Prototype Barry 1967 and 1968

[oldravendale]

As I've found a few minutes to start the promised thread here is the first of the photos.

These will be in loco number order as that's how they are filed. I'll also try to fill in a bit of detail to add some interest, and also my latest knowledge of where the locos are at the moment. Some of these photos will demonstrate why it was impossible - or at least difficult - to photograph everything in the yard. Some of these shots are "awkward" to say the least but remember that, in 1967 and 1968 the chances of these locos leaving the yard for preservation were somewhere between slim and nothing. As a result it was often assumed to be the last chance to photograph those which were few in number like the B1 and Jubilees.

Only one for today. It's 28XX 2-8-0 2807 which I had seen in service at Old Oak in August 1961 when it was allocated to Newton Abbot. It was withdrawn in March 1963 from Severn Tunnel Junction. After 17 years at Barry it went to the Gloucester Warwickshire Railway in 1981, has been restored but is currently undergoing a further overhaul.



Please let me know if you'd like more or less detail and, most importantly, if my info is incorrect let me know. I suspect interest in this thread will be small so I apologise to those who will say, with some justification, "oh, not another load of Barry photos", because that is what these are.

Brian

 

[MarkR]

Hi Brian,
Many thanks for starting this topic, I am looking forward to "another load of Barry photos", with anticipation!
Mark

 

[Rob R]

Brian,
I cannot recall a thread on here with "another load of Barry photos" so please post away.
Period prototype photos are always of interest, whatever the subject.

Rob

 

[oldravendale]

Next up two of 2857. This was condemned at Neath in April 1963, so only just after 2807 above. It was stored for six months before sale to Woodham Bros. It was purchased for preservation in May 1974 and went to the Severn Valley Railway with 7325. I understand that the loco is currently operational at least until July 2022. For those interested the site Preserved British Steam Locomotives contains many more details about the loco than I can include here.

 

[Dog Star]

Only one for today. It's 28XX 2-8-0 2807

Please let me know if you'd like more or less detail

Brian, my opinion is more where more is adding information that is not easy to obtain from other current sources.

Turning to the photo, this comment is not about 2807, rather the engine to the left of the photo. The "unknown" engine is one of the GWR 2-6-0, 2-8-0T, 2-8-2T or 4-6-0 classes excluding Castles / Kings (curved outside steampipes) and those from the 6800 / 7800 classes (raised footplates over cylinders). A tiny detail on the side of the smokebox marks this engine out as being one with a Std. No.1 boiler, the square cover plate is where the four-cone ejector exhaust would enter the smokebox. The absence of an ejector elbow on the smokebox of a Std. No. 1 boiler implies that the "unknown" engine is one of the GWR 2-8-0 tender engines, just like 2807.

So what is the identity of the "unknown" engine... over to Detective Sleuth Daifly (@daifly) for further consideration.

regards, Graham

 

[oldravendale]

I can tell you what it is, Graham. It's 2861 which appears in the recent "Cynric" thread, the only reason I didn't repeat it here.

I'll add it shortly for the sake of completeness. However it's just this sort of info and query which keeps the thread alive. More please!

(May I also say, just the once, that I'm both amazed and delighted at the number of "Likes" on the initial photo. I'll take this as confirmation of the interest in the Barry scene and am delighted to continue. I could understand the high numbers of Likes for Tim's photos as I share that enthusiasm but, while I'm pleased to have these Barry photos in my collection I had assumed that they would be of limited interest "unless you were there". Thanks again, WT.)

Brian

 

[Tim Humphreys ex Mudhen]

My wife still speaks 'fondly' of the day I took her to Barry , no that is not a euphemism. As you might have guessed that was before we were married.

atb
Tim

 

[Osgood]

But they are of interest to me because I wasn't there (never had the opportunity).

