History
Wrexham's Croes Newydd locomotive shed was the last of the GWR 'northlight' designs, being a roundhouse and depending on a central turntable for access. It was built by the Great Western Railway and opened in 1902, to replace outdated facilities at Wheatsheaf junction. It was located in the centre of a large fork junction, with the Chester to Shrewsbury line running along one edge, and the branch being the Wrexham and Minera Branch. The sheds also featured a GWR combined Water tower and coaling stage, of a design which was later to become standardised.
While the 'northlight' design was meant to allow maximum sunlight, the skylight windows quickly became sooted and black, reducing lighting conditions. The sheds stored several locomotives known as "workhorses" as they did the goods work. The last of these locomotives were the BR Standard 9F locomotives, the last of the British steam locomotives.
Under the cutbacks of BR in the 1960s, the shed finally closed in 1967.
Read more about this topic: Croes Newydd
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