The animated sight of a 6 wheeled Zil 131 beached over a tipper and dramatically angled skywards is a promising sight.
Just off the road and flanked by forest a curious collection of vehicles reside here. Tracked earth movers sit side by side with lorries in various states of disrepair. Blue cabbed Zil 130 trucks are scattered throughout, doors and bonnets open and their engines long since picked over for spares. The woodland setting provides a more relaxing atmosphere than the other scrap yards but as ever I’m conscious of the limited time I have here.
Walking further in I pass another Zil on its roof, considerate parking was clearly not the order of the day but may have provided easier access to replacement parts (or perhaps someone just had a grudge against Zil’s). Surrounded by vehicles, it’s difficult to know in which direction to head next but having a disturbing love of rusting machinery I wear a grin from ear to ear throughout my visit. Looking back at the photos now, as with those from many other locations, I see much I wish I had looked at in closer detail before reminding myself that I was fortunate to have seen what I did (and silently vowing to return).
On my way out I pass the yellow cab of a Kraz 255b. A closer look reveals the cab frame to be wooden, with its engine and much of the front end removed it is left resting forlornly on its 2 remaining wheels.
How these particular vehicles dodged the scrap yards first time around I doubt I will ever know but as with most things metal in the zone inevitably I suspect their time will sadly come.
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