Old Pond publishing days

The biggest Cat excavator in Britain

Steven Vale's two new DVDs, Britain's Massive Miners parts 1 and 2 (see previous two blogs), focus on surface coal mining in Britain and the dedicated machinery to be found there. However, he couldn't help making a detour to a limestone quarry - Swinden quarry in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

There he found a Caterpillar 5130B hard at work loading the primary crusher and aggregate conveyor.

It's the largest Cat excavator in Britain. Only two are here now, and this is the only one currently working.

There's plenty of footage of the machine in action in Britain's Massive Miners Part 2, soon to be released by Old Pond.

Komatsu WA1200 wheel loader in Norway

Yes, have had a few days in Norway with Steven Vale and the film crew building up stock for future DVDs.

Part of the time we were in the southern province of Rogaland at the Titania ilmenite mine (left).

Ilmenite ore, the darker stone in the picture (right) is a dense, hard rock containing flecks of white.

These flecks are the ilmenite deposit which can be extracted and processed to form titanium dioxide, a highly white fine powder used in the manufacture of paper, paints and plastics. Someone mentioned lipsticks too.

The plant has recently bought the largest mechanical wheel loader in the world, a Komatsu WA1200 (left), of which there are only two in Europe.

We watched it load 40-45 tonnes at a time, filling the the Cat 789Cs close to their capacity of 180 tonnes.

Nearby, waste material was being loaded by a Terex O&K RH 170 (right). The haulers were Cat 789Bs and a couple of elderly Unit Rig MT 3600s, as in this shot.

Finally, down by the primary crusher we found another well-used machine still paying its way, the LeTourneau L-1000 Letroloader (left), a model going back to the early 1980s.

And one other interesting fact about Titania in Sokndal: on 16 August 2008 Katie Melua gave a concert here as part of the local cultural festival. She was at the bottom of the mine, below sea level, watched by an audience of 6,000. One of the concert-goers told us that it was magical, not just the concert but the night-time atmosphere of the place, with coaches lined up along the mine benches.

More Ford tractor filming

(continued from 22 July)

At the start of the second day, Richard Duckett drove his 1970 Ford Force 2000 (left). He was working with a Kidd 40-inch inline Rotaflail and an M-F 17-7 trailer.

The 2000 was equipped with a six-speed gearbox.

Next up was Colin Butland on his 1969 Ford 3000 (right) with a Select-O-Speed gearbox.

The hay tedder is New Holland 245.

The New Holland 717 Precision Chop forage harvester (left) and Massey Ferguson 17-7 silage trailer were coupled to a 1975 Ford Force 7000.

George Langdon's tractor was being handled (gingerly) by Dennis Burston.

Michael Butland's 1981 Ford 4610 (left) was working with a PZ 165 two-drum mower.

Michael had the pleasure of operating the 4610's Ford column 'Rubik's Cube' gear change (right).

The last tractor I saw was Dennis Burston's 1973 Ford Force 4000 (left), the cab and square wings of which have been taken off.

Dennis was operating a New Holland Crop-Chopper 33 forage harvester and the M-F 17-7 trailer seen earlier.

We have more filming to do but anticipate that George French, along with Dennis and Maurice Burston and colleagues, will have a programme ready for 2010.

New Ford tractor filming

In the heart of Somerset, courtesy of Dennis and Maurice Burston, we've begun recording for a DVD on Ford tractors 1965-85. The script will be by George French.

We started (left) with a Ford 5000 from 1965, owned by Steve Brinson and driven by Richard Duckett. It was working with a Wilder Twin-Chop forage harvester and a Massey Ferguson 17-7 trailer.

Next up (right) was a beautifully restored 1966 Ford Major 4000 owned by Ken Hallett. George French used it to work a New Holland 30 flail mower.

Andy Duckett demonstrated Steve Brinson's 1967 Ford 2000 (left), working with a New Holland 401 crimper.

The Ford Force 3000 (right), owned and driven by Richard Duckett was coupled with a Bamford Wuffler hay tedder.

Maurice Burston took the helm of Bernard Tomlinson's 1967 Ford Dexta 3000 (left) and New Holland 445E cutter-bar mower.

