CONTENTS FOREWORD .......................................................................................................................................................... .. 3 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. .. A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................... .. 5 RATIONALISATION .................................................................................................................................... .. 6 TINSLEY MARSHALLING YARD ............................................................................................... .. 7 TINSLEY TRACTION MAINTENANCE DEPOT .................................................... .. 11 RATIONALISATION OF TRACK & FACILITIES SHEFFIELD DIVISION ............................................................................................................................... .. 13 THE CHANGING PATTERN OF THE STEEL INDUSTRY ........................... .. 14 GENERAL INFORMATION ............................................................................................................. .. 15 1 . PROVIDEIH Illllilllil has been helping railwaymen (and the general public): protect their families save for the future buy their houses for over 100 years WE COULD HELP YOU TOO WHY NOT GIVE US A RING AT SHEFFIELD 750985 .:-"'=‘-:\ Pnovinrnr murunvéié LIFEASSURANCEASSOCIATION-FDUNDEIJI840 h Q F 2 /u’ \\Y-’ FOREWORD We extend a hearty we/come to you, our visitors to this OPEN DA Y of Tins/ey Marsha/ling Yard which has been arranged to coincide with the Centenary Celebrations of the A.S. L.E. & F. (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen). The A.S. L.E. & F. was founded in Sheffield in February 7880, when a few /ocomotivemen found it necessary to form a trade union to protect their inter- ests. They adopted the name of Sheffield No. 7 Branch and since then this branch has catered for the needs of Footp/atemen at the Old Steam Shed at Neepsend and Darnall and at it's peak, about 7.948, had around 700 members. ln fact between the two World Wars, in 7926, the members built their own Social Club lLoco Club Pitsmoor). Over the years i't has been represented at National Level by the /ate Mr. A. Wild, also by Mr. R. Jones, ll/Ir. J. Booth and Mr. S. Twigg for many years secretary, and Mr. W. Ronksley, existing president of A.S. L. E. & F. When British Rail decided to rationalise the Sheffield Division in 7965, and open Tins/ey Mar- shalling Yard, it was considered convenient to re- organise the A.S.L.E. & F. branches in the district as Tins/ey was to be staffed by men formerly station- ed at Darnall, Grimesthorpe, Wath, Staveley Central, Barrow Hill and Cank/ow. lt was also decided to reform branches to cater for the needs of the men stationed at depots which were to remain after the opening of Tins/ey Yard. There are other branches at Sheffield Mid/and and Botherwood. Mr. P. Young was Branch Secretary at this time, and it was generally agreed that Sheffield No. 7 Branch should retain it's original name for historical reasons, and many items of historical interest were deposited in the archives of the City Library when Mr. P. Young succeeded Mr. J. Booth, who, as Secretary had held that office for 37 years in 7964. The present Secretary is ll/Ir. S. Rimmington. Thank you for your support and hoping you thoroughly en/0y your visit to Tins/ey. On behalf of the Branch Committee. \ \ I l ‘ L__:_ _,_ .._ S. 5- °°“‘s INTRODUCTION R.J.MDRRlS Area Manager No railway historian would surely deny that during the heyday of railway building, because out- side competition was virtually non existant, and be- cause the various companies were engaged almost ex- clusively in competition with each other, much un- planned growth took place. Duplication of resources was rife, and as a result, when the various companies amalgamated to form what we now know as British Rail, much rational- isation was required to avoid wastage of both men and machinery. Inherited also, due to little new investment, was a vast collection of buildings no longer suitable for ever changing needs. It is popular to believe that this trend has only become prevalent in recent years, but in this context it is interesting to note that when the Wicker was opened as a rail terminal, it was described thus:- “On entering the station that is very commodious and handsome, a spacious shed supported by cast iron pillars presents itself. The construction of the shed deserves notice com- bining as it does, strength with apparent lightness." By 1870 however, this eulogy was forgotten for the same building was described as:- “The wretched accommodation offered as a miserable dilapidated structure which was made to do duty as a