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The End - Locos and rolling stock scrap line memories

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Inversnecky

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Sad to see the familiar locos of my youth all on the scrap heap.

I think some 37s, 86s, and a sprinkling of 08s, 20s, and 47s are about all that's left of the BR blue fleet I used to see and admire in my childhood.

 
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GRALISTAIR

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In the 1970s a huge number went for scrap and there were virtually zero preservation societies in those days. I do have photos of North British on Glasgow QS in 1970s but I just did not appreciate the value in those days
 

Irascible

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A "then & now" of our locomotive builders could be a particularily poignant piece of nostalgia.
 

NorthWestRover

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Seeing rows of withdrawn locos at a depot or works in the early to mid 1980s was always sad.
 

delt1c

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Remember Glasgow works in the 70’s. The last of the claytons , couple of 24’s , what sticks in my mind most was partly dismantled 0-4-0 class08.l ( centre wheels removed.
 

Dr_Paul

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Every so often at Clapham Junction during the 1980s there would be in the yard several sets of 4-SUBs or 2- or 4-EPBs with their blue livery bleached-out as if they'd been standing in the open for ages, often with doors and other bits missing, waiting to be sent up north to be scrapped.
 

Cowley

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I visited the scrapline at Toton in the 1980s a couple of times, there was an enormous row of Peaks with a couple of 25s (including 25080 which was one of the regulars around Exeter). Also in the line was the standby loco for the nuclear flask test 46023 which had all the markings for the test on it still:
(not my photo but this shows what it was like)


My stepbrother and I visited March in 1987 to see all the Peaks that were congregating there, along with the ex Norwich 03s and a few 20s that were rotting away.
Some of the Peaks and 03s looked like they could be started up and driven away to be honest.
These photos were taken by Tom my stepbrother and we think that the guy clambering on 03112 might have been inspecting it to buy but we’re not sure.

3691EEC5-172B-41B4-BD71-9D663A8CA2BE.jpeg

E7CD2B87-6812-433F-9384-BBA1F9791DD5.jpeg
 

Inversnecky

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Interesting, Cowley.

You read, or see in lists, about locos removed to a scrapyard in one year, then cut up maybe five years later.

Why the delay? Were the scrappies overworked? Were locos hanging around just for possible cannibalisation? You'd think tha with all the space they were taking up in the yards, that they'd want to have got rid of them as quickly as possible.
 

Cowley

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Interesting, Cowley.

You read, or see in lists, about locos removed to a scrapyard in one year, then cut up maybe five years later.

Why the delay? Were the scrappies overworked? Were locos hanging around just for possible cannibalisation? You'd think tha with all the space they were taking up in the yards, that they'd want to have got rid of them as quickly as possible.

Yes it did seem to be like that. Certainly some were used as Christmas trees to keep others in service but I think also the period of time between the early 1980s and early 1990s saw so much stuff withdrawn - 25s, 27s, 40s, Peaks just to start with and then countless multiple units and loco hauled coaches on top.
Just have a look at what was in Vic Berry’s yard in those days to get an idea of the amount of stock being disposed of...
 

Harvester

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I can remember my first visit to Swindon works in 1977, and seeing dozens of both class 24 and class 52 Westerns in the scape yard, in various stages of scrapping. On further visits in the early eighties the North yard sidings would hold up to a hundred or so stored locos (classes 08, 20, 25, 31, 40, 45, 46) awaiting their fate.
 

ChiefPlanner

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I can remember my first visit to Swindon works in 1977, and seeing dozens of both class 24 and class 52 Westerns in the scape yard, in various stages of scrapping. On further visits in the early eighties the North yard sidings would hold up to a hundred or so stored locos (classes 08, 20, 25, 31, 40, 45, 46) awaiting their fate.

That's right - Freightliner , hacked off with traction problems circa 1980 , paid for 50 or so locomotives to be retained from scrap (some of which came from Swindon I believe) - probably some of the 45's.
 

satisnek

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My own abiding memory is a visit to Leicester in 1985, walking along the old GCR route past Vic Berry's scrapyard and seeing piles and piles of what seemed to be half of all BR's passenger stock (it probably wasn't far short of half!). It was the beginning of the end of the 'interesting' railway.
 

XAM2175

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Why the delay? Were the scrappies overworked? Were locos hanging around just for possible cannibalisation? You'd think tha with all the space they were taking up in the yards, that they'd want to have got rid of them as quickly as possible.
I'd take a guess that part of the reason for delay would have been that unloading too much stock all at once would have created an oversupply situation on the scrap metals market, resulting in a reduction of prices.
 

