Ashford railway works

[3] A carriage and wagon works was opened on an adjacent 32-acre (13 ha) site in 1850.

[4] The works led Ashford to be the largest industrial town in east Kent.

[13] [9] It became one of British Rail Engineering Limited's main wagon works, but as trade declined, primarily the construction of wagons for export markets, it operated on an ever-decreasing scale until it closed down in 1982.

[14] The SER opened a locomotive depot at Ashford in December 1842, sited to the East of the station adjacent to the works.

This was demolished in 1931, when the SR built a much larger facility on the other side of the main line.

[16] The first Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Superintendent for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was H.S.

[9] In 1937 it was involved with in the English Electric company in the construction of three experimental diesel-electric shunters[19][20] and after the war, Ashford Works continued manufacturing a further series of 350 hp 0-6-0 diesel-electric shunters.

[21] Under British Railways Ashford Works built the first two of the Southern Region prototype 1Co-Co1 diesel electric locomotives of the D16/2 class numbered 10201 and 10202 in 1951.

[54] Altogether, Ashford built 711 complete steam locomotives and finished 51 which were commenced elsewhere.