Search found 20 matches

by davemadden
Tue Nov 10, 2015 6:00 pm
Forum: Companies
Topic: George Wimpey (Plant)
Replies: 52
Views: 52706
Flag: Great Britain

Re: George Wimpey (Plant)

Hello All, Does anybody know what the relationship was between Wimpeys and a contractor called Motorways. When it was final backfilling time on the o.c.c.sites down in Wales from the 60s to the 90s,Motorways equipment (D9s, D8s and boxes) would be brought in to carry out the task. This was I rememb...
by davemadden
Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:45 pm
Forum: Companies
Topic: Whatever happened to the British Engineering Industry ?
Replies: 59
Views: 35640
Flag: Great Britain

Re: Whatever happened to the British Engineering Industry ?

Thanks Jeremy , I know its a 'curates egg' question but would be interested in peoples thoughts , it grieves me that millions of pounds of taxpayers money is now spent on imported trucks because we don't make any . I remember being shocked in the early 80s when our local Coastguard received a Daiha...
by davemadden
Mon Nov 09, 2015 6:50 pm
Forum: Companies
Topic: French
Replies: 48
Views: 51040
Flag: Great Britain

Re: French

Hi W C French became French Kier which is now Kier Hello Martyn, No the company I am talking about is W C French, They where a big company, all their cranes and navies where generally painted in black and white vertical stripes. The 3W in the picture I am going to "try" and post was an exc...
by davemadden
Mon Nov 09, 2015 5:37 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Gold Rush new season
Replies: 10
Views: 7307
Flag: Great Britain

Re: Gold Rush new season

How old are those DJB dump trucks on Yukon Gold ? I think they changed to Artix in mid eighties, before changing again to the Cat name. Some of the pre production prototypes were used by Ogdens on a big sewer project near the Tyne Tunnell in the mid seventies. They kept falling over, something to do...
by davemadden
Mon Nov 09, 2015 5:19 pm
Forum: Companies
Topic: Dowsett/ RM Douglas
Replies: 49
Views: 31684
Flag: Great Britain

Re: Dowsett/ RM Douglas

Hi
Dowsetts must have got into construction at some point. They built the R H Patterson Ford dealership on Scotswood Rd, Newcastle.
by davemadden
Mon Nov 09, 2015 5:14 pm
Forum: Mining equipment
Topic: Hot open cast
Replies: 18
Views: 14833
Flag: Great Britain

Re: Hot open cast

Hi Up here in the north east we had quite a few shale heaps that were dangerous to work. There was a heap at Backworth where Richards & Wallington were extracting shale for the A1 link in the late sixties. We were getting our trucks loaded by a 38RB on face shovel and it turned the blue truck bo...
by davemadden
Mon Nov 09, 2015 3:04 pm
Forum: Companies
Topic: Dick Hampton
Replies: 201
Views: 139184
Flag: Great Britain

Re: Dick Hampton

Hi As an owner driver working for Richards & Wallington at West Allotment near Newcastle, I met and became friendly with an old Hampton hand called Willy Schuppe, who at the time was area manager for R & W. He said he started out on Stock Cars for Dick Hampton and used to regale me with some...
by davemadden
Mon Nov 09, 2015 2:47 pm
Forum: Member Introductions
Topic: New Members - please introduce yourself
Replies: 281
Views: 126584
Flag: Great Britain

Re: New Members - please introduce yourself

Hi I am David Madden living and still working in the north east of England. I started out in haulage in 1966 aged 26 and progressed to plant hire, off site muck shifting and demolition. My son Mark took over our company when I reached 65, though I still work for him on a part time basis. Nowadays we...
by davemadden
Sun Nov 08, 2015 9:32 pm
Forum: Dozers
Topic: dozers
Replies: 20
Views: 13597
Flag: Great Britain

Re: dozers

This dozer was pushing Cat 631's and was way too fast. I think it only stayed on site for a day. Back to the good old D9. Area manager for R & W was Willy Schuppe, ex Dick Hampton and a former German prisoner of war. Went to a firm called Deighnton (probably wrong spelling) Dumpers I think. Any ...
by davemadden
Sun Nov 08, 2015 9:25 pm
Forum: Track Loaders
Topic: Drott line up
Replies: 21
Views: 15251
Flag: Great Britain

Re: Drott line up

Had a new Drott B100 about 1968. Very underpowered. One of the best IH loaders was the 175B, which in my opinion out performed the Cat 955L

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