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 repaired. It's not open to the public, but it's an important spot for railway history. You can find it near the Southall railway station and the Grand Union Canal. This site used to belong to the Great Western Railway. Now, two companies, Locomotive Services Limited and West Coast Railways, use parts of it. They rent the land from Network Rail, which manages most of the railway lines in Britain. A group called the Great Western Railway Preservation Group (GWRPG) also uses a section of the site.

History of Southall's Train Depot

In November 1962, a GWR 6959 Class train called Speke Hall was outside the British Railways shed built in 1953.

There has been a place for trains at Southall since 1859. It started as a shed for the Great Western Railway. In 1884, it was rebuilt to hold six lines of trains. The original shed was taken down in 1953. A newer, more modern shed was built by British Railways in its place.

Southall was the very last steam train depot in London for the Western Region of British Railways. It stayed open for steam trains longer than other big depots like Old Oak Common. It finally stopped being used for steam trains in December 1965. After that, the depot was used for about ten years to fix DMU trains, which are like small trains with their own engines. Then, British Rail closed it down completely for train operations. From 1993 to 1998, the site was used as a base for adding electric power lines to the railway for the Heathrow Express train service.

What Happens at Southall Railway Centre Today?

A view of the GWR Preservation Group area at Southall Railway Centre from Glade Lane.

Today, the site is known as the Southall Railway Centre. Three different groups use it for their railway activities:

• Locomotive Services Limited: This company is owned by Jeremy Hosking. They take care of and run several old trains, including some owned by the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust. They rent two of the train lines closest to the main railway from Network Rail.
• West Coast Railways: This company uses the site as a base for many of its old steam trains that are allowed to run on the main railway lines.
• Great Western Railway Preservation Group: This group works to preserve and look after trains and railway items from the Great Western Railway era.

Trains of the GWRPG

The Great Western Railway Preservation Group (GWRPG) owns several interesting old trains. Some of these trains are kept at Southall, while others are stored at different locations.

Here are some of the trains they own:

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

Besides these trains, the GWRPG also has a collection of old goods wagons and passenger carriages at Southall.