WORCESTER LOCOMOTIVE SHED is the third in a series of in depth studies of Western Region motive power depots. This provincial city was a busy and fascinating rail centre with main line passenger and freight services passing through alongside local passenger and freight tripping duties that together provided an endless panorama of railway activity.

The Great Western Railway had a major locomotive depot here and this book takes a detailed look at the shed, how it functioned, its locomotives and its operational duties during the latter days of steam. As well as official records valuable detail and reminiscences have been gathered from former footplate and shed staff ensuring that local custom and practice is well recorded in the story. The depot’s sub-sheds at Evesham, Honeybourne, Kingham and Ledbury are also all covered in detail as well as Worcester Locomotive Works.

Worcester was also home to the fondly remembered ex-GWR diesel railcars and it was their last operational base at time of final withdrawal in 1962. Their role in the area is well covered in photographs and words. Taken together the book is both a valuable historical record and a fascinating and readable story of a large motive power depot in the latter days of steam.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Worcester Shed Layout and Facilities
• Worcester Footplate and Shed Staff
  • A Tribute to Worcester Shed Staff
• Worcester’s Locomotive Allocation
• Worcester’s Engines and their Duties
  • Castle 4-6-0s
  • Modified Hall/Hall/Grange 4-6-0s
  • 75000 4-6-0s
  • 4300 2-6-0s
  • 5205 2-8-0Ts
  • 2251 0-6-0s
  • 5101, 6100, 8100 and BR Standard 3MT 82000 2-6-2Ts
  • 78000 2-6-0s
  • 5700/9400 0-6-0PTs
  • 1600 0-6-0PTs
• Monthly Summary of Depot Locomotive Workload
• Worcester Locomotive Works
• Worcester ‘Castles’ – The Cream of the Crop and the Paddington Expresses
• Hereford-Worcester-Paddington Services
• Great Western Diesel Railcars
• The Sub-Sheds
  • Evesham
  • Kingham
  • Honeybourne
  • Ledbury
• Worcester to Oxford – The Cotswolds Route
• Winter in Worcester and the Cotswolds Route
• Worcester to Hereford – The Malverns Route
• Worcester to Bromyard Branch
• Main Line Freight Trains
• Rundown to Shed Closure
• Appendices
  • Worcester Allocated Engines – Photograph Index
  • Worcester Named Footplate and Shed Staff – Photograph Index
• Bibliography