Before the age of Steam
Doncaster has always been an important transport hub. Ancient track ways converged at the point where the river Don first became fordable. Later the Romans chose the same point to cross the river, building a number of important roads and ridgeways in the area. The North-South route developed into the Great North Road linking London with the North and Scotland. The Don was also improved for navigation allowing Humber Keels to reach far inland and making Doncaster an important inland port. Throughout this long period Doncaster developed as an important market town and trading centre.
The coming of the railways
The first North-South railways by-passed Doncaster. Had this continued the town could easily have become a quiet backwater. Doncastrian, and MP for the West Ridding of Yorkshire, Sir Edmund Beckett was not about to let this happen however. Through his influence as Chairman of the Great Northern Railway Company he ensured Doncaster was placed firmly on the railway map. In 1853 GNR established an 11-acre site on the edge of town for the repair and maintenance of locomotives and carriages, replacing earlier facilities at Boston and Peterborough. From these beginning the railway works known locally, and throughout the railway industry, as "The Plant" grew.
The development of The Plant
The works developed and expanded with the rising fortunes of GNR. Like the other major railway company's GNR wished to establish its own locomotive design and construction facilities. From 1867 therefore The Plant added locomotive manufacturing to its existing role. At about the same time carriage design and manufacturing also began. In 1873 the first sleeping cars where produced. 1879 saw the first dining cars manufactured in the United Kingdom produced at The Plant and, in 1882 the first corridor coaches where put into production. The scene was now set for significant expansion of both The Plant and the town. By its centenary year The Plant had grown to 84 acres and employed thousands of local men.
The great engineers
The transformation from repair and maintenance to design and construction was overseen by Sir Patrick Stirling who became The Plants Locomotive Superintendent in 1866. He introduced the revolutionary Stirling Singles, able to reach hitherto unimaginable speeds, and firmly established The Plant at the forefront of world transport technology and design.
(to be finished)
Ivatt
Sir Nigel Gresley
The Plant at war
During both world wars The Plant saw significant changes as the men folk where called up to fight and their girlfriends, wives, and daughters clocked on to tend the machines. Locomotive and carriage production was vital to the war effort but so too was munitions production. The Plant therefore was adapted to produce war materials of all descriptions, from shells to Horsa gliders for the D-Day airborne assault. During WW2 The Plant became a target of German Bombers and so air defense measures where introduced. The carriage building shop was destroyed by fire in 1940.
More than work - a whole community
The development of a major railway works in Doncaster effected the town profoundly. The town’s population expanded rapidly as The Plant grew. By the beginning of the 20th centaury more than 3000 men where employed on the site. In turn the wages paid to Plant workers found their way into the local shops, pubs, and dance halls, and the town prospered. The Plant provided its workers with much more than just employment. A whole social infrastructure, both spiritual and temporal developed alongside and within the Plant. St James Church, a familiar landmark for anyone passing through Doncaster on the railway, or entering the town via Balby Rd., was built specifically for Plant workers. A number of clubs and societies were established. Workers also had their own sports ground, Eden Grove, which opened in 1914. It was the venue for workers cricket matches, where there was fierce competition between the workshops.
Post-war developments
New buildings, to replace those destroyed or worn-out during the war were built in 1949. These were designed with the new British Rail standard all-steel carriages in mind. In 1957, the last of over two thousand steam locomotives was built and, in 1962, carriage building finished. The Plant continued however with the works being modernised and the addition of a diesel locomotive repair shop. Under British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL), new diesel shunters and 25 kV electric locomotives have been built, plus, since 1976, Class 56 diesel-electric locomotives know to enthusiasts as the 'Grids'.
Date: 12-09-06