Vic Berry's Scrapyard was a large, railway scrapyard situated in the former Great Central / British Railways Goods Yard and Engine Shed area of south central Leicester

Leicester

Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

. Railway carriages, units and locomotives from across the UK train system and abroad were brought to Vic Berry's site for asbestos removal and / or final disposal for scrap.

Making use of its rail link with the Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line

Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line

The Leicester to Burton-Upon-Trent Line is a freight-only railway line in England linking the Midland Main Line south of to the Cross Country Route at...

, a large volume of stock was maintained on site, leading to the well-known spectacle of pyramids of train units awaiting disposal.

The site suffered an arson attack in 1990, and the resulting fire led to the widespread distribution of airborne asbestos across the city. Vic Berry's permanently closed as a result. The closed site was left significantly contaminated from the disposal process.

The site was re-developed as a part of the Leicester City Challenge project in 1996 / 1997 as Bede Island

Bede Island

Bede Island is an area of Leicester, England close to the city centre, with the River Soar to the west and Grand Union Canal to the east. For many years Bede Island South was a run down area of brownfield land home to Vic Berry's locomotive scrapyard but in the 1990s urban regeneration sought to...

.

External links

• map
• railcar.co.uk - photos
• railpics.sweetp.net - a great deal of photos
• Derby Sulzers - Vic Berry Page - Lots of photos and a real insight by a Derby Works employee.