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Inverurie Locomotive Works


Hisory of the Loco Works

The locomotive works at Inverurie was constructed between 1898-1905 and occupied a 24-acre site adjacent to the Great North of Scotland Railway line linking Aberdeen & Keith. The GNSR had originally constructed its locomotive works at Kittybrewster in Aberdeen, however this site quickly became far too crowded and it was decided to relocate the entire works to the town of Inverurie, some distance to the north of Aberdeen. In relocating the works the GNSR also constructed a new station adjacent to the works some distance to the north of the original.

The facilities offered by Inverurie Loco Works were substantial, and included five separate blocks of buildings:

Office Building Locomotive Works Building Carriage & Wagon Building Paint Building Smithy & Forge Building
The locomotive works employed around 340 persons, many of whom were housed in purpose-built buildings in Inverurie. These and the works were supplied with electricity generated within the works. The entire cost of the new loco works was estimated at £40,000.
The GNSR intended the new works to be used for the construction of locomotives (cheaper than buying locomotives from established private contractors such as the North British Locomotive Company), and prior to the first world war eight Class V 4-4-0 engines were built between 1909-1915. The design for the class "V" was altered and became class "F", of which one example remains today (the only remaining ex-GNSR engine), number 49 "Gordon Highlander" which is to be found at the Glasgow Transport Museum.

Inverurie in the 1960s

The loco works recieved some alterations in the late fifties to service Diesel Locomotives and Multiple Units. Locos such as the North British Type 2s (Class 21), English Electric Type 1s (Class 20), Sulzer Type 2s (Classes 24/25/26/27) and Cravens Class 105 Diesel Multiple Units were to be found alongwith the deteriorating number of steam engines and the passenger and wagon fleets. Inverurie found itself disposing of large numbers of condemned passenger carriages and wagons and many of these had their bodies separated from their underframes and sold to farmers for use as stores. Today many carriage and wagon bodies can be found around Aberdeenshire thanks to the disposal policy of Inverurie works, and a number are under restoration by railway preservation societies.

Closure

With the closures of many of the ex-Great North of Scotland Railway lines in the area, Inverurie loco works became redundant. For some time the works was sent additional vehicles for disposal from southern Scotland and even England, however the works was finally closed in 1969.

The abandoned works site was sold to Aberdeenshire County Council for £25,000 shortly after closure. The buildings and work force was adapted for industrial purposes and the site survived intact for many years.

The stores buildings were demolished in 1982, the Erecting Shop/Milling Shop/Boiler House being demolished in 1995. The Paint Shop has also been demolished, but the large Carriage & Wagon Shop and Electricians Shop both survive in industrial use. The adjacent railway station is still open, although there are no sidings laid in the loco works site.