Motive power depot

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Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to mpd, is the name given in Britain to places where locomotives are stored when out of use. They were originally known as "running sheds" or, for short, just "sheds" as, for instance, "Rowsley Shed".

Often they are in the form of a roundhouse. Facilities are provided for refuelling and replenishing water, lubricating oil and grease and, for steam engines, disposal of the ash.

There might be workshops for small repairs and minor maintenance, but locomotive building and overhauls are carried out in the major locomotive works.

Nearby there are usually also sidings for goods wagons and passenger carriages.