In modern times, Wolverton railway works remains notable as the home of the British Royal Train but otherwise is very much reduced from its heyday.

[1] The actual site was selected in October 1836 by Edward Bury, an engineer and locomotive manufacturer of Liverpool, who had been appointed in May 1836 as contractor for working the company's trains.

Because of the unforeseen demand for increased speed, this contract for working the line was annulled in July 1839; thereafter Bury was employed as the manager of the locomotive department on a salary, with a profits bonus.

An innovative engineer who during his tenure experimented with hollow axles, rubber springs, brakes working on the rails, and elaborate boilers and fireboxes, but perhaps his greatest claim to fame is the 2-2-2 Bloomer type of 1851, which was closely based on a Bury design.

In 1883, 44 feet (13 m) sleeping cars were introduced on the Glasgow service, but even though bogies had come into use on other railways, the LNWR preferred to simply add an extra radial truck.

This configuration remained in use until 1893, when Charles Park built a rake of corridor coaches for the expresses to Edinburgh with six-wheeled bogies.

In 1892, the non-automatic brake finally disappeared and in 1896 Stone's patent electric train lighting was introduced, along with communication cords.

[clarification needed] During World War I, the works altered carriages to be used as ambulance trains both within the UK and overseas.

At the outbreak of World War II, as a major manufacturing facility, the works was camouflaged, with the exterior walls still showing signs of green paint.

It also repaired Whitley bombers, Hawker Typhoon wings and converted some seven hundred commercial motor vans into armoured vehicles.

The works produced Queen Victoria's 1869 saloon, comprising two six-wheelers joined by the first bellows gangway in Europe; the carriage is now part of the collection of the National Railway Museum, York.

It comprises eight prototype British Rail Mark 3 coaches built in 1972 for the High Speed Train, refurbished with two Royal Saloons.

The Royal Train is operated and maintained by DB Schenker and stored within the remaining Knorr Bremse service depot.

171C, across the Grand Union canal was built in 1834-5 (chief engineer, Robert Stephenson) and is a grade II* listed building.