Racing against time back in 1862 the London, Chatham and Dover Railway founded Stewarts Lane Depot. It was intended to serve London Victoria railway station. Imagine the scene. The air is thick with smoke and the ground trembles.
Stewarts Lane sits amidst a maze of railway lines. It is located between Factory Junction and Stewarts Lane Junction. The depot stands adjacent to the former Longhedge Railway Works. Also nearby is the Stewarts Lane Chord. Eurostar trains once used this chord from the Kent freight lines to Waterloo International station.
Before 1962 Stewarts Lane Depot was one of the largest motive power depots in the UK. Steam traction ended in the early 1960s. Subsequently Stewarts Lane was converted into a traction maintenance depot. Govia Thameslink Railway currently operates it.
Originally the depot was known as Longhedge. In February 1862 a semi-roundhouse running shed opened. It had space for 26 locomotives. The site expanded in 1875/6. It then had 40 tracks around a central turntable. However only half were under cover.
In 1880/1 the original depot was demolished. A larger 16-road through shed replaced it on the same site. Officially it was known as Stewarts Lane. The men usually referred to it as The Lane or Longhedge. The depot included a coaling stage turntable and wheel drop.
Stewarts Lane was reorganized. A large mechanical coaling plant was added. This enabled the depot to handle more locomotives after 1932. This followed the closure of the nearby London Brighton and South Coast Railway Battersea shed. Stewarts Lane gained an asbestos roof in 1934.
Stewarts Lane suffered bomb damage during the Second World War. Some damage was never repaired. Otherwise it remained largely unchanged until closure to steam in 1963. Afterwards the tracks were used for stabling diesel locomotives. A fire destroyed much of the original building in 1967.
In the late 1950s a new asbestos carriage shed was built. It was equipped with third rail electrification. This allowed it to service electric multiple units EMUs and electric locomotives. During the 1960s the former goods shed was also converted. It serviced diesel and electric locomotives. Both remain in use for the Stewarts Lane Traction Maintenance Depot. Currently DB Cargo UK and Govia Thameslink Railway operate two separate facilities.
Under British Railways the depot had the code 73A then 75D. Now it is SL.
Stewarts Lane was the largest depot of the former LCDR. It provided express passenger locomotives from Victoria and Holborn Viaduct stations. These served Dover Ramsgate and Ashford. The depot also handled suburban trains to Bromley Crystal Palace and Greenwich Park. After the formation of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway in 1899 Stewarts Lane became the largest on the new system. It had an allocation of well over 100 locomotives.
The allocation declined in the early years of the Southern Railway after 1923. This was because more suburban lines were electrified. However it increased dramatically to more than 170 locomotives in 1934. This happened after it took over from the former Battersea shed.
During the early 1950s Stewarts Lane still had 126 locomotives allocated. 700 men were employed there. The allocation included Pacific locomotives of the Merchant Navy West Country and Battle of Britain classes. For a short period it also included two Britannia class locomotives. The number of locomotives began to decline rapidly after 1959. This followed the electrification of the Chatham Main Line.
Today part of the depot is operated by DB Cargo UK. It serves as a special trains operating unit. The 14-road main shed provides a home to the Class 387 electric units of the Gatwick Express. It also houses the Pullman carriages of the Venice Simplon Orient Express VSOE Southern Division. Govia Thameslink Railway operates this section. Stewarts Lane acts as a servicing and staging point for steam locomotives. These operate both the VSOE and other special trains starting from the London area. Currently stabled steam locomotives include SR Merchant Navy Class 35028 Clan Line.
In 2019 Stewarts Lane Depot hosted an introduction to Episode 8 of the TV Show The Apprentice series 15. Participants hosted a service on the Belmond Pullman train.
Consider Stewarts Lane a vital hub. It keeps London’s trains running smoothly connecting people and places. From its steam-filled past to its electrified present Stewarts Lane Depot remains a crucial part of London’s railway network.