Hi David ,
Well, at last found the strength to get up to that loft of yours ! , the effort was very worthwhile and worth the wait,
its brought back many memories to me – thank you .
I remember the casting shed at Cowley concrete Radley ,we had a temp office in there at one time and often popped in to see the operators at work .
That pic of the Scammel ? never seen that vehicle before on Ameys what is the history of it , as ive said before I was 'missing ’ from the Oxford area for a while and that’s probably my missing info period.
Looking at the Porthmadoc pics I notice the tilted 5th wheel mountings on the units ? or is it the detachable front trailer ends ? there more questions but leave them for another time. toshboy
Toshboy
The bit that you refer to on the 5th wheel is a ‘bolster’ in the picture it’s in the empty travelling mode. Swung round and chained to the tow hook on the unit.
The steering back bit was a ‘dolly’ some called them bogies. They were two axles with a turntable on top. The turntable had a locking pin, and was fitted with a hydraulic ram driven by an engine and pump.
How we loaded the beams was we would unhitch the dolly at one end of the beam, drive the unit to the other end of the beam.
The beam was craned onto the dolly end first, you had to load it very precisely along the marked centre line or it would run out of line. We then chained down hard.
The other end of the beam would then be put on the bolster (after spinning it 90% from travelling position) then chained down the beam would in effect, then become the ‘chassis’ of the trailer.
The brake pipes 100ft of it and electrics would be connected and we were ready for the road.
To steer the rear, which was my job, I would remove the turntable pin, start the engine and if we were going left I would steer right. The steering was achieved by operating the ram, but because the turntable was chained to the beam, the turntable wouldn’t turn the dolly would.
If we were on the move with as usual a police ■■■■■■ I would get out of the cab up onto the beam, walk along the beam, drop down onto my platform at the rear, start the engine steer then straighten up, pin in and back to the cab without STOPPING. Don’t think HS would condone that nowadays.
If you look at the picture where I say steering into position you can see the front bolster and chains and also the rear dolly being steered.
The picture in the casting shed shows the front bolster being loaded.
As regards the scammel it was an old beastie, it had a Gardner120 5 pot engine and was as draughty as hell, the cab (wood and aluminium) did fall to bits and the cab shown in the picture is a new cab (a newer model made of fibreglass ) that was fitted by Scammel at Watford.
Len Hewlett was driving it one day with a dozer onboard and he hadn’t chained it on, just relied on weight to keep it steady. That’s fine until you have to stop a bit quick, he was coming out of Newbury and had to brake sharpish and the thing fell off. Got done for insecure load.
Davidcox ,Thanks for that explanation ,I can see now that the photo further down in travelling mode clearly answers my question.
The photo of the service ramp ,like you we on Premix ( Oxford area) had to do our own greasing and oil changes monthly after the days work ,my job was to change the oil and fuel filters on them all , on overtime of course ! Some times RW would look in as his office was opposite. Remember Jim Kent who done the cars and vans during the day and used to moan if the ramps were not left spick and span ? and the pic of your Dad Fred was a very good one as well . more to follow toshboy
Hi David. Didcot power station, I think every Amey company was in there over the years ,Conbloc built a new plant in Sutton complex Premix had 3 plants at one stage ( 1 continuous mixing plant hired from Amey construction )operated by Alf Penny remember him? ,along with aggregates ,asphalt and other support companies and Transport and Plant hire etc.
As you say the main building was massive , me (Premix )had 3years in there until the ground works was completed but it took further years to complete. was an interesting job but very demanding , the Group made a lot of money out of that one !.
I liked the photo of Bob -lets face it ,it was a long way to the toilets in that big yard.
Hi David. Didcot power station, I think every Amey company was in there over the years ,Conbloc built a new plant in Sutton complex Premix had 3 plants at one stage ( 1 continuous mixing plant hired from Amey construction )operated by Alf Penny remember him? ,along with aggregates ,asphalt and other support companies and Transport and Plant hire etc.
As you say the main building was massive , me (Premix )had 3years in there until the ground works was completed but it took further years to complete. was an interesting job but very demanding , the Group made a lot of money out of that one !.
I liked the photo of Bob -lets face it ,it was a long way to the toilets in that big yard.
The Coventry beam job , whose beams were they?
Hi Ivor
The Coventry beam came from Dow Mac (think two words) just South of Gloucester. This is another story.
This was the days before tachographs and log books, just a log sheet (single sheets of paper).
We did this job for several weeks, Sunday night I would say cheerio to my girlfriend, I was about 17-18 at the time, drive my Anglia home to Appleton, get changed and go over to Wotton to pick up Bob at about 22.00hrs.
We would make our way down to a cafe near to Dow Macs where we had left the wagon already loaded with beams.
We would then trundle our way to Coventry via the Bullring Birmingham, didn’t have a Police escourt until we hit the outskirts of Birmingham.
