Buried Railway Vehicles.

[scarby]

Bit of a mystery then. Could it be that scrapping was planned, then the presence of disturbed asbestos was found and no one wanted to touch it, so it was taken to landfill instead?

Could well be. Maybe EEC Blackpool was the company entrusted with the scrapping and it was just registered as being at Hull Dairycoates, as you say, according to the plan. Given some of the myths that have grown around the fate of various stock, we maybe have to take scrapping details as published with a pinch of salt - after all, they're not really intended for rail enthusiasts to dissect! It would seem strange that the book would say they were wrapped in sheeting and buried if they weren't.

 

[yorksrob]

Guessing the interior furnishings will be a bit mouldy by now then !

 

[pdeaves]

The story is true. A loco and tender went down a sinkhole or old mineshaft. The tender was recovered but the loco is still down there, running on the hades railway!

Furness Railway 115, an 0-6-0, fell down a shaft at Lindal in 1892.

Thanks both.

 

[randyrippley]

I seem to recall, many decades before that, that a Furness Railway (I think) loco disappeared into a hole that opened up under it. The story as it exists in my head is that it was abandoned where it fell. Can someone confirm, correct, etc.?

Yes, I've read that as well. Somewhere...

 

[Gloster]

Yes, I've read that as well. Somewhere...

There is an article on Wikipedia under ‘Lindal railway incident’.

 

[dubscottie]

Not quite digging up, but various asbestos-contaminated NIR (and some CIÉ) stock was dumped in a flooded quarry at Crosshill, near Crumlin in County Antrim, in the 1980s. The quarry was then drained and the vehicles recovered, crushed (according to some sources) and buried encapsulated in clay on the same site in the early 21st century. Apparently the move was triggered by the vehicles being "unintentionally exposed" while partially draining the quarry, see https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/lt/645/645836/645836en.pdf. (There's an old thread on Crosshill Quarry here, but it doesn't discuss events subsequent to the initial dumping.)

I suppose technically they were "sunk" rather than buried at first.
There is a picture in one of my books that shows that at least one vehicle refused to sink at first.
When it was rolled into the quarry pool by a digger, it hit the water perfectly upside down.
The picture shows this coach on its roof slowly floating out into the middle of the pool!

 

[matchmaker]

This was something I was wondering. I assume it to be classed as contaminated ground and subject to regulations. I would imagine such a vehicle would have to either be removed or avoided during any development.
Does anyone know what the Cohen's and Patersons sites are currently used for?

Patersons site is being reclaimed, as far as I know. For a stinking landfill site (it really stank!), the name of "Greenoakhill" didn't seem appropriate!

 

[Ashley Hill]

Patersons site is being reclaimed, as far as I know. For a stinking landfill site (it really stank!), the name of "Greenoakhill" didn't seem appropriate!

I take it this will not involve exhuming the 27 and 126 units? My smilies don't work so imagine a big grin!