Cowley

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I'd take a guess that part of the reason for delay would have been that unloading too much stock all at once would have created an oversupply situation on the scrap metals market, resulting in a reduction of prices.

Vic Berry’s unfortunately found a somewhat quicker way of disposing of their stock eventually...
 

hexagon789

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Interesting, Cowley.

You read, or see in lists, about locos removed to a scrapyard in one year, then cut up maybe five years later.

Why the delay? Were the scrappies overworked? Were locos hanging around just for possible cannibalisation? You'd think tha with all the space they were taking up in the yards, that they'd want to have got rid of them as quickly as possible.
Irish Rail built a sound barrier out of withdrawn locos, some lasted over a decade from being withdrawn to being scrapped they just sat in this makeshift soundbarrier line at Inchicore Works. I can't remember how long the line lasted - I think at least until the 1990s.

Whether it succeeded in deadening the sound of the Works from the nearby houses is anyone's guess but it must be been quite an eyesore - all these rusting locomotives in full view.
 

D6130

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Irish Rail built a sound barrier out of withdrawn locos, some lasted over a decade from being withdrawn to being scrapped they just sat in this makeshift soundbarrier line at Inchicore Works. I can't remember how long the line lasted - I think at least until the 1990s.

Whether it succeeded in deadening the sound of the Works from the nearby houses is anyone's guess but it must be been quite an eyesore - all these rusting locomotives in full view.
The line of withdrawn locos was parked on the Up siding on the opposite side of the line from the works. To be honest, I think it was intended more to deaden the sound from passing trains on the main line, rather than that from the works. I think the sound of the big GM 071s and 201s powering up the bank out of Heuston at full throttle must have been pretty annoying for the residents of the Ballyfermot estate.....unless, of course, they were railway enthusiasts!
 

hexagon789

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The line of withdrawn locos was parked on the Up siding on the opposite side of the line from the works. To be honest, I think it was intended more to deaden the sound from passing trains on the main line, rather than that from the works. I think the sound of the big GM 071s and 201s powering up the bank out of Heuston at full throttle must have been pretty annoying for the residents of the Ballyfermot estate.....unless, of course, they were railway enthusiasts!
There must be worse sounds to be lulled to sleep by than the sound of a 071 at full chat! ;)
 

XAM2175

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There must be worse sounds to be lulled to sleep by than the sound of a 071 at full chat! ;)
I'm sure this is a very unpopular opinion here but I'd certainly take an EMD 645 over... well, pretty much anything English Electric or Sulzer or most of their contemporaries turned out.
 

muddythefish

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Speke shed, Liverpool, 1967. School railway society trip. A long line of former Crosti-boilered 9Fs, out of service and ready for the scrapheap. Unfortunately I was young and didn't have a camera but still can still see it in my mind's eye.
 

hexagon789

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I'm sure this is a very unpopular opinion here but I'd certainly take an EMD 645 over... well, pretty much anything English Electric or Sulzer or most of their contemporaries turned out.
More on a par with Sulzers for me, though that's little comfort to the neighbours of Inchicore I'm sure!
 

snakeeyes

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As a member of the Strathspey Railway, I went to Glasgow works to help strip class 27's of spares around 1985 for the one's the railway had bought.
I dismantled the exhaust and as many bits from the cabas I could.
I didn't have a camera unfortunately with me.
 

d9009alycidon

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Every so often at Clapham Junction during the 1980s there would be in the yard several sets of 4-SUBs or 2- or 4-EPBs with their blue livery bleached-out as if they'd been standing in the open for ages, often with doors and other bits missing, waiting to be sent up north to be scrapped.
Even as far as Central Scotland, I remember seeing a fair few early SR EMUs at McWilliams Yard in Shettleston. Later on the Manchester - Bury Units appeared at Mossend on their way to MC Metals at Springburn.
 

Steddenm

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Looking at that video, the Class 85 below seems to be saying "please don't hurt me anymore..."

Screenshot_20210308-224759_Chrome.jpg

And anybody know the history of why the 47 is on its side?

Screenshot_20210308-224829_Chrome.jpg
 

EbbwJunction1

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I remember going to the Swindon Works Open Day on 7th September 1974, when these were present, possibly being overhauled:
D7093, D7097, D7068, D1007, D1017 & D806.
There were also scrapped cabs from Class 52s D1000, D1024, D1060 and, unusually, enthusiasts were permitted to remove parts from:
D806, D824, D1007, D1017, D7023, D7054, D7055, D7068, D7074 and D7098.
In connection with the last part, I remember being in the cab of a (now) unknown loco and seeing someone kicking the door of it's hinges onto the floor below. Thankfully, it didn't hit anyone, and I've never known what he did with it!

(This information comes from the BR Open Days web site)
 
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