We would roll into Coventry and be parked up on the side of the A4114 London road. Ready to take our turn to be off loaded (there were a couple of other firms running the beams).
We would get unloaded by early afternoon and then make our way back to Dow Macs. Back at Dow Macs we would load up and then travel the half mile or so to the cafe and park up. My car was still in the car park and I would drive us back home,dropping off Bob at his house in Wotton.
I would go home and get changed and go over to the girlfriends getting there at about 1900hrs.
I would say cheerio to her at about 2130 , And the whole thing would start all over again.
John Greening the driver of RMO 386 used to have a night out in the cafe where we parked up. But both Bob and myself would rather go home (think Bob was having domestic problems at the time).
Got a bit knacked by the end of the week but we would be loaded and parked up on the Friday night ready for Sunday.
Hi David. Didcot power station, I think every Amey company was in there over the years ,Conbloc built a new plant in Sutton complex Premix had 3 plants at one stage ( 1 continuous mixing plant hired from Amey construction )operated by Alf Penny remember him? ,along with aggregates ,asphalt and other support companies and Transport and Plant hire etc.
As you say the main building was massive , me (Premix )had 3years in there until the ground works was completed but it took further years to complete. was an interesting job but very demanding , the Group made a lot of money out of that one !.
I liked the photo of Bob -lets face it ,it was a long way to the toilets in that big yard.
The Coventry beam job , whose beams were they?
I remember Alfie, he used to drive the other small Leyland the sister to mine. Nice guy, had a couple of wayward sons that gave him grief. His daughter married another loader driver Mick Webb.
He used to like nights out and I didn’t so it used to work out fine for me
Alfie had a crash in the Leyland. Fully loaded he came down Gangsdown hill near Nuffield - Wallingford and was going too quick to get around the bend at the bottom. He went through the hedge on the offside. On the other side of the hedge was a drop of about 10 feet, when the unit went over the drop his lowloader trailer bottomed out and stopped him with a jolt. The jolt sent him flying through the windscreen and he fell in front of his own front wheel which was spinning round off the ground.
The trauma of the accident and the sight of the wheel spinning round and nearly flattening him sent him a bit into PTSD land. With that and his sons the stress made him lose all of his ginger hair but it did grow back even thicker some months later. I used to like Alfie he lived at Grove.
Hi David. Didcot power station, I think every Amey company was in there over the years ,Conbloc built a new plant in Sutton complex Premix had 3 plants at one stage ( 1 continuous mixing plant hired from Amey construction )operated by Alf Penny remember him? ,along with aggregates ,asphalt and other support companies and Transport and Plant hire etc.
As you say the main building was massive , me (Premix )had 3years in there until the ground works was completed but it took further years to complete. was an interesting job but very demanding , the Group made a lot of money out of that one !.
I liked the photo of Bob -lets face it ,it was a long way to the toilets in that big yard.
The Coventry beam job , whose beams were they?
I remember Alfie, he used to drive the other small Leyland the sister to mine. Nice guy, had a couple of wayward sons that gave him grief. His daughter married another loader driver Mick Webb.
He used to like nights out and I didn’t so it used to work out fine for me
Alfie had a crash in the Leyland. Fully loaded he came down Gangsdown hill near Nuffield - Wallingford and was going too quick to get around the bend at the bottom. He went through the hedge on the offside. On the other side of the hedge was a drop of about 10 feet, when the unit went over the drop his lowloader trailer bottomed out and stopped him with a jolt. The jolt sent him flying through the windscreen and he fell in front of his own front wheel which was spinning round off the ground.
The trauma of the accident and the sight of the wheel spinning round and nearly flattening him sent him a bit into PTSD land. With that and his sons the stress made him lose all of his ginger hair but it did grow back even thicker some months later. I used to like Alfie he lived at Grove.
Hi David
Thanks for that info about Alfie ,I did not know him before we ‘hired’ him from Construction ( we were too pushed to get an operator of our own) he was a great worker and done a good job for us, now knowing about his accident it explains why I found him a bit different.! —on another note did you know Mick Loader,- his wife was in our Premix workshop office with Ted Bond - toshboy
Joe Paris:
0 Have any of you seen these photos before. Joe
Hi Tosh
Ref page 19 pictures
Looking at this picture (lowloader with White Horse contractors on) the trailer is a scammell coupling trailer, I reckon it’s the one that was on the early Leyland comet 766 BBL that I posted the other day.
The other ‘dirty lowloader’ is a bigger wagon and looks like an early Foden or ERF the trailer appears to be the one that was on a later Foden VRX 110. It’s strange that I can remember these numbers from the 60s but can’t remember last week.
I haven’t seen either before also don’t know the driver.
I’ve transferred some more slides into digital this morning, a better one of the old Scammell and one of VRX 110 They are on me laptop so I’ll post them when I get a chance.
