Excavators at the face 1960's

[FOWLER MAN]

Hello gah1950
Thanks for your posts. I only hauled out of Vaynor between 1960 / 63 (mostly ground limestone to farms). I remember Jack Cotter as manager, had dealings with a Briggadier Baston and Trefor Rodwell too.
My information on the face shovel is obviously wrong. I didn't think it was big enough to be a Ruston with chain operated racking. Never seen it on the smaller Rustons.
I dug out these photos off this site, of a 43 RB and I reckon you are spot on with that.
It does look like a trailing cable connected to the machine.
Thanks again.
Fred

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[rustybucket]

It's a Ruston Bucyrus 43-RB. The boom hoist rope jockey sheave on the back A frame gantry leg is one of the features. I have an almost identical picture I took in 1963 on my computer desktop. The early RB shovels like this, the 21,32,33 37, 52, 54 and 55 RBs all had chain crowd.

[gah1950]

hello geoff.
do you remember the two 54s that were operating in craig yr hesg quarry in the 60s?.and did you ever work for rustons when they had a depot in cowbridge road?.
graham.