow GWR 2800 Class No 2857 on the layout Larkrise, as it starts its day and as it returns to shed.
Thanks to Dan Evason for the figure painting and photography.
LIGHTING UP
A Firelighter, or ‘Lighter-Up’, used bundles of wood and oily cotton waste to start the lighting-up procedure, a process that could take around five hours to raise steam.
While the fires built up, he would keep a watchful eye on other engines standing in steam, checking their water levels and the state of their fires.
CREW BOOKING ON
Driver and Fireman arrive on-shed and book on for duty, reading the day’s diagrams and checking any late notices before collecting lamps, oil, tools and other materials from the stores.
Their locomotive is already in steam and waiting for them outside the running shed.
CREW PREPARATION
The Fireman checks the fire to see that it is burning freely, inspects the water level in the boiler and walks around the engine to check sandboxes, pipes and lamps before returning to the footplate.
The Driver oils all accessible parts, including the tender, and checks springs and bolts to ensure everything is in order.
WATER & OFF SHED
With the locomotive prepared, the crew draw up to the water column to fill the tender. The Fireman climbs up to open the filler lid while the Driver pulls the column into place to start filling.
Once topped up, the locomotive heads off shed to begin its day’s working.
ON SHED & TURNING
After finishing its diagram, the locomotive is returned to the steam loco shed by the train or relief crew and handed over to the Shed Turner, who controls the movements of all engines around the yard.
With the daily duty roster in hand, he marshals serviced engines and positions them for later work.
ASH PITS
On the ash road, the Firedropper cleans the firebox using a long-handled shovel and pricker to remove clinker and ash from the firebars. He damps down the ashpan with a hose and rakes it clear before moving to the smokebox to shovel out the remaining cinders.
Tube cleaners then take over and finish the job with a steam lance.
COALING
With the fire and smokebox cleaned, the locomotive is shunted under the coaling stage where the Coalers fill the tender.
Once complete, the Shed Turner moves the locomotive into the shed and parks it over a pit ready for its next duty.
CLEANERS
Next, the locomotive is attended to by the team of cleaners, who start on the wheels and motion, cleaning them with cotton waste.
These naturally become oily and are therefore ideal for polishing the upper parts of the locomotive. Finally, the brasswork is shined, and the engine is left resplendent for its next duty.
BOILERSMITHS & FITTERS
If the Driver or Fireman discovered any faults during the day’s running, the locomotive would be taken out of service and handed over to the Fitters for repair.
Routine maintenance was also carried out regularly, including oiling, tightening bolts and checking moving parts. Weekly, the boiler would be emptied and washed out under the supervision of the Boilersmith, who inspected for cracks or leaks.
MODELLING INSPIRATION
This vintage railway film, produced by the LMS railway in the late 1930s, details the process of stabling, repairing and preparing a steam locomotive on the London, Midland and Scottish railway.
It is an invaluable insight into the daily operations of a steam loco shed.
Further reading
Steam Motive Power Depots (E.S Beavor, Ian Allen)
Men of Steam (H.G. Forsythe, Atlantic)
Steam Shed Portrait (H.G. Forsythe, Atlantic)