BRITISH RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVE DEPOTS, WORKS AND STABLING POINTS.
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NORWICH THORPE LOCOMOTIVE DEPOT (32A/NR) - Norwich engine shed was adjacent to the station on the south side of the line. It was established in 1843 by the Yarmouth and Norwich Railway. By 1845 the shed was the centre of locomotive maintenance for the Norfolk Railway. By 1848 the site was under the auspices of the Eastern Counties Railway who further developed the site. The main shed consisted of four through roads, one of which dealt with everyday repairs. In 1914 the shed employed 260 footplate staff with a further 50 at the various out-stations such as Cromer, Mundesley, Sheringham, Dereham, Foulsham and Forncett and two other foremen looked after the sheds at Lowestoft and Yarmouth. In addition to the footplate staff there were 120 fitting staff who were under the control of another foreman. Like many GER engine sheds a lot of facilities were very basic. It was not until the 1930's that a mechanised coal plant was supplied.
At the end of 1922 the shed at Norwich had an allocation of 119 locomotives being the fourth biggest shed on the Great Eastern. The allocation consisted of B12 4-6-0 - 9, D13 4-4-0 - 4, D14 4-4-0 - 3, D15 4-4-0 - 12, E4 2-4-0 - 27, F3 2-4-2T - 13, F4 2-4-2T - 2, J14 0-6-0 - 1,J15 0-6-0 -36, J16 0-6-0 - 1, J17 0-6-0 - 1, J65 0-6-0T - 1, J66 0-6-0T - 4, J67 0-6-0T - 2, J69 0-6-0T - 3.
A March 1936 LNER Locomotive Committee report notes that there were two turntables at Norwich - one a 55-foot diameter example located at the south end of the shed (by Carrow Road) and the other with a diameter of 49 feet 8 inches being located close to Thorpe station. The report recommended replacement of one of these with a 70-foot turntable, fitted in 1936, and also noted the shed was used by 300 engines each week in summer and 210 in winter.
When diesel operation started a fuelling point was established on the east side of the line adjacent to Carrow Road bridge. In mid 1975 the DMU allocation at Norwich consisted of Cravens Class 105 two-car units, Gloucester Class 100 RCW two car units and Metropolitan Cammell Class 101 two-car and three-car units. The shunter allocation at this time was still exclusively British Rail Class 03, Class 08 being a later arrival. The depot closed in 1982 and was replaced by the current Crown Point Depot. Seen here in June 1956 with the arrival of the first Class 101 DMU's. They really are very new, with not even 'speed whiskers' added yet. It looks as though this shed has been especially built for them.