 Ilford TMD, seen in 2009 | |
 | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ilford, Greater London |
| Coordinates | 51°33′50″N0°05′19″E / 51.5638°N 0.0887°E |
| OS grid | TQ449871 |
| Characteristics | |
| Owner | Greater Anglia, Alstom |
| Depot code | IL (1973–) [1] |
| Type | EMU |
Ilford Depot is a traction maintenance depot located in Ilford, Greater London, England. The site is used for train stabling and maintenance by Greater Anglia, Elizabeth line, London Overground and Alstom.
The depot is situated on the Great Eastern Main Line and is on the north side of the line to the east of Ilford station, between that station and Seven Kings railway station. [2]
Facilities for an engine pit at Ilford Goods Yard were first provided in 1889 by the Great Eastern Railway. With burgeoning commuter rail traffic, a three road engine shed was provided next to Ley Street which opened in 1901. A fire in May 1909 saw a number of locomotives damaged but repairs were authorised quickly and the structure repaired.
In 1903 a triangular junction was built just to the north of this site linking the main line to the Fairlop Loop.
The engine shed became part of the LNER in 1923. In 1931 the allocation primarily consisted of N7 0-6-2T locomotives and the site was adjacent to carriage sidings and a coal depot. [3]
Plans were drawn up in the 1930s to electrify the suburban lines from Liverpool Street to Shenfield at 1,500 V DC and late in the decade work was started on implementing this.
Additionally plans were being made to extend the Central Line east from Liverpool Street and take over the Epping branch and Fairlop Loop.
Ilford was chosen as the location for the new depot and as a result the engine shed and carriage sidings were closed in May 1937. The site was cleared and the steel frame of the first shed was erected by June 1940 although it was not until 1949 that it had a roof. [4]
As well as the site above the new depot required the land occupied by the link from Ilford to the Fairlop Loop which was subsequently closed on 29 November 1947. The link between Seven Kings and the Fairlop Loop was retained until 1956 for freight traffic before total closure after which the depot was extended further east towards Seven Kings.
Until a remodel in 2016, as part of the Crossrail works, Ilford TMD had four sheds:
In 2021, a carriage washing machine was installed; it began operation in September following an investment of £1.2 million. [6]
The first EMUs allocated to the depot were 92 Class 306 EMUs which were fitted with sliding doors These operated services between Liverpool Street and Shenfield from February 1949. [7]
The depot was allocated a 1914 North Eastern Railway (United Kingdom) EB1 class locomotive numbered 26510 as a shunter. This last ran on 4 November 1960 after which the shed was converted to AC operation. [8]
Between 1952 and 1954 the depot hosted a number of Class 76 locomotives which were tested on local passenger and freight services. [9]
During the 1960s as electrification was extended to Southend, Colchester, Clacton and Walton more EMUs were introduced and allocated to Ilford.
In the early 1980s the Class 306s were replaced by Class 315 units.
Around 1987, the depot's allocation included classes Class 302, Class 305, Class 307, Class 308 and 315 EMUs. [10]
As these classes were withdrawn in the 1990s and 2000s they were replaced by Class 317, Class 321, Class 379 and Class 360.
In June 2017, new Class 345 trains began entering service in preparation for the opening of the Crossrail which led to the withdrawal of the Class 315 EMUs in 2022.
Within the site is a sixteen-road shed, operated by Greater Anglia, which was formerly used for maintenance of Class 321 units. Class 379 units were maintained by Bombardier Transportation on one of the roads, with Class 360 units maintained by Siemens Mobility on another.
On introduction of Class 710 and Class 720 Alstom Aventra in 2019/20, all maintenance staff and facilities were transferred to Bombardier Transportation, which was acquired by Alstom in 2021. [11]
A six-road overhaul and refurbishment shed is present, with three roads being electrified. In 2024 this building is used for light maintenance and exam work for the Class 345 Aventra and Bombardier Electrostar. A wheel lathe is present. [12]
As of 2023, the depot's main rolling stock allocation consists of:
In 2023, there were two Class 08s on site used for shunting purposes. 08 700 is owned by Harry Needle Railroad Company and 08 573 is owned by RMS Locotec; both are contracted to Alstom. [16]
The Great Eastern Main Line is a 114.5-mile (184.3 km) major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and the East of England, including Shenfield, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich. Its numerous branches also connect the main line to Southminster, Braintree, Sudbury, Harwich and a number of coastal towns including Southend-on-Sea, Clacton-on-Sea, Walton-on-the-Naze and Lowestoft.
Maryland railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line serving the Maryland area of the London Borough of Newham, east London. It is 4 miles 39 chains (7.2 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Stratford and Forest Gate. Its three-letter station code is MYL and it is in fare zone 3.
Ilford railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line serving the town of Ilford in the London Borough of Redbridge, east London. It is 7 miles 29 chains (11.8 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Manor Park and Seven Kings. Its three-letter station code is IFD and it is in Travelcard zone 4.
Manor Park railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line serving Manor Park in the London Borough of Newham, east London. It is 6 miles 20 chains (10.1 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Forest Gate and Ilford. Its three-letter station code is MNP and it is in Travelcard Zone 3/4. It is currently managed and served by the Elizabeth line.
