2 weeks to cut up 46243 City of Lancaster

Hi All

I have added 5 photos showing the cutting up of Stanier Duchess 46243 City of Lancaster, over 2 dates in 1965
First 3 photos taken on 16/7/65
http://www.steamlocomotives.photos.gb.n ... 81223.html
http://www.steamlocomotives.photos.gb.n ... 81225.html
http://www.steamlocomotives.photos.gb.n ... 81226.html
Next 2 photos taken 2 weeks later 31/7/65
http://www.steamlocomotives.photos.gb.n ... 81227.html
http://www.steamlocomotives.photos.gb.n ... 81224.html

Sad end to a once powerfull beast
All photos by Tony Gillett

Neil

 

These are the first piictures of a duchess being cut i have seen the only other picture is of the tender of 46256 in steam for scrap.

It was quiet odd that City of Lancaster ended up at Central wagon at Wigan i went to see it when it first arrived.

I belive Dr Peter Beet tryed saving it but they were not allowed to resell it.

Very sad pictures prehaps its better not to many were photographed in this condition.

 

Yes, I agree, it's sad to see 6243 in that state. You are correct, Peter Beet did try to buy her from the scrappers, but there was a clause in the contract of sale that said the loco could not be sold on in the same condition. Dai Woodham obviously didn't suffer from that restriction - or ignored it !

 

The great man himself Sir William Stanier died in September 1965

Dave

 

I beleive that Dai was releaved of such restrictions following intervention from various people and bodies...

 

:smt022 :smt022 :smt022 :smt022 :smt022 :smt022 :smt022

 

Didn't Mr Woodham have to pay a four-figure fee to BR each time he sold a locomotive for further use?

 

The way it was enforced was that the locomotives never actually belonged to the scrapping companies. They paid an agreed price, which was the subject of the tender, and that was due for payment when the reduced scrap metal was sold on. Around the time the Duchesses were sold, the copper fireboxes were returned to Derby in any case. It's quite likely that was ultimately the deciding factor and the reason why Central Wagon Co were forced to cut the engine up without further delay. Otherwise it could have gone on for a lot longer than it did. 46243 was not the only Duchess that was a subject of a rescue attempt after they were sold at the end of 1964. Cashmores were not as sympathetic and their's were all gone by the end of January 1965, with one exception. Only the chimney of 46256 survived from there. Originally 46243 was to go to Cashmore, but as I understand it, it had some sort of defect which meant that it had to go to the nearest available scrapyard from where it was stored. I'm not sure if that was somewhere near Wigan -maybe someone else on here knows? 46257 was stopped at Preston and ended up going all the way to Troon, and most of the others were stopped either at Crewe or Carlisle.

 

According to Peter Hands, she was stored at Edge Hill.

 

Two weeks to dispose of a loco!
With friends from school, I frequently visited Woodham's at Barry and Cashmore's in Newport. One Wednesday at Cashmore's we saw one man starting to cut a West Country. He stated "We'll all be working on her tomorrow and she'll be gone on Friday". That was just 2 1/2 days, but I don't know how many "We all" was, so can't give a figure in Man Hours. Now that's one for all the stattos.

 

At Cashmores yard, it was normal for final disposal of a loco to take about a day. In their heyday, some of the Bulleids took less than that. One reason was they had a steel firebox, but also there they did usually strip them of non-ferrous items before taking them to the final dismantling area. Some engines stood stripped for weeks outside the yard, before being taken to the dismantling area.

 

Sad images and it must have been especially sad for the designer of such magnificent loco's to witness whilst not living to see the resurrection of 46229 and 6233.

 

Sad to see, the most impressive locomotive I ever remember.
A child in WW2 on Rugby station with mother waiting for the Bletchley train and this filthy black upturned bathtub pulled in on platform 2.
I saw it many times after in that form but never realised till much later this was the last one of a number of beautiful streamlined Blue or Maroon high speed engines.
Yes I saw it and it's class mates many times in the non-streamlined era that followed and I have seen the A1s, A2s, A3s,A4s, the Scots, Nelsons, Castles and Kings, the magnificent Bulleids, original or rebuilt, but I will never forget that dirty black wartime sight of the "City of Lancaster",so sad.
Cheers Bernard

 

Being born and bred in Lancaster, she was always my favourite 'Semi.' The BR era smokebox numberplate, a nameplate and photo in streamlined state is an exhibit in the Lancaster Museum.

 

The photo's are not working for me.
(don't know if that is a good or bad thing!)

 

I tried to click on the photo links but get directed to some aol search thing that will not open the photos,i live in wigan and up till a few years ago one could stand on the exact spot where the locos were cut,the coaches were cut down the sidings and you could find the remains of porceain from toilets and wash basins,if you had time to dig were the locos were cut there was chunks of steel plate,one was found to resemble firebox outer with stay holes showing but that was around 14 years back.Around 3 years ago the spur from springs branch to the iron works was filled in by the warrington road overbridge due to a housing project but if you walk down what is left sleepers are still to be seen.Can you help me find the photos of 46243.

 

This has been discussed here, it seems the Fotopic site is down. Looks like it has been since last night.
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=17535