A dedicated railway facility responsible for the daily servicing, inspection, and light maintenance of locomotives. Crews fuel, sand, and wash the units here, and mechanics perform running repairs to keep the fleet operational. In the steam era, these facilities were centered around roundhouses and turntables.
Heard on the job
Take that smoking Geep back to the motive power depot and have the shop boys look at the turbo.
Also heard as
- engine terminal
- locomotive depot
- engine shed
Related terms
Roundhouse
A circular or semi-circular maintenance building used to service and store locomotives.
Running shed
A facility where locomotives are serviced, fueled, and prepared for their next assignment.
Turntable
A rotating track section mounted in a circular pit used to reverse the direction of locomotives.