Atrain shed is a building adjacent to astation building where the tracks and platforms of arailway station are covered by a roof. It is also known as anoverall roof. Its primary purpose is to store and protect from the elements train cars not in use, The first train shed was built in 1830 atLiverpool'sCrown Street Station.[1]
The biggest train sheds were often built as an arch of glass and iron, while the smaller were built as normal pitched roofs.
The earliest train sheds were wooden structures, often with unglazed openings to allow smoke and steam to escape. The oldest part ofBristol Temple Meads is a particularly fine – and large – example, designed byIsambard Kingdom Brunel with mock-hammerbeam roof.
The middle of the nineteenth century saw many large stations covered by iron, steel and glass train sheds, inspired byThe Crystal Palace atThe Great Exhibition in 1851. The best have been described as "likecathedrals" and feature curved roofs; other structures have pitched roofs.
Surviving examples of curved roof train sheds include:
Waterloo International (across the foreground) with the older Waterloo station beyond (June 2004)
After many years with few, if any, significant new train sheds, recent years have seen some major stations given graceful train sheds by using modern technology.
InNorth America, tram cars are called streetcars or trolleys and are sometimes stored in structures that are called car barns or car houses. These buildings are usually enclosed and provide cover for trams from the elements.
