The Classic Machinery Network

And in miniature!

Trev Holden with Cliff Jackson climbing into the cab (Now with Dick Hughes @ T&H Plant) in Westlode Street workshop's yard. Photo taken late 70's of the quick turnaround of a D8H complete overhaul, for British Gypsum.

Jez,these pics are great.Very nice to see the d8's by the way .
I love old pics like these and hope this thread can continue for a long time.
I first used to travel to Leverton Wigan as a kid and loved wandering around their yard(no H+S then).It was allways full of D8's and 9's.Scrapers were in abundance then and the first of the 777 range were just coming through at that time.They had a couple of L series tractors getting prepped for work.These were D9L's that went to Fiddlers Ferry power station along with a 992C.The 9L's are still working there to this day.During the early 90's Finnings took over and closed the Wigan yard as alot of the big muckshifting and coal site work was drying up .I know use Finnings at Winsford where alot of ex Leverton staff went to.
Great thread

Can any of you remember Albert Upson, a welder at Spalding? Used to strike an arc, then keep it going until the electrode was burnt down without looking at it while he was talking to someone. When he chipped the slag it was as good as most of us could do looking what we were doing.

Brian I'll ask my dad (Arthur Wensor). If it was between the end of the war and 1987, I'm sure hell know....

Thanks for the comments Nick Lamb, very interesting

The LEVERTON CAB

From design to fully completed cab

Fred Steward from Levertons Spalding demonstrating some big CATS

Can any of you remember Albert Upson, a welder at Spalding? Used to strike an arc, then keep it going until the electrode was burnt down without looking at it while he was talking to someone. When he chipped the slag it was as good as most of us could do looking what we were doing.

Did Albert Upson go on to work for Tim Hardy the muck spreading contractor? If so then yes I remember him! But I was only a very young lad at the time. My Dad was very good friends with him

A Leverton cab for you still at the top of my yard
Pulling a D8 final drive off is former Leverton (Wigan) head of service Kieth Halsall.He would often have 'Levie' Dale Leatherbarrow in tow.
The big guy with his finger on the pulse of the D342 is former Leverton (Wigan) field service engineer Jeff Webster.He is currently one of the directors of Komatsu Mining G.B.
Another 'Levie' fitter with another 'Levie' cab.