For the history of the railways have been well charted, but what do we know about the
pioneering Enginemen who worked on the locomotives on the early lines? For those first
primitive railway service were fuelled by the bloody, sweat and the unremitting hard labour
of the men who worked them; the story of the railways is their story too.
With the rapid spread of the railway network brought prosperity for the railway companies,
but only hardship and exploitation for their employees. A footplateman’s time was considered the property of his employer and he could be summoned for duty at any hour of the day and night.
The Wandsworth (Basin) to Croydon (Pitlake Mead) via Tooting Mitcham section was opened on 26th July 1803. There was a a branch of at Mitcham going to Hackbridge and Carlshalton, there was also several sidings on the line to severe the various mineral to mills and works.
The Croydon - Merstham - Godstone via Purley and Coulsdon was opened on the 24th July 1805. The line never arrived at Goldstone.
It was a public toll railway, providing a track for independent hauliers to use their own horses and wagons. The wagons were pulled by mules walking between the tracks with average speed of about 2-3 m.p.h.
Painting (1823) of a Croydon, Merstham & Godstone Railway
crossing over the Chipstead Valley Road at Coulsdon
THE LONDON & CROYDON RAILWAY
Opened in 1839 and in July 1846 merged with other railways to form the
London Brighton & South Coast Railway
THE FORMATION OF THE L.B.S.C.R.
By the 1830s Brighton was the most popular seaside resort in Britain, with over 2,000 people a week visiting the town. After the success of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, a group of businessmen decided to build a railway between the town and London.
The London & Brighton Railway Company was set up and Robert Stephenson was asked to advise on the best possible route. Six possible routes were initially proposed but eventually the choice was narrowed down to those of John Rennie and George Bidder. Rennie suggested a direct line between London and Brighton, whereas Bidder favoured a route that avoided steep gradients and tunnels. Stephenson eventually selected George Bidder's route, but the London & Brighton Railway Company decided to ignore this advice and opted for Rennie's much shorter route.
George Rennie's proposals also made more use of existing track and only involved the construction of 39 miles of new railway. However, Rennie's proposals did involve building four long tunnels at Merstham (2,180), Balcombe (800 yards), Haywards Heath (1,450 yards) and Clayton Hill (1,730 yards). This route also required the building of a viaduct across the Ouse valley near Ardingly.
In July 1837, Parliament gave permission for John Rennie's proposed railway. The London & Brighton Railway Company appointed John Rastrick as the line’s chief engineer. Rastrick had been working on locomotives since 1814 and had been one of the three judges at the Rainhill Trials. Rastrick had also worked with George Stephenson on several projects, including the Liverpool & Manchester Railway and Grand Junction Railway. However, George, like his son Robert, believed that John Rennie's route was impracticable.
The building of the line started in July 1838. The directors of the London & Brighton Railway realised the importance of linking Brighton with the harbour at Shoreham and a branch railway to it was constructed at the same time as the main line.
Extracted & adapted from
the Railway Magazine
October 1955
The construction of Ouse Valley Viaduct
Painting by Michael Codd
The new Rennie locomotive ‘Satellite,' was described in the Railway Magazine of 25th
December, 1841:
The ‘Satellite’ Locomotive: We were on Wednesday invited to a private view of an engine,
which has been constructed by Messrs. Rennie for the the Brighton. It is a six-wheeled engine to be worked expansively, and is named 'Satellite,’ for climbing inclines and for starting, it has hoppers, which by a lever can be made to convey dry sand to the driving wheels, thereby giving them more adhesion on the rails. As a piece of workmanship, ‘Satellite’ is the finest locomotive which has ever been turned out of a London workshop.
The London & Brighton open a motive depot in here in 1838 and closed in 1840 and was used as a goods shed.
The London & Croydon Railway opened a motive power depot here in 1839. Little is known of the first loco shed, standing remotely from the station against the southeast wall of the site.
1846 the shed was relocated to the west side of the layout which had no covering over the
four shed roads and a turntable were in place. By 1870, besides six roads for carriage storage, three undercover, the loco depot now had a two-road shed with a 46-feet diameter turntable in the arrival/departure line. The shed was some 130 feet long, brick-built and ridge-roofed with raised segments.
Historical Report: West Croydon Motive Power Depot (1839–1935)
The West Croydon motive power depot, located on the London & Croydon Railway, was established in 1839, making it one of the earliest locomotive facilities in South London. Serving as an essential point in the operation of early steam traction in the rapidly developing rail network, the depot evolved significantly over its near-century of use.
Early Development (1839–1846)
The original locomotive shed at West Croydon was erected in 1839, the same year the London & Croydon Railway commenced operations. Unfortunately, historical records offer limited information about this first structure. It is, however, understood to have stood in a remote position near the southeast boundary of the site, separate from the passenger station. This original shed likely supported the modest requirements of early steam engines and a limited train service.
