1848



Credit Horsham Museum.





On the 14th February 1848 the line 

from Three Bridges to Horsham opened.





Horsham Loco (Hors) 1848, 

Horsham Locomotive shed was opened on 14th February 1848 by the London, Brighton & 
South Coast Railway. The first shed was located at the North end of Horsham station on the 
west side of the line and was a timber built three track straight dead-ended shed. The 
facilities included a turntable sited across the access roads.

In 1896 a second shed was built to replace the existing shed. This being a much larger brick 
built shed with ten stall open semi-roundhouse shed with a continuous pitched slate roof and 
located to the North of Horsham station on the East side of the line. The new facilities 
included a 46ft turntable, a coal stage and a water tank. In 1901 The shed was enlarged by 
the addition of another eight stalls to the South East end. On the 18th July 1959 The shed 
was closed but continued to be a Motive Power Depot used for stabling locomotives and the 
facilities used as a servicing area until the end of steam in the Horsham area 14th June 1964. The locomotive shed finally demolished in 1969.







Credit Horsham Museum.

 A drawing of the first locomotive running on 

the Horsham - Three Bridges branch line in 1848. 

The engine was designed by Thomas Mann and carried a nameplate on the boiler which read 'Horsham,'  and London 1848'  




Three Bridges Loco (3-B) 1848, 

Three Bridges’s first locomotive shed was opened on 14th February 1848 by the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway, and was a wooden built shed of some sort, it is believed to have been brought into use when the line to Horsham and possibly expanded when the allocation was increase to cover the East Grinstead branch duties from 9th July 1855, engines were stationed from Horsham’s allocation. The station was called “Crawley” until the Horsham branch opened.

Three Bridges second Locomotive shed was opened in 1860 this shed was a brick building located with a slated pitched roof, and had two track straight dead-end shed,  and was located 

at the South end of Three Bridges Junction station on the West side of the line. The facilities 

included a 45ft turntable, a coal stage and a water tank. Due to space limitations 

these were sited further south in the fork of the Brighton and Horsham lines.


In 1909 The third shed was closed and demolished to enable station enlargement. A third 

shed was temporary brick built one track shed was built alongside the water tank while the 

new shed was being built.


In 1911 The forth new brick built three track straight through shed with a north light pattern 

slate roof was opened and located to the south of Three Bridges station on the east side of 

the Horsham line. The facilities included a 65ft turntable, a coal stage and a water tank.

In June 1964 the steam shed was closed and the steam depot becoming a Mixed Traction 

depot and the shed used for storage of diesel locomotives and as a wagon repair shop. The 

Mixed Traction depot and the shed closed on 30th November 1968.





HAYWARDS HEATH

6th JULY 1848

The Sussex Provincial News reported on the following case for Cuckfield which served in the Petty Sessions on Monday, 10th July, 1848, before J.P. Cherry, Esq. Chairman, and Lieut. Col. Ellwood.

John Packham, signal porter at Hayward’s Heath station, was indicted for leaving his post on the afternoon of Thursday, 6th July, 1848, and James Tidey for suffering four empty waggons to get on the down line at the same time, to the danger of the lives of the public.

Mr. Faithfull, of Brighton, appeared on the part of the London & Brighton Railway Company, and stated the it was not the wish of the Directors to press for a heavy penalty, although the men were liable to a fine of £10 each, or two months imprisonment. They had heretofore borne most excellent characters, and no complaint had been laid against either of them. Tidey was a ganger to a set of men who were employed to unload some waggons on a siding communicating with the down line, as it was his duty to see that the empty waggons, as they were detached, were secured from running off the sidings; he had detached two waggons and eft them on the rail,  when two others having been taken off, were run against them; and not being properly secured the four were forced upon the down line; had Tidey properly secured his waggons; this would not have occurred, but as it was, a serious collision nearly took place, which might have sacrificed several lives. The charge against Packham was for leaving his post at this moment and not putting up the signal that indicated danger. When the waggons ran upon the down line it appeared that he crossed the line to ascertain the time by the station clock, and he returned, a fast train passes without stopping was approaching; he immediately ran up the danger signal, which was perceived by the engine driver, who, by great exertion and the help the guards managed to stop the train in  time to prevent a collision, but not until the train was with 20 or 25 yards of the waggons. It was his duty on no account to leave his post at such time, particularly as a fast train was nearly due, and had he been away but a moment or two longer an accident must have occurred, and had it been blowing hard or the weather thick, so that the engine driver could not have ascertained the signal, or the rails wet and slippery, the distance was so short that the train could not have been stopped in time to prevent the collision. The directors in cases of this description, where the lives of the remissness or carelessness of their servants, have an onerous duty to perform, and we are bound to punish and do all in their power to prevent accidents of this nature, for should it happen, they are liable for the consequences. Mr. Faithfull then enquired, as defendants had pleaded guilty, if they wished the evidence gone into.
 
The men repeated their plea, and did not object to the case being adjudicated without going into the evidence.

Packham said that he had been working some time the line, and when the waggons, run on the line, he had no means of knowing how near the fast train was, without crossing the line to look at the clock, when he found it was due and run up the signal instantly.

Col. Ellwood - It was our duty to pay more attention to the clock; have you not a watch of your own?

Packham - No Sir

Col. Ellwood - I think it advisable that the porters should be furnished with a watch, but you have a clock at the station, and from not attending to it there might have been 20 oe 30 lives lost.

The Chairman - Packham, you are fined £3; have you the money? No, Sir.

Mr. Cherry - You must pay immediately, or you will be committed to the House of Correction for one month hard labour.

Tidey said when he put the breaks down and stopped the waggons, he left them in the state and thought they were safely secured, but the other waggons ran against them when he was away from them, and they started.

Col. Ellwood - how did you pt the breaks down?

Mr. Faithfull - The men ought to satisfy themselves that they are safely secured; they know and understand the nature of these things very well, and he must have known that when he left the waggons they were unsafe.

Cherry - You are fined £3.

The money was advanced to each of the men, and instantly paid.

(The Sussex Advertiser & Surrey Gazette - 18th July 1848)

John Packham (D.O.B. 1823 - D.O.D. 1864), entered the LB.S.C.R. service as a Porter at Haywards Heath, he then entered the footplate as engine cleaner, fireman and engine driver at Horsham & Three Bridges.

INFORMATION COURTSEY OF
RICHARD YARDLEY




THREE BRIDGES LOCOMOTIVE SHED

The First Shed

A wooden shed of some sort is believed to have been brought into use when the line to Horsham was completed on 14th February 1848 and possibly expanded when the allocation was increase to cover the East Grinstead branch duties from 9th July 1855, engines were stationed from Horsham’s allocation. The station was called “Crawley” until the Horsham branch opened.

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