Birkenhead North TMD is a traction maintenance depot

Traction maintenance depot

In the United Kingdom, a traction maintenance depot, or TMD, is a railway depot where locomotives are serviced and maintained. A traction and rolling stock maintenance depot, or T&RSMD, is a maintenance depot where locomotives, multiple units and rolling stock are serviced and maintained. Each rail...

 located opposite Birkenhead North railway station

Birkenhead North railway station

Birkenhead North railway station is situated in Birkenhead, Wirral, England. The station is situated on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network, close to the junction of the New Brighton and West Kirby branches...

 for servicing Merseyrail

Merseyrail

Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...

 Class 507 and 508 multiple unit

Multiple unit

The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...

s and rolling stock. The depot code is BD.

History

In 1985 and 1986, in order to celebrate "100 years of Mersey Railways," the depot held a series of open days. On these occasions a number of mainline locomotives were on display at the depot. Among the locomotives included were Class 40

British Rail Class 40

The British Rail Class 40 is a type of British railway diesel locomotive. Built by English Electric between 1958 and 1962, and eventually numbering 200, they were for a time the pride of the British Rail early diesel fleet...

 locomotive number 40122 D200 and Class 50

British Rail Class 50

The British Rail Class 50 is a diesel locomotive built from 1967-68 by English Electric at their Vulcan Foundry Works in Newton-le-Willows. Fifty of these locomotives were built to haul express passenger trains on the, then non-electrified, section of the West Coast Main Line between Crewe,...

 locomotive number 50007 Sir Edward Elgar (formerly Hercules).

Allocation

The depot is home to Class 507 and Class 508 750v DC third rail electric multiple units. Until the introduction of these units, the depot housed Class 503

British Rail Class 503

British Rail Class 503 trains were 70 mph electric multiple units. They were introduced in two batches — in 1938 by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway with a further batch in 1956 by the then nationalised British Railways...

 equipment.

Departmental equipment for Sandite

Sandite

Sandite is a substance used on railways in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands to combat leaves on the line, which can cause train wheels to slip and become damaged with flat spots...

 duties has in the past included Class 73/0 and 73/9, Class 97/7 and Class 936

British Rail Class 936

The British Rail Class 936 was reserved for former electrical multiple units not from the South-East, converted for departmental use. Units were converted for various tasks, including application of sandite, and de-icing duties.Merseyrail Units...

 traction.

Four Class 03

Class 03

Class 03 may refer to:*British Rail Class 03, a class of post-war, British diesel-mechanical shunter,*DRG Class 03, a class of inter-war, German standard steam locomotive for express train duties on lighter main lines....

 diesel shunters were also employed at the depot on dock shunting duties. The shunters were numbered 03073, 03162, 03170 and 03189. Since the Birkenhead Dock Branch

Birkenhead Dock Branch

Birkenhead Dock Branch is a presently disused railway line running from the South junction of Rock Ferry, to the site of the former Bidston Dock on the Wirral Peninsula, England....

fell into disuse, all four of these locomotives have been sold to railway heritage preservation groups.