| Yoker Depot, opened on May 21st 1987 is the main train crew and EMU servicing depot for the North Clyde Line area. It was opened to replace and close down the old Bridgeton Central and Hyndland train depots. Yoker is an operations depot and is built on the site of the former freight marshalling yard which served the Rothesay Dock branch line and the Whiteinch Tramway in bygone years. Evidence of the old Rothesay Dock branch line is visible beside the YMS’ (Yard Movement Supervisors’) portakabins within the depot yard where some of the original track still lies.
Yoker Depot’s geographical location is towards the western boundary of Glasgow and in railway terms it is adjacent to the North Clyde Electric Line from Hyndland to Dalmuir via Garscadden. At the time the complex cost £5 Million to build and the new facilities were required to replace the carriage cleaning and stabling capability which had been installed at the time of the original electrification of the North Clyde lines as long ago as 1959, before the opening of the Argyle Line in 1979. The depot privides EMUs for Balloch, Helensburgh, Dalmuir, Milngavie, Springburn, Airdrie, Drumgelloch, Motherwell, Lanark and Larkhall routes and is also a major train crew depot providing drivers for these routes. There are also dirvers based at Helensburgh, Airdrie and Motherwell who are rostered from Yoker. The units which are stabled in the depot yard are Class 318s 320s and Class 334 EMU Alstom Junipers. Before Class 334s were brought up North to Scotland from Alstom, Class 314s and the old Class 303s were stabled here (what was known to a lot of enthusiasts and long term train drivers as ‘The Good Old Days’). As an operations depot Yoker has its very own signalling centre that covers signals up to Dalmarnock on the Argyle Line, Duke Street on Springburn Line and all other North Clyde routes and West Highland Line to Helensburgh Upper. The signalling centre is due to close down in the years to come as a new state – of – the – art signalling centre will be / currently is being built at Cowlairs beside Eastfield DMU depot in Glasgow. This will close down all the major signalling centres that are currently still in use until the new signalling centre is open. Network Rail also has offices within the Yoker operations depot building. Yoker depot consists of a yard which all together has 21 sidings, 6 of which are used for cleaning purposes, number 1 – 10 sidings in the west known as the West End Yard and number 11 – 21 sidings are in the east end known as the East End Yard. There is a total track capacity in the yard to accommodate 54 3 – car EMU sets. The yard also contains of over 6,000 metres of track and around 10,000 metres of overhead electrified wire. Number 18 and 19 roads were out of use in the East End Yard for a couple of months in 2008 due to a derailment which took place overnight one night in May during a shunt movement. The sidings were closed down until a full investigation had been carried out and the cause of the derailment rectified. The points on the track that lead trains into the different sidings are controlled manually by push / pull levers within the yard. These can be controlled either the shunter driver or YMS (Yard Movement Supervisor). There is also a head shunt sidings which takes you just outside the depot yard and trains go out to this siding from the yard in order to get the path to use one of the two train washing plant facilities. Trains get to the head shunt by using the North Yard Line which is the line in the yard which takes you from the West End Yard out onto the mainline. Trains entering the depot from the mainine normally use the South Yard Line although they can use the North Yard Line which can also be used for running round movements if required. External cleaning of the train vehicles is carried out in a fully automatic fixed washing plant through which each train can pass before going on to be interior cleaned or stabled. This particular washing plant sprays and brushes on to the bodysides of each set a chemical cleanser which is designed to attack dirt and brake block dust. A wash, brush and final rinse of plain water is then applied to each vehicle. The washing plant does not cater for the driving cab ends of the sets and are therefore are hand – brushed at the buffer end of the cleaning sidings. Each set receives an exterior clean once every 24 hours in traffic. Also on site within the complex is a Train Maintenance Team who have their own portakabin beside the operations building. The train maintenance team consists of fitters who fix minor train repairs and defects on site. Any major or serious repairs, defects and exams on the trains are undertaken at Shields Road TMD (Train Maintenance Depot) in Glasgow. When trains have to get transferred between Yoker and Shields Road TMD depots they travel ECS as a 3, 6 or a 9 car set movement via the Argyle Line, Rutherglen West Curve and Larkfield Junction. My first trip to the Yoker depot this year was on Wednesday 2nd January 2008 (though photographs dateback from 2007). Class 314s and Class 322s were the rare visitors at the time and were being stabled at Yoker depot because of the engineering works that was taking place at Shields Road Junction next