Good ole days

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kopite
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Good ole days

Post #1 by kopite » Thu Dec 09, 2010 5:49 pm

What a great site, just joined. I thought it was just me that had fond memories of the good old muckshifting days of the 70s and 80's. In my 60's now, live in Canada and retired, but never can forget those great days working across England and Wales, mostly working on the new motorways being built all over the place then. I worked for Sir Alfred McAlpine, C A Blackwell, Dick Hampton, AF Budge and many more over the years. Did what most did in those days and followed the work and the money. Drove just about everything, dozers, scrapers, loaders but stayed away from graders if I could. Favourite has to be D8 and box. I will have to look through my old photos and post some if I can find some good ones. I know I have pictures of Dick Hamptons 637's working in Stoke in the 70's.

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Mike d550
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Re: Good ole days

Post #2 by Mike d550 » Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:05 pm

Welcome to CMN, look forward to seeing some photos and hearing stories about the "good old days". :thumbup:

Regards

Mike D550 8-)


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Re: Good ole days

Post #3 by martyn williams » Thu Dec 09, 2010 7:04 pm

Looking forward to seeing your photos.I think the best days are long gone :( , It was hard going in those days but a lot more fun than today.
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Re: Good ole days

Post #4 by poncho » Fri Dec 10, 2010 1:41 pm

Hi Haz. you have got poncho this end. I to am retired Im 67 now.and living in Gloucester. I worked for Hamptons for a good many years.And met some great muckshifting friends. I also worked for McAlpines on sites around the country. I worked with the legendry late great Pincher Harrington. and also with his son young pincher Mike Harrington. Packy.The late Dave Ansty.the Duffy brothers. And many more who were great guys to work with. It would be great to hear from and to see some of you who remember the old days. As Toby Monro once said to me.theres no muckshifters left only only wheel spinners and diesel burners, all the good muckshifters are dead and Im not feeling to good my self. Remember dig it deep and tip it high. take care. Poncho.
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Topic author
kopite
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Re: Good ole days

Post #5 by kopite » Fri Dec 10, 2010 6:24 pm

Poncho, great to meet you. I worked for many years for McAlpines working on the M62, M57, M56 also woked on a road in Blackpool for them but can't remember what it was called. Mostly in the north of England, Yorkshire and the Midlands. Des Diamond was the man in charge of most of the work I did. I do remember Pincher, but never worked for him. I probably worked for close to 10 years for McAlpines. I worked for Dick Hampton at the Seaforth Dock in Liverpool and on a road job in Stoke in the early seventies. I am going to try to post a couple of pics from a job I was on in Ottawa, Ontario in 1997. Not sure how to do it but here goes.


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Re: Good ole days

Post #6 by Nick Drew » Fri Dec 10, 2010 10:40 pm

Hi and a big welcome to you both ! :D

I love to read about the glory days of British earthmoving, and I look forward to reading more from you and hopefully viewing a few photos.

I have a great mate who used to work for Macs ...he is not a member here but I have sent him the link so he can have a look ....sure it will be of great interest to him.

Good work guys :thumbup:

Nick ;)


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Re: Good ole days

Post #7 by poncho » Sat Dec 11, 2010 1:39 am

Hi again Haz. I worked for Dick on nights at seaforth docks on a 631c then on a d9g. enjoyed blades but the crack was better on scrapers.the night foreman was Toby Monroe.His brothers Jimmy and Donald worked there to. I had a mexican moustash in those days. It was Don who named me Poncho after a mexican he worked with on the oil pipeline in Alaska.He was based in Churchill. Do you remember Sid Hayward[they called him thick Sid] but believe me he was far from thick. rumour has it when he was a slasher an agent upset him one day so he sacked the whole day shift then jacked himself. I worked for Macs at Abingdon m62 telford to name a few. Do you remember Curley Regan,Dave Garbutt. I wish I could remember more names. When I learn to put my photos on I will post them on as soon as I can.speak to you soon,Take care. Poncho,


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Re: Good ole days

Post #8 by Martyn Henley » Sat Dec 11, 2010 1:59 am

Hi John .. and welcome to cmn :thumbup:

So you want to post a picture..great :thumbs_up: ..first thing you will have to do is know where on your computer the pictures are that you want to show ..so off you go and have a look, now remember the address where the picture are on your computer ...Now, before you go to the next stage,i want you to remember that when you follow the next stage a new page will appear, this message will appear in a panel called Topic review-board tips ..its near the bottom of the panel, you can read the next part of this post from there, saving you having to keep going back to the topic page...
right thats sorted now go to the bottom of the thread and click on POST REPLY and see you on the next page ...

:thumbs_up: great so far so good ... now then at the top of the screen is a clear panel that you write on, under that panel is a blue strip with Upload attachment written in orange ... there is a little button called Browse click on it .... now a smallish box will appear in your left hand corner ..in that box is the inside working of your PC .. now can you remember where those pictures were in your PC ?... now select a picture from your computer ..now click on it to open... now the address of that picture will appear in the box next to the browse button... next click the Add the file button and then another box will appear in the top left hand corner ... now wait till it finishes and the whole page will refresh its self... now in the bottom left hand corner of where your writing box is you will see a new button.. Place inline ... now when you have written what you want to say about the picture bring the cursor onto a new line underneath and leave it where it is flashing away ... now click on the Place in line button and your picture address will appear something like this [img]mypictureis[/img].. if in doubt click on the preview button and your picture will appear with your writting as it would appear in the thread..happy with it ..then click Submit ... if you want to practice then practice here but dont click the submit button ... now off you go and start posting with pictures in any of the threads you want to share with us ...
Hope this works for you ..if not Private message me

Martyn


Topic author
kopite
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Re: Good ole days

Post #9 by kopite » Sun Dec 12, 2010 12:03 am

Poncho, sorry I don't remember too many names from those days. Gotto be 40 years ago. I was on days but did work the odd night shift and remember Toby Munroe. I remember faces more than names and had one local fella always sat with us at dinner time and he used to take his teeth out and put them on the table.
I ended up on a D6c pushing some real wet muck brought from the bottom of the dock by Dick's old R35 Euc's, (or perhaps they were R45's) slogging it out of the cut. They couldn't back up too far so it was a hard slog for the old D6 trying to keep on top of it. I was glad to get shipped out.
I do remember Terry Moroney and his bother Mick from that time.


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Re: Good ole days

Post #10 by Nick Drew » Sun Dec 12, 2010 12:14 am

Hi John & Haz,

Not had much feedback on this one ? My old mate was a fitter affectionetly known as "Geordie Bob" I know he knows Mike Harrington as he often pays him a visit on his way back from visiting us in Devon.

He was one of those rough tough plant men types the like of which we will probaly never see again .... a great man and a great friend and surrogate father to me !!

Nick


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