Wigan Album

sad end 2 yrs before i was born

what colour would that engine have been

believe me dave that really is a sad picture,,well it is for me,,,It would have been LMS red,which was a deep, dark ,maroon red,,for the sake of progress,,,,,,40 yrs on we fighting for oil,,,buying electricity from farnce and russia,,,yet we sta on 200 yrs supply of coal,,,and so the arguments on,,,,best left to them who knows about these matters i suppose,,,but yes my very 1st thoughts were,,,"wot a sad pic"

It could probably been one I cut up, we did that many, to us they were just piece work and the sooner they were scrap the sooner we got paid, the City of Lancaster, if I renmember right was maroon, I know I fired and drove it and if it was one of my scrappers, then from the first, to the last, I cant say I am proud of my work, but at the time it was a job, I would rather have been firing and driving them, but the antichrist aka Dr Beeching deemed otherwise., happy and sad days.

Just to make another point, the low wagon to the right of the loco, we were paid the grand sum of £4 for cutting one of those up, all the timber floors had to be taken off first and stacked to one side, for the loco we were paid £2 a ton and all scrap had to be of a size no more than 4ft by 2 ft by 1ft hard work, and dirty work, the blue asbestos boiler boiler blankets were dropped where you were working and you sat on them, burned into them, and at times even had your meals sat on them, being on a piecework rate you were out in all weathers, I doubt you would be allowed to work like that in this day and age.

Thanks for all the comments gents. I couldn't agree more with you Jim, you're spot on with all that you say. The problem is that "then as should know better", don't seem to somehow! You really do have to wonder what on earth goes on in the minds of the "intelligentsia" these days. This last week has of course been Battle of Britain week, celebrating a defining moment not only in British history, but also World history, and I have to wonder that if these present set of goons had been around then, whether we wouldn't be all speaking German right now!!

aitch are them work boots yours.

No, but they could have been my brothers, thats him on the picture of a loco being cut up in the same spot.

Legend has it that this loco was worked by a Springs Branch Crew light engine from Edge Hill, being utilised as a glorified taxi to get them back to Wigan after working something else to Edge Hill.
Knowing full well the locos fate the Driver unscrewed, and pocketed the locos steam whistle.
Sad to see such a wonderous piece of kit in this sorry state.

When I came out of the R A F ,April 1958,I worked at Central Wagon Works for five weeks. Together with two very genial workmates, we moved about 30 to 40 ton of cinders from near the furnaces to a place about 500 yards away.We had a cart, pulled by a tractor. One of my workmates lived in Chapel street, Lower Ince. There was only railway wagons being broken up at that time. I left there in mid May, and joined the Wigan Borough Police.

my wifes relations used to own central wagon in the early 60,s before selling it on the son is still alive 88 and was MD of the company till they sold it.

Absolutely heartbreaking.

I remember seeing this Pacific from the train on one of my regular spotting trips from Bolton to either Liverpool or Wigan. Always sat on the right hand side of the train to see what was in the scrapyard.

my late father worked there I used to go up to see him when u was not at school