Carlisle Upperby TMD

A view across Upperby rail depot
Location
Location	Carlisle, United Kingdom
Coordinates	54°52′54″N 2°55′16″W / 54.8818°N 2.9211°W / 54.8818; -2.9211
OS grid	NY407544
Characteristics
Owner	Locomotive Services Limited
Depot code	12B (1948-1950) 12A (1950-1958) 12B (1958-1968) Uncoded SP (1968-1973) CL (1973-)[1]

Rail network in the Carlisle area
Caledonian main line West Coast Main Line Northbound Waverley Route to Edinburgh Glasgow, Dumfries & Carlisle Rly Glasgow South Western Line to Gretna Green   Gretna Junction Scotland England Gretna Longtown Longtown MOD Depot Floriston Lyneside Harker Rockcliffe Kingmoor Marshalling Yard Brunthill Stainton Carlisle and Port Carlisle Railway and Dock Company Etterby Junction Port Carlisle Junction Carlisle Kingmoor TMD Willowholme Junction Port Carlisle Branch Junction Caldew Junction Carlisle Citadel Carlisle South Junction Rome Street Junction London Road Junction Currock Junction Upperby Junction Maryport and Carlisle Railway Cumbrian Coast line Upperby TMD to Barrow-in-Furness    Upperby Bridge Junction Brisco Carlisle London Road Wreay Petteril Bridge Junction Lancaster and Carlisle Railway West Coast Main Line Southbound Settle–Carlisle line to Settle Newcastle & Carlisle Railway to Newcastle

Carlisle Upperby TMD is a railway traction maintenance depot situated in Carlisle, England. The depot was formerly owned by DB Cargo UK, and was reopened by Locomotive Services Limited in 2023. The depot was originally of service to steam locomotives (shed code 12A). The depot code is now CL. The old steam shed used to be known colloquially as "the Lanky", a reference to its origins as the main depot of the Lancaster and Carlisle railway.

History

Constructed by the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, the depot passed into London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) ownership as part of the 1923 Grouping. The LMS rebuilt Upperby in 1948, replacing the original shed with a large concrete roundhouse. The LMS also constructed an enginemen's hostel on the hill adjacent to the depot (now the Hilltop Hotel).^[2]

In the 1960s, Upperby was allocated diesel locomotives including Sulzer Type 2 (later Class 25) and the unsuccessful Metro-Vic Co-Bo Type 2. However, once the new purpose-built diesel depot, Kingmoor TMD was completed, work was transferred there and Upperby closed as a locomotive depot on 1 January 1968.^[3] The roundhouse was demolished in 1979, but the remaining buildings continued in use as a carriage maintenance and servicing facility until closure in the early 1990s.

When British Rail was privatised in 1994–7, the disused depot became the property of EWS (now DB Cargo UK) as part of a nationwide portfolio of sites which also included the nearby Currock wagon repair depot.

Present day

Upperby was closed in 1994 during the privatisation of British Rail. The carriage sheds were demolished in 2016 while the depot was under the ownership of DB Cargo UK. In September 2023, the depot was reopened by Locomotive Services Limited.^[4] It will be used as a third maintenance site for their fleet of locomotives. Part of the land formerly making up the site is now used by Network Rail for office space and storage of equipment.

The former carriage shed was demolished in December 2016.

See also

• Carlisle Kingmoor TMD

References

• Rail Atlas Great Britain & Ireland, S.K. Baker ISBN 0-86093-553-1

External links

An overhead view of the depot.