Southall Railway Centre facts for kids

A workshop at the Southall Railway Centre

The Southall Railway Centre is a special place in west London where old trains are kept and looked after. It's near Southall railway station and the Grand Union Canal. This centre used to be part of the famous Great Western Railway.

Today, two main companies, Locomotive Services and West Coast Railways, use parts of the site. They rent the land from Network Rail. The Southall Railway Centre is not open to the public, so you can't visit it like a museum.

Until 2021, a group called the Great Western Railway Preservation Group (GWRPG) also used a section of the centre.

The Story of Southall's Train Depot

In November 1962, a GWR 6959 Class train, number 7923 Speke Hall, was seen outside the Southall train shed built in 1953.

There has been a place to keep and fix trains, called a locomotive shed, at Southall since 1859. It started as a shed for the Great Western Railway (GWR). In 1884, it was rebuilt to have six tracks for trains.

The original shed was taken down in 1953. A newer, more modern steam train shed was built by British Railways in its place. Southall was the very last place in London where steam trains were kept and maintained by British Rail's Western Region. It finally stopped being a home for steam trains in December 1965.

After the steam trains left, the depot was used for about ten years to maintain diesel trains. Then, British Rail closed it completely. From 1993 to 1998, the site was used as a base for a big project to add electric power lines for the Heathrow Express train service.

Who Uses the Railway Centre Today?

A view of the Southall Railway Centre from Glade Lane.

The Southall Railway Centre is currently used by two different groups:

• Locomotive Services: This company is owned by Jeremy Hosking. They take care of and run several old locomotives, including some owned by the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust. They use two of the tracks closest to the main railway line.
• West Coast Railways: This group uses the centre as a base for many of its preserved steam locomotives. These are special old trains that are allowed to run on the main railway lines.

The Great Western Railway Preservation Group (GWRPG) used to operate here. However, this group officially closed down in September 2021.

Amazing Old Trains That Lived Here

Because the GWRPG closed in 2021, all the trains they used to own have now moved to new owners. Here are some of the interesting locomotives that were once part of the GWRPG collection:

• Peckett and Sons 0-4-0ST No. 2100 William Murdoch This steam engine was built in 1949. As of 2017, it is at the Helston Railway and is owned by Portsmouth City Council.
• Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns 0-4-0ST No. 7386 Birkenhead This steam engine was built in 1948. As of 2017, it is at the Elsecar Heritage Railway.
• AEC 4wDM Shunter This special diesel shunter was built in 1938. It was the only one of its kind ever made! It stayed at the AEC factory until the factory closed. It was used to pull many test trains on the Brentford Branch Line.
• Ruston Hornsby Class 165 DS 0-4-0DM No. AD251 Francis Baily of Thatcham This is a flameproof diesel locomotive. It used to be at RAF Welford.
• Baguley Drewry Railcar 4wDMR No. AD9117 This railcar was built in 1975. It used to be at the Bicester Military Railway.

Some of these old trains are still kept at Southall, while others are stored at different locations. The centre also has a collection of other old railway vehicles, like goods wagons and passenger carriages.