Online Catalogue last updated 5th of April 2011
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HYMAC HEALTH CHECK Gary Boyd-Hope takes a look at the history of the Hymac 580 BT excavators and describes how one example, owned by Jeff urges, has been kept running following a recent sprocket change.
ROLLING ALONG! Gary Boyd-Hope talks to Tony Kendall of Leicester about the rescue and restoration of his 2.5-ton Aveling-Barford GA Roller, a machine that has spent its entire working and preservation life in the city.
FOSTER YEOMAN'S TORR WORKS Following the recent visit by the Tractor and Machinery Holiday Club, Gary Boyd-Hope provides an insight into the workings of Foster Yeoman's Torr Works quarry in Somerset and what plant can be spotted there.
THE LE TORNEAU TOURNADOZER Our man in France, Francis Pierre, provides an in-depth account of the development of the Le Tourneau Tournadozer, the world's first wheeled bulldozer.
LES PEEL PROFILE Part 3: In the final part of his profile of Somerset drainage contractor, Les Peel, Joseph Lewis explains about the relationship Les had with the Swedish and German firms of Dynapac and Hoes.
A DAVID BROWN 40 TD RESTORATION Part 2: Peter D Simpson and Mark Birkinshaw round up their tale of Jack Braithwaite and his David Brown 40 TD tracked loading shovels. Here they describe how Jack rebuilt the first of three restoration projects.
CONEXPO HERE WE COME Part 3: CP&M publisher, Peter love, concludes his detailed review of Conexpo 2005, this month looking at the machines exhibited by Komatsu, Volvo, Case and John Deere.
BUILT LIKE A MACK TRUCK Part 6: Nick Baldwin concludes his chronicle of Mack Trucks, this month bringing the Mack tale right up to date with their association with Renault and the buyout by Volvo in 2002.
FROM LUMP HAMMER TO LIEBHERR Joseph Lewis takes a look at the history of John Wainwright & Co Ltd's Moons Hill Quarry in Somerset and the fine array of machinery within its depths.
A WOLF'S TALE Arthur V Smith tells the tale of a 1956 Priestman Wolf which, having enjoyed a productive working life, has now been restored to full glory by Les and Adrian Clements.
HILLHEAD 2005 Gary Boyd-Hope visited Hillhead Quarry near Buxton in late June for the bi-annual Hillhead Quarrying and Recycling show. The question is, what did the leading manufacturers have to offer?
THE CHANGING FACE OF THE ADT Part 1: Keith Haddock explores the development of the articulated dumptruck, looking in particular detail at how Britain influenced the design of these earthmoving giants.
BUYER'S GUIDE Gary Boyd-Hope looks at the selling points of a 2001 Case 580 Super LE backhoe loader, and describes the machine's features with Dave Valentine of Saville Tractors Ltd.
OUT & ABOUT CP&M publisher, Peter Love, explores what's been happening in the world of classic plant. With machines such as a Caterpillar SIXTY and a Massey-Ferguson 710 in the mix, there's certainly a lot to see.
TOM ATHERTON'S 2005 SHOW Paul Tofield went along to Tom Atherton's working weekend on June 11, 2005 where a number of Tom's machines were in action, including his new Heil towed scraper.
INTO THE MIX Part 1: Using photographs from his archive, Nick Baldwin examines the growth and variety of cement mixers in use around the world.
TALES OF THE TRAXCAVATOR Part 2: Paul Tofield continues his feature on the history of Trackson and their involvement with Caterpillar. This time we look at the machines built following CAT's buyout of Trackson.
CONSTRUCTIONS MODELS CP&M publisher, Peter Love, attended the Tracks-Trucks-Tractors model show in Hastings on July 10, describing it as the best model event ever staged in the UK. Here Peter explains why.
NATIONAL PIKE 2005 In his first submission to CP&M, Jim Carter from the USA provides us with a run down of the National Pike Steam, Gas & horse Association's 2005 show that took place in late May.
MF'S FIRST UK BACKHOE LOADER Well-known authority on MF matters, John Farnwoth, examines the origins of Massey Ferguson's MF 702 tractor digger-shovel, by some to be the first true backhoe loader built in the UK.
BUYER'S GUIDE Gary Boyd-Hope looks at the selling points of a 2003 Komatsu WA380-5 wheel loader, which has become one of the most popular sellers in the Komatsu loader range.
HYMAC HY-HOE 250 Using images from Richard Gould at Hymac Parts & Service, Peter D Simpson explains more about the Hy-Hoe 250 - a rather unusual wheeled excavator.
CASTLE CEMENT'S CRACKER! The recent open day at Castle Cement's Ketton Quarry near Stamford saw a wide variety of Caterpillar machines in action, both new and old. Here Paul Tofield tells us just what was on offer.
HILLHEAD 2005 Part 2: Gary Boyd-Hope concludes his review of the Hillhead International Quarrying & Recycling Show, this month looking at the machines being displayed by Caterpillar, Liebherr and Bell amongst others.
THE CHANGING FACE OF THE ADT Part 2: Keith Haddock continues to explore the development of the articulated dumptruck, looking in particular at the products manufacturer by DJB, Volvo and Terex.
INTO THE MIX Part 2: Using photographs from his archive, Nick Baldwin rounds up his study of the different types of cement mixers in use around the world.
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MADE WELL IN MOTHERWELL Since the early 1950s heavy plant, including dumptrucks and scrapers, has been manufactured by TEREX (or Euclid) at the company's Motherwell factory. Gary Boyd-Hope paid a visit to see just what goes on inside.
ROAD BUILDING: IRISH STYLE! Gary Connolly attended the Mount Stewart Rally in Northern Ireland during August, where the classic plant and the Irish tradition of quality road construction were demonstrated to great effect.
CANADA RESPECTS ITS OLD GIANTS During a recent trip to Canada, Grahame Miller visited the old Diplomat Mine and its star attraction, the Marion 360 cable shovel built in 1927, once the largest mobile land-based machine on the planet.
BUYER'S GUIDE To accompany the lead article about TEREX of Motherwell in this issue of CP&M, Gary Boyd-Hope takes a look at the company's TA30 articulated dumptruck in this special buyer's guide.
CARRYING THE LOAD! In his first feature for CP&M, John Leeson explores the working lives of the side-dumping quarry haulers of the 1960s, which were far removed from the more traditional rear emptying dumptrucks.
THE NCK STORY Part 3: In the third part of his in-depth series, Arthur V Smith takes his study of the excavator manufacturer NCK into the 1970s and 1980s, paying particular attention to the products rolling out of the Ransomes & Rapier factory in Ipswich.
HORNSBY TRACTOR REDISCOVERED Keith Haddock explains about the discovery and exhibition of the famous Hornsby steam tractor, today regarded as one of the world's first crawlers. As Keith suggests, this historical machine may yet run again.
HAULAMATIC AUTOMATICALLY! Part 3: In the third and final part of his series, Nick Baldwin concludes his history of the Haulamatic dumptruck range, explaining how Haulamatic ventured into pivot-steer machines and the company's ultimate demise in the 1990s.
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TALES OF THE TRAXCAVATOR: PART 3 In the final part of his popular series, Paul Tofield considers the application of the 'Traxcavator' brand name on a rapidly growing range of wheeled loaders manufactured by Caterpillar.
THE ADT AND ITS ORIGINS: PART 1 Following on from Keith Haddocks recent brief history of the articulated dumptruck and how British engineers influenced its design, Nick Baldwin takes the story further in his new three-part series.
A FUERTEVENTURA ADVENTURE Well-known 360-degree excavator operator, Nick Drew, reports on a road construction project he observed during his past holidays to Fuerteventura, where new and old CATs worked side by side.
LOYALTY TO LINCOLN! Gary Boyd-Hope talks to Paul and Frank Murray of Cheshire, who have both worked on Ruston-Bucyrus excavators since they left school. Today Paul deals in RB machines for a living, but his passion goes way beyond work.
THE NCK STORY: PART 5 In the concluding part of his study of excavator manufacturer NCK, Arthur V Smith explores how the company fared in the 1980s following a number of sales and corporate buy-outs.
UGLY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP: PART 1 Allan Harris from Queensland, Australia, tells of how he discovered and rescued an old Caterpillar D8, and how the initial stages of the restoration have gone.
BUYER'S GUIDE Gary Boyd-Hope takes a look at the Aveling-Barford GCU and GCT type motor rollers dating from the mid-1960s, many of which can be found at auction today, and explores whether these machines make good or bad buys.
ONE MAN AND HIS CAMERA: PART 2 Never one to leave home without a camera at hand, Les Freathy brings us another helping of the Kent and Sussex plant scene, as seen during Les's travels. It really is quite surprising what you can find when you're out and about.
