The Former Inverurie Locomotive Works

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The Former Inverurie Locomotive Works

Postby Vladimir » Sat Apr 22, 2006 2:13 pm

Photos of the former Inverurie Locomotive Works... (which the local team takes its name from).

isory of the Loco Works
The locomotive works at Inverurie was constructed between 1898-1905 and occupied a 24-acre site adjacent to the Great North of Scotland Railway line linking Aberdeen & Keith. The GNSR had originally constructed its locomotive works at Kittybrewster in Aberdeen, however this site quickly became far too crowded and it was decided to relocate the entire works to the town of Inverurie, some distance to the north of Aberdeen. In relocating the works the GNSR also constructed a new station adjacent to the works some distance to the north of the original.

The facilities offered by Inverurie Loco Works were substantial, and included five separate blocks of buildings:

Office Building

Management offices, laboratories, stores

Locomotive Works Building

Loco Erecting Shop, Boiler Shop, Machine & Fitting Shop, Boiler House

Carriage & Wagon Building

Repairs of carraiges and wagons (later adapted for Diesel Multiple Units)

Paint Building

Paint Shop & Electricians Shop

Smithy & Forge Building

..and tyre furnace, brass foundry, tinsmiths, coppersmiths, motor vehicle repair shop


The locomotive works employed around 340 persons, many of whom were housed in purpose-built buildings in Inverurie. These and the works were supplied with electricity generated within the works. The entire cost of the new loco works was estimated at £40,000.
The GNSR intended the new works to be used for the construction of locomotives (cheaper than buying locomotives from established private contractors such as the North British Locomotive Company), and prior to the first world war eight Class V 4-4-0 engines were built between 1909-1915. The design for the class "V" was altered and became class "F", of which one example remains today (the only remaining ex-GNSR engine), number 49 "Gordon Highlander" which is to be found at the Glasgow Transport Museum.

Inverurie in the 1960s
The loco works recieved some alterations in the late fifties to service Diesel Locomotives and Multiple Units. Locos such as the North British Type 2s (Class 21), English Electric Type 1s (Class 20), Sulzer Type 2s (Classes 24/25/26/27) and Cravens Class 105 Diesel Multiple Units were to be found alongwith the deteriorating number of steam engines and the passenger and wagon fleets. Inverurie found itself disposing of large numbers of condemned passenger carriages and wagons and many of these had their bodies separated from their underframes and sold to farmers for use as stores. Today many carriage and wagon bodies can be found around Aberdeenshire thanks to the disposal policy of Inverurie works, and a number are under restoration by railway preservation societies.

Closure
With the closures of many of the ex-Great North of Scotland Railway lines in the area, Inverurie loco works became redundant. For some time the works was sent additional vehicles for disposal from southern Scotland and even England, however the works was finally closed in 1969.

The abandoned works site was sold to Aberdeenshire County Council for £25,000 shortly after closure. The buildings and work force was adapted for industrial purposes and the site survived intact for many years.

The stores buildings were demolished in 1982, the Erecting Shop/Milling Shop/Boiler House being demolished in 1995. The Paint Shop has also been demolished, but the large Carriage & Wagon Shop and Electricians Shop both survive in industrial use. The adjacent railway station is still open, although there are no sidings laid in the loco works site.


After that the place was purchased by Kvaerner and used as engineering shops for the oil industry. The place closed in 2003 and has been derelict ever since. A land developer bought the land hoping to use it for housing but Im told the main building was listed shortly after. Now only conversion is possible. The developer was not a happy man...
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Postby Vladimir » Sat Apr 22, 2006 2:20 pm

These photos are of a building (electric shop during the locomotive days) which will be demolished to make way for more Tesco...

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I moved away pretty quickly after noticing this...

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This is the place from the outside...

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Postby Vladimir » Sat Apr 22, 2006 2:24 pm

This is the building causing so many problems. The roof is supposedly of value and so it is being retained.

From the outside

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And the inside...

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The time it all ended

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Postby Verbal Kint » Tue Apr 25, 2006 4:43 pm

Cool that looks great my mate lives in inverurie will have to give it an explore next time I am up
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Postby Vladimir » Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:51 pm

You'll have to be quick though (thats always the case), they will refurnish it soon probably...
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Postby Vladimir » Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:54 pm

Sorry, they will reFURBISH the place. Refurnish... :roll:
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Re: The Former Inverurie Locomotive Works

Postby Inverueue » Tue Nov 23, 2010 4:49 pm

It has taken 5 years . . . but it IS being refurbished now.

Part of the Main Office building is becoming a Heritage Centre.

The Works' Manager's (large) house is now a social club.

There was a serious (vandal-driven) fire in the roof of the sheds last year.
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Re: The Former Inverurie Locomotive Works

Postby Roxburgh » Mon Dec 27, 2010 5:44 am

Didn't Cruikshanks take over part of the works?
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Re: The Former Inverurie Locomotive Works

Postby Vintagebuff » Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:29 am

Was in the loco works last week to do a plant safety test on one of our machines on site. The roof of the main shed is currently being rebuilt and an additional floor has been added for office space. Didn't have a camera on me at the time but I should be back on that site a few more times in the coming weeks.
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