Comments on: Engineers’ triangle – railway roundhouses

By: Ian

Ian — Sun, 25 Jan 2015 10:02:07 +0000

As your Great Grandfather was a Porter on York station, there’s a fair chance he knew my Grandfather who was also a porter in the 1920’s – 1940’s. His surname was Horsley. When clearing some old tins full of buttons last month at my late mum’s home, I discovered his old uniform buttons from GNER days and dutifully took them to The National Rail Museum who told me that they didn’t want them and they would be thrown away. It’s a sad day when a National Heritage centre discards our National Heritage.

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 19:32:22 +0000

Engine shed rooves were always in poor shape because the mixture of steam and coal fire flue gases is highly corrosive and wooden rooves had to be replaced regularly. In the late fifties with the end of steam in mind BR stopped maintaining the buildings (in general, not just York south) and so many lost their roof like this.

By: YorkStories

YorkStories — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:01:51 +0000

Thanks Ed, for clarifying this. I’ve added a note by the relevant photo above.

I think I missed you running around the roundhouses!

It was really good being able to see it all, thanks to everyone involved in the open days.

By: Ed

Ed — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 13:36:42 +0000

Hi, the photograph you are unsure about is the interior of the larger 1864 North Eastern Railway roundhouse, designed by NER architect Thomas Prosser (who also designed the current York Station in 1871 (its construction was finished in 1877)), and taken in 1952 when it was used for stabling station pilot engines. The roof has been damaged by bombing and then general neglect, and as you know from the aerial shots it was removed shortly afterwards.

If you were there on the Friday, I was one of the two people running around on the roundhouse remains, shouting myself hoarse over the sound of passing trains.

By: David

David — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:25:57 +0000

I should have added that I have nothing against anyone who submits a story on the council website as they are doing so in good faith and if anything it would be nice to see more of them. And I suppose that York Stories is just a play on words of “Your Stories” and so the choice of name is understandable.

By: YorkStories

YorkStories — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:56:26 +0000

Thank you David, for your support of this website.

The ‘York Stories Turf Wars 2012′ (as I like to call the situation, in jest) have certainly been interesting.

Can I come back to this issue later, perhaps. I need to focus on another ‘railway heritage’ page which is currently half-formed …