GARDNER POWER! Victor Evans may be familiar to some of CP&M's readers having carried out a brilliant restoration of a Mercury Industrial Truck in recent years. Now Victor turns his attention to another of his passions - Gardner engines.
DELVING, DIGGING & DUMPING It's a very mixed bag from nick Baldwin this month as he roots through his archive once again and unearths some fascinating images of all types of plant, including shovels, rollers and graders to name a few.
ON A ROLL! Life-long road roller enthusiast, Anthony Coulls, shares some of his memories and encounters with rollers over recent years. As Anthony points out, rollers do crop up almost anywhere.
THE CABLE EXCAVATORS OF RUSTON-BUCYRUS: PART 1 Our excavator expert, Arthur V Smith, turns his attention to the crawler-mounted cable excavators from the world's most famous excavator manufacturer, Ruston-Bucyrus, in his fascinating new series.
A SCRPAER WITH A DIFFERENCE! The TEREX TS-8 motor scraper was no ordinary machine, being built to meet quite specific requirements. Gary Boyd-Hope visited Benny White of Earls Barton to find out more about it.
CONSTRUCTION MODELS EXCLUSIVE For his pages this month, malcolm Dyke visits the JCB World Headquarters, Consumer Products Division, for an exclusive preview of the new JCB models due to be issued in the next few months.
BUYER'S GUIDE As one of JCB's most versatile machines, the 2CX comes in a number of guises making it suitable for all manner of tasks for the large or small-scale operator. Gary Boyd-Hope takes a look at the 2CX up close.
A PLANT MAN IN PROFILE: PART 1 There are few contractors in the South West of England that have become as well-known as Micky Rawlins. Here Micky talks to Joseph Lewis about his long and often eventful career.
ROADBUILDING IN YORKSHIRE Gary Boyd-Hope and Nigel Young look back on the construction of two major Yorkshire roads in the 1950s and 1960s, explaining what it was like to live near such a scheme as a boy.
RESTORING A BUCYRUS-ERIE 10B Keith Haddock tells of how he acquired and restored his Bucyrus-Erie 10-B excavator, building up to that day when he was able to operate it for the first time.
COMPRESSING AIR FOR 100 YEARS Compressor giant, Irmer & Elze, will be celebrating its 103rd anniversary in April 2006. Lawrie Tootell charts the company's fortunes during its often eventful life.
THE ADT AND ITS ORIGINS: PART 2 Nick Baldwin continues his new series charting the development of the articulated dumptruck, looking this month at the work of LeTourneau, Camill and Volvo.
RUNNING AGAIN! Henry Griffiths of Shropshire often buys machines to rebuild when time permits. Here he explains how he found and revamped an ageing Caterpillar 931 tracked loader.
DELVING, DIGGING & DUMPING Nick Baldwin takes a look at some of the engine manufacturers associated with the world of plant and machinery, including such big names as Ford, Volvo and Caterpillar.
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NEW BOOK CELEBRATES BUCYRUS 125 Regular CP&M contributor, Keith Haddock, has recently published a new book entitled 'Bucyrus - Making the earth move for 125 years' on behalf of Bucyrus International. Here we give CP&M's readers an exclusive peek at the delights the books offers.
FOR THE LOVE OF A LOADER: PART 1 Nico Ensick spent many happy years around Caterpillar 922 loading shovels in his youth, so it was only natural that he would select a CAT 922A to restore about five years ago. Gary Boyd-Hope talked to Nico about how the restoration was achieved.
CATERPILLAR 428D BACKHOE LOADER The Caterpillar 428D machine has proved a popular choice with owner operators and plant hire companies. Here Paul Tofield follows Hughie Hughes, a machine inspector with over four decades of experience, as he examines a 428D up close.
THE FLORIDA FLYWHEELERS SHOW 2006 Rob Rushen-Smith provides a run down of some of the plant, including numerous vintage Caterpillars, which was on display at this year's Florida Flywheelers Show at Fort Meade, Florida.
THE CABLE EXCAVATORS OF RUSTON-BUCYRUS: PART 3 In the third part of his report on Ruston-Bucyrus excavators, Arthur V Smith profiles, amongst others, one of the most well-known and sought after excavators of all time - the much-loved 10-RB.
MEMORIES OF AN IRON FAIRY Martin Hodson of Bury gives us a first-hand account of his experiences with the ubiquitous Iron Fairy VI and other cranes, which once performed invaluable services for his father's firm, Hodson & Co (Machinery) Ltd.
TEREX COMPACT Gary Boyd-Hope pays a visit to TEREX Compact's design and assembly plant in Coventry where backhoe loaders, site dumpers and vibratory rollers are built.
'GREEN IRON' IN NORTHERN IRELAND Gary Connolly talks to the McKibben brothers of Cullybackey, Northern Ireland, who have restored a 1967 TEREX 82-30 dozer, complete with ripper.
SED LATEST Gary-Boyd-Hope provides the latest news from the SED camp, taking a look at what the big names had on offer and also what visitors to Rockingham could see.
NEWS EXTRA: CHEFFINS SALE - APRIL 22, 2006 CP&M publisher, Peter Love, reports from the recent Cheffins machinery sale where, amongst other items, a JCB 1 'Gravedigger' sold for a record price.
WELDON PLANT LTD - 25 YEARS OF SUCCESS Corby-based contractors and civil engineers, Weldon Plant Ltd, celebrated 25 years in the business in 2005. Gary Boyd-Hope explains how the company has grown, and went to see some of the firms fleet at work.
ORENSTEIN & KOPPEL UNIVERSAL EXCAVATORS: 1950-1970 Francis Pierre tells the story of O&K's cable excavators built following World War II and looks at how these machines were adapted to compete against the ever-popular hydraulic excavators.
BUYER'S GUIDE Thwaites are synonymous with dumpers, having been etched into the minds of all involved in the construction industry. In this Buyer's Guide, Julian Cooksley considers the 7-tonne Alldrive.
EURO AUCTIONS EXPANDS! Peter Squires visited Euro Auctions (UK) Ltd at Kellington and chatted with Trevor Keys about the company's humble beginnings and rapid expansion into one of the UK's leading plant sales units.
FOR THE LOVE OF A LOADER: PART 2 In the second part of the story of Nico Ensink's Caterpillar 922A restoration, Gary Boyd-Hope describes how Nico completed the long process of putting his prize machine back together.
THE CABLE EXCAVATORS OF RUSTON-BUCYRUS: PART 4 Arthur V Smith continues his history of Ruston-Bucyrus excavators with a look at some of the firm's medium-sized machines including the long-lived 54-RB.
A GRIPPING YARN - THE AGRIP STORY: PART 2 Nick Baldwin concludes his profile of plant manufacturer, Agrip, with a look at the company's activities during the 1990s, especially in the field of forestry equipment.
CONSTRUCTION MODELS EXTRA To complete the story of Euclid models started in the April 2006 issue, Bruce Rolston devotes this article to the models of their most famous machine, the TC-12.
VIVE LA VICKERS Gary Boyd-Hope looks at selection of the surviving Vickers VR.180s and Vigors in the UK, and also sheds light on some of those still working overseas in Canada, Australia and Sweden.
FINE ART & HEAVY MACHINES It may seem hard to believe that fine art and construction machinery have anything in common yet, as Francis Pierre explains, the latter relied on art for many years before the arrival of the colour camera.
BACK IN BLUE Willie and Stephen Robson have featured in the pages of Classic Plant & Machinery before with their collection of beautifully restored Caterpillar crawlers. Now it is the turn of their immaculate Rolls Royce-powered Vickers VR.180 to take centre stage.
MINING WITH MARION Recent correspondence in the CP&M Letters pages has seen much talk of the giant excavators and draglines used in the Northamptonshire ironstone quarries. Here John Leeson provides us with details of one of these machines, a 1961 Marion 5323.
BUYER'S GUIDE Julian Cooksley looks at how Liebherr, one of the most respected names in the construction industry, goes about assessing used equipment like the R954B Litronic excavator and also the standard it sets.
THE CABLE EXCAVATORS OF RUSTON-BUCYRUS: PART 5 Our excavator authority, Arthur V Smith, continues his popular history of Ruston-Bucyrus machines by looking at two very different cable excavators - the 22-RB and the 110-RB.
VICKERS & PARTS Gary Boyd-Hope provides a history of the Vickers VR.180 and Vigor crawler tractors, looking at the development process and asking if they were a good machine or not.
KRUPP - GERMANY'S TWO-STROKE CHAMPION The German firm of Krupp built, during its long and varied career, a wide range of tippers, loading shovels excavators and cranes as Nick Baldwin explains.
TRACK-MARSHALL AND THE CRAWFORD COLLECTION Whilst not as popular as Caterpillars, Track-Marshall crawlers were very popular machines. Many were sold through dealer, Robert H Crawford & Son of Frithville, where Gary Boyd-Hope headed to find out more.
