Railway Herald
SR Class U Mogul No. 31618 waiting to leave Woodhams Scrap Yard Barry, South Wales for preservation on Sunday 25th August 1968. Built at Brighton in 1928 No. 31618 had been withdrawn from Guildford MPD in January 1964 and had arrived at Barry that June. Purchased for use on the Kent & East Sussex Railway it would be the second loco to leave the yard for a new lease of life in preservation eventually departing in January 1969. It was found to be too heavy for the K&ESR so made the short move to the Bluebell Railway where it has remained ever since. The loco behind is LMS 4F 0-6-0 No. 43924 which had arrived from Bristol Barrow Road MPD shortly after withdrawl in July 1965, and would prove to be the first loco to leave Barry which it did in September 1968 for the Keithley & Worth Valley Railway where it also has remained ever since. I doubt the SAAB estate car parked alongside will have been as fortunate.
Bob Woolnough
