Opened by the Eastern Counties Railway in 1841, Stratford Works was sited on the east side of the Cambridge line. Over the ensuing years it became the major workshops for the Great Eastern Railway and, as demand for locomotives and rolling stock expanded, quickly encroached onto land on the west side. It was developed in a very haphazard manner, intermingling with the large running sheds, and never modernized to any great extent right into BR days. The Erecting Shop closed to steam repairs in 1957, being subsequently utilized for diesel maintenance as Stratford Repair Depot [SR], but the rest of the works, including the original portion on the east side of the Cambridge line continued to deal with steam traction until it ended in September 1962. Dieselization enabled a wholesale rationalization of the site and it was effectively reduced to the Repair Depot and adjoining Diesel Shed. It remained in this form until closure on March 31st, 1991 and was then let for commercial use prior to demolition in September 2002. By 2006 the St Pancras to Channel Tunnel rail link had been constructed across the site and the remainder was awaiting redevelopment, some of it as part of the London Olympics site.
Facilities;
A corrugated iron 2TS dead ended shed with a slated gable style roof and located at TQ38418451 was provided for the locos
Locomotive Allocation & Duties;
31 [June 30th, 1952-November 1959]
32 [1948-September 1962]
33 [1948-December 1963]
34 [June 27th, 1948-October 1952]
35 [1948-November 1952]
36 [September 15th, 1952-January 1959]
43 [December 1958-August 1959]
44 [August 1959-September 1962]
45 [November 1959-September 1962]
8081 [January-April 1948]
8135 [January-February 1948]
68667 [1948-May 1952]
68669 [1948-October 1950]
and other ex-Capital Stock Locos

SERVICING ARRANGEMENTS FOR B1 DEPARTMENTAL LOCOMOTIVE No. 28;

The MPD closed to steam in September 1962 and  the locomotive was serviced at TQ38298475 on a redundant siding near to the “New” Shed. It was coaled by hand from a coal wagon and the water was obtained from pipework installed to fill the Diesel Locomotive train heating boilers.

Departmental 0-6-0 Shunters Nos 32 and 33 at Stratford Works Engine Shed

JUBILEE
SHED

Sadly, many of the Departmental Locomotives based on the old Great Eastern system ended up here for scrapping and this view shows Class Y3 Sentinel 0-4-0T locos Nos 21 & 42, both from Cambridge Engineer’s Yard, awaiting cutting up on August 2nd, 1960.                                                                           GW Sharpe