akerman

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Good day I have taken a look at the posts on this subject and note the mention of the ICI Pyrotechnic truck exploding in Vibroplant yard, I must have been lucky that day I had the window open and the force blew me some twenty feet, if the window had been closed maybe the glass may have splintered.

Bradshaw had a rather infamous low loader driver Derek Black "Blacky" he was known for speed loading machines over the side and rolling the Volvo Low loader within a fifteen minute turn round.
Derek Rowell was a driver in those days known to our service crew as
“Wrecker Rowell”.
Akerman UK began on a patch of hard core in Bradshaw’s Yard, I regret to inform folk Bernard Lone the MD recently passed away however I know some of the original guys are still kicking.
Attached a photo of my office window after the explosion.Fengate ICI explosion.jpeg

Hi Pat,
You certainly did have a lucky escape the day of the explosion.......it did alot of damage.
Derry Black taught my brother to drive at Bradshaws back in the 60's.....like you said infamous.

Derek has been retired now for around 8 years, I saw him recently at another Bradshaw employee's retirement party, who incidentally was the last of the companies plant operators.

I was speaking with John Bradshaw today, where he was telling me about when the company lost a H25 in the sea off the coast of Scotland.........at the time he was hoping it would be an insurance right off but it was recovered and repaired at great expense!

Nice of you to post on here and welcome to CMN

Richard

[uffex]

A few pics that may be of interest an H12 rebuilt for David Homewood at Ken Robsons place (Hymac dealer) .The H25 front shovel at the chalk cut in Oxfordshire (Merryman) . SED rabble left to right please excuse spelling of names Denzil Mcwhirter - Roy Crisp - Ken Stepney - Ben Uffindell - Brenda Hurl - Bob Simms - Don't know - Bernard Lone . H16 front shovel working in molten metal Slag Reduction Stocksbridge.

[uffex]

Opps missed one
The beginning of Samsung Excavators Southern Korea introduction by Peter Back

[CAT444F]

A few pics that may be of interest an H12 rebuilt for David Homewood at Ken Robsons place (Hymac dealer) .The H25 front shovel at the chalk cut in Oxfordshire (Merryman) . SED rabble left to right please excuse spelling of names Denzil Mcwhirter - Roy Crisp - Ken Stepney - Ben Uffindell - Brenda Hurl - Bob Simms - Don't know - Bernard Lone . H16 front shovel working in molten metal Slag Reduction Stocksbridge.

Hi Uffex,
that view down the 'Top Tip' has dramatically changed since the demise of the Melting Shop. As you know prior to the '16 face shovel, the 'Hot Bank ' was worked using a 38 RB face shovel. I had forgotten about the '16 face shovel, I remember being on hire to Slag Reduction to break out some large concrete Derrick Crane bases, as the '16 face shovel was being driven up from the Hot Bank,the driver offered to 'heel' the remaining concrete base. As he did he unfortunately got hold of the sites main electric cable, shutting down the site. In later years the 'Hot Bank ' was worked using CAT980 wheel loaders with tyre chains.
CAT 444F

[BM1113]

Hi here comes a Åkerman H10 converted into a dry deep Soil mixing rig
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l14_Iu_tOCo[/video]

and some pics to