# Heavy Plant Scrapyard, RAF Folkingham, Lincs, May 2017



## HughieD (Jun 5, 2017)

*1. The History*
RAF Folkingham is a former Royal Air Force station located to the south-west of Folkingham Lincolnshire. It opened in 1940 and was used by both the RAF and United States Army Air Forces. During the war it was used mainly as a troop carrier airfield for airborne units. Post- war it was placed on “care and maintenance” in 1947. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the RAF Bomber Command used Folkingham as a Thor Ballistic Missile base. On the closure of the Thor site, British Racing Motors (BRM) used the site to tested it cars there, but only remained for a few years. In the late 1960s the runways and some nissen huts were used by Lincolnshire Police as a driver training and skid pan area. In the mid-1960s the testing track closed and the airfield was sold off to local farmers.

Most of the runways and the peri-track were broken up for hardcore aggregate after the sale of the airfield by BRM. Today nothing remains of the technical site located to the north-east of the airfield. Part of the southern-half of the airfield remains including the full length (and width) of north-south main runway. This is now used as a vehicle compound for Nelson M Green & Sons Ltd. The company specialises in the storage of decommissioned and scrapped agricultural vehicles, lorries and other heavy plant. The vehicles, many often rare and long out of production, are stored for the resale of their spare parts. The majority are stored down either side of the main runway but abandoned plant also lines the sides of the remaining perimeter track and several of the old dispersal loops. 

*2. The Explore*
Been on my list to do for a while. So eventually one sunny morning I headed off, parked up and made the short walk through the woods to the site. It’s a really weird place. You can smell the diesel that has leaked from all these old machines as you walk the former runway. They are lined-up down both sides and go on for hundred of metres. However, the older more interesting wrecks (including the DUKW) can be found around the old dispersal loops closer by to the wood. At first the place is a bit overwhelming but after a while you start to pick out the small and interesting features on the vehicles.

*3. The Pictures*

It’s a snake..nooo, it’s a caterpillar!


img0634 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Dozer:


img0655 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Serious crane action:


img0691 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0637 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0692 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0639 by HughieDW, on Flickr

This heavy-duty crane looks pretty serviceable still:


img0644 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0650 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0656 by HughieDW, on Flickr

An old speedo:


img0658 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0662 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0664 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0670 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0672 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0674 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0675 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0681 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0685 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0687 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img0695 by HughieDW, on Flickr

On to the older stuff on the dispersal loops:


img0718 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0700 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0704 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0706 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0708 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0710 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0713 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0716 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img0717 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And finally, on to the DUKW Amphibious vehicle, used during the D-Day landings, produced between 1942 and 1945, and used by the British Army up into the 1970s. 


img0712 by HughieDW, on Flickr


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## krela (Jun 5, 2017)

Love this place, thanks Hughie.


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## Sam Haltin (Jun 5, 2017)

That's a few more photos added. I like a bit of heavy metal. Some of it looks recoverable.


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## smiler (Jun 5, 2017)

Nice w Hughie, Thanks


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## mookster (Jun 5, 2017)

That one that looks 'pretty serviceable still' is likely to be the crane the owners use to move stuff around on site, as it's still an active business. That'd be why the windows are covered, to stop idiots breaking the glass like they have done to almost everything else on site


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## Rubex (Jun 5, 2017)

You got some great pics HughieD, nice one


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## HughieD (Jun 8, 2017)

Rubex said:


> You got some great pics HughieD, nice one



Cheers Rubex! We'll worth a visit up the A1 for...


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## The Wombat (Jun 11, 2017)

It's an interesting place

Nicely done mate


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## Malenis (Jun 11, 2017)

Love this, thanks for sharing


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## HughieD (Jun 11, 2017)

The Wombat said:


> It's an interesting place
> 
> Nicely done mate





Malenis said:


> Love this, thanks for sharing



Cheers folks. Well worth a stroll...


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