Wolverton railway works

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Wolverton Railway Works
View northward ca. 1954, outside the Carriage Works. The locomotives are ex-LNWR 'Special' 2F 0-6-0 saddle-tanks, Carriage Dept. Nos. 3, 6 and 7.
General information
Status	In use
Town or city	Wolverton, Milton Keynes
Country	England
Coordinates	52°03′47″N 0°48′58″W / 52.063°N 0.816°W / 52.063; -0.816
Construction started	1836
Completed	1838
Client	London and Birmingham Railway
Design and construction
Other designers	Edward Bury

Wolverton railway works, known locally as Wolverton Works or just The Works, was established in Wolverton, Buckinghamshire, by the London and Birmingham Railway Company in 1838 at the midpoint of the 112-mile-long (180-kilometre) route from London to Birmingham. The line was developed by Robert Stephenson following the great success of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway line.

The Victorian era new towns of Wolverton and New Bradwell were built to house the workers and service the works. The older towns of Stony Stratford and Newport Pagnell grew substantially too, being joined to it by the Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway and the Wolverton to Newport Pagnell Line (a branch line), respectively. The trams were also hauled by steam locomotives: the tram cars were certainly the largest ever in the UK and possibly the world. 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.

As of 2013^[update], the facility is much reduced: a full-scale train maintenance, repairs and refurbishment works is operated at the western end of the site, the central area is derelict but slated for redevelopment, the eastern end is a Tesco store with canal-side housing development at the extreme eastern end.