station." This booklet, therefore, traces the events which led to the general rationalisation of the Sheffield division and the construction of Tinsley Marshalling Yard and the Diesel Maintenance Depot in particular. Subsequently it provides a detailed description of the operating of these two locations, together with an appraisal of the present Tinsley Area Manager's or- ganisation, and a potted history of Sheffield’s most important industry - steel making. The booklet has been produced to mark the first Open Day at Tinsley in June 1980. ll- HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The rst railway in the area from Rotherham Westgate In the middle 1950's, therefore, the network of railways to the Wicker was brought into use in 1838. Thereafter and depots remained much as it was at the turn of the cen- further lines and stations were opened as follows:- tury, despite the growth of competition in the interim, and the changed nature of the demand upon the railway for its services. 1840: Derby to Rotherham Masborough The former L.N.E.R., with its principal passenger station 1845: Sheffield Bridgehouse to Manchester via at Sheffield Victoria, had its main goods sundries depot at Woodhead Bridgehouses, a coal depot at Harvest Lane, fruit and perish- ables at Blast Lane and full load traffic at Park Sidings, Atter- 13491 Sheffield Bfidgehol-‘Se T0 Gein$b0f0U9h cliffe and West Tinsley; a C. & W. workshop in the former (Sheffield Vi0t0I'ie Sfetidn Opened 1351) steam shed at Neepsend and motive power depots at Darnall and Mexborough; and a main marshalling yard at Bernard 18641 W0Odburn Junetidn ‘£0 Rotherhem end Road, with other yards at Broughton Lane Up and Down, iVieXb0l'°U9h lckles and Rotherham Road. 13701 Chesterfield I0 Attefeiiffe linciuding Midiend The former L.M.S.R., with its main passenger station at Station) Sheffield Midland, had an even greater multiplicity of depots and yards. These included sundries and full load depots at 1900: Sheffield District Railway (Brightside Junction Wicker and Queens Road, coal depots at Heeley and Nunnery, to Treeton Junction) market traffic at Wharf Street, and full loads at Heeley, Pond Street, Brightside Wharf and Upwell Street Wharf; a C. & W. 19033 Citv G00d$ Branch (to Wharf Street) Workshop at Grimesthorpe and motive power depots at Grimesthorpe, Millhouses and Canklow; main marshalling In 1923 as a result of the amaigemetidn Called f0!’ bV the yards at Masborough and Woodhouse Mill, with other yards at railways Act of 1921, all these various lines were absorbed into Grimesthorpe, Engine Shed Sidings, Wincobank Up and Down, two groups — the LNER (G. C. Section) and the LMSR Roundwood and Cardigan Sidings. (Midland Section) — but, whilst in the 1930's some arrange- ments were made for the pooling of traffic, there was no Facilities — passenger, freight handling, motive power — attempt to rationalise service and facilities. remained, in number, far beyond the real need, in the new circumstances. The goods depots were out of date, cramped, Nationalisation in 1948, under the Transport Act of 1947, lacking in mechanical aids and expensive to run; the marshall- afforded a further opportunity for the elimination of duplicate ing yards were small and badly laid out; and the need for trip facilities, but little progress was made for some time. In 1950, working between yards and depots was excessive, costly and Regional boundary changes brought the whole of Sheffield — conductive to transit delays. at least commercially and administratively — into the Eastern Region. Operation and motive power functions, however, were still on a ‘penetrating lines’ basis, under which the Dis- trict Operating and Motive Power Officers — although Eastern Region Staff — continued to owe functional allegiance to the London Midland Region. No positive step forward towards rationalisation was, in practice, possible during this period, whilst the dual control of operations continued. The only progress made towards modernisation during this phase was completion of the electrification of the Man- chester — Sheffield - Wath lines, the freight service from Wath to Dunford being electrified in 1952, the passenger services in 1954 and the remaining freight services in 1955, after the new exchange sidings at Rotherwood became available. A small electric locomotive maintenance depot was erected alongside the steam shed at Darnall. (ln 1958, this was converted to the maintenance of diesel shunting locomotives and the servicing of the diesel multiple-unit trains introduced into the Sheffield Victoria — Lincoln and Sheffield Midland — Barnsley ser- vices). 5 HATIQNALISATION This, then, was the position in 1957, when the ‘penetrat- Other features