DUTCH DELIGHTS! Following on from Tony Steenmeyer's 'Greatest Show IN Earth' feature, Derek Rayner also takes a look at the Machinery Operators school at Harderwijk, the Netherlands, and in particular it's fascinating road making museum.
CORTON CRAWLERS Joseph Lewis paid a visit to see Richard and Robin Witt at their farm near Warminster, Wiltshire, where he learnt more about the Witts' impressive collection of crawler tractors.
CONSTRUCTION MODELS SPECIAL Gary Boyd-Hope report from Tracks-Trucks-Tractors 2006- the best plant model show seen in the UK for many a long year; an event which even surpassed last year's outstanding show.
BUYER'S GUIDE Julian Cooksley takes a look at the Volvo L120E loading shovel and, with the aid of a Volvo inspector, goes over the machine highlighting what a potential buyer should look for.
THE GREATEST SHOW IN EARTH Tony Steenmeyer reports from the Machinery Operators' School Working Day at Harderwijk, the Netherlands, on June 3 where a great selection of classic plant was being worked.
PUSHING THE BOAT OUT Whilst crawler tractors may have had their day in the construction industry, there is still a huge call for these old machines amongst coastal fishing communities, as Les Freathy discovered.
THE CABLE EXCAVATORS OF RUSTON-BUCYRUS: PART 6 Arthur V Smith concludes his study of Lincoln-built excavators with a look at some of Ruston-Bucyrus's later machines including the 30-RB and 71-RB.
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THE MIGHTIEST MAUDSLAY Often regarded as some of Coventry's finest exports, Maudslay dumptrucks and tippers have secured their place in history. Here Nick Baldwin examines the history of the company.
BUYER'S GUIDE Julian Cooksley gives us the low-down on the TEREX 860 Elite backhoe loader. This machine is proving very popular with the contractors, so can it challenge JCB?
ALLIS-CHALMERS GRADERS: PART 1 Graders are not Allis-Chalmers' most well-known machines, especially on this side of the Atlantic. However, models like the DD were a great success, whereas the earlier AD30s and AD40s were a modeller's delight, as Francis Pierre explains.
THE WALKING DRAGLINES OF RANSOMES & RAPIER: PART 2 Arthur V Smith continues his new series charting the development of Ransomes & Rapier walking draglines, this month looking at the W1400 and the famous wandering 'Sundew'.
JC BALLS & SONS Throughout 40 years in the plant hire and contracting game, the Ambergate-based firm of JC Balls & Sons have stayed loyal to the JCB brand. Gary Boyd-Hope went to see their new fleet, as well as their growing collection of classics.
THE SILVER SPADE: TO LIVE OR DIE? How do you try to preserve the world's last operating super stripping shovel that weighs 7,200 tons, is approximately 200ft high fitted with a 122ft dipper handle? Peter Love went to see what it was all about.
ANDREW BEAULAH'S WORKING DAY Now firmly established as the summer gathering for working plant, visitors were treated to the usual mix of scraping and bulldozing, ploughing and cultivating on a perfect July Sunday. Paul Tofield was there.
ALMERE VINTAGE FESTIVAL 2006 Every year during the long weekend of Ascension Day there is the big steam festival at Almere in the Netherlands. This year's event was at the end of May and marked the 20th anniversary of the show so Tony Steenmeyer went along.
RESTORE A JCB MK 1 - NO PROBLEM! In a follow-up to his feature on JC Balls & Sons of Ambergate, Derbyshire, Gary Boyd-Hope takes a close look at one of the vintage machines owned by Kevin Balls - the JCB Mk I which has recently seen its restoration completed.
THE CHAMPION GRADER HISTORY The motor graders currently engineered and marketed by Volvo are derived from Champion Road Machinery Ltd. Champion was one of the oldest all-Canadian construction equipment manufacturers, and Keith Haddock tells us more.
LITTLE & LARGE: MIKE SELLEY'S EXCAVATORS Quite a few people out there own a fully restored Ruston-Bucyrus 10-RB, but how many also own a large scale replica of the full-size machine? Mike Selley is one and Arthur V Smith went to meet him.
DORSET PLANT 2006: FORDSON LEADS THE WAY Joseph Lewis and Ford & Fordson Association secretary Rob Rushen-Smith give you an idea of what you missed at the 2006 Dorset Steam Fair, where the largest ever collection of industrial Fordsons gathered together.
CONSTRUCTION MODELS The long-awaited 1:50 scale Bucyrus 495HR/HF models from TWH Collectibles have finally hit the British model collectors market and are selling like hot cakes. Gary Boyd-Hope went to see what all the fuss was about.
APF INTERNATIONAL FOREST MACHINERY SHOW 2006 Paul Tofield reports on his two days spent at the APF International Forest Machinery Exhibition at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, organised by Ian Millward.
THE WALKING DRAGLINES OF RANSOMES & RAPIER: PART 3 In the penultimate part of this series, Arthur V Smith examines some of the later walking draglines that came from Ransomes & Rapier including the W1350 designed specifically for cold climates and the huge W3000.
ALLIS-CHALMERS GRADERS: PART 2 Francis Pierre concludes his review of the rare and unusual Allis-Chalmers motor graders, and looks at some of the later machines produced in the 1970s including the DD range of light/medium units.
HCEA CONVENTION 2006 In this, its 21st year, the Historical Construction Equipment Association's Annual Convention was held at the Association's headquarters in Bowling Green, Ohio, over September 15-17. Keith Haddock was there.
MASSEY FERGUSON REFUSE COMPACTORS John Farnworth reviews the now very rare Massey Ferguson compactors produced in the 1970s. These machines were rarely seen even in their day because they were highly specialised and used only on refuse tips, and just three models were made.
RUTLAND'S LEGACY A railway museum is not the first place you'd think of for finding old plant, yet that's exactly what Gary Boyd-Hope discovered during a recent visit to the Rutland Railway Museum at Cottesmore.
KING OF THE CABERS Gary Boyd-Hope travelled to Northamptonshire to meet Joe and Ben Freer and talk about the restoration of the Fordson-based Auto-Mower Auto-Line pole erector which debuted at SED this year.
SOMETHING TO BRAGG ABOUT! Arthur V Smith takes a look at the work of one of the volunteers, Richard Bragg, who has been instrumental in helping keep many of the Threkeld-based machines in operation.
THE WALKING DRAGLINES OF RANSOMES & RAPIER: PART 4 In the final part of this series, Arthur V Smith looks at the final designs of walking dragline produced by Ransomes & Rapier and looks at what became of some of the UK-based examples.
BUYER'S GUIDE Julian Cooksley headed to Finning UK at Cannock to find out why the CAT 301.5C compact excavator is proving to be so popular.
DELVING, DIGGING AND DUMPING This month looking at cranes and Kraz machines in the Ukraine. There's even a Hymac or two as well.
A MASSEY MASTERPIECE Gary Boyd-Hope travelled to Surrey to chat with Ted Goldup about the restoration of his Massey Ferguson 203X backhoe loader. From a farmyard wreck to a good workhorse, Ted's restoration is something to be proud of.
MAKE MINE A THWAITES! For the past 34 years, R&D McBain has turned to Thwaites of Cubbington, Warwickshire, for the supply of their dumpers, with purchases being made nearly every year. Paul Tofield went to find out why they have remained loyal to Thwaites.
LETOURNEAU FRONT LOADERS: PART 1 Francis Pierre's new series examines the work of RG LeTourneau and his contribution to the loading shovel market. In this part we look at his first venture into shovel design and the production of the L700.
RAPIER STRIPPING SHOVELS: A MIDLAND FOCUS Following on from CP&M's recent series on Ransomes & Rapier walking draglines, Keith Haddock brings us a study of R&R's stripping shovels, many of which found work in the Midlands.
CLASSIC CRAWLERS UNCORKED Paul Tofield reports from the recent National Tractor Show in Peterborough, organised by Kelsey Publishing Group and supported by CP&M, where a fine selection of classic crawlers was to be seen.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT! Tony Steenmeyer describes the discovery of two 30-year-old, but brand new and unused, draglines hidden under piles of scrap when he visited the old Atelfond factory in Turnhout, Belgium.
BUYER'S GUIDE Julian Cooksley takes a detailed look at the JCB 456ZX loading shovel and explains why these machines make a good buy on the used equipment market.
DELVING, DIGGING & DUMPING Nick Baldwin looks through his photographic collection once again to unearth some real gems, along with some images of weird and unusual dumptrucks.
ALL IN A DAYS WORK CP&M publisher Peter Love is always on the lookout for rare and interesting plant wherever he might be in the UK, Europe, Africa or as in this case the USA. Here is just a small selection of what he came across in one day in the States.
