Unbelievably, five of the six locomotives which hauled passengers along Swanage Railway at the Spring Steam Gala, were once rusting wrecks left to corrode in a South Wales scrapyard, and this fascinating history has now been captured in a new book.
Swanage Railway volunteer David Holland and his father in law Geoff Barker, have co-authored Barry Scrapyard, which tells the story of the discarded steam locos and how they spent years at the breaker’s yard in a state of disrepair.
David Holland at the Spring Steam Gala with the book Barry Scrapyard which was available to buy over the weekend event
Rescued from the welder’s torch
Fortunately there’s a happy ending as many were painstakingly restored, allowing five of the rescued steam locos to be in action over the steam gala weekend, which took place between Friday 28th and Sunday 30th March 2025.
The scrapyard in Barry Island housed hundreds of steam locomotives and rolling stock in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, after they were sent there to be dismantled following Dr Beeching’s closure of many British Rail branch lines and as steam trains were phased out.
Luckily, the scrapyard owner took the easy option of breaking up the wagons and carriages first.
While historic locos rusted in the rain waiting for the welder’s torch to reach them, preservation groups were set up to buy, rescue and restore Britain’s rail heritage.
Hundreds of steam locos were left to rust at Barry Scrapyard
The scrapyard was the end of the line for many, but brake vans and rolling stock were destroyed ahead of locos
Restored to their former glory
Both the visiting locomotives at the Swanage Spring Gala were rescued from the Barry Scrapyard.
They were Pitchford Hall number 4953, which attended courtesy of the Epping and Ongar Railway, and the Ivatt Class 2 number 41313, which was visiting from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.
Pitchford Hall was built at Swindon in 1929, before being withdrawn from service and sold to the scrapyard in 1963.
It spent 20 years in the sidings at Barry before being saved by a railway enthusiast in 1984 and after extensive restoration moved under its own power for the first time in more than 40 years in 2004.
Swanage’s Bulleid Light Pacific locos Battle of Britain Class number 34070 Manston and Battle of Britain Class 257 Squadron, number 34072, along with Maunsell U Class number 31806 were all rescued from Barry Scrapyard and later restored to their former glory.
The only steam loco at the Spring Steam Gala which was never sent to Barry Scrapyard was the Victorian 1893 T3 number 563.
Ivatt Class 2 number 41313 on 3rd August 2006, the day she arrived on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Ivatt Class 2 now fully restored and taking part in the Spring Steam Gala in Swanage
Awesome and horrifying sight
One of the authors of the book Geoff Barker, played a small part in restoring a locomotive on the Watercress Line in the mid 1970s, and became fascinated when he heard about the Barry Scrapyard.
For several years afterwards, family holidays included a trip to Barry Island so that Geoff could photograph the awesome and horrifying sight of once proud steam locomotives waiting to be cut apart.
Many years later, when his son in law David Holland discovered a collection of hundreds of pictures taken at the scrapyard between 1979 and 1983, he had the idea of finding a publisher.
After a painstaking process of selecting around 200 of the most striking images, restoring the prints and writing informative captions, the book was published in January 2025 by Amberley Books and has won praise from heritage transport experts.
Swanage Railway driver and director Alex Atkins (right) organised the successful heritage railway’s Spring Steam Gala
Charlie Rogers polishing Pitchford Hall at the Spring Steam Gala
“It’s a real success story”
David Holland, who is married to Geoff’s daughter Nicola, said:
“My father in law had a real passion for steam locomotives back in the day and while they were preparing to move house I found hundreds and hundreds of photographic slides including a box from the Barry Island scrapyard.
“He told me about the journeys he made, taking his family there on holiday trips and I was certain there was enough there to make a book.
“It was one of the biggest scrapyards in the country, where a lot of Great Western Railway and Southern Rail stock was sent to be broken up after the Beeching cuts of the 1960s.
“There were more than 200 locos there at the time which could so easily have gone under the welder’s torch and been lost to the country, but the majority have been restored in some form, and five of them are running here today for the steam gala, it’s a real success story.”
David Holland’s new book co authored with Geoff Barker is on sale in Swanage Railway’s gift shop
“Wonderful record of a unique place”
David added:
“Geoff would make a family trip to somewhere like Newquay in Wales and on the way back would make a stop at Barry Island – and those holiday stop-offs at the famous scrapyard created a wonderful photographic record of a unique place.
“Preservation groups did a wonderful job to save these heritage locomotives before they were destroyed and it is down to the dedication of volunteers on heritage railways like Swanage that they are still alive.
“The running costs are massive and heritage railways are finding it tough – it is not just firing up a steam locomotive and running up and down a line having fun, it is hard work and very costly which is why weekends like this are so vital.
“The special events team here have worked really hard to put unique events together over the years and it does attract a lot of income to the town.”
Geoff Barker, his three daughters and baby son Sean pose on a rusting loco at Barry Scrapyard in 1981
“Rusting buffer to buffer steam locos”
Geoff Barker, a retired broadcaster and musician who grew up in the 1950s alongside a busy freight line, said:
“In 1979 my wife, Ann, and myself took our three daughters for the first of several summer holidays to a caravan park on Cardigan Bay in West Wales.
“The drive down from Surrey was straightforward, but the return was a little different, involving a detour before we left Wales!
“I headed to Barry Island and saw an amazing view – line after line of rusting buffer to buffer steam locos.
“The first close up sighting was profound, these giants of steam with steel boiler claddings hanging open, skeletons of cabs, smokebox doors, mountains of wagon parts and wheels, in fact total scrapyard dereliction everywhere.”
Bulleid Light Pacific number 34070 Manston spent almost 20 years at Barry Scrapyard
The restored Manston loco (left) along with the restored Ivatt Class 2 (right) back together again at the Spring Steam Gala
“Incredible phenomenon”
Geoff added:
“An hour here would never be long enough and would run to three or four. Our girls got to enjoy the yard and despite always asking their mum whether we were going straight home, now look back fondly on climbing in and on the locos.
“Nicola and David now live within sight and sound of Swanage Railway where they often travel behind locos she once clambered on as a little girl 40 years earlier!
“Barry Scrapyard was an incredible phenomenon and I’m so glad that my family and I were able to experience it.
“It was the place where the elephants went to die – or not, as 213 locos left the yard for preservation over the years and today more than half of preserved locos in the UK were once at Barry.”
Great Western Railway number 4953 Pitchford Hall at Barry Scrapyard, only escaping in 1984
Pitchford Hall, now a star of the 2025 Swanage Railway Spring Steam Gala
Delighted crowds at the gala
The gala featured passenger and demonstration freight trains running regularly between Swanage, Harman’s Cross, Corfe Castle and Norden.
There was also a beer festival at Corfe Castle Station featuring eight local real ales, three local ciders and a lager on tap from Isle of Purbeck, Hatties, the Purbeck Cider Company and the Dorset Brewing Company.
In August 1980, 257 Squadron seemed to have no future
But 257 Squadron was under steam and hauling passengers at the Swanage Railway Spring Steam Gala in March 2025
Further information
- More about all Swanage Railway events
- Amberley Books has a large range of titles on historic railways
