Darlington Works

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Darlington railway works, known in the town as North Road Shops, was built in 1863 by the Stockton and Darlington Railway in the town of Darlington in the north east of England.

The first new locomotive was built in 1864. Though the railway had amalgamated with the North Eastern Railway in 1863, it continued to build its own designs for a number of years. In 1877 the first North Eastern designs appeared.

In 1914 an electric locomotive was built to run between Shildon and Newport. Under the LNER it continued to play a major role, producing a new engine each week, with Gresley's K3 class 2-6-0 appearing in 1924. Both the class V2 and A1 were also built. By 1927 the works was the town's largest employer.

After nationalisation, Darlington built both steam and diesel locomotives, including BR standard class 2. The equivalent of the LNER Class E1 0-6-0 tank locomotive had been built, virtually unchanged since 1898. In 1954 during the modernisation of British Railways the works was emlarged, but in 1962 the BR Workshops Division was formed and, with the rationalisation the works was run down and closed in 1966.

The site since about 1979/80, is occupied by the Morrisons supermarket, and the adjacent Bowls Hall, with the original clock which was restored, was re-erected by contractors Fairclough Building Ltd onto the east wall of the supermarket overhanging North Road.

[edit] References

• Larkin, E.J.; Larkin, J.G. (1988). The Railway Workshops of Great Britain 1823-1986. Macmillan Press.