English: Saltley Locomotive Depot: inside one of the three roundhouses.
Saltley Shed was the principal Depot for the Midland Division of the LMSR (later London Midland Region of BR) in Birmingham and one of the largest on the system. When I took this photograph - one of my very earliest - in 1946, the Depot had an allocation of 168 locomotives (all steam), comprising:- 16 4-6-0s, 16 4-4-0s, 3 2-8-0s, 3 0-8-0s, 11 2-6-0s, 96 - no less - 0-6-0s, 3 2-6-4Ts, 4 2-6-2Ts, 13 0-6-0Ts and 3 0-4-4Ts. The relatively small number of passenger engines was made up by the allocation of the much smaller Shed at Bournville on the south side of New Street. The great number of 0-6-0s was characteristic of the Midland Railway/Division, which until the late 1930s utilised 'small engines' generally on both its freight and passenger trains: indeed, the lack of strength of certain bridges on the main Derby - Bristol trunk line necessitated the continuation of this policy until then. Grouped round this roundhouse turntable are four Midland engines:- 3F 0-6-0 No. 3755, 2F 0-6-0Ts Nos. 1856 and 1777, and 3F 0-6-0 No. 3368. Saltley closed to steam on 6/3/67, but continued to service Diesel locomotives subsequently for at least another 30 years.