Cardiff Canton TMD

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Cardiff Canton TMD is a diesel locomotive Traction Maintenance Depot which is situated in Cardiff, South Wales. The depot code is CF. In steam days the depot was known as Cardiff (Cathays) and its shed code was 88A

Originally built as the main maintenance base for the South Wales Railway, it became the major Welsh engineering base for the Great Western Railway. A heavy overhaul base for British Railways, it then became a joint EWS/Arriva Trains Wales depot. After shut down of the EWS depot as a maintenance centre from 10 December 2005^[1](still used for long term storage and occasional stabling), it is now solely operated by Arriva Trains Wales.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Steam 1.2 Diesel 2 Allocation 3 Access and viewing 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Steam

Cardiff Canton opened in June 1882 as a six road, 240 feet long shed was built to replace Long Dyke, 1.5 miles east of Cardiff General station. The facility was extended in 1897 when a 55ft diameter turntable was installed in a square building with 28 roads radiating of off the turntable. In 1925 a locomotive repair and lifting shed was built together with a new coaling stage by the GWR. In 1931 the original 55ft. turntable was removed and replaced by a larger 65ft. diameter table at the west end of the yard. At this time, around the peak of GWR operation, the depot had allocated 50 main line passenger locomotives, 40 heavy goods/mineral locomotives and 30 smaller local passenger/goods and shunting locomotives. The depot closed to steam traction on 8 September 1962.

[edit] Diesel

During the winter of 1962/1963, Kyle Stewart contracted to British Rail built a new £1,324,000 complex which occupied a 30 acre site. The original allocation was 360 locomotives for major maintenance, 197 for normal maintenance and 62 shunting locomotives. Employed were 40 managerial and supervisory staff, 31 clerical staff, 382 maintenance staff and 55 unskilled staff. The new depot was opened by The Rt. Hon. Lord Brecon (Minister of State for Welsh Affairs) on 18 September 1964^[2].

[edit] Allocation

• Class 37 - stored by EWS
• Class 142
• Class 143
• Class 150
• Class 153
• Class 158

[edit] Access and viewing

There is no public access to the depot either casually or via a depot permit, and the previous vantage point on the footbridge providing staff access via De Croche Place now has a gate at the entrance to the footbridge, with a notice warning trainspotters off^[3]. Viewing the Arriva Trains Wales depot is possible when passing on the south side via the City Line between Cardiff Central and Ninian Park and between Cardiff Central and Grangetown on the Barry Island/Penarth route^[4]

[edit] References

Rail Atlas Great Britain & Ireland, S.K. Baker ISBN 0-86093-553-1

[edit] External links

An overhead view of the depot.