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Old Oak Common

A Railwayman's View - BR Western Region by Peter Collins > Old Oak Common

 

 

The photographs in this collection are from the Old Oak Common section of Peter Collins' Railwayman's View Book Volume One - BR Western Region.

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Images 1-11 of 11 displayed.

LPPC DSL BW 0994 
 The elimination of steam from the WR and BR meant engine shed demolition could take place and Old Oak Common – 81A – was no exception. Here a group of working locos are parked around what was, by 1970, all that was left of the original roundhouse sheds. Hymeks D7071 and D7019, Class 42 Warship 821 ‘Greyhound’, Class 31 5535 (later 31117) and Class 47 1639 can be identified amongst the locos present. The Class 47 is still with us, having been renumbered 47055, the locomotive was fitted with ETH and became 47652, then 47807 operated by Virgin Trains. It was then chosen to be re-engined as part of the Virgin Thunderbird Class 57s and became 57304. The locomotive is currently operated by Direct Rail Services and is named ‘Pride of Cheshire’. The loco is the only thing that still exists from this photograph. 
 Keywords: 1970, BR, Black and White, D1639, D1747, D5535, D7049, D7071, D821, Factory, GWR, London, Old Oak Common, Shed, Western, turntable
LPPC DSL BW 0979 
 Imagine this turntable scene at Old Oak Common with an all-over roof covering it and then multiply that by four. That would have been the size of the original roofed stabling area of the shed. In the left background is the repair and maintenance building colloquially known as the ‘Factory’. The shed with the clock is more recent and for fuelling and there are 16 locomotives gathered around the turntable, including four Western Class 52s, two Warships Class 42, five Hymek Class 35s, two Brush Type 2 Class 31s and three Brush Type 4 Class 47s at rest, and clearly, most have their engines running. 
 Keywords: 1970, BR, Black and White, D1038, D1071, D1639, D1747, D5535, D7025, D7033, D7049, D821, GWR, London, Old Oak Common, Shed, Western, turntable
LPPC DSL BW 0991 
 The Western Class 52s were such handsome locomotives and these two (D1038 ‘Western Sovereign’ on the left) are gathered around the last-remaining turntable at Old Oak Common motive power depot along with a couple of duo-green Brush Type 4 Class 47s (D1747, later 47154/47546, is on the right) in 1971. It was somewhat bizarre that a steam-age piece of equipment should still be needed in diesel days. This turntable was one of four at Old Oak originally laid out in a rectangle and all would have been inside a single vast building providing covered accommodation for many of OOC’s top-link Kings, Castles, Halls and the nocturnal night-owls, the 47xx 2-8-0s, during the day plus all the locally allocated pannier tanks. Demolition of OOC began in March 1964 prior to all steam locos being moved away to Southall early in 1965. This is all that was left some 6-7 years later but the depot still remained open. 
 Keywords: 1970, BR, Black and White, D1747, Factory, GWR, London, Old Oak Common, Shed, Western, turntable
LPPC DSL BW 0992 
 Old Oak Common turntable in 1971 and the accident-damaged front corner of a down-at-heel Hymek fronts an exceptionally well-kept Warship Class 42 number 821 ‘Greyhound’, later to be adopted by preservationists, whilst a Brush Type 4 Class 47 1639 awaits its next turn of duty in the background. The first Brush Type 4 Class 47s to be allocated to OOC started to arrive during the winter of 1963/4 to take over the Birkenhead services from the Westerns and were thus forced to share the original Churchward quadruple turntable shed with the steam allocation. 
 Keywords: 1970, BR, Black and White, D1639, D821, Factory, GWR, London, Old Oak Common, Shed, Western, turntable
LPPC DSL BW 0993 
 Old Oak Common turntable in 1971 with a Brush Type 4 Class 47 number D1747, (later 47154/47546) on the left in nearly original dual-tone green condition except for full yellow cab-ends. An unkempt Hymek Class 35 number D7049 is on the right and both are facing a Western Class 52 across the table which is of the girder beneath type and would originally have been totally boarded in when there were four of them. The Hymek is only a few months away from withdrawal, it being withdrawn on 1st January 1972. 