BUILDING FOR BP! The Dalmeny Tank Farm was built for BP Petroleum Development Ltd to receive crude oil from its North Sea Forties Field. Keith Haddock was involved with its construction, and here looks back on the machines and processes used.
JOHN BURBIDGE: THE LIFE & TIMES OF A PLANT FITTER Gary Boyd-Hope paid a visit to see John Burbidge at his Leicestershire home to talk about his working life as a plant fitter and to look at his ever-growing collection of vintage Caterpillar crawlers and other machinery.
COMMITTED TO EUCLID 28487 The Euclid TC-12 crawler has attained a kind of mythical status over the years, but the machines are scarce and finding one for sale is rare. So imagine Raymond Shearing's glee when he found one - submerged in over 50 feet of water. Sally Yearbury tells us more.
BUYER'S GUIDE Tracked carriers are becoming increasingly popular across a wide range of industries, so Julian Cooksley looks at why this is so and talks to Essex-based company, Cautrac, which leads the field in this product category.
CLASSICS WITH CAMPBELL! Ian Campbell's career began in agriculture before branching into earth moving and plant hire some 35 years ago. Paul Tofield recently visited Ian's yard to see some of the old and new equipment in use.
LETOURNEAU FRONT LOADERS: PART 2 This second part of Francis Pierre's new series continues his history of LeTourneau loading shovels with a look at the loaders built after the death of RG LeTourneau, including the L600, L800 and L1200.
SAVING A WALKING DRAGLINE Arthur V Smith reports on the saving and restoration progress of a Ruston Bucyrus 3W walking dragline, serial number 19461, which was built in 1955. Now owned by Richard Keeble, rebuilding is currently underway in Suffolk.
WISCONSIN HERE WE COME! Following on from his 'All in a Day's Work' article in February's Classic Plant & Machinery, Peter Love continues his USA travels, this time going back to 2005 and the Tractor & Machinery Holiday Club trip to Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois.
CAT HIGH-DRIVE TRACTORS Caterpillar caused a stir in the plant industry with the introduction of its D10 tractor in 1977. The D10's elevated sprocket drive system was a major technical breakthrough, as Keith Haddock explains.
A DAY WITH A 10-RB Les Freathy looks back at a thoroughly enjoyable day he spent in the company of a Ruston-Bucyrus 10-RB dating from the early 1950s.
BUYER'S GUIDE Julian Cooksley checks out what's hot and what's not about the CAT D6R III crawler in his latest used machinery buyer's guide.
JIM SEARLE Gary Boyd-Hope travelled to Horsham in Sussex to chat to Jim Searle about his career in earthmoving and to look at his classic plant collection, including three very rare Euclid motor scrapers.
LETOURNEAU FRONT LOADERS: PART 3 In this final part of Francis Pierre's history of LeTourneau loading shovels, we look at the machines built during the 1990s including the L1400, L1800 and the mighty L2350.
RANSOMES & RAPIER EXCAVATORS: PART 1 Having covered the NCK-Rapier excavators and the walking draglines of Ransomes & Rapier, Arthur V Smith now look at the other excavators of R&R.
REBUILDING A CAT D8 Bob Davis at SE Davis & Son is currently having one of his D8 8R crawlers rebuilt by a small but dedicated team. Gary Boyd-Hope went to see how the project is progressing.
LAST OF THE BRAYS John Dunford of Honey Street Saw Mill in Wiltshire has a wealth of experience in the timber industry, and still uses one of the last forestry specification Bray loading shovels. Joseph Lewis went along to find out more.
DELVING, DIGGING AND DUMPING Once again Nick Baldwin looks through his archive to uncover images of rare and interesting plant in France and Spain, and also a selection of machinery from the UK as well
MASSEY FERGUSON 360 degree EXCAVATORS John Farnworth take a look at a group of lesser known MF industrial and construction equipment - the 360 degree excavators. Essentially machines of the 1970s, they are now well placed in obscurity with few examples remaining and little surviving history of them.
WISCONSIN HERE WE COME: PART 2 Classic Plant & Machinery publisher, Peter Love, concludes his roundup of his 2005 USA travels around Wisconsin and Illinois. This month Peter tells of his visit to FABCO where a whole array of classic CATs could be seen.
ROAD BUILDING IN FOCUS Nick Baldwin takes an illustrated look at the art of road building, the procedures of which have changed dramatically over the years, although the tools used are in essence the same as they have been for generations.
ONE MAN & HIS CAMERA: PART 4 Les Freathy returns with another selection of photographs of classic plant taken in and around his native Kent. From dumptrucks to cranes, there's a surprising amount of kit lying around if you know where to look.
BUYER'S GUIDE Terex Compact of Coventry produces a variety of dumpers to suit most applications, thus ensuring that the old Benford quality lives on. Julian Cooksley takes a look at what makes these machines so popular.
JE BUCHAN & SON Based at Muir of Ord in Scotland, Ron Buchan's family plant business is going strong, so Ron can dedicate his time to restoring some of his older machines. Here he talks to Gary Boyd-Hope about his collection and the restoration of his CAT D4.
THE EXCAVATORS OF RANSOMES & RAPIER: PART 2 As his latest history of Ransomes & Rapier earthmovers continues, Arthur V Smith turns his attention to excavators including the 480, 490, 420 and 421 types.
FODEN DUMPTRUCKS: A PROFILE With the last Foden lorry having recently rolled off the production line, it is hard to imagine the complex range of vehicles that the company was marketing between the 1950s and 1970s. Peter J Davies tells us more.
BIG CATS IN SOUTH AFRICA The Tractor & Machinery Holiday Club recently visited South Africa on a 15 day trip which packed in a huge amount and covered a great distance. David Caley was there, and here tells us what he saw.
DOUGLAS SPECIALIST VEHICLES With their Douglas Fir-shaped badges and AEC Matador looks, the big 4x4 timber tractors built by FL Douglas of Cheltenham provided a springboard for the firm to develop a whole range of specialised vehicles, as Nick Baldwin explains.
EUCLID MOTOR SCRAPERS: PART 1 Lauded by many and loathed by a few, Euclid motor scrapers have nevertheless played a part in many of the giant earthmoving contracts that have shaped the world. Keith Haddock takes a closer look at these 'Green Lizards' and their origins and development.
KEITHS LEGACY: LANEHEAD TO LAKELAND One of the most exciting developments at the Vintage Excavator Trust's Threkeld Quarry in recent times has been the arrival of the Ruston-Bucyrus 110-RB mining shovel. Peter N Grimshaw looks at the shovel's working life and acquisition by the VET.
BUYER'S GUIDE Volvo tracked excavators have become a well-established part of the industry in the UK, earning themselves an enviable reputation from a growing customer base. Julian Cooksley has been finding out more about them.
THE EXCAVATORS OF RANSOMES & RAPIER: PART 3 Continuing his history of Ransomes & Rapier earthmovers, Arthur V Smith now looks at some of the excavators built by R&R during its heyday when production was in full swing.
ANDREW BEAULAH'S SPRING SHOW Paul Tofield joined the large number of enthusiasts that marked the last Sunday in February with a trip to Andrew Beaulah's excellent annual spring get together at Meaux, Humberside.
NORTH INGS FARM Gary Boyd-Hope travelled to Dorrington in Lincolnshire to chat to Tim Hall about his life as a plant operator, and to see his collection of vintage plant and earthmoving equipment.
OLIVER UNTWISTED Gary Body-Hope pays a return visit to see Mike Eacock of Worcestershire, who has recently completed the restoration of his rare Oliver OC-46 crawler dozer. Once again the restoration is superb, and here Mike explains how he did it.
EUCLID MOTOR SCRAPERS: PART 2 In the concluding part of his history of the Euclid scraper, Keith Haddock brings the story up to date with a look at the scrapers built at Motherwell following Euclid's re-emergence under the Terex banner.
CONSTRUCTION MODELS Visitors to UK Coal at Stobswood may well have seen the superb model of the 'Ace of Spades', the biggest walking dragline in Europe. Arthur V Smith found out more about the man who built the model, David Wooton.
LANEHEAD TO LAKELAND: PART 2 Arthur V Smith picks up the story of the Vintage Excavator Trust's Ruston-Bucyrus 110-RB begun by Peter Grimshaw last month, this time looking at the machine's move to Threkeld and subsequent restoration.
CONSTRUCTION PLANT SHOW 2007 Gary Boyd-Hope travelled to the Republic of Ireland to visit the Construction Plant Show, Ireland's answer to SED, to see just what this underrated show has to offer.
SED 2007: A PREVIEW Gary Boyd-Hope checks out what we can expect to see at SED 2007, which is now less than a month away. With a strong presence from JCB and Volvo, this could be one of the best SEDs yet.
