Local pilot engine 08410 at the Western end of the depot |
|
| Current operator | |
|---|---|
| First Great Western | |
| Location | |
| Locale | Penzance, Cornwall |
| Depot code | |
| GWR | PZ |
| 1950 - 1963 | 83G |
| 1963 - 1973 | 84D |
| 1973 to date | PZ |
| History | |
| 10 September 1962 | Closed to steam |
Penzance TMD, also known as Long Rock TMD, is a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in the village of Long Rock east of Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom, and is the most westerly and southerly rail depot in the country. The depot operator is First Great Western. The depot code is PZ.
Contents |
The depot is right beside the Cornish Main Line, where it runs as a single track on the Southern side and terminates at Penzance railway station, half a mile west of the depot.
The depot is quite small, with just six long sidings to store High Speed Trains and Voyagers, and four smaller sidings. If the longer sidings are all used up, trains are stored at Laira TMD, Plymouth, and then make their way to Penzance railway station in the morning. The depot also consists of a fuel lane, a single-tracked modern maintenance shed, and a small carriage washer. A few years ago, facilities at Penzance TMD were expanded to cater for the new fleet of Voyagers used by CrossCountry.
The main line and depot lie near the sea, with just Long Rock beach and the embankment that carries the South West Coast Path separating them, which means this depot and the main line sometimes have problems due to the sea.
Each week a DB Schenker service of oil tanks brings fuel to the depot from St Blazey engine shed. The fuel storage tanks at the depot are located behind the maintenance shed.
Originally there was a large locomotive shed located at Long Rock for mainline steam locomotives.
However by 1914 the engine shed was inadequate and so it was decided to build a brand new four-road engine shed. As well as the engine shed there was a turntable built to fit all size locomotives which ran on the route. The depot also had watering facilities and coal stored for the locomotives, as well as various sidings around the depot. The turntable was removed in 1966 and two of the four shed roads were removed in 1968.
From 1958 Long Rock also received and serviced diesel locomotives, which continued after steam traction had ended in 1962. The steam depot was closed in June 1976.
A brand-new depot was constructed on the same site as the steam shed, and was designed specifically for British Rail's fleet of new Intercity 125 fleet (now referred to as High Speed Trains or HSTs). The depot consisted of a 750 ft long maintenance shed, long enough to fit a full IC125 set, along with a fueling lane on the southern side of the shed. Six long sidings were built to the east of the maintenance shed for stabling IC125's when not in use, which also have overhead gantry lights. The mainline next to the depot was also singled at the same time. In total the new depot cost £1.5 million to build and ready for use in October 1977.
The carriages for First Great Western's Night Riviera service is maintained here during the day when most of the sidings are empty.