English: Willesden Locomotive Depot.
View eastward in the Locomotive Yard: the coaler is on the extreme left and the straight and roundhouse Sheds are over to the right. This was a major BR (LMR) Depot, the principal Depot of the Western Division (London District), coded 1A by the LMS and BR (LMR). It provided freight locomotives principally, but also some passenger motive power, for the London end of the West Coast Main Line. The Depot was still very active on my visit in 1962, but it closed on 27/8/65b - before main-line electrification reached London; the site later became a Freightliner Depot. In 1954 Willesden had 126 steam locomotives:- 21 4-6-0s, 37 2-8-0s, 10 2-6-0s, 10 0-8-0s, 10 0-6-0s, 2 2-6-4Ts, 23 2-6-2Ts (mainly used for Euston empty stock workings) and 13 0-6-0Ts; in addition there were 17 0-6-0 Diesel-Electric shunters, including many that had been at work in the great Brent (Sudbury) Sidings since the late 1930s. Prominent in this photograph are:- Standard 'Britannia' Class 7 4-6-2 No. 70004 'William Shakespeare', Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 No. 45198 and Stanier 8F 2-8-0 No. 48016.