west paint shop/ RV shop wheel shop the history

Built in 1902 as a new paint shop in which all newly built carriages are received for painting. This shop is at the west end of the works it has 21 roads (tracks) on which about 120 vehicles of an average length of 50ft can be painted at one and the same time.

The shop holds it's own colour room containing two colour mills and one white lead mill these mills are being worked by electricity. In both the old and new paint shops special attention has been given to the heating arrangements, the shops being kept warm and as far as possible at an even temperature in order to facilitate the drying of the paint, The shop is built so that plenty of light may be obtained and in the short days of winter plenty of artificial light is provided incandescent lamps being placed between roads (tracks) in addition to arc lamps hung from the roof.

The work of the shop therefore does not suffer at any time for want of light. About 160 men and apprentices are employed in the department.

Built from red brick the shop runs east to west (bredwell to stony) has seven gables each gable holding 3 sets of lines(tracks)

It is divided by a inner wall giving four bays on the northern side (number 12b) for road vehicle building and the other 3 for the road vehicle pain department (number 12 and 12 a)

The height to the top of the ridges is 32ft and the height of the valleys and outer walls is 21ft each wall contains 26 windows measuring 5ft 3in by10ft 8in the whole building itself measures 370ft long and 340 ft wide the roof is 50% glass and 50% tongue and groove board ones slat but now in 1988 felt

Along the northern side wall being at the east end and for 250ft was the machine row which consisted of cross cut and band saws mortising machines planers two spoke machines a wheel lathe trimming machine, boring machines etc, Then come the marking out along side these were the repair shaft and tail board gang. Next came the wheel wrights a highly skilled gang. LNWR horse drawn vehicles all had wooden knaves.

Finally at the extreme west end were the fitters and benches and machines drills and screwing machines etc

Their job in the main consisted of the repair and renew of the brake work both horse and motor, Also in this bay at the eastern end along side machine row was the truck and barrow gang where the manufacture and repair of all types of manually propelled vehicles IE truck barrows wheel chairs and coffin carriers.

along the western wall from the end of the office to the northern wall was the blacksmiths department comprising of some 5 forges 2 double and 3 single a steam hammer a set of rolls and a tyre making machine.

In the second bay starting from the western wall north side and up to the gangway was the Black gang so called because what they Delta with was all black in colour, The job of this gang was to repair all types of horse drawn vehicles on completion of the repair the vehicles continued eastwards up the bay to the paint dip. Where the whole vehicle was immersed and drained they where then mounted on their wheels and carriages,brakes,filled and so to the RV paint shop.

So up the third bay all the areas western end up to the gangway was devoted to to tilt van repairs,

the eastern end of this bay on it's northern side was the area devoted to motor van and motor flat repairs

on the southern side was new horse drawn Lorrie and vans manufactured. The 4the bay and finale bay beginning from its western end up to the gang way contained on its northern side tilt van repairs on the southern side windscreens for motor vehicles along side this is at this time was the experimental area for the wolverton designed mechanical horse.

At the east end north side was the area where new shafts tailboards,new horse drawn carriages were constructed.

Along the outside of the northern wall western end was a iron shed which housed an adjustable gas ring used for heating tyres when using the shrinking on method this process was only used if the wheel press was broken or if an odd or non standard wheel required tyring, Adjacent to this was a quenching tank for use in conjunction with the gas ring.

On the eastern side of the central gangway was an overhead crane that spanned two sets of tracks used for the loading and unloading of vehicles from the rail vehicles.

At the eastern end of this wall was a caustic bosh in which all horse drawn vehicles complete with their under frames were boshed before entering this shop for repairs around three trains per week were accepted in this shop.

By the 1960s the horse and cart work slowed down and stopped in in 1966 this shop became the wheel shop and the RV dept' moved into the RV paint shop road vehicle building carried on until 1981 when the last RV was built from then on the shop has been a number of departments the wheel has always stayed in this shop and still does in 2018 doing pretty much the same work as before.

The other sections of this building from 1982-2018 has been the top shop and dynamo testing to traction shop inspection bay and in 2017-2018 part of this shop was used for the construction of platform doors for the cross rail project