THE EXCAVATORS OF RANSOMES & RAPIER: PART 4 Arthur V Smith's history of Ransomes & Rapier earthmovers takes a step closer to the present with a look at the 42, 450 and 5360 types produced by R&R in the 1930s.
CUMMINS POWER FOR PLANT One of the most famous names associated with construction machinery engines is that of Cummins. The company provided the power units for some of the most well-known and successful earthmovers ever built, as Nick Baldwin explains.
BAUMA'S BEST! PART 1 Gary Boyd-Hope reports from this year's Bauma construction exhibition in Munich, Germany, where over 3,000 exhibotors vied for custom while the big names showed off their wares. This time Hyundai and Caterpillar are in the spotlight.
300 OR BUST! THE JCB DIESELMAX STORY Can the engines that power a JCB 3CX backhoe over be made to reach speeds in excees of 300mph? Gary Boyd-Hope certainly didn't think so, but last year he was proved wrong as JCB DIESELMAX became the world's fastest diesel at 350mph.
PARKINSON THE PIONEER Peter B Grimshaw brings us the story of Sir Lindsay Parkinson & Co Ltd, the well-known contractor that significantly contirbuted to the creation of a new UK industry - opencast coal mining.
THE HOLLAND LOADERS STORY: PART 3 In the final part of this series, Francis Pierre concludes his overview of the machines built and sold by Mike Holland, this month looking at the dumptrucks and other plant miscellanea built by the company.
THE EXCAVATORS OF RANSOMES & RAPIER: PART 5 Arthur V Smith's history of Ransomes & Rapier earthmovers continues, this month focusing on one of R&R's smaller machines, the 410 universal excavator.
BUYER'S GUIDE The Neuson range of compact tracked and wheel excavators has gained a reputation for trail-blazing technology and a high level of build quality. Julian Cooksley finds out more.
MOTOR RAIL DUMPERS The classic tractor-based site dumper from the 1930s to the 1960s was the Muir-Hill, but it had rivals, of which perhaps the best known was the Motor Rail. Nick Baldwin explains.
EUCLID SIX WHEELERS The recent article about the three Euclid 15TDT-22SH scrapers owned by Jim Searle struck a chord with John CH Leeson, who explans a bit more about these interesting machines.
A CLASSIC SED! SED this year had a lot to live up to after the first show at the new Rockingham site last year. Gary Boyd-Hope went along to see if lessons had been learnt and to report on what the Lighthouse Club had to offer this year.
MF AT KNOWSLEY Although only open for ten years, Massey Ferguson's plant at Knowsley, near Liverpool, still played a key role in MF's manufacturing with the MF 11 wheel loader. John Farnworth explains more about this often overlooked factory.
DIGGING FOR 'KNOTS' Those enthusiasts with an interest in old excavators will be aware of the Ransomes & Rapier W150 walking dragline at Stewartby Brickworks in Bedfordshire. Arthur V Smith went along to see the machine face-to-face.
PARKINSON THE PIONEER: PART 2 Peter N Grimshaw concludes his story of Sir Lindsay Parkinson & Co Ltd, father of the opencast coal mine, with a look at a selection of the mahines the company employed in the industry.
CORNISH POCLAIN REVISITED Nick Drew reports from deepest Cornwall where he discovered a rare UK survivor, a Poclain TY45, slumbering in a shed. Here Nick tells us more of the machine and what its future may hold.
THE MAKING OF MUIR-HILL For some 50 years the combination of Muir and Hill was amongst the best known names in plant and machinery. Nick Baldwin delves into the history of this versatile company.
THE D6C - A CATERPILLAR CLASSIC Paul Tofield provides an insight into the attraction of Catterpillar ownership and takes a look at two D6 types that have wowed the sectators at recent working events.
BAUMA'S BEST: PART 2 Gary Boyd-Hope continues his review of Bauma-Munich 2007 by checking out what Britain's own JCB, and Europe's Liebherr, launched and exhibited at the show.
DIRTY DIGGING! After weeks of unsettled weather, Tom Atherton's working day went ahead as planned on Saturday July 7. Paul Tofield reports on the new machines debuting at Tom's event, which was possibly the best yet.
SHALL WE DANCE! CB's Dancing Diggers have been wowing crowds for almost 40 years now, but how did they come into being in the first place. Gary Boyd-Hope found out more about the display team's history.
THE SCRAPERS OF INTERNATIONAL-HARVESTER: PART 1 Francis Pierre begins a new three-part pictorial study of International-Harvester's scraper production with a look at the work of its forerunner, Heil.
PLEASURE & PAIN: RESTORING A D8H Barry Pooley and Andrew Mace talked to Gary Boyd-Hope about the pleasure of restoring their 1962 Caterpillar D8H 68A from a burnt-out wreck to a gleaming workhorse, and the pain of now having to let the machine go.
BUYER'S GUIDE This month Julian Cooksley goes back a few years and checks out a 1980s Komatsu D53S dozer, explaining whether or not such a machine makes a good buy.
BAUMA'S BEST: PART 3 Gary Boyd-Hope continues his review of Bauma 2007 with a look at the machines of Komatsu and Case.
VET MAY WORKING WEEKEND Arthur V Smith reports from the Vintage Excavator trust's May Working Weekend over Ma 19/20, where some new faces were to be seen amongst the familiar array of machinery.
BEHEMOTH STANDS PROUD Whilst in the USA recently, Peter Love took his tour party of 28 to pay their respects at the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pensylvania. Guarding the site was a Marion 5700 dragline, as Peter explains.
THE MAKING OF MUIR-HILL: PART 2 Nick Baldwin concludes his study of Muir-Hill by examining the firm's association with Winget and the machines it produced in what was becoming a highly competitive market.
THE EXCAVATORS OF RANSOMES & RAPIER: PART 7 In the final part of Arthur V Smith's chronicle of Ransomes & Rapier's earthmovers, Arthur takes a look at the final design produced by R&R under its own auspices, the 437 excavator.
BEASTS AT BIRDINGBURY Held over the weekend of July 14/15, the Birdingbury Country Festival in Warwickshire offered a fine selection of working plant, from Euclid R-15s to Caterpillar loading shovels, as Gary Boyd-Hope discovered.
THE SCRAPERS OF INTERNATIONAL-HARVESTER: PART 2 Francis Pierre continues his study of the scrapers produced by international-Harvester, this month looking at the firm's progression from towed to self-propelled machines.
AIR CONTROL IN EXCAVATORS There was a time when operating a cable excavator required muscle to simply move the control lever, but this changed with the introduction of air control. Arthur V Smith talks to Charles Taylor who was Mr Excavator at Westinghouse Brake & Signal Company Ltd.
THE EXCAVATORS OF RANSOMES & RAPIER PART 8 To round up this series on R&R excavators, Keith Haddock picks up the story and provides a machine summary and adds a few more details to this fascinating history.
ROUGH & TUMBLE: USA STYLE The Rough & Tumble Engineers Historical Association is more than just a steam organisation according to peter Love, who visited its base at Kinzers in Pennsylvania, USA, in June.
HILLHEAD 2007 Gary Boyd-Hope takes a look at what Hillhead 2007, the UK's 'must see' construction and mining show, had to offer and got close to the action on that famous working quarry face.
BUYER'S GUIDE This month Julian Cooksley provides the low-down on the Ford 655C backhoe loader, a number of which have appeared at auction in recent years.
AEC'S BRIDGEHEAD WITH WILLEME: PART 1 Nick Baldwin brings us the tale of AEC's battle for custom in the 1950s, and its extraordinary relationship with the French firm of Willeme.
THE SCRAPERS OF INTERNATIONAL-HARVESTER: PART 3 In the third instalment in this series, Francis Pierre continues his study of the scrapers produced by International-Harvester, looking at the introduction of hydraulics on I-H's Payline range.
THE EXCAVATORS OF SMITH OF RODLEY: PART 1 Arthur V Smith brings us a brand new profile of another of Britain's prolific excavator manufacturers, Smith of Rodley, Leeds. In this first part, Arthur explains how the company became involved in Earthmovers.
SCREENING THE PAST! Gary Boyd-Hope travelled to Northern Ireland to talk to Pat Mallon of Powerscreen about the restoration of a 1966 Ulster Plant Ltd UP PC 100 conveyor.
THE HCEA CONVENTION 2007 This year the Historical Construction Equipment Association's 'Annual Convention & Equipment Exposition' was held in Connecticut, USA. Keith Haddock reports from the show site.
BARPLANT CLASSICS Tony Barnes loves old machinery, both plant and commercials, and comes across some real gems in his business as a plant dealer. Gary Boyd-Hope went to meet him to look at just a few of his classic plant restorations.
