61B Aberdeen Ferryhill Motive Power Depot
Ferryhill MPD in the 1980s. More pictures of Ferryhill are in the Photo Archive.
Many thanks to Malcolm Reid for adding some more interesting information to this page!
Until 1987 locomotives arriving in Aberdeen were serviced at the city's motive power depot in Polmuir Place (just behind the Duthie Park). Aberdeen Ferryhill MPD (coded 61B during steam days and AB under TOPS) occupied a reasonably large site just to the south of the main station - the reason for the depot's location being that no suitable land existed in the Guild Street area.
Originally the shed provided on the site was a small two-road shed, which it is stated was built in 1849 for the use of contractors building the Aberdeen Railway. This shed was subsequently extended several times until the Caledonian Railway replaced it in the 1870's with a longer two-road shed on the same site. Having to provide accommodation for both the Caledonian & North British Railway (who had been given the right to use Ferryhill and the "Caley" line north of Kinnaber Junction by the Government), the site was the scene of constant conflict which continued under it's later owners, the LMS & LNER. In 1908 construction started on a large 10-road engine shed with adjoining 2-road repair shop. Improved watering facilities were also provided and the North British/LNER were allocated 4 roads in the shed, plus some sidings for coaling. They were not permitted to use the coaling stage, a flimsy wooden structure which unlike the facility at Kittybrewster MPD (replaced by a automated coaler by the LNER) survived until the end of steam power.
As well as the main shed structure the site could also boast a number of sidings as well as a 70-foot turntable installed by the Caledonian Railway. The "old" shed was used after 1908 for wagon & carriage repairs.
Steam locomotive traction in the North-East area was eliminated by 1968 and, with the closure of most of the ex-Great North of Scotland Railway system it was decided to close Aberdeen Kittybrewster MPD along with Inverurie Loco Works, leaving Aberdeen Ferryhill TMD to provide and service diesel locomotives for the remaining services in the North-East area. A large variety of motive power could be found at Ferryhill - class 06 and 08 shunters, and locomotives of classes 20*, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 37*, 40, 50* & 55*. [*=rare, but not unknown at this time]. The Swindon Class 120 DMU's were also serviced at Ferryhill in between their Aberdeen-Inverness runs; Metro-Cammell (Class 101) units substituted when Swindon Units were in Works, and Single unit Gloucester DMU’s provided additional capacity, works substitutions, and even early ‘commuter’ services between Aberdeen and Inverurie. The amount of work carried out by Ferryhill is reflected in the fact that, as late as 1984/5 the depot had an allocation of seven shunters (08680,719,728,791,827,828,855) to carry out shunting work on the Waterloo branch, Craiginches, Clayhills and at Ferryhill.
A diesel fuelling point was built next to the shed and this eventually led to the closure of the steam coaling stage (which was subsequently demolished).
During 1969, the original steam shed was modified for the diesel era. Roads 1-4 were retained, with a new partition created to separate a wagon repair shop in road 5; Roads 6 and 7 were truncated outside the shed, and the internal area of roads 6-8 were converted for wagon repair and other support. The building and trackwork of roads 9-12 was removed at this time also. Additional trackwork alterations were made but the steam turntable survived, primarily to facilitate weekday turning of the ‘Postal’, but occasionally used for Class 20, 120, and even ‘one cab dead’ Class 40’s – and later some Steam Specials.
Although Ferryhill was still needed to provide locomotives for Inverness services it undoubtedly suffered from the introduction of the new Intercity 125 High Speed Trains in 1980 on services to and from the south, but their very appearance heralded regular appearances by Class 55 Deltics, cascaded much in the same manner as their predecessors the A4’s had appeared in the 1960’s.
With the initiative of the then Depot Superintendent, Ian Soutar, Ferryhill gained a late-life mention in the history books with the conversion of three Class 25’s to ETHEL (Electric Train Heating – ex-locomotive) Units. Rumour has it that Soutar first came up with the name Ethel, then found a suitable translation by way of this acronym.
By 1985 Ferryhill lost its allocation of locomotives, being retained as a sign-on point for drivers using locomotives worked into the area from other sheds in Scotland. In 1986 the depot was given a brief lease of life in overhauling scrap Diesel Multiple Units. Ironically, some of the very same Swindon units that had served the Aberdeen – Inverness route for so many years now found their way back north for component recovery.
However Aberdeen Ferryhill MPD was living on borrowed time, and the shed duely closed on Sunday 26 December 1987, class 37 locomotive 37185 leaving number two road of the shed for the main station to vigorous sounding of it's horn, bringing to an end 134 years of locomotive servicing & maintainance.
Track-lifting took place after closure with most of the roads being removed with the exception of the line to the turntable (still required for turning of Class 125 power cars and the ‘Postal’) and a small number of sidings. The 1908 shed survived being used by Reid of Insch (a haulage contractor) for the storage of grain for a few months.
In 1993 the remaining portion of Aberdeen Ferryhill MPD shed was demolished.
No redevelopment of the site has taken place since closure. Railtrack (the present owners of the site) have put it on the market for £1,000,000 and have admitted that it is heavily contaminated from fuel and engine oils. The site is sealed off from the mainline by a security fence. The earlier 1870's shed survives as a listed structure and is owned by the local council. The 70 foot turntable was scheduled to be removed to Mallaig, however this never happened and it is still in situ and believed to be in working order, having seen use turning a steam locomotive as recently as the year 2000.
At present the future for the site is unclear. However the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society are attempting to take over the 1870 shed and the sidings for use as a visitor and restoration centre. Hopefully at least part of the site will still see a railway related use.