Crewe Gresty Bridge TMD

Crewe Gresty Bridge TMD (formally, Crewe Gresty Lane TMD) is a Traction maintenance depot in Crewe, Cheshire, England. The depot is located to the South of Crewe station on the start of the line to Shrewsbury, over the road from the entrance to Crewe Basford Hall.

1. History

The site was originally used by the Great Western Railway, and opened c. 1905 as a wagon works. The area of Gresty Lane sidings saw heavy use as wagon siding and a goods siding alongside its role as a wagon works. In 1908 a young worker from the L&NWR was killed in a shunting incident in the sidings surrounding the Gresty Lane site. From c.1945 - 1960s, Gresty Lane saw some minimal use by steam engines alongside its wagon-works before BR's withdrawal of steam where Gresty Lane then went back to being a wagon storage and maintenance facility. Gresty Lane stayed as a wagon storage and maintenance facility until BR left the site and it was earmarked for redevelopment. This was until the land was sold and redeveloped in c. 2005 before the present depot was opened by Direct Rail Services (DRS) in 2007 under the name Crewe Gresty Bridge TMD. DRS have operated numerous types of locomotives at Gresty Bridge since the site was opened in 2007. Most notably their class 20/3's & 37's. Both of which are now withdrawn by the operator. For more information on DRS' fleet see: Direct Rail Services.

1. Present

The depot continues to be used by DRS almost 18 years after it opened and is still in use by DRS' fleet of locomotives, which currently include, classes 57, 66, 68 & 88. The depot also occasionally sees wagons stabled alongside the locomotives, most commonly ZZA Snowploughs which are occasionally used by DRS in the winter months. The class 57s are currently being disposed of by DRS and are being transferred to other operators, namely, GBRf.

1. Open Days

DRS has held various 'Open Days' at the Gresty Bridge site. These allow enthusiasts to enter the site which had a large array of DRS and visiting locomotives on display along with unrestricted access inside of the main sheds. The first Open Day was held in 2008 with the most recent one happening in 2022. They are set up by DRS not only to be a good day out for rail enthusiasts and the public, but also as a charity fundraiser. With the 2022 Open Day raising over £40000 for charity.

1. References


1. = Sources =

Smith, Paul; Stuart, Philip (2010). Railway Depots. Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN 9780711034822. OCLC 528397749.

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451 m

Gresty railway station

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Crewe Carriage Sidings

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Crewe Diesel TMD

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Basford Hall Yard

Basford Hall Yard is a railway marshalling yard near the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. The yard, which is 0.93 miles (1.5 km) south of Crewe railway station, was opened in 1901 by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). Initially used to marshal trains, the site now acts as a hub mainly for Freightliner intermodal trains, but also houses departmental sidings (track engineering works) as used by Freightliner Heavy Haul, and other operators. For a period in the 1930s, Basford Hall was the busiest marshalling yard in Europe, handling between 28,000 and 47,000 wagons every week. The yard is a nationally important node on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), with most freight trains routed through the yard in order to avoid congesting the nearby Crewe railway station, which is also an important junction on the WCML for passengers. The yard is now one of the busiest in Great Britain for freight traffic.

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