A PRIESTMAN KNOWN AS 'TIC-TIC' Arthur V Smith takes a closer look at a Mk II Priestman Cub which was once local to the West Country, and which has now become part of Adrian Patterson's superb Cub collection.
DELVING, DIGGING AND DUMPING Nick Baldwin once again trawls through his classic plant archive, this month bringing us tales from Corgi models to Foden dumptrucks.
BAUMA'S BEST: PART 4 Gary Boyd-Hope rounds up his review of Bauma-Germany 2007 with a look at some of the machines exhibited by Terex and New Holland.
AEC'S BRIDGEHEAD WITH WILLEME: PART 2 Nick Baldwin concludes his description of AEC's relationship with the French firm of Willeme, looking at how AEC helped keep Willeme afloat into the 1970s.
BOOK OF THE YEAR! Every so often a really superb book covering one of the leading plant manufacturers is released, and 'Pay Line International Harvester's Construction Line Division' by Oscar H Will III is no exception. Peter Love looks at the book in more detail.
DORSET DELIGHTS Joseph Lewis reports from yet another successful Great Dorset Steam Fair, where a familiar line-up of Caterpillar crawlers could be seen working alongside a Ruston No 4 excavator, amongst others.
IN THE ARMY NOW: PART 2 In the July issue of CP&M, Les Freathy brought us a selection of the construction machines used by British and American armed forces. Now Les is back with a further look at lean, green army machines.
CRANES STAR AT WELLAND! Peter Love visited the rescheduled Welland Rally over September 21-23 where cranes were the special feature. Here Peter looks a fine selection of entrants, from road to rail-mounted types.
BUYER'S GUIDE Case tracked excavators have become a well-established part of the industry in the UK. Julian Cooksley has been finding out more about a classic model, the 688.
THE EXCAVATORS OF SMITH OF RODLEY: PART 2 Arthur V Smith continues his new profile of Thomas Smith of Rodley, Leeds, by looking at some of the company's more established machines like the 1/4 Yard excavator and the 'Three-Twelve' and 'Four-Fourteen' models.
PORTRAIT OF POWERSCREEN Following on from his article about the restoration of an Ulster Plant UP PC 100 crusher last month, Gary Boyd-Hope provides a potted history of the company responsible for the machine's origin, construction and restoration - Powerscreen.
THE SCRAPERS OF INTERNATIONAL-HARVESTER: PART 4 In the final instalment in this series, Francis Pierre concludes his study of the scrapers produced by International-Harvester, looking at final development of the scraper range - the System 400 models.
KNIGHT OF THE ROAD - KING OF THE QUARRY In 1957 Atkinson adopted the slogan 'Rangeability' to signify that it could build almost any sort of heavy vehicle. Nick Baldwin explains more about this very adaptable company.
A RETURN TO THE LOADER MAN! It has been over four years since Andy Matthews appeared in CP&M with his ever expanding collection of classic plant. Gary Boyd-Hope caught up with Andy to see just what he's added to his collection in that time.
AN IN-BETWEEN MONSTER! Peter Love tests the remarkable and rare Fiat-Allis FD31 425fhp tracklayer, which spent its last working days in agricultural use. This 'end of an era' crawler has been put through an extensive and time consuming rebuild by owner, Robert Howell.
A POTTED HISTORY OF POCLAIN: PART 1 In spite of it's seemingly slow and agonising death, the name of Poclain remains alive for many ex-employees and fans. Now Francis Pierre, author of several books on the company, begins a new series about Poclain especially for CP&M.
IT'S ALL IN THE BROCHURE You can have all of the books in the world on plant, but if you need to know the nitty gritty on a particular machine, the spec sheet of sales brochure is the place to turn, as Gary Boyd-Hope explains.
BUYER'S GUIDE When it comes to wheel loaders Caterpillar is the world market leader. Julian Cooksley looks at the company's background in this sector and examines a six-year-old CAT 996G.
THE EXCAVATORS OF SMITH RODLEY: PART 3 Arthur V Smith continues his new profile of Thomas Smith of Rodley, Leeds, by looking at some of the company's more established machines like the 'Two-Ten and the popular 'Seven'.
THE EXCAVATORS OF RANSOMES & RAPIER: PART 9 Keith Haddock returns with one final look at some of Ransomes & Rapiers most popular and successful machines, bringing to an end one of the most in-depth studies of this manufacturer ever published.
EXCAVATORS AND ME! Arthur V Smith's latest articles on cable excavators have been a feature of Classic Plant & Machinery since the magazine first appeared in 2002, but how did this interest begin in the first place. Here Arthur tells his own story about his life and interests in excavators.
KNIGHT OF THE ROAD - KING OF THE QUARRY: PART 2 Nick Baldwin concludes his profile of Atkinson's 'Rangeability' vehicles, and examines the company's highs and lows, and its relationship with Seddon, right up until its final closure in 2006.
CONSTRUCTION MODELS This month Peter Love reviews some of the latest Komatsu models from Universal Hobbies, as well as some of Norscot's ever-excellent Caterpillar machines. We've also got some Spec-Cast and First Gear models too!
BIGGER & BETTER! Mike Eacock is no stranger to plant restoration projects, and his most recent addition is a JCB 3DII, which is possibly Mike's best, restoration to date. Here he tells Gary Boyd-Hope how he did it.
AN IN-BETWEEN MONSTER! PART 2 Peter Love concludes his feature on Robert 'Bert' Howell's rare Fiat-Allis FD31 425fhp tracklayer, this time looking at how the machine was aquired and put back to work.
STILL PULLING THEIR WEIGHT The Hazleton Shaft Corporation recently refurbished and put back to work several old draglines to uncover valuable coal seams inaccessible for decades beneath an old tip in Pennsylvania. Keith Haddock reports on his visit.
A POTTED HISTORY OF POCLAIN: PART 2 Francis Pierre's Poclain story continues with a look at the company's T-Series excavators which paved the way for the successful TY45. As each new model appeared, the design and technology of the TY45 got ever closer.
BUYER'S GUIDE This month Julian Cooksley turned his attention to the JCB 3CX and looks at what makes buying a used example such a good proposition.
FUN AT THAXTED Arthur V Smith travelled to Fred Knight's farm for his 2007 Working Day, an event much anticipated following a year's absence.
THE EXCAVATORS OF SMITH RODLEY: PART 4 Arthur V Smith's study of Smith excavators continues in this fourth instalment with a look at the years leading up to the start of World War II, and the introduction of machines like the 'Five-Twenty'.
A KENTISH LAD Joseph Lewis talks to Ken Wilson, once the proprietor of KNW; one of the larger plant hire companies in Kent. Ken is now living his dream as the head of the new Bradworthy Transport Museum on the Devon and Cornwall border.
IT'S ALL IN THE BROCHURE: PART 2 Gary Boyd-Hope returns with another selectionof brochures and specification sheets from his collection, looking at how classic brochures differ from today's.
TRUST KAELBLE! The rise of Liebherr, change of direction at Krupp and changes of ownership at Faun has rather overshadowed one of Germany's lesser known makers of construction machinery - Kaelble. Here Nick Baldwin redresses the balance.
HEADING BACK HOME The £15 million giant that is better known as the Ace of Spades is going back to the USA to start a new life working for the North American Coal Corporation.
MF'S DOZERS Massey Ferguson's almost forgotten bulldozers were once the pride of the '70s. John Farnworth reviews the main models, which rarely come up for sale these days.
A POTTER HISTORY OF POCLAIN: PART 3 The L series was the second most successful for Poclain. Francis Pierre takes a look at the LY80, the LY2P and the costly LC80.
SIDE BY SIDE A Caterpillar 977H is put to work alongside a 973C and Paul Tofield reveals which one moved more dirt. Here's a clue: you'll be surprised.
THE EXCAVATORS OF SMITH RODLEY The Super 10 and 12 introduced some cab refinements, which made for an easier working day. Arthur V Smith continues his study of the Smith excavators.
IT'S ALL IN THE BROCHURE Gary Boyd-Hope concludes his brochure trawl that includes a look at the Preistman Mustang 90M, an eight-wheeled materials handler. Plus, he's unearthed two striking Whitlock stories.
THERE WAS A WILD COLONIAL BOOY Outwardly tired, but inwardly raring to go, this pre-war crane is a delight to listen to and a pleasure to operate. Bill Branigan was more than happy to get the chance to talk to the owner of this 1939 Model 75 Linkbelt Speeder crane.
RETRO-IRON ON SHOW France hosts a wonderful working weekend every August that sees owners proudly display rescued and restored plant machinery, most of which was used in the road-making industry. Dave Fawcett spent a weekend experiencing all the show had to offer.
COULLS'S SUMMER ENCOUNTERS Anthony Coulls has been roaming the countryside discovering a wonderful selection of classic plant, some expected, some a complete surprise!
