Woodham's scrapyard on Barry Island

Outstanding shot!

Admired in:
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Thanks a lot, William.

Beyond words amazing

Well many thanks for those three, Pam.
This image has made me wonder how many starry eyed rail fans were injured whilst climbing over the cabs of these locos. I never heard of any, but that was in the days before 'Health & Safety' became an issue!

Elf & Safety Pins have a lot to answer for !!!

Amazing scene; well captured.
Congrats on Explore.

Thank you, Jaap. It is a scene which is well etched in my memory.

Wow, row after row of rusty locomotives, what a place! That must have been a true playground for railway enthusiasts;-) Excellent scan btw!

It sure was, Gudrun. I was happy to go there ...and feel sad whilst photographing them. I thought it was the end for all of them, but because of their condition, as well as them not moving at speed, they made very good photos.

An interesting image Neil..............an adventure playground for train-spotters! I'm amazed at the number of locos that were reclaimed and restored........to my untrained eye they all look as if they've had it.

Well done on making Explore..!!

A double thank you, Keith. "Had it", haha. At the time of this shot most had been there for less than two years and all they needed was a good scrub. By 1980, with many more additions, there were still over 100 decaying there in the salty sea air. By the time they were rescued they looked liked rotten misshaped colanders, yet so many of them have become revenue earners again.
I think whoever selects images for Explore must be a trainspotter ;-)

Great depth -- it looks as if the locos are migrating.

Many thanks, John. Do you mean migrating...or emigrating?

An amazing place to while away most of the day!

Agreed...providing the weather was friendly and suitable for taking photos. It was a long way for me to go and then have to suffer wind and rain. Some days I spent longer there than intended as I had to wait for the sun to move, so that I could take what I hope would be a suitable photo ;-)

What a remarkable collection! I'm reminded of seeing lines of old Garrets awaiting the cutter's torch many years ago.

There were loco scrapyards all over the UK in the sixties, but this yard was unique ...for its size and the fact that most locos were not scrapped.
I only recall seeing one (maybe 2) Beyer Peacock Garrets and that was around the time the last two were withdrawn in 1957/8. They were generally too big for our railways.

I love this sort of thing! Having seen a few golden oldies at Crewe, I'm amazed that such a collection is still out there to be viewed. I wonder if they are still there? if so - a visit might be necessary. Fascinating - even though I have very little knowledge of locomotives! I used to love travelling by steam trains in days gone by.

Thank you for your wordy comments. This site was cleared sometime around 1990 and the last few locos were taken over by the local council. But even some of the 'Barry Ten' as they were known have moved on in the hope of continuing with a working life.

There are dozens of heritage railways around the UK which run steam hauled trains at weekends and most have a loco or two which came from this scrapyard.
Also there are frequent steam raltours on the main network and listed here: www.uksteam.info/tours/trs16.htm#stdr

Great colour shot of the wonder that was Woodham's! I have a very similar photo taken 2 years later and not much had changed. The 4 GWR locos in the middle line with the bars over the tender entrances (to remind firemen not to climb in when under electric wires) are Manors, all of which survived.

I appreciate your lengthy input, Pete. Especially your mention of the bars, which I was not aware of (at least it is not in my memory bank).
Apart from seeing the corroding Spam Cans in later years, my most vivid memory of Barry was combating the wind.

Superb history here in this excellent shot.

Many thanks for dropping by, Jeff. Enjoy the rest of the w/e.

Remarquable et impressionnant ce dépôt de locomotives..