How long has CF Booth’s been in the railway scrap business?

[TravisM]

CF Booth’s, being a big railway scrap dealer, I wonder how long have been dealing with redundant railway engines, rolling stock and other railway items as they didn’t seem to have cashed in on the large numbers of redundant steam loco’s.

 

I’ve looked on several websites and they started the scrapping of diesel Locomotives in mid 1968 with small numbers of Classes 05, 10 and 14.  The large amount of other loco’s didn’t start arriving until the early 70’s.  I seem to remember the large amount of London Transport R stock heading there, but again in the mid 70’s.

 

As most scrap metal merchants are very well established and most founded in the last 19th and early 20th centuries, it would be interesting know when CF Booth’s was founded and when they started disposing of railway items.

 

 

[kevinlms]

Wasn't there something about new safety standards, which prevented a lot of traditional railway scrap merchants taking later withdrawn trains.

 

Something about properly dealing with asbestos, perhaps?

[adb968008]

They did seem to have a break from railways for a while, or maybe its because everyone was looking at The Great Pyramids of Leicester...

[keefer]

What other work did they do?

It was maybe a case of having plenty of other work to keep them busy so they didn't need to bother tendering for railway stuff. Especially if they didn't have room to store it until they could start working on it. (Unlike Mr. Woodham)

[TravisM]

1 hour ago, adb968008 said:

They did seem to have a break from railways for a while, or maybe its because everyone was looking at The Great Pyramids of Leicester...

Didn’t Vic Berry get prosecuted after the fire, with others from BR’s disposal department for inside dealing?

[Steamport Southport]

10 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Wasn't there something about new safety standards, which prevented a lot of traditional railway scrap merchants taking later withdrawn trains.

 

Something about properly dealing with asbestos, perhaps?

 

I think they were previously involved in road vehicles such as buses.

 

The asbestos aspect does ring a bell.

 

 

Jason

[adb968008]

27 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

I think they were previously involved in road vehicles such as buses.

 

The asbestos aspect does ring a bell.

 

 

Jason

I remember as a kid my dad was regularly taking me to see scrap yards in Yorkshire full of ex-Greater Manchester Transport buses. 1xxx and 2xxx number series, and regulsrly saw brown/white SYT and Green/ Cream WestYorks buses.. seemed to be endless buses being scrapped.. 

But who was scrapping them, I dont remember.

[25901]

4 hours ago, keefer said:

What other work did they do?

It was maybe a case of having plenty of other work to keep them busy so they didn't need to bother tendering for railway stuff. Especially if they didn't have room to store it until they could start working on it. (Unlike Mr. Woodham)

Railway work has never been their main focus, cheap labour costs have always helped them with their main work of mixed metals which is highly labour intensive but worth a lot. That’s why when they get a lot of railway work in it can be sometimes months until they spend the man power on it and deal with it when time allows, remember the bad PR that British Rail got over the APTs laying around for some time there. Lost count of the hundreds of hours I’ve spent there for a certain gentleman who’s hobby has lead to a depot at Worksop, spending my time on component recovery at a time you could fill a van with spares for about £100 a time. I remember the other prototype HST being there and at one time the main rail yard full of Chieftain tanks. Happy days.

[Steamport Southport]

Here's some buses.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/adogriff/8000840612/

[eastwestdivide]

17 hours ago, jools1959 said:

 I seem to remember the large amount of London Transport R stock heading there, but again in the mid 70’s.

Into the 80s too, as the last of the R stock was replaced by the D78 stock.

R stock is visible in these shots, presumably waiting to be shunted into Booths. Taken from the passing Thames-Clyde Express railtour on the normally freight-only “old road” from Chesterfield via Beighton/Treeton, 24 April 1982. The 47, 08 and R stock are in sidings on the down side of the line between Sheffield to Rotherham Masboro.

 

1. Showing the lifted Masboro south curve via the bridge on the left over the canal. To the right of the bridge pillar is the line descending from Holmes Junction (off to the left) into the scrapyard . Today, the Holmes Chord would be just visible in the lower foreground:

 

 

2. Taken from nearer to Masboro station, but still on the old road. The footbridge centre background is at Holmes Junction, and still there today. The sidings, at least partly, have had houses built on them

Edited January 9, 2021 by eastwestdivide
Clarity

[Arun Sharma]

On 09/01/2021 at 16:30, adb968008 said:

I remember as a kid my dad was regularly taking me to see scrap yards in Yorkshire full of ex-Greater Manchester Transport buses. 1xxx and 2xxx number series, and regulsrly saw brown/white SYT and Green/ Cream WestYorks buses.. seemed to be endless buses being scrapped.. 

But who was scrapping them, I dont remember.

Many London buses were scrapped in Yorkshire at Wombwell near Barnsley - though they also resold buses in good condition to other operators. I think the company was called Wombwell Diesels.

Edited January 10, 2021 by Arun Sharma