Four-wheel-drive was available to driver George French on George Langdon's Ford 5610 (right). The baler was a New Holland Super Hayliner 276 feeding to an SKH bale sledge.

Finally, here's some of the gang (left) lined up at the end of the first of the three days' filming.

Continued on 22 August ...

Massive earthmoving miners in Britain (4)

(continued from 12 July)

Also in Northumberland, we were able to film at Banks Mining, Shotton. Here we were looked after by production manager Kevin Banks, on the right of the picture with the organiser and script-writer of the DVD, Steven Vale.

There was coal to be had at Shotton, once again left behind by earlier deep-mining ventures. The Cat 325D (right) was loading a Volvo A40E.

The mine has two brand-new O&K RH120-E face shovels, the first in Britain to be powered by Cat engines (left).

The 120-Es joined an older 120-C (right). And working on the horizon above the 120-C was something rather special.

Here (left) it is, refuelling - a Terex O&K RH200. The biggest Terex excavator, not only in the UK, but in Europe. At 480 tonnes it is the heaviest hydraulic excavator in Britain.

The RH200 was making short work of loading Cat 785s (right)and 789Cs.

Look carefully above the face shovel (left) and you will see the jets of the dust-suppression unit in full flow. All the mines we visited took dust suppression very seriously indeed.

Steven Vale regards the RH200 as the star of the programme which is currently being edited by Jonathan Theobald. Expect the complete Britain's Massive Miners Parts 1 & 2 to be released by Old Pond this autumn as two DVDs. Details are given in the blog of 9 September.

Massive earthmoving miners in Britain (3)

(Continued from 28 June.) Full details of the DVDs are in the blog of 9 September

In Northumberland we were the guests of UK Coal at the Steadsburn site of the Maidens Hall open-cast coal mine. This (left) is one of a series of pits excavated above the seams of the original deep shaft mines. Water bubbled up from the flooded working beneath.

Here (right) an O&K RH170 face shovel was working. This is the only one, Steve said, in the country.

This (left) mighty face shovel loading a Cat 789 was Maiden Hall's O&K RH200. We were to see a newer version at another Northumbrian site.

The Cat 789 (right) was tipping to a Cat D10R.

There were a couple of O&K RH120-C excavators loading Cat trucks with boulder clay.

I only regret I didn't get to see Chevington Collier at work, a Bucyrus-Erie 1260W walking dragline.

The 3,500 ton machine excavated 43 tons at a time with a 32 cu metre bucket suspended from a 54 metre high boom. When we were at the mine the dragline was waiting shipment to South Africa.

We were grateful to Trevor Meek for looking after us at the mine. In the photograph from the left are are Director Jonathan Theobald, cameraman Roger Wiltshire, Trevor Meek and tripod-carrier Steven Vale.

Continued on 20 July ...

Massive earthmoving miners in Britain (2)

(Continued from 17 June.) Full details of the DVDs are in the blog of 9 September

Our next call was at the Selar OCCS pit belonging to Celtic Energy. Here a Hitachi EX1900-5 was hard at work (left).

The following morning saw us at another Celtic Energy mine - the East Pit site, near Ammanford. This gave Steve the opportunity to point out the advances made by the EX1900-6 (right) on the dash five above. These included the new cab, wrist-control electronic levers, new terminals, new engine, electro-hydraulic folding stairs, new engine radiator design and a bigger fuel tank.

Working nearby was a 300-tonne Komatsu PC3000-1(left).

For our next day's filming Steve got us up to Scotland, to the Broken Cross open-cast coal mine at Douglas Water, Lanarkshire. The operator is Scottish Coal.

The company prides itself on its safety systems with different roads for haul trucks and support vehicles. Everywhere we went we were shown whole-hearted dust-suppression and noise-reduction systems.

Here (right) an O&K RH120-F face shovel was loading Terex TR100 trucks.

Not far away, one of Liebherr's 350-tonners, the 9350 face shovel (left) was also loading the Terex trucks - in just 55 seconds.

