The Classic Machinery Network

hi kieran can you remember the following blokes.Ron radcliffe,tommy fox,mick evans,ray weaver, vince magee(fataly injured in the yard whilst working on a jcb4) ron bayliss, albert (jock) glenny,rex .......... cat fitter later shop forman for a short time

modelman093 wrote:

B100 LOADER wrote:Just wondered what happened to this company.They had a few RB 22's on NCB sites in the 1970's in South Wales.Any photos out there ?
Martyn

Fairly sure that at one time they ran some D8s and scrapers - would have been mid-sixty's.
Angus

R&W earthmoving did the muckshifting on the warwick bypass with 8s and boxes also ran motorscrapers had a plant yard at budbrooke barracks warks all plant relating to R&W eathmoving sold of when job finished someone told me that the job was under priced didnt allow for running sand dont know for sure if this is true but tales of a d8 lost (buried) under road.Makes for a good story dont it

thank's ron i knew some of them men well.... mick evans real name was cyril he hated it lol
never heard of the D8 but i was on the belfast sewer project & lost 5 diggers from 2t -14t
IF I COULD turn BACK TIME I'D DO IT AGAIN

PS on a mission to gather old bchc/r&w photo's
regards kieran

R & W

They started out as Richards & Wallington, plant hire mainly, and they had a dose of 8's & boxes, I remember them at work on the Warwick bypass in the 60's. They also owned a large haulage company called R K Crisp and I remember well they had Guy big J's pulling long trailers carrying pipes for a gas pipeline job which went from Wormelow to Rugby. BCHC which stood for British Crane Hire Corporation was also part of the 'R & W' group of companies. That crane hire group also included Caledonian Crane Co. They also had a fleet of mobile cranes, they owned the largest telescopic crane in the country at one time - it was a 100 ton Gottewold! BCHC were the largest crane hire company in Europe at the peak of their activities. I believe they also owned 'Bowyer plant hire' which was mainly JCB 3's etc. I started with them on mobiles then went onto navvies when the mobile work slowed down. They had mainly 19 & 22 RB's and 305 NCK's along with an assortment of Priestmans. The guy in charge of the plant shop was 'Jock' Richie and I recollect he only had one leg although I may be wrong. They certainly had two one legged navvy drivers and I believe that both of them had lost their legs when attempting to re enter the cab when the machine was travelling ( it was not uncommon for drivers to hop out of the machine and walk alongside when a long tramp was involved.) I could tell some stories of some of the happenings during my time with the company! I still have a pair of R & W cufflinks with the R & W in the shape of a man pushing a wheelbarrow!

May have some info and stuff ,somewhere on BCHC/R&W

Be interested to see it... when BCHC went down the pan another company sprouted up, BCHC which then stood for Birmingham Crane Hire Corporation and comprised a management structure of ex R & W employees! I don't know how long they existed, or if they still exist, but they kept the flag flying!

BCHC is still going today in birmingham, there not a big outfit but still going .Allso Some of the old BCHC drivers and cranes stayed in the b,ham yard for a short time, under central crane hire form nottingham i think ?, that went on for several years, then was taken over by GSW then it went to ainscough,

keepitbrief wrote:May have some info and stuff ,somewhere on BCHC/R&W

bring it on keith

keepitbrief wrote:May have some info and stuff ,somewhere on BCHC/R&W

keith any info and stuff you get could you email it 2 me ...pls
one of stan would be nice

tnx kieran




kieran_fitz@yahoo.ie

kieran cant seend mail to you mate ??
keith