Idle Drifter
Woodham Bros, Barry Cutting up 12T van frame Picture 6 Summer 1980
The W irons on the frame nearest have been cut through and the weakened outer frame has collapsed. The axle boxes, free from the W irons, have swung round on the journals. The outer frame on the far right hand side is falling as the photo is taken.
You have to acknowledge the skill of the scrapman who has completed the task with a suitable pair of goggles, rigger boots, thick gauntlet gloves, heavy trousers and an old sports jacket. The only nod to hi vis is a yellow hard hat. Not only do you need to know the best order to make those cuts so it comes apart without having to clamber over what you have already cut up, but you want it landing on the floor and not on you, because even 2 foot of frame is going to hurt a lot if you get it wrong.
As the mountain of chopped wagon frames behind shows, this was Woodham's bread and butter, and while virtually all of us went to see the steam locos I'm glad I managed to capture this sequence of destruction at the start of the recycling process.
Woodham Bros, Barry Cutting up 12T van frame Picture 6 Summer 1980
The W irons on the frame nearest have been cut through and the weakened outer frame has collapsed. The axle boxes, free from the W irons, have swung round on the journals. The outer frame on the far right hand side is falling as the photo is taken.
You have to acknowledge the skill of the scrapman who has completed the task with a suitable pair of goggles, rigger boots, thick gauntlet gloves, heavy trousers and an old sports jacket. The only nod to hi vis is a yellow hard hat. Not only do you need to know the best order to make those cuts so it comes apart without having to clamber over what you have already cut up, but you want it landing on the floor and not on you, because even 2 foot of frame is going to hurt a lot if you get it wrong.
As the mountain of chopped wagon frames behind shows, this was Woodham's bread and butter, and while virtually all of us went to see the steam locos I'm glad I managed to capture this sequence of destruction at the start of the recycling process.