Doncaster Works facts for kids
The Doncaster railway works was a very important factory in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It was a place where trains were built and fixed. The factory was started in 1853 by a company called the Great Northern Railway. Before this, they had smaller workshops in Boston and Peterborough.
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The Start of Doncaster Works
When the Doncaster railway works first opened, it mostly focused on fixing and looking after trains. This continued until 1867. In 1866, a clever engineer named Patrick Stirling became the boss of the locomotives. Under his leadership, the works started building new trains.
Building New Trains and Coaches
The first new train, part of the 875 class, was built in 1886. Around this time, the factory also began making brand new passenger coaches. They were pioneers in train travel!
- In 1873, they built the very first sleeping cars. These allowed people to sleep comfortably on long journeys.
- In 1879, they created the first dining cars in the United Kingdom. Passengers could now enjoy meals while traveling.
- By 1882, they introduced the first corridor coaches. These coaches had a walkway down the side, making it easier to move between carriages.
The factory was very busy. In 1891 alone, they built 99 locomotives (train engines), 181 carriages (passenger cars), and 1493 wagons (freight cars).
Modern Times at the Works
The Doncaster railway works continued to build many trains. In 1957, they built their last steam locomotive. Over two thousand steam engines had been made there. Building new passenger carriages stopped in 1962.
New Types of Trains
The factory then changed to work with newer types of trains. They added a special workshop to fix diesel locomotives. Later, under a company called BREL, they built new diesel shunting engines (used to move trains in yards) and powerful 25 kV electric locomotives. They also built specific types of diesel trains, like the Class 56 and Class 58.
A Big Anniversary
In July 2003, the Doncaster railway works celebrated a huge milestone. It was its 150th anniversary! They had an open weekend to mark the special occasion.
What Happened Next
The company that owned the works, Wabtec, decided to close the main train engine building part of the factory in 2007. In early 2008, the large workshop where locomotives were repaired was taken down. New houses were built in its place. However, Wabtec still uses part of the Doncaster site. Today, they work on making passenger train fleets look new again and keeping them in good shape.
