Woodham’s Scrapyard at Barry

The Ultimate record of the Scrapyard that changed the Heritage Railway map of Britain

By Roger Hardingham

A new hardback book with over 300 colour and black & white photographs. This is the ‘real’ story of how the engines arrived at Barry from the late 1950s until the end of steam in 1968 and how 213 of them survived. From the Woodham family archive, we see rare photographs showing the yard where the scrapping of wagons started and then the arrival of engines from Swindon and gradually many from other parts of Britain.

From 1968 locomotives started to be purchased for preservation and this book details how they were bought and who were involved in the process. The arrival of the 1980s and the ‘Barry Rescue’ project is detailed which saw the final engine depart in January 1990.

The chapters below are just some of the important key points in this remarkable story.

The Woodham Family Arrive in Barry

They Came in ‘One by One and Two by Two’

Locomotives Scrapped by Woodhams in the Early Years

Withdrawn Main Line Diesels Arrive

Locomotive Tenders Sold to Steel Works

Heritage Attention turns towards Barry and the Sales Begin

A Milestone in Preservation – Barry’s 10th Departure

A Boom in Departures in the Years of 1973 and 1974

Cutting Resumes! Diesels Go First

The End of BR 9F No. 92085 and GWR Prairie No. 4156

The Final Ten Years of Departures

‘Barry Rescue’ Project Announced

The Barry Ten

Wales Railway Centre – Bute Street Cardiff

The Closing Ceremony – 9th November 1989

The Preservationists Move In

The Great Getaway

A Question of Tenders

The Closure of Woodham Brothers’ Site

The ‘Barry 10’ Return to Barry

List of the 213 Barry Locomotives

Rare Classes Saved Due to Woodhams’ Yard

Hardback, 160 pages on gloss art paper, 363 colour and black & white photographs

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Woodham’s Scrapyard at Barry