The North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) came into being in April 1845. The earliest locomotives were built by outside contractors, among them Sharpe Brothers & Co, Robert Stephenson & Co, Vulcan Foundry, Hudswell Clarke, Kitson’s and Neilson & Co. The NSR opened its own works at Stoke on Trent in 1864. They occupied a 12-acre site near the main line at Stoke Junction, between the canal and the company roundhouse. The location was cramped and difficult to access off the Leek branch line, becoming more difficult as the Works were expanded and developed. At first they were only able to complete repairs and heavy rebuilding. Facilities for new building were completed in 1868. By 1901 the locomotive works employed 450 men and the carriage and wagon works a further 400. Figures for 1914 were 483 and 391 respectively. No new locomotives were built after 1923, when the North Staffordshire Railway was absorbed into the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS). The last Works Manager (1919-1927) was H G Ivatt, who later became the CMEE of the LMS.