Wood Street is a railway station on the Chingford branch of the Lea Valley lines, located in Upper Walthamstow in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, north east London. It is 7 miles 7 chains (11.4 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Walthamstow Central and Highams Park. It has been operated by London Overground since 2015.
Seven Kings railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line, serving the district of Seven Kings in the London Borough of Redbridge, east London. It is 8 miles 46 chains (13.8 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Ilford and Goodmayes. Its three-letter station code is SVK and it is in Travelcard Zone 4. The station was opened on 1 March 1899 by the Great Eastern Railway. It is currently managed by the Elizabeth line, which operates services between Shenfield and Heathrow Terminal 5.
Ipswich railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the town of Ipswich, Suffolk. It is 68 miles 59 chains (110.6 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and, on the main line, it is situated between Manningtree to the south and Needham Market to the north.
The British Rail Class 315 BEP is a fleet of alternating current (AC) electric multiple unit (EMU) trains, built by British Rail Engineering Limited at Holgate Road Carriage Works in York between 1980 and 1981; they replaced the Class 306 units. It was a variant of unit derived from British Rail's 1971 prototype suburban EMU design which, as the BREL 1972 family, eventually encompassed 755 vehicles across Classes 313, 314, 315, 507 and 508. Revenue services with Class 315 units commenced in 1980 and continued until December 2022.
Old Oak Common TMD was a traction maintenance depot located west of London Paddington, in Old Oak Common. The depot codes were OC for the diesel depot and OO for the carriage shed. In steam days the shed code was 81A.
Neville Hill is a railway train maintenance depot in Osmondthorpe, Leeds, England on the Leeds to Selby Line. The depot is situated 2 miles 14 chains (3.5 km) to the east of Leeds railway station on the north side of the line.
Derby Litchurch Lane Works, formerly Derby Carriage and Wagon Works, is a railway rolling stock factory in Derby, England. It is presently owned by the multinational transportation manufacturer Alstom.
The Chingford branch line is a railway line between Clapton Junction and Chingford station. Services operate between Liverpool Street station and Chingford. The branch is part of the London Overground.
Stratford TMD was a traction maintenance depot located in Stratford, London, England, close to the Great Eastern Main Line. It was located just west of Stratford station, on a site now occupied by Stratford International station. The depot was, at one time, the biggest on the London and North Eastern Railway with locomotives covering duties from express services to freight workings in London's docks.
The Hainault Loop, originally opened as the Fairlop Loop, is a 6.5-mile (10.5 km) branch line of the Great Eastern Railway (GER). It once connected Woodford on the Ongar branch to Ilford on the Main Line, with an eastward connection for goods, excursions and stock transfers to Seven Kings. The loop opened to freight on 20 April 1903 and to passengers on 1 May 1903. In 1923, the GER was "grouped" into the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER), who provided passenger services until December 1947. After this date, the route was electrified for London Underground services from both the Woodford and Leytonstone directions, the link to Ilford closed, and today it forms the greater part of the Hainault Loop on the Central line, having been served by Tube trains since 1948.
East Ham Depot is a depot on the London, Tilbury and Southend line between East Ham and Barking stations with the depot code EM. The depot is approximately 6+1⁄2 mi (10.5 km) from London Fenchurch Street station, and just west of the River Roding.
The Alstom Aventra is a family of electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger trains produced at Derby Litchurch Lane Works in the United Kingdom, originally by Bombardier Transportation and later by Alstom, as a successor to the Bombardier Electrostar. A large proportion of its design is based on the Electrostar, adding new technologies and achieving compliance with more stringent requirements and operator demands.
The Enfield Town branch is a suburban branch line in the England. In 2014 it is in fact the combination of the original Enfield branch which was built in 1849 by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) and a later line built by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) from Hackney Downs to Edmonton in 1872. The line is currently a double-tracked suburban railway with services running between Liverpool Street station and Enfield Town as well as some other services running from Liverpool Street to Cheshunt. Part of the original branch is closed and little visible remains today.
Colchester engine shed was a motive power depot located in Colchester in the county of Essex in the UK. The original depot dated back to the opening of the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) in 1843 and a second engine shed was built following the opening of the Eastern Union Railway in 1846. The ECR shed closed and the EUR shed was in use until November 1959 when the line was electrified and Colchester station rebuilt. A smaller two track engine shed was provided south of the station and after closure in the 1990s it was used for the stabling of diesel and electrical multiple units. It is currently known as Colchester Carriage Servicing Depot and units can be washed externally and cleaned internally on site.
The British Rail Class 720 Aventra is a class of electric multiple unit (EMU) passenger train designed and produced by the rolling stock manufacturer Bombardier Transportation and Alstom. The Class 720 is operated by both Greater Anglia and c2c.
The British Rail Class 600 Breeze was a proposed class of hydrogen fuel cell-powered multiple units that was to have been converted from existing BREL Class 321 electric multiple units. The project commenced in 2018, but was cancelled in 2022 before any conversions took place.
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