leaving barry

Hugh Rice very kindly submitted some photographs he took in 1974, shortly after Easter that year. It was the day that the Duke was moved from Barry Island on a lowloader.

Hugh was a student in Cardiff at the time and arrived at Barry on the local train, purely by chance seeing the engine move. That afternoon, a rather cloudy afternoon but no rain, he was lucky enough to witness the engine on a lowloader.

He missed the actual loading up but was fortunate to see the engine leaving Barry. Although a pivotal moment in the Duke's history, there was a lot of standing around, checking things and waiting.

Once the engine was on the lowloader and moving out of the scrap yard area, a look out controlled the back wheels going around the corners by manipulating a lever on the trailer.

Another 200 or so rusty locomotives and a couple of diesels remained in the yard awaiting their fate.

Hugh says, "Barry was a wonderfully sad place - I wish I had been a better photographer and into black and white photography in those days.

All photos on this page copyright © A Hugh N Rice