Barry Scrapyard

Keith Platt made his first visit to Woodham's scrapyard, Barry, in the late 1960s at a time when steam locomotives could still be seen on the national network, going about the everyday business of working goods and passenger trains. With the final withdrawal of steam operations, he began to make more visits to Barry as it became the very last bastion of British Railway's steam locomotives. Keith sought to record, on slide film, the images of locomotives and the photos taken on those trips inadvertently reveal the gradual blossoming of the preservation movement. The number of locomotives in the yard shrunk because they had been sold to individuals and societies. They had been removed to one of the many preservation sites and steam railways. The appearance of the locos began to change over the years as the damp and salty sea air took its toll on the paintwork and bare metal. Many locos were adorned with various painted messages claiming ownership and asking that parts should not be removed.