 Keywords: 1970, BR, Black and White, D1747, D7049, Factory, GWR, London, Old Oak Common, Shed, Western, turntable
LPPC DSL BW 0998 
 Original green and very early rail-blue liveries feature in this shot of locomotives at rest outside Old Oak Common ‘Factory’. The Brush Type 4 Class 47 number D1657 (later 47073/47537 and now still operational with West Coast Railways as 47772) is either waiting to go in for repair or has just received an exam and is awaiting return to service. It is in its original livery as applied at Crewe. Stored Hymek Class 35 D7006, one of the first two locomotives of the class withdrawn in September 1971, is very much in early condition with green superstructure and lime-green lower band, with only a small yellow warning panel on the cab front, the windows of which have the original grey painted surround. Left in the open outside on a dead-end siding It would seem that it does not have much more life stretching ahead of it. In contrast, shed pilot 350bhp diesel shunter Class 08 number D4003 (later 08835, then 09015)is in early rail blue with British Rail logo on the cab-side. 
 Keywords: 1970, BR, Black and White, D1657, D4003, D7006, Factory, GWR, London, Old Oak Common, Shed
LPPC DSL BW 0997 
 Hymek Class 35 number 7029 is parked outside the Old Oak Common ’Factory’ awaiting repairs. Possibly, it will be the recipient of the spare Hymek power bogie seen in the foreground. The loco also displays one of BR’s crass displays of modernisation at all costs, whereby the cast ‘D’ has been painted out so that everyone would be fooled into thinking what an up to date non-steam railway system it now was. The locomotive is one of four Hymeks that did not suffer the fate of the cutter’s torch. Owned by the Diesel Traction Group, it is currently undergoing a complete restoration at the Severn Valley Railway. 
 Keywords: 1970, BR, Black and White, D7029, Factory, GWR, London, Old Oak Common, Shed
LPPC DSL BW 0996 
 With a Class 08 350hp shunter on the left, Brush Type 4 Class 47 number D1670 (later 47085) ’Mammoth’ is spied at Old Oak undergoing maintenance. The sides of the Type 4 are even adorned with a tribute to Arsenal FC. The nameplates seem to have interested many people as they had a habit of disappearing then being re-applied. The nameplates were retained after the locomotive was re-numbered under the TOPS scheme in February 1974, but went missing some time in 1975. They were replaced in October 1978, but went missing again in 1984 until replaced in February 1985. The nameplates were finally removed when the locomotive was renamed ‘Conidae’ in August 1988! But where are they now? 
 Keywords: Old Oak Common, BR, Class 47, 47085 D1670, Class 08, Arsenal, The Factory
LPPC DSL BW 0995 
 All the GWR ‘A’ code sheds had their own, quite substantial, lifting shops where locomotives requiring more complex repairs than just running and servicing problems, could be accommodated and dealt with. Old Oak Common’s was known colloquially as the ‘Factory’ and this shot was taken inside in 1971. Western Class 52 number D1042 ‘Western Princess’ is in for some work and displays, under its running number, the sticker provided on all locomotives after the end of steam on BR, depicting such information as its maximum speed, brake force and route availability. The loco also displays its shed-code plate, or sticker as the genre had evolved, in this case Laira (84A). 
 Keywords: BR, Class 47, Class 52, Western, D1042, 'Western Princess', 1971, Old Oak Common, The Factory
LPPC DSL BW 0980 
 Old Oak also consisted of extensive rolling-stock stabling sidings and here, amongst the non-passenger stock on display, is a vehicle from the LNER. It is a Gresley BG. Note the porcelain door-handle on the corridor-connection white door and the, by this time rarely seen or used, horse-box at the end of the consist. On the left is a Collett BG used for newspaper traffic, in this case,The Observer. 
 Keywords: Coaching Stock, BR, Western, Collett, Coach, Parcels, Old Oak Common
LPPC DSL BW 0987 
 Alongside a recently out-shopped BR CCT (Covered Carriage Truck) at OOC is a stalwart of the (G)WR. This is a Hawksworth BG displaying its ‘A’ end. These vehicles were a GWR design, but were still being constructed into early BR days. 
 Keywords: Coaching Stock, BR, Western, Hawksworth, Old Oak Common, Coach, Parcels

Images 1-11 of 11 displayed.