Referencing information
Collection reference:
"Box 67" of the "North Eastern Railway Civil Engineers" collection
Collection location:
National Railway Museum, Leeman Road, York YO26 4XJ.
Document reference:
NER CIV ENG BOX 67
Document title:
Midland Railway, Hellifield Engine Shed
Document description:
Ground Plan [paper copy of an original from Derby Architects' Office].
Document date:
July 1879
Detailed description
The document is a scaled and fully labelled architectural drawing in the form of a floor plan of the Midland Railway Company's Hellifield Engine Shed.
The document is dated July 1879 and it includes the following titles / key labels:
- Midland Railway.
Hellifield Engine Shed. - Contract Drawing No. 1.
- Ground Plan
- Engineers' Department
Architect's Office No [? text illegible]
Derby. July 1879.
The original plan does NOT include any means of orientation (i.e. there is no north arrow or similar). However, a hand-drawn arrow has been added at some point and this indicates that the top of the plan is roughly north-northeast.
The following handwritten annotation suggests that the plan was used as part of the tendering process for the construction of the engine shed: "This is one of the Drawings mentioned and referred to in our Tender dated the 14th of July 1879 and signed by us."
This text is followed by two signatures: one reads "Witness: John Cox". The other is not easy to decipher (it could be "William Barrett Son"). The second signature is followed by a date written in the same hand: "26 July 1879".
According to labels on the original plan, the main body of the building is 220' 0" long x 69' 0" wide internally. It spans four through-running railway tracks. A set of outward-opening double doors is provided for each track in each of the two end-walls. Each track includes an inspection pit that runs virtually the full length of the building. There are four catch pits set into the floor of each inspection pit. A line of 7 columns or posts is depicted along the centre-line of the main building (running parallel to the railway tracks). These almost certainly depict structural roof supports.
A distinct set of rooms is depicted along the outside of the north north-eastern wall of the engine shed proper. These are labelled as follows (from left to right):
- "Timekeepers Office" (21' 0" x 21' 0") with inset room (14' 0" x 9' 0") labelled "Enginemen"
- "Foremens Office" (14' 0" x 21' 0")
- "Stores" (30' 0" x 21' 0")
- "Mess Room" (20' 0" x 21' 0")
- "Joiners Shop" (15' 0" x 21' 0") – this has been hand annotated "Locker Room"
- "Smithy" (21' 0" x 21' 0")
- "Fitting Shop" (30' 0" x 18' 0") – this has been hand annotated "Tank over"
A single room (internal dimensions 28' 0" x 20' 0") is depicted outside the south south-western wall and this incorporates a "furnace" with adjacent (external) chimney. To the right of the furnace room, there is a neat, hand-drawn (and apparently to-scale) addition to the original drawing. This depicts the following as being located outside, but adjacent and parallel to the engine shed wall:
A "KITCHEN CAR (on temporary track)" with "seat removed and Gas radiator provided", a "drain from sink" and four separate sets of access steps - one labelled "Flight of wooden steps with landing & handrail" and a second labelled "door rehung opposite way".
A “BOX VAN” with the following annotations "Door opening made", "Gas lighting provided", "shelving" and "refrigerator provided". The van body is depicted as resting on 3 parallel "9" brick walls" oriented at right angles to the temporary tracks that are depicted as running beneath the former kitchen car.
There appears to be a narrow corridor or walkway connecting the two former rail vehicles.
Acknowledgements
This review was written by Mark R. Harvey (© Mark R. Harvey, 2018).
The author gratefully acknowledges the information and assistance received from the staff at the National Railway Museum (York).