Not on the scrapheap my man . Now an elderly retired gentleman like the rest of us . You’re time is all your own now to do what you want when you want . Get the health problems sorted and enjoy the time you have left . I had to retire 12 years ago at the tender age of 62 , and after a couple of years of operations etc it has been one long holiday . Bugger the lorries , you’ve done your bit . in a short while you’ll be wondering how you found the time to go to work . dave
Yeah know what your saying Dave, I’m ok with it now did miss it for a while ( and the money 
) but not anymore. It’s nice to have all this time to do what I want, and spend time with the wife, after being away so much over the years.
cheers
John.
altitude:
Hi Toshboy, yeah been a long time hope your well. thanks for clearing that up for me, there’s a guy on another lorry site, that wont have it that Conblock was anything to do with Amey.
Yeah that could have been me in Hills Tubney, I was working for a Swindon company, but living in Mid Wales, so the lorry was based down there. I had loads from there up to the Swindon area, then loaded out of Tubney some days to get me home again. Sadly no more had to pack it up due to health problems,on the scrap heap now,
but there you go I was well past retiring age anyway. Thanks again for your help.
Cheers
John.
Hi John , So sorry to hear of your health problems,but no your NOT on the scrapheap but i know the feeling ,growing older brings these thing along eventually to all of us and its such a shock to us particularly if you’ve been active all your life ,i had an H/A seven years ago which knocked me sideways at the time but luckily i’m mobile so can yet about ,i do believe in exercise daily -just a couple of miles is enough also an allotment which gives me contact with others of a certain age ! .
Anyway keep going John and its nice to hear from you–ivor
Muckaway:
Evening gents, a few things.
Hanson Heidelberg no longer own Conbloc; There was some English based buyout a year or two ago and has been branded as Forterra. Still running out of Sutton Courtenay.
Talking of concrete blocks, Sheehans are now in on the act; They’ve recently started producing eco-blocks at Yarnton using recycled aggregate.
Still no news whether Hanson are reopening Linch Hill quarry (aka Stonehenge Farm), but the reopened batch plant at Dix Pit is knocking out some serious meterages at the moment, a lot to the Westgate shopping centre in Oxford.
Muckaway:
Evening gents, a few things.
Hanson Heidelberg no longer own Conbloc; There was some English based buyout a year or two ago and has been branded as Forterra. Still running out of Sutton Courtenay.
Talking of concrete blocks, Sheehans are now in on the act; They’ve recently started producing eco-blocks at Yarnton using recycled aggregate.
Still no news whether Hanson are reopening Linch Hill quarry (aka Stonehenge Farm), but the reopened batch plant at Dix Pit is knocking out some serious meterages at the moment, a lot to the Westgate shopping centre in Oxford.
Hi Muckaway .
Thanks for the local updates,did not know about conbloc though , the concrete plant at Dix was capable of a good days work in my time (under the control of a Mr Barret -shus) intrigued to know where it is now supplied from these days, i see you keep active on a few threads still -you must be settled in your employment - a few years now eh 
Hi Ivor, yes been here two years in November. I get over Dixs’ into Sheehans (old Smiths pit) most days with washable muck and ■■■■■■■■, occasionally loading back out. Doing most things here, screener man, tipper driver, grab driver, and JCB driver. Like being at [zb]'s but without the aggro.
Just delivered some sand to Queensford Lake and now having a coffee in the entrance to Wally Corner tip. First time I’ve ever been down here. Sign on the gate says “to be closed 27th May 1997…” I’m pretty sure McKennas put the inert cap on this tip, I remember a couple of 'dozer drivers talking about it. Pretty sure that around the time the tip shut, a young girl got killed on Queensford Lake after being hit by a Jetski.
Muckaway:
Just delivered some sand to Queensford Lake and now having a coffee in the entrance to Wally Corner tip. First time I’ve ever been down here. Sign on the gate says “to be closed 27th May 1997…” I’m pretty sure McKennas put the inert cap on this tip, I remember a couple of 'dozer drivers talking about it. Pretty sure that around the time the tip shut, a young girl got killed on Queensford Lake after being hit by a Jetski.
Hi Nathan, Sand to Queensford ? --that has to be a ‘Coals to Newcastle’ dos’nt it ,it would be a nostalgic trip for me -finished with ARC in 1978 -never looked back and no regrets either, i remember that jet ski accident being reported,-- a sad ending for the pit , thanks for the info and keeping the thread alive a bit longer , best wishes -ivor
Hi Ivor it wasn’t “native sand” it was some building sand for the clubhouse patio, but still a rare foray for us to get work around there. I have done building sand to a job in Tilehurst recently, that’s bordering on a night out for us.
Still no news whether Browns Pit (Stonehenge Farm) is going to reopen. I can’t see it TBH as another recycled sand and gravel plant has now opened at the old Ameys ballast pit at Eynsham (New Wintles Farm). That’s now four up and running in the area.
Muckaway:
Hi Ivor it wasn’t “native sand” it was some building sand for the clubhouse patio, but still a rare foray for us to get work around there. I have done building sand to a job in Tilehurst recently, that’s bordering on a night out for us.
Still no news whether Browns Pit (Stonehenge Farm) is going to reopen. I can’t see it TBH as another recycled sand and gravel plant has now opened at the old Ameys ballast pit at Eynsham (New Wintles Farm). That’s now four up and running in the area.
