Ilford EMU Depot is a traction maintenance depot located in Ilford,

Greater London Greater may refer to: * Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality * ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film * Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record * "Greater" (song), by MercyMe, 2014 * Greater Bank, an Austra ...

, England. The depot is situated on the

Great Eastern Main Line The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and th ...

and is on the north side of the line to the east of Ilford station, between that station and Seven Kings railway station. Within the site is a sixteen-road shed operated by Greater Anglia for train maintenance of class 321, 315 and 317 units. Class 379 units were maintained by Bombardier on one of the roads with Class 360 units maintained by Siemens on another road. On introduction of Class 710 and 720 Aventras in 2019/20 all maintenance staff and facilities were transferred to Bombardier. A six-road overhaul and refurbishment shed is present, with three being electrified for light maintenance and exam work for the class 345 Aventra and Electrostars. A wheel lathe is present. The site is used for train stabling and maintenance by

Greater Anglia Greater Anglia (legal name Transport UK East Anglia Limited) is a British train operating company owned as a joint venture by Transport UK Group and Mitsui & Co. It operates the East Anglia franchise, providing the commuter and inter-city ser ...

Elizabeth line The Elizabeth line is a high-frequency hybrid urban–suburban rail service in London and its suburbs. It runs services on dedicated infrastructure in central London from the Great Western Main Line west of Paddington to and via Whitechapel t ...

London Overground London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, (via archive.org). it now serves a large part of Greater London as w ...

and

Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Av ...

. The depot code is IL.

History

Until a remodel, as part of Crossrail works, in 2016 Ilford had four sheds, the first two of which were opened in 1949 for DC EMUs, and converted to AC in 1960. These were a six-track with four through-roads shed, and a three-road dead-ended shed. The third building is the largest, opened in 1960 for AC EMUs, being a sixteen-road dead-ended shed. The fourth building is a one-track through-road shed which was opened around 2000. Around 1987, the depot's allocation included classes

302 __NOTOC__ Year 302 ( CCCII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius or, less frequently, year 1055 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denominatio ...

, 305,

306 __NOTOC__ Year 306 ( CCCVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 105 ...

307 __NOTOC__ Year 307 ( CCCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Maximinus (or, less frequently, year 1060 ...

, 308 and

315 __NOTOC__ Year 315 ( CCCXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantinus and Licinianus (or, less frequently, year ...

EMUs. Until 1947 the

Fairlop Loop The Hainault Loop was originally opened as the Fairlop Loop, a branch line of the Great Eastern Railway (GER). It once connected Woodford on the Ongar (now Epping) branch to Ilford on the Main Line, with an eastward connection for goods, ...

ran, via the northern perimeter of the yard, from Ilford railway station to

Woodford tube station Woodford is a London Underground station in the town of Woodford in the London Borough of Redbridge, East London. The station is on the Central line, between South Woodford and Buckhurst Hill stations and is in Travelcard Zone 4. The station ...

. In 2021, a carriage washing machine was installed. It began operation in September following an investment of £1.2 million.

Allocation

As of 2022, the depot's main rolling stock allocation consists of Greater Anglia Class 321 and London Overground Class 710 and Elizabeth line Class 315 and Class 345 EMUs. In 2022, there were two Class 08s on site used for shunting purposes. Both of these are contracted to

and, while 08 700 is owned by Harry Needle Railroad Company, 08 573 is owned by RMS Locotec.

References

Bibliography

* * *{{cite book, title=British Rail Depot Directory, year=1987, first1=Neil, last1=Webster, first2=Robert, last2=Greengrass, first3=Simon, last3=Greaves, publisher=Metro Enterprises Ltd., isbn=9780947773076, oclc=20420397 Railway depots in London Transport in the London Borough of Redbridge