to Shields Road T.M.D. All sixteen Class 314 and five Class 322 EMU 3 / 4 car sets all made a visit to Yoker Depot over the three weeks the engineering works took place. Originally the engineering works were only meant to take place for two weeks but Network Rail were experiencing some technical difficulties while testing the new signals they had installed between Glasgow Central High Level and Paisley Gilmour Street. This area was one of many around the country that caused Network Rail to pay a large fine because of the amount of delays caused over the festive period when remodelling and signalling works were taking place. While I was at Yoker Depot on the 2nd I took some photographs of inside the main building and of trains which were being stabled under the canopies in the cleaning siding roads. I was able to grab a shot of Class 322 485 which was stabled in the middle of the yard. My second visit to the depot was on Sunday 11th May 2008. I went to find out information and take photographs of the evidence still there about and of the old Rothesay docks branch line which can still be seen in the middle of the yard at the depot. I also went to the depot to take down notes of information about the depot’s history and present time as well taking photographs of the train stabled in the East and West End Yards. My third visit was on Sunday 25th May 2008. My purpose for my trip was the same as my second trip except going that wee bit more in – depth. Also I took photographs and found out information about / of the two train wash facilities within the depot yard. I also took photographs of a few trains going through the train wash and of a few trains being shunted from one end of the yard to the other. If you have any question or queries regarding any of the information or photographs in the gallery then please do not hesitate to contact myself via my e - mail address - jonathan_1990@hotmail.co.uk Best Regards Jonathan |
Class 318 263 is seen sitting in number 15 road in the East End Yard at Yoker Depot. 07/03/07. 1.JPG Buy Print |
Class 318 263 is seen sitting in number 15 road and Class 320 310 is seen sitting inside number 14 road in the East End Yard at Yoker Depot. 07/03/07. 2.JPG Buy Print |
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Class 334 009 + 037 are seen sitting stabled inside number 7 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 26/12/07. 11.JPG Buy Print |
Class 320 308 + 314 are seen sitting stabled inside number 4 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 26/12/07. 12.JPG Buy Print |
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Class 318 267 is seen stabled inside number 21 road in the East End Yard at Yoker Depot. 02/01/08. 28.JPG Buy Print |
Class 318 251 is seen stabled inside number 19 road in the East End Yard at Yoker Depot. 02/01/08. 29.JPG Buy Print |
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Class 318 255 is seen sitting stabled inside number 15 road in the East End Yard at Yoker Depot. 11/05/08. 39.JPG Buy Print |
Class 318 255 is seen sitting stabled inside number 15 road in the East End Yard at Yoker Depot. 11/05/08. 40.JPG Buy Print |
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Class 320 317 + 309 are seen sitting stabled inside number 8 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 25/05/08. 45.JPG Buy Print |
Class 318 259 is seen sitting stabled inside number 2 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 25/05/08. 46.JPG Buy Print |
Class 318 259 is seen sitting stabled inside number 2 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 25/05/08. 47.JPG Buy Print |
Class 334 018 + 022 are seen sitting stabled inside number 3 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 25/05/08. 48.JPG Buy Print |
Class 334 012 + 024 are seen sitting stabled inside number 2 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 25/05/08. 49.JPG Buy Print |
Class 334 012 + 024 are seen sitting stabled inside number 2 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 25/05/08. 50.JPG Buy Print |
Class 320 322 + 312 are seen sitting stabled inside number 4 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot having just being for a wash in one of the two train washes the on site at Yoker Depot. 25/05/08. 51.JPG Buy Print |
Class 320 315 is seen sitting stabled inside number 7 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 25/05/08. 52.JPG Buy Print |
Class 320 309 + 317 are seen sitting stabled inside number 8 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 25/05/08. 53.JPG Buy Print |
Class 320 320 is seen sitting stabled inside number 9 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 25/05/08. 54.JPG Buy Print |
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Class 320 307 + 303 are seen being shunted in the yard at Yoker Depot having just came into the depot E.C.S. from Airdrie on a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon. 25/05/07. 62.JPG Buy Print |
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Class 334 024 is seen stabled inside number 1 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 07/06/08. 71.JPG Buy Print |
Class 334 024 is seen stabled inside number 1 road in the West End Yard at Yoker Depot. 07/06/08. 72.JPG Buy Print |
