Carnforth: engine shed and associated facilities including the locomotive turntable

Engine shed for steam locomotive stabling and servicing, 1940-44 for the London Midland Scottish Railway.

MATERIALS: reinforced concrete frame finished in brick; roofs covered with replaced, modern sheet material.

PLAN: Rectangular, six road through-running shed with modern extension to the north. Attached to the east side is a range of original buildings including a machine shop flanked by stores with offices to the south and staff rooms to the north.

EXTERIOR: utilitarian in design with concrete lintels to openings. The shed has raised parapet walls in brick which hide the low-pitched ridge and furrow roof which is part glazed for top lighting. The 6-bay machine shop is brick built and has a gabled roof, the ancillary buildings to the north and south were originally flat roofed but now have modern, shallow pitched lean-to roofs.

INTERIOR: the shed retains standard gauge tracks and full length inspection pits to all six roads, the eastern-most road also having a wheel drop. The machine shop to the east retains its wheel lathe served by a travelling crane which crosses this eastern-most road. At the northern end of the ancillary range is a sand drier and store.

SUBSIDIARY ITEMS: the ash and coal plants, the water tower, and the wagon repair workshop are all separately listed. Directly associated with the engine shed, but not separately listed is the 70 feet diameter (approx 21m), vacuum operated locomotive turntable supplied by Cowans Sheldon of Carlisle. Adjacent to this is a timber shed which is also shown on the 1950 survey plan.