That night we drove down to Northumberland for two more days' filming ... continued in the blog of 12 July

Massive earthmoving miners in Britain (1)

After showing us the largest earthmovers in continental Europe, Steven Vale has turned to the British Isles. We have been recording with him film of the largest machines working in our open-cast coal mines. Expect a DVD (or two) from Old Pond in the autumn.

First Wales, and a site above Merthyr Tydfil that is actually a reclamation scheme for an area of noxious waste built up over the past hundred years, at Ffos-y-fran. Beneath the waste cleared by Miller Argent is the coal destined for the power station.

The first thing we saw (left) was the loading of the coal trucks by Cat 966H.

A Demag 185S backhoe (right) was loading a Cat 775E with loose material.

Another backhoe at work (left): Komatsu PC3000 dwarfing a 100-tonne Cat 777F.

The steam coal was being loaded into trucks by Cat 325D (right) to be taken to the central store seen in the first photograph.

In an area dotted with shafts from earlier deep mining a Komatsu PC1250 SP (left) was loading a Cat 77F with overburden.

In the late afternoon we hurried off to another mine. At least, we hurried until the sat nav led us a mile up this blind alley.

Never mind, the dog pointed the way.

(Continued in the blog of 28 June.) Full details of the DVDs are in the blog of 9 September

Demag AC350 crane at work

On 29th April, yacht Gaia is perched outside the Spirit Yachts boatyard in Ipswich Dock. Gaia is 30 metres long, 'Spirit 100' class, a classical beauty constructed of laminar wood.

A different sort of beauty (left): the Terex / Demag AC350 crane arrives at 7 a.m. on 30th April. It has been hired by Quinto from NMT crane hire.

The counterweights are transported by two DAF 105.510 tractors (right) with Broshuis trailers. Each can carry up to 70 tonnes, a 90-tonne gross weight.

The weights are 6 or 10 tonnes each (left). The total for this lift is 122 tonnes.

The crane weighs 100 tonnes and cruises at 50 mph.

The lift was quick and trouble-free in the hands of operator Trevor Hill. That's just about £4 million he has at his fingertips (right), or two years' work for the boatyard. The crane's mast is extended 33 metres.

Even if (like me) you don't know anything about yachts you may remember the boat at Venice in the Daniel Craig Casino Royale. That was from this yard, a 54-foot version.

The crane was extended to its full 56 metres to handle the 40-metre mast (left). If you look at the detail of this photograph you may just make out a Terex / Demag G107 steadying the lower part of the mast.

Someone's enjoying his work: up the mast (right) to free the tie.

This day's work was recorded for Old Pond's  first crane DVD in which Steven Vale will look at the large wheeled cranes. This is a 350; we expect him to find some 1,000s or 1,200s.

If you have really deep pockets and appreciate the best in yacht design check out Spirit Yachts.

Spraying a tractor - more filming done

Old Pond has spent the weekend filming the paint restoration of tractors with Alan Davies in Cheshire. This is the fourth visit we have paid to Alan and just about completes the filming of the programme. We covered a lot of ground, including the use of aerosols (right) to ensure that the hidden surfaces of mountings are covered.

  On previous visits we recorded most of the preparation work and also the sprying of a casting. But, picking up on some basics, Alan gave a full account of how he chooses paints, how he sets up the sprayer and how he mixes the paint (left). This may sound basic but the hints Alan gives will save newcomers a lot of grief.

Undercoating was next on the agenda (right). Although Alan is a professional car body restorer with an industrial paint booth, this time he showed how to use a garage-type set-up which will be familiar to most of us.

  Alan moved on to the finishing of an MF industrial.  Below (right) is what it looked like in 2007 before Alan started work.

After taking the radiator out of the industrial Alan masked up the bonnet.

Using a gravity-fed gun Alan demonstrated the finishing of the bonnet (right).

Another of Alan's useful lessons is how to polish out paintwork contaminated by dust or, as in this case, scratches (left).

Finally - this is what you should be aiming at: one of Alan's completed tractors.

Old Pond expects to be releasing the completed DVD this autumn. There are photographs from last year's filming in the blog 26 February 2008.