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There has been a locomotive depot
at Cardiff Canton since June 1882 when a six road, 240
feet long shed was built to replace a smaller shed
situated at Long Dyke (1.5 miles east of Cardiff General
station). As traffic increased then this facility had to
be extended in 1897 and a 55ft diameter turntable was
installed in a square building with some 28 roads
radiating of off the turntable.
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09203 & 37412 Canton
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37248 & 37707 Canton
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This arrangement remained substantially
unaltered until 1925 when a locomotive repair and
lifting shed was built together with a new coaling
stage. In 1931 the original 55ft. turntable was removed
and replaced by a larger 65ft. diameter table at the
west end of the yard. At this time, around the peak of
GWR operation, the depot had allocated 50 main line
passenger locomotives, 40 heavy goods/mineral
locomotives and 30 smaller local passenger/goods and
shunting locomotives.
The depot then remained unaltered, until its closure to
steam locomotives on Saturday 8th September 1962. The
remaining steam locomotive allocation was then
transferred to Cardiff East Dock shed.
During the winter of 1962-63 the steam depot was
demolished. Kyle Stewart, as contractors, then rebuilt
the site as a diesel maintenance and servicing shed. The
only part of the old steam shed to be retained was a
section of the original 1882 shed, which formed the new
servicing shed and the large water tank at the east end
of the yard. The depot cost £1,324,000 and occupied a 30
acre site. The locomotives allocated to the depot cost
between £28,000 for a Class 08 shunter and £140,000 for
a class 47 locomotive.
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37517 & 37415 inside Cantons main shed
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The original allocation was 360
locomotives for major maintenance, 197 for normal
maintenance and 62 shunting locomotives. Employed were
40 managerial and supervisory staff, 31 clerical staff,
382 maintenance staff and 55 unskilled staff.
The new depot was opened by The Rt. Hon. Lord Brecon
(Minister of State for Welsh Affairs) on Friday 18th
September 1964. EWS announced its closure as a major
maintenance depot early in 2004.
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