D9 and boxes

[nick lamb]

Just worked out how to scan again so here's a little teaser.....
Plenty of D8/D9 boxes,TS24's etc on this job back in 2001.I will get scanning so that I can get some on here tonight.

[nick lamb]

and some more.
Fortunately I had some sense to write details down on the back of the pics as it's easy to forget as the years go by.
There were 7xD8H/K dozers,4x D9G's,2xD7E/G's,4xTS24A/B's,D155/D135's'2xD6M's and a D5H on this section alone and various 435G,463F/G and DW21 scraper boxes.
We initially pulled 5 pyramids of muck down to unearth bomb storage facillities{magazines}.Each pit heap had around 70000 cube of shale,clay and sand in.Once we landed on the roofs there were copper conducters which the 155 would loop around the shank and pull off.Then we would put 2 D9's side by side and roll 2'' thick lead carpet up into a heap.
This was and still is a M.O.D site so I can't put up all the pics.
More to come

[macca1]

nice pictures as dont see much of dozer and boxes these days

[nick lamb]

last lot for tonight
Some of the other kit on site is in the background if you enlarge the pics.A roller,a couple of PC450's on hammer and shear duties. Maggie scow end.Morgan's had about 8 of these for many years.They may still have some.Also a big Liehberr 974 was getting a new pump.I used this old navvy one night to slide a torque convertor into one of the D9's.
There was no brake on the slewing ring and was abit vague to say the least!.Fortunately the fitter bolted it up with all his fingers in tact.

[RichardJW~]

first class pics there, Nicky.......thanks for posting them

[bob]

Reminds me of the good times but I must be forgetting the bad times thanks for posting

[nick lamb]

and some more....
Some of these shots show the machines grading up one night.The pyramids ontop of the magazies were very steep and would take half a day with the 155 building a ramp up for the tractor and boxes for each one then we would track up to the top and dive straight off the edge.Really we should have waited for a ramp to be cut down abit as it wasn't for the faint hearted or novice pilot.Just fools like us!!..The slopes were hard to climb up on foot never mind coming down with the boxes{the motorscrapers were on other parts of the job as it would take a few days for the boxes to make enough room for them}.We didn't need pushloading on these slopes as it was all you could do to stop the box coming over the top of the tractor or jacknifing around you.

[chrisdee]

Great photos, Thanks Nick. Can you give us a rough idea of where the pics were taken ?

[nick lamb]

yes Chris,enough time has passed now I think!.They were at Chorly R.O.F in a job between Redrow Homes and BAE systems.We started in 2001 and there is still muck being shifted today.Big job.
Cameras etc were not allowed on site by strict order of the M.O.D as they were still making bombs at the site.A few of us got some snaps though.We were often randomly searched and so too the cars and vans.The only thing you took home from this job was dust.

[nick lamb]

Here we have one of only two Komatsu's on this site.Both were and are still owned by D.Morgan PLC.They were good tractors with a reliable history with Morgans however,with the current lack of ripping work for the 155 and a set of tracks required I'm not sure if it will go back to work in the near future.The 135 lost an engine twice last year{once down to bad luck and old age and the second time due to lack of expertise in the workshop}.It now lies with a shot engine and weak undercarrige and with a poor resale value and dreadfull lack of spares and service from MB it could end in the scrap yard.