Reorganisation and Relocation (1846)
In 1846, major reconfiguration took place following the amalgamation of the London & Croydon Railway with the London & Brighton Railway to form the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR). As part of this development, the locomotive facilities were relocated to the west side of the railway layout. The new site was a more centralized and operationally effective location for locomotive servicing and storage.
This updated facility lacked a roof and was relatively rudimentary in construction. It featured four open-air shed roads, designed to hold locomotives between turns of duty. A turntable was installed as part of this redesign to enable engines to be turned or redirected easily—a necessary feature in the age before widespread adoption of tank engines or turn-around loops.
Expansion and Modernisation (By 1870)
By 1870, the site had undergone substantial enhancement, reflecting the growing demands of suburban and freight traffic through Croydon. The motive power depot now included:
- A two-road locomotive shed, constructed of brick and roofed with a ridge-style structure that included raised segments—likely for ventilation or additional daylighting.
- A 46-foot diameter turntable, positioned on the arrival and departure line, allowing for more efficient shunting and engine rotation.
- Six roads dedicated to carriage storage, of which three were covered, indicating the depot’s dual role in supporting both locomotives and rolling stock.
The locomotive shed itself measured approximately 130 feet in length, a considerable size for its time, and signified its importance in servicing both local and mainline traffic. The construction and layout echoed typical mid-Victorian railway architecture, with a focus on durability, function, and adaptability to heavier and more powerful engines being introduced.
Decline and Closure
Despite the continued relevance of West Croydon as a suburban station, the motive power depot’s importance began to wane as locomotive facilities became more centralized and technologically advanced. Steam shed operations eventually ceased in 1935, aligning with widespread rationalisation efforts across the Southern Railway, which inherited the LBSCR infrastructure after the 1923 Grouping.
By this time, West Croydon’s locomotive depot had fulfilled nearly a century of service, playing a quiet but vital role in the development of steam railway operations in South London and supporting the exponential growth of passenger and goods services in and out of the capital.
Sources of Interest:
- London & Croydon Railway historical archives
- London, Brighton and South Coast Railway locomotive records
- Southern Railway shed diagrams (post-Grouping)
New Cross (1839 - 1949)
The London & Croydon Railway opened a motive power depot and a locomotive repair
facility here on 1st June 1839, the former of which appears to have been particularly accident prone. The original building, one of the earliest roundhouse (Octagonal), burned down on the 14th October 1844 (SEE SUB PAGE 1844). A replacement was built in 1845, and a straight shed built by the L.B.&S.C.R. in 1848 was blown down in a gale in October 1863. Two further buildings were constructed by the L.B.&S.C.R. in 1863 and 1869. By 1882 the second (1845) Croydon shed was derelict and in that year was replaced by the new shed, which was rebuilt with a new roof by the Southern Railway prior to 1929.
The various running sheds began to be run down during the 1930s as part of a re-organisation
scheme involving new developments at Norwood Junction, but the onset of war meant that
they were not formally closed until 1947 and were used for stabling locomotive until 1951.
They were demolished in 1957 together with the repair workshops, and replaced by sidings
for the storage of electric multiple units.
The locomotive workshops established by the London & Croydon Railway continued to
undertake minor repairs on locomotives in the London area for the L.B.& S.C.R. and the
S.R., and also briefly for British Railway. They were closed in 1949 and demolished in
1958/59
THE PIONEERING ENGINEMEN OF BRIGHTON
The first record of the depot establishment at Brighton Locomotive shed comes from the London Brighton and the L. B. S. C. R. records of employees which show that in 1851, there was 46 Enginemen, Fireman and Cleaners were employed there. These records also show that only 30% were Sussex-born, while over half came from distant parts of the country.
An Engiineman was a very skilled job and so when a new line was opened during the early years of the railway building era, Enginemen were sometimes enticed from existing
companies.
The London & Brighton Railway acquired its first drivers in this way, only later training other men to join them. Engine drivers and firemen were required to be reliable and have stamina and aptitude rather than formal education.
The system by the 1850s a chain of recruitment had been established which involved an
untrained recruit, usually in his teens, starting as an engine cleaner at pay 10-12s. a week.
Then promotion to a fireman on a wage of 3s. 6d. a day (21s. per week, assuming six-day
working). After another five years or so, a fireman might be with eventual promotion to driver at 5s. to 8s. per day depending on Seniority (30s. to 48s. per week assuming six-day working).
The London & Brighton Railway acquired a large number of its earliest Enginemen in this way, by offering very good wages for a working-class man at that time, although the long hours (10 to 12 per day) and heavy responsibilities were a drawback.
Senior engine drivers were thus well paid and highly respected employees.
SOME OF THE EARLIEST ENGINEMEN OF BRIGHTON LOCO SHED