Gorton Depot, Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, 1847 drawings.

Gorton Depot of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway - 1847 Plans

The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was created by the amalgamation of the existing Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway with two proposed lines – the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway and the Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway. Its headquarters was to be in London Road, Manchester with its main locomotive works about two miles away at Gorton.

This webpage provides historical information on the plans for Gorton Depot published in 1847 in S.C. Brees' Third Series of Railway Practice. The first board meeting of the amalgamated company took place on 6 January of 1847.

Brees' publications states that: (the layout of the works is to be . . . ) "so arranged, that the capacity of the works can, if necessary, be doubled at any time without interfering with the arrangements. The principal novelty connected with it is the construction of the rotunda for the engines, the roof of which is supported by a single pillar, around which a circular turn-table revolves, thus providing standing room for a much larger number of engines than could be placed in the shed upon the old plan."

"The plot of ground upon which the depot is built, besides affording the requisite accommodation for the works, includes sites for 140 cottages, a house for the locomotive engineer, and spacious wharfage adjoining the canal, for the stowage of iron, timber, etc, for the use of the depot."

"The depot has been designed under the direction of A.S. Jee Esq., the engineer of the company, by Messrs Weightman and Hadfield, architects, of Sheffield, the plan being arranged upon the suggestion of Mr Peacock, the company's intelligent locomotive engineer."

Gorton Depot - Plan and Elevations of the whole works.

Gorton Works 1847 Technical Drawings

The technical drawings for the proposed Gorton Depot were published in 1847 in the form of 6 plates numbered 51 to 56 and are attributed to Matthew Ellison Hadfield, Architect. These have been digitally imaged and placed on CD for purchase. The features shown are as follows:

Plate 51: Shows the overall plan, front and back elevations of the exterior facade, the 18 road circular engine house (140 feet in diameter), workmans entrance, book keepers office, various stores around the site, fitting shop, Smiths shop, Boiler Smiths, copper foundry, model room, erecting shop and workshops for carriages, waggons and trucks.

Plate 52: Details of the rotunda engine house with elevation (showing the grand exterior fascade) and ground plan, with an enlargement detail of the cornice.

Plate 53: Details of the rotunda engine house roof and central column - with spoke girder structure, details of skylights & iron work jointing.

Plate 54: Details of the Fitting Smiths Shops, with elevations, including the works chimney.

Plate 55: Details of workshops structure, showing cast iron columns and couplings, section of roof and first floor, and plan of part of the workshops for first and second class carriages + waggons & trucks.

Plate 56: Details of Store Sheds for carriages with transverse and longitudinal sections, side and end elevations, plan & plan of roof with details of iron work.

Digital images of these plans have been placed on DVD allowing the purchaser to examine the detail at leisure.

£7 (including postage)

350pages - simply the best!