Just browsing through some of the old posts on scrapers and particularly the Twin TS14. In fact Blackwells had a TS14 Twin on the first section of the High Wycombe By Pass (Now the M40) from Marlow to Stokenchurch in 1964. It was the first and, only one in the country at that time. Operated by Jack Bromley (Brommie).
We also had 3 Cat 631Bs which again were relatively new in the UK. To complete the motor scraper line up were 4 Cat DW21s. Probably not too many of us around these days who were active on site in the early to mid 60s.
By 1965 Blackwell had bought 4 TS14 single bowl which were employed on the Marlow to Loudwater section of the By Pass. I would be interested to know if any past operators of that era are still around.
TS14 Single and Twin.
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Re: TS14 Single and Twin.
When I was at agricultural college in the early 60s these CJ Pryor, Leyland engine TS14s were stripping overburden off a gravel pit at Roxwell near Chelmsford, Essex and the twin bowl Le Tourneau was being demonstrated on the Brentwood By-pass.
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Re: TS14 Single and Twin.
Thanks Angus I never realised that a twin bowl Le Tourneau had made it to these shores. Interesting to see that they used a gear and rack to open and close the apron.
Jeremy
Jeremy
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Re: TS14 Single and Twin.
Jeremy Rowland wrote:Thanks Angus I never realised that a twin bowl Le Tourneau had made it to these shores. Interesting to see that they used a gear and rack to open and close the apron.
Jeremy
That one was being demonstrated buy the UK agents Thomas Ward on the Brentwood By-pass and either it or a similar machine reappeared on the Wrasbury reservoir job but with the cab positioned over the centre bogy.
Other machines on that job were some Russian dump trucks and a dozer that resembled a tank with a cab where the turret should have been and a blade on the front - supplied by UMO plant , I think.
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Re: TS14 Single and Twin.
Angus it would probably be UMO plant that supplied the Russian dump trucks as they were the Belaz agents in the UK from what I can gather; Le Tourneau made some very interesting and different construction machines with some great ideas that never really seemed to take off.
Jeremy
Jeremy
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Re: TS14 Single and Twin.
Jeremy Rowland wrote:Angus it would probably be UMO plant that supplied the Russian dump trucks as they were the Belaz agents in the UK from what I can gather; Le Tourneau made some very interesting and different construction machines with some great ideas that never really seemed to take off.
Jeremy
Yes, I've got a couple of books about LeTourneau and they certainly made some weird and wonderful stuff , such as a three bowl scraper with eight engines! RG was a man far ahead of his time and one only has to look at the almost universal adoption of diesel electric drive for large mining trucks to appreciate just how far ahead he was.
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Re: TS14 Single and Twin.
By 1965 Blackwell had bought 4 TS14 single bowl which were employed on the Marlow to Loudwater section of the By Pass. I would be interested to know if any past operators of that era are still around.
I was on that section around that time (lost track of certainty of years), I was on a 631 the year I was on it, I dont remember any TS 14's but they might have been further up. I am not 100% sure if I was on it for a part of one season or on it the following season as well. I remember I was on the Loudwater section and also further up towards Handy Cross (high wycombe) where that mast is,supposedly as a US mast listening post, I left muckshifting for good in either 1970 or 71.
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