Loose_Grip/Pete's photos with the keyword: Woodhams

My mate Barry in Barry! We drove down from Sheffield in his dad's car to see the railway wonder that was Woodham's scrapyard. This was my first visit and to see 200+ engines lined up was amazing. The fact that most of them survived is even more amazing, not that we could have even imagined that would happen at that time. Here ex-Southern Bulleid pacifics West Country 34101 Hartland and Merchant Navy 35022 Holland-America Line were alongside an empty line so you could get far enough away to capture a half-decent shot - at least you could if you had a half-decent camera. 34101 is based on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway these days and is under restoration. The latest bulletin : New inner firebox being fabricated. Boiler rebuild in hand. New firebox outer wrapper plates inserted. Frames on stands in repair shop for descaling , painting, re-assembly. All wheels out ready for tyre turning. In theory it should be back in steam during 2018.

Southern S15 4-6-0 30841 is seen in the right background while Great Western Hall Class 4-6-0 4979 Wooton Hall is at a lower level back-to-back with another Hall 4942 Maindy Hall. A rail-mounted crane is behind the S15. 4979 was built at Swindon in 1930 and withdrawn by British Railways from Oxford shed in 1963. It had been at Woodham's for 4 years when I took this and stayed a further 18 years before purchase into preservation. Still not restored it is currently located at the Ribble Steam Railway in Preston.