ASTRANOMICAL - A STAR IS BORN Italy's first heavyweight dumper appeared on the scene in 1954. Nick Baldwin charts the growth of an Italian giant
THE CATERPILLAR D8 TRACTOR: PART 1 The journey to the wartime Caterpillar D8. Paul Tofield looks at the biggest Caterpillar tractor of its day, the Caterpillar D8.
A POTTED HISTORY OF POCLAIN: PART 4 In the fourth part of this series, Francis Pierre look at the origins of the TY45, the company's greatest success.
FROM THE ARCHIVES Stuart Gibbard unearths some amazing images from his massive photographic library. This month he focuses on early British bulldozers.
AN INTERNATIONAL STAR! Mike Teanby looks back at the International 3500 loader and the smaller 3400. Both were important additions to International Harvester's offerings in the early 1970s.
THE EXCAVATORS OF SMITH RODLEY: PART 6 Continuing his study of Smith excavators, Arthur Smith looks at the evolution of the Smith 21, a universal excavator adaptable to a crowd-shovel, dragshovel, as a skimmer, a dragline, crane, grabbing crane or piledriver.
DRILLING THE EARTH Take a pair of JCB 708 360 degree tracks, add 120 horsepower from a Ford 6D power unit and over 30 years of experience and you're on the way to building a drilling rig. Peter Squires reports.
AROUND THE WORLD Keith haddock reports on a recent flooding disaster in Queensland, Australia, that caused millions of dollars-worth of damage.
OUT AND ABOUT A classic Terex R35 rear dumper and a Caterpillar 977L tracked loading shovel are just two machines Joseph Lewis has discovered on his recent travels.
LICENCE TO THRILL Driving a classic crane can literally take you all over the world. Paul Larkins speaks to a man who has done everything from plugging dams to selling 250-ton beasts to Columbia.
INCLINE AND DECLINE - THE STORY OF MAX CLINE'S TRUCKS Nick Baldwin looks at the rise and fall of Cline and Isco dump trucks, which carved out a successful 30-year niche in a very specialist area, the Appalachian coalfield.
Sold Out
THE CATERPILLAR D8 TRACTOR - PART 3 The Glasgow-built Caterpillar D8H tractor was truly a machine of its time, Paul Tofield continues his Cat odyssey.
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT - PART 2 Gary Boyd-Hope revisits some of the outstanding machines and sights that he saw during his four years at the helm.
THE EXCAVATORS OF SMITH AND RODLEY - PART 8 In 1968 Smith entered into an agreement with the French Company 'Tractem' to build its hydraulic excavators under licence explains Arthur Smith.
ACE OF SPADES: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL The 'Ace of Spades' - what was the machine actually like up close? Gary Boyd-Hope was lucky enough to be shown around inside.
VOLVO GIANT - PART 1 For 25 years the biggest name in Swedish dumptrucks was not BM-Volvo, as you might imagine, but Kockums of Landskrona. Nick Baldwin explains.
CONEXPO 2008 - LAS VEGAS Keith Haddock reports on some of the more unusual and innovative machines at this famous US show.
THE POCLAIN STORY - PART SIX The H series - a quarry excavator at last!
SUPERMODELS Models truck and construction show 'a great success' reports Peter Love.
AROUND THE WORLD A 3,500 tonne Bucyrus dragline is moved across the desert and a Terex works in South Dakota.
MASSEY FERGUSON - THE EARLY YEARS A delve into the archives showing some of the best of Massey Ferguson.
A MOVING EXPERIENCE Peter Love delves into the fascinating story of Bucyrus - a name synonymous with early American industrial might.
POCLAIN PART 7 Francis Pierre concludes his fascinating research into a great industrial name.
RUSTON AT LOUGH NEAGH Arthur Smith reports on a fleet of Ruston Bucyrus machines still hard at work in Northern Ireland.
AROUND THE WORLD Preservation is steadily growing in the Netherlands; Tony Steenmeyer looks at a recently-restored Dutch NCK 305.
THE ORIGINS OF THE GIANT DUMPTRUCK Nick Baldwin concludes his account of how dumptrucks proved their worth in some of the world's greatest civil engineering projects.
PRECIOUS CARGO Brian O'Sullivan finds himself in challenging territory - Angola's mining industry, where one famous Scandinavian name plays a heavyweight role.
SED 2008 The lighthouse Club stand had a lot to live up to this year. Gary Boyd-Hope went along to see whether they managed it.
JCB NEWS JCB enjoyed its best-ever year in 2007 as sales and global market share rose to all-time highs.
MASSEY FERGUSON - THE EARLY YEARS Concluding our look at rare images from the MF archive.
SUPERMODELS A look at some of the finest replica releases from Conrad
HIGH PRIEST OF PREISTMAN Arthur V Smith looks at a remarkable Priestman excavator, the VC15.
CEMENTING THE FUTURE! Ketton Cement is a big name in the industry. We take a look at its history.
OUT AND ABOUT Martyn Williams takes his IH 125 for a test run - plus, the old Smith of Co. Meath!
AROUND THE WORLD Komatsu in Russia, demolition in Spain and working in Almere.
DRAWING BACK THE IRON CURTAIN Jim Kinnear travels back to the Cold War era, to see some of Mother Russia's engineering monsters!
MODERN HISTORY IN THE MAKING Keith Haddock tells the story of how they built the Derbyshire section of the M1.
ON THE BANKS OF THE MISSISSIPPI Nick Baldwin recalls a youthful experience of the Deep South.
MODERN TECHNOLOGY Futuristic engineering by Volvo is revealed.
KETTON CLASSICS Paul Tofield ignored a downpour, and joined the crowds for a remarkable working weekend.
ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS... :Jim Kinnear continues his research into the world of Soviet military plant.
THRILLING THRELKELD Arthur V Smith on a prowling Priestman panther!
NORTH BY NORTH-WEST Keith Haddock revisits the building of the M6.
FROM THE ARVCHIVES Plant and machinery from yesteryear.
OUT AND ABOUT Norfolk Broads and Lincolnshire drains...
SUPER MODELS A trio of home-built 1:50 scale replicas.
HEAVYWEIGHT DEBUT Our look at new machinery and technology.
AROUND THE WORLD A discovery in Tuscany.
THE JOHN DEERE 350 Portrait of a workhorse.
THINK CATERPILLAR Paul Tofield begins a three-part quest for Caterpillar rubber-tyred tractors.
THE LAST WORKING LIMA IN THE UK Arthur Smith tracks down a great working dragline.
THE BIG LEAGUE Keith Haddock celebrates a champion.
MF ARCHIVES More history from the Massey ferguson stable.
AROUND THE WORLD The Sparky Duroe sale, Iowa, USA, and Big Rakes From Australia.
THE SECRET GARDEN Paul Tofield on Tom Atherton's collection of implements!
RUSSIAN EARTHMOVERS Alfred Meyer reports on the 75th anniversary of the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant.
M-R-S: TWO-WHEEL DRIVE Yet more coverage for a classic American name, courtesey of Francis Pierre.
MADE IN BRITAIN Kim Jackson charts the demise of the Essendine factory.
M-R-S: SCRAPERS J.C.H. Leeson on an all-American scraper.
HCEA - PART I The annual convention of the Historical Construction Equipment Association; Keith Haddock reports from Brownsville, Pennsylvania USA.
THE ROAD TO THE NORTH Keith Haddock remembers the hardworking engineers who took the M1 into Derbyshire.
OUT & ABOUT Peter Love reports form the Great Dorset Steam Fair.
JCB RESTORATION Major technical work for one of the industry's top brand names.
JOURNEY TO RUSSIA - PART 2 Alfred Meyer continues his fascinating account of industrial endeavour behind the Iron Curtain.
ON THE BEAUTIFUL SHORES OF CYPRUS Joseph Lewis discovers a rich array of machinery on the Med's third largest island.
CAT 933G We look at a true heavyweight, Martyn Williams talks about his Cat 933G.
FASTER AND CHEAPER Paul Tofield continues his look at Caterpillar wheeled tractors.
DIGGING DELVING AND DUMPING Nick Baldwin goes back in time.
HE AIN'T HEAVY? Dan Gilkes on the JCB JS290.
HCEA The second part of Keith Haddock's fascinating report from one of America's greatest shows.
THE JCB RESTORATION, PART TWO After much painstaking work, Dave Campbell reveals the fruits of his labours.
OUT AND ABOUT The quiet woods of rural France play host to a monumental late-summer rally.
THEY'RE WISE AT FITZWISE! Peter Squires on the Chesterfield firm that likes to keep machines moving.
FASTER AND CHEAPER Paul Tofield concludes his look at Caterpillar rubber-tyred tractors.
AROUND THE WORLD Peter Love represents us at a grand cavalcade of classic Californian plant!
