Anymore scrap yard pics???

Too bad you guys couldnt have acquired the cockpit section as well!?

Storage space was always the problem. The Preservation Society wasn’t interested, so it was just two pals, having to work on student grants and low wages etc. I acquired my first Frazer-Nash turret in about 1975, and even that proved difficult to accommodate.

Back to the B17/B26 story, I remember crawling into the B26 cockpit and heading towards the rear end. The fuselage was broken (cut) somewhere around the front spar and there was other scrap in between, but with care, you could crawl through into the next section…and so on. I eventually ended up at the rear gunners station, from where, with a torch, I could make out other sectioned fuselages going even deeper into the scrap pile. At that point, there must have been a fifty foot deep pile of scrap over my head and I began to doubt the wisdom of going any further! Often wondered what they were, though.

Another yard that was completely cleared many years ago. Just for old times sake, we called in there a while back. Hardly any scrap left and nothing over ten years old.

Back in the late 70’s, I used to go to Booth’s at Rotherham, who used to handle to breaking up of loads or railway stuff, but I also remember seeing a load of Vulcan’s piled up in the yard. I did take pictures of some of the planes there, but there all on slides, and my present scanner won’t scan them.

Another place I saw scrapped aircraft were at Pound’s yard in Portsmouth, where a WWII sub is still beached, and a small scrapyard on the outskirts of RAF Benson, where I rescued a 1914 General Bus Company, double decker. I could have had loads of bits from all these places, but at the time I was busy recovering stuff for the railway, or helping friends. 🙁

great story 682 al

Too bad you guys couldnt have acquired the cockpit section as well!?

I didn’t want to embarrass the respective pools of Liverpool and Manchester enthusiasts who for years overlooked them until ‘some bloke from the South’ sneaked up and grabbed them. (well I did really )

It wouldn’t be the first time! The Manchester based Preservation Society never could seem to see the value of scrap.

I recall arriving home from college (studying Newcastle Brown Ale at the time), at Christmas, in about 1971/2, and making the usual enquiries of the Preservation Society…

“Anything new turned up?”

“Oh nothing much, just a DC3 nose in a yard in Warrington”

“Really, I’d like to go and see it?”

“Oh, it’s hardly worth the trip. It’s completely shot, you can push your finger through the skin.”

A day or two later, me and my pal are staring at a front fuselage, upside down in a large puddle, trying to work out what it is.

DC3 it isn’t, as it seems to have had a plexi-glass nose. While still pondering it, a shower passed over us. The rain had the effect of temporarily reviving the almost faded, olive drab paint finish. Then, a row of red bombs and the remains of nose art started to appear…it was a B17, and there was a B26 close by!

We went back on New Years Eve, tooled up to do some serious souvenir grabbing. We spent a freezing, miserable day trying to remove the control columns from the B17.

By the time we’d succeeded it was almost dark and we began to worry that maybe the yard had closed and forgotten about us. We made our way back to the hut, to find everyone inside and already well into celebrating the New Year.

When the boss saw the state of us, he glanced at the columns and said:

“Give us a quid and b*gger off.”

We happily obliged!

(And we went back later and got the B26 throttle box).

The sections eventually ended up at Duxford, I believe, but were scrapped (again) some time later. Can anyone remind me of their identities as I’ve mislaid the notes I kept at the time?

Here’s a poor photo of one of the B17 columns, with a B24 wheel perched on top for comparison.

Mark,

Oh I just put two and two together eventually 😀

Having recently turned 30 I am not quite the sharp young man I used to be 😉

I will do my very best to get along to Shoreham!

Originally posted by Mark12
Eliott,

I would anticipate seeing the new Japanese immigrants on the day of the next Shoreham Aerojumble in March.

Was it the sideburns and Zapata moustache or the front spar attachments? That is not LA564 by the way.

Mark

John,

Certainly in that sort of area .;)

I didn’t want to embarrass the respective pools of Liverpool and Manchester enthusiasts who for years overlooked them until ‘some bloke from the South’ sneaked up and grabbed them. (well I did really 🙂 )

Mark

Mark,

Would the scrapyard be in the Warrington area per-chance ?

😉 😉 😀 😀

Eliott,

I would anticipate seeing the new Japanese immigrants on the day of the next Shoreham Aerojumble in March.

Was it the sideburns and Zapata moustache or the front spar attachments? That is not LA564 by the way.

Mark

Hello Mark 12 – I didn’t realise that was you 🙂

Is there any news on the Japanese asylum seekers? Has any charitable sole taken them in yet? Any pics of the Oscars 😀 I’m dying to see them!

Elliott

682al,

The ‘B’ I know – as I still have the receipt.

The ‘Sam’ I had forgotten.

I paid a bit more than a £1 but with hindsight it was a bargain. 🙂

mark

The scrapyard owners name was Sam B.

When you’d finished digging around his yard and you presented him with a pathetic pile of bits (this was after the S**fires had been removed), he’d charge you £1 for the bits and £1 for the fun you’d had.

A very nice bloke, and another yard that’s sadly now completely gone.

Skypilot 62,

Yes you would be cheating. 🙂

Mark

About 150 miles from Coley’s. 🙂

Mark

Mark,

would I be cheating if I guessed based on your PM content?!!;)

Did anyone managed to take any photos of the Rossington & Cranfield Lightning’s cull.
Wasn’t XS897 saved at the last minute at Rossington, Scott C, you maybe able to help on this one.

Have got all the time in the world for you guys who dig up, preserve, buy, exchange , pinch(!) etc etc bits of and whole hairyplanes to keep them extant for future generations – all the very best to you.

My point was just someone “enjoying” the images ..? Maybe Ive just had a bad day and this was the wrong thread to read!!!:confused:

Ok,just a guess here Mark12,but would it be the Kennet Seafire??
Location-Hounslow??

We can all dream about finding something in a scrapyard! These aircraft always look available even if some of them arn’t. I’ve always found looking at scrapyard and dump pictures fascinating and I love the way things just turn up years sometimes after they were last heard of.

Re: Is this any good?

Originally posted by Mark12
Flood,

Here is one of pair I rescued from a scrap yard in July 1973.

Type and serial number – I will leave to your imagination.

Look out for it at legends this year. 😉

Mark

Thanks!
Now I’ll have a headache too!:confused::confused::confused:
I gave in a couple of hours ago…

Flood.

Nah.

Not Failsworth – or Carlisle before somebody asks.

Mark