 

[oldravendale]

Here's the "missing" 2861. I suspect Tony knows a lot more about this loco than I, but as I understand it the bare bones are these. It was withdrawn in March 1963 from Severn Tunnel Junction whence it went to Woodham Bros. It was the last loco to leave Barry in 2013 as a "total wreck" (after 50 years not too surprising!) It went to the Llangollen Railway. In 2014 it was cut up at Llangollen after providing the cylinder block for the new build 47XX class - although there seems to be some confusion over whether those cylinders are now being used on the new build. Certain parts have gone to 3855 and other parts for the new build County.


Brian

 

[Osgood]

The bare underframes appear a bit short to be coaches but I can't think what else they could be (another good shot of them in the 2861 view).
(Edit: well it has just appeared above!).

 

[michael mott]

Thanks for these Brian, I left England in 1967 and never got to see Barry but my Mum and Dad gave me the Barry scrapyard Book for one of my birthdays 50-ish years ago, the whole Barry story still warms my heart.

Michael

 

[oldravendale]

My wife still speaks 'fondly' of the day I took her to Barry , no that is not a euphemism. As you might have guessed that was before we were married.

atb
Tim

I did exactly the same, Tim - twice. Having been once I never did work out why she wanted to visit again a year later. Particularly when (in November) it was bloody cold.

Must be my magnetic charm and personality. I think it very unlikely that, given the same opportunity today she'd even consider it. My magnetism's worn out. Where's North?

Brian

 

[Dog Star]

they are of interest to me because I wasn't there (never had the opportunity).

Exactly, that is why I asked Brian to post to the wider community.

regards, Graham

 

[Osgood]

I did exactly the same, Tim - twice. Having been once I never did work out why she wanted to visit again a year later. Particularly when (in November) it was bloody cold.

Must be my magnetic charm and personality. I think it very unlikely that, given the same opportunity today she'd even consider it. My magnetism's worn out. Where's North?

Brian

We had an old portable welder - a Lincoln 200A DC driven by a Coventry Climax petrol engine (of the Godivas water pump fame) that lost its abilities.
It was diagnosed as having weak field coil residual magnetism and when one of the fitters asked my dad what was wrong, he said it need re-exciting.
He came out after lunch to find someone had propped the Mayfair calendar from the messroom up against the welder.

 

[AJC]

The bare underframes appear a bit short to be coaches but I can't think what else they could be (another good shot of them in the 2861 view).
(Edit: well it has just appeared above!).

Given that they're bogie vehicles with what appears to be a steam heat pipe, a pair of ruddy great vac' cylinders, and L shape trusses I can't think what else they might be! They're not that short - they appear to be a similar length to the 28' - but I'm more interested in the A class tank numbered 22 in the rear of the first shot, and the lowmac in the last, to be honest...


Adam

 

[Eastsidepilot]

My wife still speaks 'fondly' of the day I took her to Barry , no that is not a euphemism. As you might have guessed that was before we were married.

atb
Tim

Not Barry Manilow ?

 

[Focalplane]

2807 at Toddington in 1993

GWR 8F 2-8-0 #2807

 

[Dave Holt]

It's in a not dissimilar state right now.
Dave.

 

[Dave Holt]

Not sure of the year, but a shot typical of Barry, probably in the 1970's (it snowed that night and our landlady said it was the first snow she had seen there). Anyway, another 28xx on the left with a 9F, Bulleids in the middle and ex-GWR tanks on the right.

Dave.

 

[oldravendale]

Thanks Dave. That's how I remember Barry.

For today we'll start with 2874. It was withdrawn from Neath in November 1962 and left Neath for Barry in May 1963 It remained at Barry until August 1987. It's been through several owners but is now at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway where work started on the restoration in around 2016.



To my unpracticed eye 3738 looks as though you could just start a fire in the firebox and off it'd go again. It was withdrawn from Cardiff East Dock as late as May 1965 arriving at Barry in the August. It went from Barry to Didcot and it was restored to use in 1975. I understand that it's currently on static display at Didcot having been through several restoration phases.



Here's 2884 Class 3845. This was withdrawn from Banbury in June 1964. It left Barry in November 1989 and is still in scrapyard condition at a private site in Worcestershire although owned by the Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd.



Brian