Some 57 color photos, some quite dramatic, of the Barry scrapyard in Wales, including some engines that did not survive. Well worth a look.

http://philtpics.fotopic.net/c216184.html

Most of the locomotives that came to Barry appear to have all their rods removed for towing. Did most of these survive off the engine, or have most of the restorations had to forge and mill new rods?

Also, most locomotives do not have tenders. Were the tenders stored elsewhere, or were they cut up, requiring new ones to be constructed? I know some tender frames were turned into snowplows, etc., by BR.

The answers about rods, tenders, etc. are varied. In short, conjure up a possible scenario, and it probably happened at some point.

Some showed up with rods, and a few had rods removed for easier shipment--I would wager that most showed up with at least some rods in place. Rods, and even drive wheels, were sometimes cut to ease switching around the yard, or robbed from one loco as spares for another being restored. In many cases, yes, rods had to be fabricated anew--often, given that many locos showed up at Barry having been well-abused, a wise choice anyway.

Tenders were at one point very popular with South Wales steel mills cut down as "flat cars" for slabs of steel in-plant. At least a couple ex-Woodhams tenders met this fate in the early days, as I recall, but none were reacquired by BR for this purpose. Don't forget, however, that an awful lot of the locos seen in the photos of rows of locos, perhaps half or more, were tank locos to begin with--from 0-6-0T to 2-6-4T to 0-6-2T to 2-8-0T, largely Great Western. At least one ex-permanent-way tender arrived alone, from a former LBSC C2X class 0-6-0, a class long extinct; it was rebuilt for the GWR 4-2-2 replica 3041. And, of course, there was some tender-swapping going on as loco purchasers chose better examples for their steeds.

Ive read where most of the high value easily
removed stuff went quickly. All the brass
and copper. Rods are good steel and likely
had value.
What some of the restored locos consisted
of at start may have been just frames cylinders
drivers and boiler shells.
Their locos are much lighter and simpler
than ours but still their work is amazing.

Not true until the very end. When purchases for preservation began in 1968, the locos acquired were quite complete. Locos were later chosen for acquisition throughout the 1970s based largely on condition or the fact that they were the last survivor of a class. Some were acquired strictly as parts sources, then later restored to operation. It wasn't until the mid-1980s that the locos being acquired were in truly rough condition--including a Southern S15 4-6-0 from which the boiler had been sold five years previous!

It's entirely likely that, as the decades progress, a few of the locos that were acquired in the final years may well indeed finally go to scrap after years of gathering more rust behind some railway's shop. Sad, perhaps, but possibly on par with the GG1 that was scrapped in NJ a few years ago (4873) when there are still at least two gathering rust on forlorn sidings in Maryland and New York.

Folks,

If I recall correctly, the Didcot Railway Centre web site has a section on the Barry Scrap Yard and the owner whose name I don't recall this time of the morning.

Wales has been a rust belt kind of place since the end of world War II. Barry kept a lot of men employed when there was not a lot happening in the area. We are very lucky that it was easier to scrap freight cars ( goods vans) than steam locomotives!

Any news about those two engines less tenders that have turned up in Roanoake, Virginia?

Ted Miles

Dai Woodham is the name you can't remember........