The Classic Machinery Network

Steve

I've never been able to find out much about Wakefield machines and the British Jeffrey-Diamond organisation other than the few snippets in Earthmoving Vehicles published by the Olyslager Auto Library.
I undertand that they were based in Wakefield and that their main business was coal mining equipment?

Curiosity got the better of me so I did some Googling.

It seems that British Jeffrey Diamond was created when the American Jeffrey Manufacturing Company acquired The Diamond Coal Cutter Company Limited of Wakefield, England in 1926, and renamed it British Jeffrey-Diamond Limited (Ref 1.) Which was followed by the acquiition of the Galion, Ohio based Galion Iron Works and Manufacturing company in 1929 who built graders, rollers (Ref 1.)
Following on from its acquisiiton of the LeRoi compressed air tools business in 1974 Dresser Industries bought Jeffrey for approx $140m in cash and shares gaining underground coal mining products- apparently the main attraction as Dresser wanted to reduce its reliance on the oil industry at the time, Hewitt-Robbins- mineral processing and recycling equipment and Galion who built graders, rollers and cranes (Ref 2).

Could Wakefield graders be UK built Galions?

Dresser went onto buy Waukesha Motor Company (engines), the Marion Power Shovel Co. (walking draglines, ropeshovels and blast holed drills), the Payline division of International Harvester and eventually WABCO in 84 (the successor to LeTourneau).
In 1988 Dresser and Komatsu combined their construction equipment operations in the western hemisphere to form Komatsu Dresser Co. (a 50/50 joint venture), Dressers Construction and mining equipment business excluding Marion, Jeffrey and air tools was placed into the joint venture.
In 1992 Dresser spun off its 50% stake in Komatsu Dresser with the Marion, Jeffrey and air tools operations as Indresco, in 1994 Komatsu took full ownership of the joint venture to form Komatsu America International Co. who incorporated the former Galion grader line.

In 1997 Construction News report that Global Industrial Technologies through UK subsidiary Indresco UK sold its mining equipment business to its management but retained a business called BJD Processings to build stationary crushing equipment (Ref 3).
Global Industrial Technologies in 1998 reportedly decided to close British Jeffrey Diamond (Ref 4.)
BJD Processing was associated with Craven Fawcett (1997) and Highfield Transmissions Ltd
It seems the MBO company was British Jeffrey Diamond 100 Ltd which went out of business circa 2000/2001.
It seems BJD processing continues as BJD Crushers today: http://www.bjdcrushers.co.uk but as to who owns them I've no idea.

References:
Ref 1. http://www.jeffreyplace.com/history.asp
Ref 2. Yellow Steel : The story of the earthmoving equipment industry. William R Haycraft.
Ref 3. http://www.cnplus.co.uk/news/bjd-recycl ... 07.article
Ref 4. http://sec.edgar-online.com/global-indu ... tion8.aspx

An archived version of the BJD Processing website is here: http://web.archive.org/web/200004241348 ... bjd.co.uk/

Steve

Hi, Neversweat.
Thanks for posting the photos of the Wakefield grader. As IBH asked, were they a U.K. manufactured Galion? Certainly the blade lift rams and attendant linkage and the scarifier lift remind me of the Galion 118's that I have operated way back in the dim and distant past. Several Galion models also had the fuel tank positioned behind the cab in a very similar manner to that Wakefield.

It's a pity they didn't have pocket-sized digital cameras around 40-50 years ago. I would very likely have had far more photos to share today. LOL.

Deas Plant wrote:Hi, Neversweat.Thanks for posting the photos of the Wakefield grader. As IBH asked, were they a U.K. manufactured Galion? Certainly the blade lift rams and attendant linkage and the scarifier lift remind me of the Galion 118's that I have operated way back in the dim and distant past. Several Galion models also had the fuel tank positioned behind the cab in a very similar manner to that Wakefield.

Deas i'm afraid that i'm a machinery dunce It would need someone better than me to answer the question i'm afraid. Glad the pics are of some intrest though
Thanks
Steve

I had a wakefield grader for gleason at sizewell power station
in 1971 if I remember right the front wheels did not drive
and to get more steering lock the front wheels leant over
found two photos of galion graders Bob

Wakefield and Carlyle graders were British built "Galion" everything was interchangable with the american machines as was "Adams" and "Huber-Warco" I will post some pics in the new year.

Sorry fella's I forgot the "Distington" same stable.

IBH wrote:I've never been able to find out much about Wakefield machines and the British Jeffrey-Diamond organisation other than the few snippets in Earthmoving Vehicles published by the Olyslager Auto Library.
I undertand that they were based in Wakefield and that their main business was coal mining equipment?

Curiosity got the better of me so I did some Googling.

It seems that British Jeffrey Diamond was created when the American Jeffrey Manufacturing Company acquired The Diamond Coal Cutter Company Limited of Wakefield, England in 1926, and renamed it British Jeffrey-Diamond Limited (Ref 1.) Which was followed by the acquiition of the Galion, Ohio based Galion Iron Works and Manufacturing company in 1929 who built graders, rollers (Ref 1.)
Following on from its acquisiiton of the LeRoi compressed air tools business in 1974 Dresser Industries bought Jeffrey for approx $140m in cash and shares gaining underground coal mining products- apparently the main attraction as Dresser wanted to reduce its reliance on the oil industry at the time, Hewitt-Robbins- mineral processing and recycling equipment and Galion who built graders, rollers and cranes (Ref 2).

Could Wakefield graders be UK built Galions?

Dresser went onto buy Waukesha Motor Company (engines), the Marion Power Shovel Co. (walking draglines, ropeshovels and blast holed drills), the Payline division of International Harvester and eventually WABCO in 84 (the successor to LeTourneau).
In 1988 Dresser and Komatsu combined their construction equipment operations in the western hemisphere to form Komatsu Dresser Co. (a 50/50 joint venture), Dressers Construction and mining equipment business excluding Marion, Jeffrey and air tools was placed into the joint venture.
In 1992 Dresser spun off its 50% stake in Komatsu Dresser with the Marion, Jeffrey and air tools operations as Indresco, in 1994 Komatsu took full ownership of the joint venture to form Komatsu America International Co. who incorporated the former Galion grader line.

In 1997 Construction News report that Global Industrial Technologies through UK subsidiary Indresco UK sold its mining equipment business to its management but retained a business called BJD Processings to build stationary crushing equipment (Ref 3).
Global Industrial Technologies in 1998 reportedly decided to close British Jeffrey Diamond (Ref 4.)
BJD Processing was associated with Craven Fawcett (1997) and Highfield Transmissions Ltd
It seems the MBO company was British Jeffrey Diamond 100 Ltd which went out of business circa 2000/2001.
It seems BJD processing continues as BJD Crushers today: http://www.bjdcrushers.co.uk but as to who owns them I've no idea.

References:
Ref 1. http://www.jeffreyplace.com/history.asp
Ref 2. Yellow Steel : The story of the earthmoving equipment industry. William R Haycraft.
Ref 3. http://www.cnplus.co.uk/news/bjd-recycl ... 07.article
Ref 4. http://sec.edgar-online.com/global-indu ... tion8.aspx

An archived version of the BJD Processing website is here: http://web.archive.org/web/200004241348 ... bjd.co.uk/

Hi IBH,
I worked as a fitter with Tilcon in the late 70s early 80s and they had a BJD mini planer, only ever seen one, main drive to planer cutter was by chain from a Poclain hyd motor,Dealer was SLD Olding

Came across this in my files today -