Bob was the plant hire shop steward and the phot attached was of the picket line when we went on strike and made Ameys a closed shop. Didn’t go too well until the heating oil delivery man refused to cross the line and when it got cold Ron Amey gave in.
Bob was the plant hire shop steward and the photo attached was of the picket line when we went on strike and made Ameys a closed shop. Didn’t go too well until the heating oil delivery man refused to cross the line and when it got cold Ron Amey gave in.
Hi David,
Well that is another nice set of pics from you -thanks ,cannot say I recognise the locations but ask about the Deeping plant erection ,I know Premix had a plant there at sometime although I know it was sold off to C & G eventually . where was the site of the beams being placed and were those Coles cranes of Ameys ? . I did not know about that strike with the plant hire side .I seem to recognise one striker- a Taffy Davis ? probably not but a strong like ness -at one time on Ameys haulage side with me ! . The Scammel does look the business though - I do like that shot.
Bob was the plant hire shop steward and the photo attached was of the picket line when we went on strike and made Ameys a closed shop. Didn’t go too well until the heating oil delivery man refused to cross the line and when it got cold Ron Amey gave in.
Hi David,
Well that is another nice set of pics from you -thanks ,cannot say I recognise the locations but ask about the Deeping plant erection ,I know Premix had a plant there at sometime although I know it was sold off to C & G eventually . where was the site of the beams being placed and were those Coles cranes of Ameys ? . I did not know about that strike with the plant hire side .I seem to recognise one striker- a Taffy Davis ? probably not but a strong like ness -at one time on Ameys haulage side with me ! . The Scammel does look the business though - I do like that shot.
Hiya Ivor
I’ve just spent I don’t know how long doing the reply only to find it all disappeared when I tried to submit it.
The strike wasn’t just plant hire it was the whole of Wotton yard and it was to get the TGWU recognised, we had to have a majority voting for it which we did, still not accepted so all out. Not everyone came out (bit like Brexit) but eventually established a closed shop where everyone had to join.
The guy on the far left (is he the one you think is Taffy) was car workshops, the chap behind the van and the two facing the camera were distribution, the chap behind them was Mick Webb the Scammell driver and married to Alfie Penny’s daughter.
The beams were Warwick way, the cranes were not Ameys looks like a 50 tonner.
I remember we had to reverse about a mile. Not a problem with steering dolly, Bob would set off in reverse changing gear twice and getting up to about 20, I would steer and Bob would just have to follow. Only trouble was that the brakes were designed for going forward and going backwards if we had to anchor up it used to vibrate like hell and not stop too quick.
The plant erecting was done by heavy shop by a chap who was full of self importance and thought himself as some sort of forman.
We had to stay in digs and after a few beers things got a bit rowdy Trevor Bennett got thrown out and told not to come back and the heavy shop blokes were embarrassed as they were there for several weeks. The cranes were Ameys 15 and 30 ton Coles. Driven by Ken Hall with his rigger Rodney? To the right (looking at the photo) of me Dad behind him in the photo is Tommy Muir the drivers mate on RMO 386 and the other one was driven by Dave Attewell to the left of me Dad in the football photo.
The second chap from heavy shop was the first man who I had ever seen wearing an earring, really nice bloke can’t remember his name.
Bob was the plant hire shop steward and the photo attached was of the picket line when we went on strike and made Ameys a closed shop. Didn’t go too well until the heating oil delivery man refused to cross the line and when it got cold Ron Amey gave in.
Hi David,
Well that is another nice set of pics from you -thanks ,cannot say I recognise the locations but ask about the Deeping plant erection ,I know Premix had a plant there at sometime although I know it was sold off to C & G eventually . where was the site of the beams being placed and were those Coles cranes of Ameys ? . I did not know about that strike with the plant hire side .I seem to recognise one striker- a Taffy Davis ? probably not but a strong like ness -at one time on Ameys haulage side with me ! . The Scammel does look the business though - I do like that shot.
Hiya Ivor
I’ve just spent I don’t know how long doing the reply only to find it all disappeared when I tried to submit it.
The strike wasn’t just plant hire it was the whole of Wotton yard and it was to get the TGWU recognised, we had to have a majority voting for it which we did, still not accepted so all out. Not everyone came out (bit like Brexit) but eventually established a closed shop where everyone had to join.
The guy on the far left (is he the one you think is Taffy) was car workshops, the chap behind the van and the two facing the camera were distribution, the chap behind them was Mick Webb the Scammell driver and married to Alfie Penny’s daughter.
The beams were Warwick way, the cranes were not Ameys looks like a 50 tonner.
I remember we had to reverse about a mile. Not a problem with steering dolly, Bob would set off in reverse changing gear twice and getting up to about 20, I would steer and Bob would just have to follow. Only trouble was that the brakes were designed for going forward and going backwards if we had to anchor up it used to vibrate like hell and not stop too quick.
