Salisbury TMD is the
South Western Railway
South Western Railway Limited, trading as South Western Railway (SWR), is the British state-owned train operating company that took over the services of the South Western Railway (2017–2025), operator of the same name from FirstGroup and MTR ...
traction maintenance depot in
Salisbury
Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
,
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
, England, situated on the north side of
Salisbury railway station
Salisbury railway station serves the cathedral city of Salisbury in Wiltshire, England. It is from on the West of England line to . This is crossed by the Wessex Main Line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton Central. The station is ope ...
. It opened in 1992 to maintain the fleet of
DMUs used on the
West of England line
The West of England line (also known as the West of England Main Line) is a British railway line from , Hampshire, to in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter; the line intersects with the Wessex Ma ...
.
History
The depot is built on the site of the former
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
(GWR) station, opened in 1856. A two-road engine shed was provided on the south side of the site but was moved westwards in 1899 to allow the
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway (LSWR, sometimes written L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exete ...
(LSWR) to expand their adjacent station. This company originally had an engine shed at their
Milford station on the opposite side of the city from 1847, which was relocated to a site opposite the GWR shed when the LSWR opened their new station in 1859. This three-road shed was closed around 1901 and moved to a new larger site further west from the station at Cherry Orchard Lane. This new facility had ten roads. It closed in June 1967 but was used to store withdrawn locomotives for a short time.
By 1987 the site was a stabling point, usually for Classes
08,
09 and
33.
The replacement of
Class 50 locomotive-hauled trains on the
West of England Main Line
The West of England line (also known as the West of England Main Line) is a British railway line from , Hampshire, to in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter; the line intersects with the Wessex Ma ...
by
Class 159 DMUs in 1992 meant that a new maintenance facility was required. It was decided to build a brand new depot at Salisbury, midway between the two ends of the route at
London Waterloo and .
Fleet

The depot maintains the
diesel multiple units used on the
West of England line
The West of England line (also known as the West of England Main Line) is a British railway line from , Hampshire, to in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter; the line intersects with the Wessex Ma ...
and other
South Western Railway
South Western Railway Limited, trading as South Western Railway (SWR), is the British state-owned train operating company that took over the services of the South Western Railway (2017–2025), operator of the same name from FirstGroup and MTR ...
routes:
* 30 three-car
Class 159
* 11 two-car
Class 158
References
Sources
*
*{{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 England
Rail transport in Wiltshire
TMD