M-R-S, CONTINUED... Francis Pierre on a four-wheel drive innovation.
ALL ABOARD FOR YORK We look at one of Britain's great shows.
STERLING SERVICE Nick Baldwin on a classic American brand.
THE HUMBLE COMPRESSOR Les Freathy on an overlooked side of plant mechanics.
MODERN HEAVYWEIGHTS A mining monster and a machine that's Dressta kill!
CENTAUR OF ATTENTION Brian O'Sullivan at the cutting edge of new technology.
SERVING THEIR COUNTRY The British Army and Royal Air Force have been major operators of mobile cranes since the mid-1920s. Les Freathy concentrates on some of the machines of the 1950s and 1960s.
TEUTONIC TECHNIK Francis Pierre looks at one of Germany's great dozer manufacturers. Hanomag commenced production in 1919 at the smelting works in Hanover.
PRIESTMAN EXCAVATORS A brand-new series in which Arthur V. Smith delves into the incredible history of a great engineering enterprise.
STERLING SERVICE Nick Baldwin continues his journey into the golden era of a proud American name.
REPORT FROM THRELKELD The Vintage Excavator Trust looks forward a new series of 'Working Weekends'.
IDENTITY & ASSISTANCE Your enquiries answered - plus, industrial history from North of the Border.
AROUND THE WORLD Our regular international updates.
THE JCB SLOT A brief look at the JCB 5C specifications.
KETTON - CEMENTING THE FUTURE Paul Tofield reports on the quarry's famous 'open weekends'.
HEAVYWEIGHT DEBUT Huge advances are made by Japanese giant, Hitachi.
WALKING THE WALK, PART 1 Keith Haddock on how the manufacturers of walking draglines created different systems to ensure the best possible levels of propulsion.
PRIESTMAN - THE FIRST EXCAVATOR, PART 2 Arthur V. Smith traces some important plant history - right back to a sketch on an old envelope.
NEWS FROM MINEXPO A look at the eight manufacturers which supply most of the world with surface mining equipment.
HENDRICKSON HISTORY Nick Baldwin digs deep to uncover the history of a specialist chassis manufacturer.
A PRIESTMAN AND POND LIFE Ben Phillips on a conservation project which required some heavy muscle.
AROUND THE WORLD Francis Pierre reports from the Retromachines extravaganza, 2008.
OUT AND ABOUT Great machines in Derbyshire and the Republic of Ireland.
THE HANOMAG STORY, PART 2 Francis Pierre considers the years 1952-62.
IDENTITY & ASSISTANCE Searching out that rare or long-forgotten name.
JCB PROFILE JCB's smallest and largest current production 3600 excavators dig side by side.
PRIESTMAN - A LITTLE 'ANIMAL MAGIC' - PART THREE! Arthur V. Smith with another slice of classic plant history.
GREG'S OLD WORKING FRIENDS Peter Love visits one company where classic machinery is still an essential part of everyday life.
AROUND THE WORLD Tony Steenmeyer reports from a new show in the Netherlands.
PLANT ON THE WEB We look at classic plant and machinery - in cyberspace!
STRIP-MINING WITH SMITH EXCAVATORS We present a classic advert from the golden age of plant.
MASSIVE MACHINES IN CENTER Lignite is a low grade of coal mined in America. Peter D. Simpson investigates.
A MODEL MACHINE! Arthur Smith is dazzled by a superb model of a Ruston- Bucyrus 1260-W walking dragline.
AUTOCAR - THE MAKING OF VOLVO IN AMERICA PART ONE Nick Baldwin launches a new series
HANOMAG - 1962-1974 PART THREE The third part of Francis Pierre's fascinating story of a great engineering name.
WALKING THE WALK PART TWO Keith Haddock examines how the leading manufacturers of walking draglines developed their own technology for greater power and propulsion.
FROM ROAD TO RAIL - PART ONE Gina Harvey talks to A.P. Webb on its transition from site work to become a leader in road to rail vehicles.
AUTOCAR - THE MAKING OF VOLVO IN AMERICA, PART TWO Nick Baldwin with the second part of his well-researched series.
THE CUB, THE LION AND THE BISON, PART FOUR Arthur V. Smith on Priestman's 'animal magic'.
THE HANOMAG STORY - CONCLUSION Francis Pierre rounds off his classic plant epic.
CLEAR THE DECKS Paul Tofield on how the motorway contractors prepared for their great task.
HE'LL TAKE THE HIGH ROAD! - PART ONE Keith Haddock on motorway building north of the border.
OUT AND ABOUT We take a look at constructing a modern-day bypass.
A.P. WEBB ARCHIVE Machines in action, both in town and country.
UNIQUE SURVIVOR Peter Love tells the story of 1957 Hardy 30cwt crane.
BACKBONE OF THE WAR EFFORT Les Freathy discusses mobile military cranes.
THE LONG ARM OF THE PRIESTMAN A Priestman Mustang 120 MK II is put to work on Suffolk farmland.
AVELING-BARFORD Nick Baldwin starts his look at one of the world's most famous makers of road rollers.
A.P. WEBB PLANT HIRE - FROM ROAD TO RAIL Gina Harvey continues her look at the leading rail maintenance company.
AN EXTRAORDINARY EXCAVATOR Some examples of the Lima 2400 are still going strong as Francis Pierre finds out.
PRIESTMAN - THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PANTHER Arthur V. Smith looks back at the launch of Priestman's Panther.
HANOMAG ARCHIVES Francis Pierre wraps up his Hanomag story with a look at more of the German machines.
DEISEL JOHNNY REMEMBERED Peter Love checks out progress at John Ullman's plant collection.
HE'LL TAKE THE HIGH ROAD Keith Haddock continues of story of building Scotland's motorways.
AROUND THE WORLD Classic plant found in Cyprus and Fuerteventura.
IDENTITY & ASSISTANCE Your questions answered - British-built Moxy.
HANOMAG REVISITED Sam Ashton reveals photographs of Thomas Graveson Ltd's Hanomag tractors.
NUREMBERG 2009 The world's largest toy fair has plenty to offer, as Ian Webb discovers.
DYNAHOE - BIG IS BEAUTIFUL Keith Haddock looks at Dynahoe, one of the mainstays of construction for over 30 years.
FOWLER VFA IS BACK IN BUSINESS A long-term restoration project is well worth the wait, as Peter Love discovers.
VICKERS SERVE DOWSETT IN 1963 A delve into the archives reveals Vickers machines hard at work on the A1.
AVELING-BARFORD Nick Baldwin chronicles the move from steam to diesel and production in the war years.
A RUSTY RETIREMENT Jonathan Whitlam finds crawlers still giving good service on the South Coast.
OUT AND ABOUT A visit to KJ Services and Ffos-y-fran is a great trip for Caterpillar club members.
PRIESTMAN - THE TIGER, CUB AND WOLF Arthur V. Smith continues his look at the famous plant manufacturer.
FOUNDATIONS - PILE IT ON Peter Squires finds out more about the work of piling specialist, All Foundations.
THE BERLIET T25 FAMILY Francis Pierre starts his in-depth look at French truck manufacturer, Berliet.
A REAL ALADDIN'S CAVE Paul Larkins discovers some real treasures at Fenland Tractors.
SIMPLY THE BEST The Spalding Model Truck & Construction Show comes up trumps again.
INDUSTRY NEWS We reveal the latest stories from the construction industry
INTERESTING EXCAVATORS ARRIVE AT THRELKELD Adrian Patterson adds a rare NCH and Mk III Priestman Panther to his collection.
PRIESTMAN - THE OTTER ARRIVES Arthur V. Smith continues the history of Priestman with the launch of the Otter.
OUT AND ABOUT Peter Love joins the Road Roller Association at its AGM weekend.
AROUND THE WORLD David Carlise goes hunting for classic plant in Italy.
M62 MOTORWAY CONSTRUCTION Keith Haddock starts the story of this difficult and spectacular motorway.
FOWLER VFA IS BACK IN BUSINESS Brian Tompsett completes his restoration project, as Peter Love reports.
A.P. WEBB PLANT HIRE LTD - FROM ROAD TO RAIL Gina Harvey talks to specialist rail machine-builder, Rail-Ability.
TEREX - A GOLDEN JUBLIEE Classic Plant & Machinery joins the party as Terex celebrates its 50th anniversary.
LIMAS STILL GOING STRONG Alfred Meyer tracks down a pair of working Limas in France.
OLD STEAM ROAD WORKERS Les Freathy looks at Aveling and Porter road rollers.
AVELING-BARFORD - BIRTH OF THE GIANTS Nick Baldwin looks at the move into dumptruck manufacturing.
SMALL PLANT & MACHINERY Ian Webb looks at developments in the scale model world.
Code No. 006936, $9.50