The plant erecting was done by heavy shop by a chap who was full of self importance and thought himself as some sort of forman.
We had to stay in digs and after a few beers things got a bit rowdy Trevor Bennett got thrown out and told not to come back and the heavy shop blokes were embarrassed as they were there for several weeks. The cranes were Ameys 15 and 30 ton Coles. Driven by Ken Hall with his rigger Rodney? To the right (looking at the photo) of me Dad behind him in the photo is Tommy Muir the drivers mate on RMO 386 and the other one was driven by Dave Attewell to the left of me Dad in the football photo.
The second chap from heavy shop was the first man who I had ever seen wearing an earring, really nice bloke can’t remember his name.
Hi David . Thanks again for the details ,I was away elsewhere at that time and seem to have missed all the ‘fun’ some faces are familiar even after all this time, the Taffy Davis I was right on that one–centre picture full facing front blonde hair .artic driver, inter depot trunks , lived Wootton rd . looking back Ameys was a really large private group and yet Ron Amey was always leading from the front and knew what was going on and turning up when least expected never suffered fools did he ? Personally I liked and admired him -he would ask questions about the job whatever department you were with and expect the right answer .-- toshboy
P S . Have I asked this before -there was a Bob Cox -heavy shop and later A Conbloc production manager --any relation ?
Ivor
No, no relation, BUT after saying that I have been doing a bit of Ancestry research and after learning some of the things that went on in my family history you can’t be too sure.
They all came from around Appleton and were all agricultural labourers or CARTERS so I suppose it ran in the family. Later changed jobs to something completely different.
Regarding Mick Loader was his wife the blond secretary for Don Pratley?
Don was my Godfather although we never really acknowledged each other. Funny my Grandparents were Pratleys.
Ref the strike it was only Wotton involved nowhere else as I recall.
davidcox:
Ivor
No, no relation, BUT after saying that I have been doing a bit of Ancestry research and after learning some of the things that went on in my family history you can’t be too sure.
They all came from around Appleton and were all agricultural labourers or CARTERS so I suppose it ran in the family. Later changed jobs to something completely different.
Regarding Mick Loader was his wife the blond secretary for Don Pratley?
Don was my Godfather although we never really acknowledged each other. Funny my Grandparents were Pratleys.
Ref the strike it was only Wotton involved nowhere else as I recall.
David, I had to smile re your remark ‘family history’. I remember as a kid (evacuee) descending into a local village and trying to find who was related to who at school and realizing some odd relatives of mates etc and later being older explained to me that it was all because of when bicycles became common !
No , Micks wife was Valerie /Ted Bonds sec and Shirley was Dons sec they were both blonds .
davidcox:
Hi Ivor
I’ll try with three more photos, believed at Oakley Wood pit
Hi David ,Wow -you have been digging deep to find those pics after all these years ,a real work of art to load that lot ,no cranes or fork lifts – just graft , . I don’t think that overhang would go down well today though ! Thank you for your valuable contribution to the thread --Toshboy
davidcox:
Hi Ivor
I’ll try with three more photos, believed at Oakley Wood pit
Hi David ,Wow -you have been digging deep to find those pics after all these years ,a real work of art to load that lot ,no cranes or fork lifts – just graft , . I don’t think that overhang would go down well today though ! Thank you for your valuable contribution to the thread --Toshboy
Ivor
I’ve just noticed that the three pictures are mirror images, I digitalised 35 mm slides and obviously got them back to front. The exhaust on the Foden went up behind the cab on the offside.
This was obviously a Police notification job, can see the rear marker boards fitted.
The last picture shows the heavy shop fitters removing the wheels.
If you look under the rear of the trailer you will see a 25ton jack, we had one either side to get the rear wheels (of the trailer) off. We would jack up the trailer plus loads of up to 45tons by hand.
Ivor
some ‘new’ photos I have found on tnet
the chap with the Ameys donkey jacket with the crane is my father Fred and the chap next to him is Andy Andrews (manager) the crane is driven by Charlie
davidcox:
Ivor
some ‘new’ photos I have found on tnet
the chap with the Ameys donkey jacket with the crane is my father Fred and the chap next to him is Andy Andrews (manager) the crane is driven by Charlie
Hello David, Been hibernating ? anyway, a nice set of pictures -i have not seen them before ,taken early 60 s i would say , i believe crane driver is Charlie Woodward ? , Andy Andrews i knew of course , never ever saw that bogie trailer at all- RMO is very familiar though . the Premix mixer was our first venture into 6 wheelers , Dodges spec was AEC engine and Hendrickson rear suspension and Stothert and Pitt 6 yard mixer. Thank you for supplying the pictures ! – toshboy