Hi Nathan . thanks for the updates but not sure of the old “Wintles farm” location unless that was the name of the one beside the A40 just past Smiths Cassington premix. ? also I,m intrigued to how (if) these recycled materials fit into the concrete specifications of local and Government projects > cheers
New Wintles Farm pit was up the A40 to Eynsham roundabout then left to head for Bladon (Lower Road). You have Eynsham Mill on the right and Wintles pit is around the bend on the straight just past New Wintles Farm.
It was basically just a hogging/ type 2 pit, and screened onto tippers.
They workings weren’t that deep as the old pits were farmed before McKennas restored them to original levels. The last one was filled in about four years ago (just down the road from New Wintles after City Farm. You can’t miss Wintles, got a metal spear fence with a sign saying “DEC” on it (David Einig Contracting).
Some information on the recycled aggregates for you Ivor…
sheehancontractors.co.uk/con … egates.php
Some pics of the materials…
smithsbletchington.co.uk/recycled-aggregates
It must have been in the 60s that when working as a low loader mate we took one of the two old Allis-Charmers dozers that Ameys had onto the road outside Wintles farm.
We side unloaded and it went straight through the hedge into the field and I think that was the start of a road into what became the pit.
davidcox:
It must have been in the 60s that when working as a low loader mate we took one of the two old Allis-Charmers dozers that Ameys had onto the road outside Wintles farm.
We side unloaded and it went straight through the hedge into the field and I think that was the start of a road into what became the pit.
Hi David, Sounds like a quick tip! i never knew that pit ,but i would have been well into Premix in the 60s by then -talking old pits – i used to go fishing at some small pits near Appleford -past the rail crossing towards Didcot on the left before the Didcot turn -any memories of that one i think they were named Peerith or similar , thinking Allis-Charmers were those the ones with cables lifting the blades?
Ivor, the only one I can remember is a pit on the right as you enter Appleford from the direction of Sutton, just before the railway bridge. It was worked out in the 60s so must have some age as they say.
In the big house on the opposite side of the road, before the bridge used to live a Mr Napper. He used to have the old steam engines; sure we went in there and moved one with the Foden.
Then obviously behind that pit in the direction of Sutton was Ameys pit (Sutton), used to dump the ash from the power station.
Can’t remember the pit opposite the Didcot turn but can remember the ground there was always waste ground as if it was an old pit, but didn’t see any water.
davidcox:
Ivor, the only one I can remember is a pit on the right as you enter Appleford from the direction of Sutton, just before the railway bridge. It was worked out in the 60s so must have some age as they say.
In the big house on the opposite side of the road, before the bridge used to live a Mr Napper. He used to have the old steam engines; sure we went in there and moved one with the Foden.
Then obviously behind that pit in the direction of Sutton was Ameys pit (Sutton), used to dump the ash from the power station.Can’t remember the pit opposite the Didcot turn but can remember the ground there was always waste ground as if it was an old pit, but didn’t see any water.
I do remember the name Napper in Appleford and his steam engines -lived right against the main rail line and you could see them from the village road , in Appleford also was a blacksmith named Cross ,he used to do work for Ron Amey at his forge making parts for the first prototype of road planers -remember those ?
toshboy:
I do remember the name Napper in Appleford and his steam engines -lived right against the main rail line and you could see them from the village road , in Appleford also was a blacksmith named Cross ,he used to do work for Ron Amey at his forge making parts for the first prototype of road planers -remember those ?
Arthur Napper challenged his neighbour to a race across a field with their traction engines, a crowd gathered to watch and that one single event started the whole Steam and Vintage Rally movement off in the UK.
Pete.
When I was a drivers mate with Bob Blowing on the Foden, we had to go to Cambridge to pick up a traction engine and bring it back to East Hanney. Loading went fine and we trundled back to Hanney with no problems.
I was a young lad back then and wanted to get home so I could go out courting.
It was late when we got back to Hanney (no tachos then) but what I hadn’t bargained for was the fact that the fire had gone out in the engine and we had to wait around for ages for it to get ‘steamed up’ so we could offload.
No getting steamed up for me that night!!
windrush:
toshboy:
I do remember the name Napper in Appleford and his steam engines -lived right against the main rail line and you could see them from the village road , in Appleford also was a blacksmith named Cross ,he used to do work for Ron Amey at his forge making parts for the first prototype of road planers -remember those ?Arthur Napper challenged his neighbour to a race across a field with their traction engines, a crowd gathered to watch and that one single event started the whole Steam and Vintage Rally movement off in the UK.
Pete.
Hi Windrush. I did not realize that was where it all started -gone a long way since then
davidcox:
When I was a drivers mate with Bob Blowing on the Foden, we had to go to Cambridge to pick up a traction engine and bring it back to East Hanney. Loading went fine and we trundled back to Hanney with no problems.
I was a young lad back then and wanted to get home so I could go out courting.
It was late when we got back to Hanney (no tachos then) but what I hadn’t bargained for was the fact that the fire had gone out in the engine and we had to wait around for ages for it to get ‘steamed up’ so we could offload.
No getting steamed up for me that night!!
Serves you right i reckon Bob made a late run on purpose -you must have upset him that day . but possibly you made up missing out later ! Going back to Napper and engines when i first started at Sutton 1949 Amey had taken over an old pit formerly Ferris Bros at Sutton ,they had some old steam stuff in the barn and a couple of old Foden tippers .Charlie Woodward was one of the Ferris drivers -you remember him --ivor