Old Pond publishing days

Massive Wheeled Loaders Part two DVD by Steven Vale advance information

Massive Wheeled Loaders Part Two: Hitachi • Komatsu • LeTourneau, Steven Vale. DVD approx 75 minutes. ISBN 978-1-908397-39-3. Available now from Old Pond at £16.95 inc VAT.

This is Part Two of a two-DVD set in which Steven Vale shows examples of wheeled loaders working in surface mines and quarries in Europe and the UK. He focuses in particular on the larger, more impressive models.

In this DVD he deals with machines from Hitachi, Komatsu and LeTourneau.

He starts in Norway at the Titania ilmenite mine with a 100-tonne LeTourneau L1000. However, this is dwarfed by the 180-tonne L1400 he tracks down at the Guarain-Ramecroix limestone quarry, Belgium. It is the largest LeTourneau wheeled loader in Europe. Its 40-tonne capability means it can handle around 1,500 tonnes an hour.

In a Carrara marble quarry Steven finds a Hitachi giant, the 46-tonne ZW550. This uses stone forks to move blocks of marble of over 30 tonnes up torturously steep tracks.

There are several Komatsu examples in this DVD, including WA500, 800 and 900. Towering above these is the Komatsu WA1200 at work in the Norwegian ilmenite mine. This 200-tonne brute, currently the world’s largest mechanical loader, comfortably shifts 40-45 tonnes an hour – sometimes more.

The machines in this programme – among the largest produced by each manufacturer – are superb workhorses whose size and power are enthralling.

In the companion programme, Part Two, Steven shows us the largest wheeled loaders from Caterpillar, Liebherr and Volvo. The two wheeled loaders DVDs are numbers 9 and 10 in the Old Pond Massive Machines series.

Steven Vale is a freelance journalist based in Holland. He specialises in writing about machinery in the earthmoving and agricultural sectors. He has prepared nine DVDs and the book Walking with Giants: Europe's Massive Earthmovers.

Massive Wheeled Loaders Part One DVD by Steven Vale advance information

Massive Wheeled Loaders Part One: Caterpillar • Liebherr • Volvo, Steven Vale. DVD approx 75 minutes. ISBN 978-1-908397-17-1. Available now from Old Pond at £16.95 inc VAT.

This is Part One of a two-DVD set in which Steven Vale shows examples of wheeled loaders working in surface mines and quarries in Europe and the UK. He focuses in particular on the larger, more impressive models.

In this DVD he deals with machines from Caterpillar, Liebherr and Volvo.

The stars are probably the 180-tonne Cat 994s loading limestone in the Carrières d’Antoing limestone quarry, Belgium. These are the largest wheeled loaders made by Caterpillar. Their regular loads are 35 tonnes or more. Other Cats included in the programme are 988H, 992G and 993K.

Liebherr’s largest wheeled loader is the L586. Steven shows us one of these working in a spectacularly beautiful white marble quarry at Carrara, Italy. Although the L586 is supposed to be limited to 24 tonnes, it seems capable of handling up to 30.

Volvo’s flagship model is the 50-tonne L350F. Steven shows us a 350 working at Carrara and another one in England at the Melton Ross chalk quarry where it moves up to 2,500 tonnes a day to the crusher.

These machines – the largest produced by each manufacturer – are superb workhorses whose size and power are enthralling.

In the companion programme, Part Two, Steven shows us monsters from Hitachi, Komatsu and LeTourneau, including the 200-tonne Komatsu WA1200. The two wheeled loaders DVDs are numbers 9 and 10 in the Old Pond Massive Machines series.

Steven Vale is a freelance journalist based in Holland. He specialises in writing about machinery in the earthmoving and agricultural sectors. He has prepared nine DVDs and the book Walking with Giants: Europe's Massive Earthmovers.

Know Your Dogs new book by Jack Byard advance information

Know Your Dogs, Jack Byard. Paperback book, 104 x 155 mm (landscape), 96 pages inc. 45 photographs. ISBN 978-1-908397-16-4. Now available from Old Pond at £4.99.

Jack Byard’s book covers 45 breeds of dogs selected from Kennel Club lists of most popular breeds. A quick flip through the pages will reveal many familiar faces that you will have encountered in parks and gardens around the UK.

Know Your Dogs is designed for the novice enthusiast of any age. For each breed the right-hand page is dedicated to a quality picture of the breed, usually sourced by Jack from independent breeders. On the facing page is a concise account of the breed’s history. Jack also draws attention to the nature of the animals, highlighting those that serve not just as family pets but also for herding, hunting, rescue, security work and as therapy companions. Truly, the best friend of man, woman and child.

The breeds included in the book are: Airedale Terrier – Akita – American Cocker Spaniel – Australian Shepherd – Beagle – Bichon Frise – Border Collie – Border Terrier – Boston Terrier – Boxer – Bulldog – Cairn Terrier – Cavalier King Charles – Chihuahua – Chinese Shar-Pei – Dachshund – Dalmatian – Doberman Pinscher – English Springer Spaniel – German Shepherd – German Shorthaired Pointer – Golden Retriever – Great Dane – Irish Setter – Labrador Retriever – Lhasa Apso – Maltese – Mastiff – Miniature Pinscher – Miniature Schnauzer – Newfoundland – Pekingese – Pembroke Welsh Corgi – Pomeranian – Poodle – Pug – Rottweiler – Shetland Sheepdog – Shih Tzu – Siberian Husky – Staffordshire Bull Terrier – Weimaraner – West Highland White Terrier – Whippet – Yorkshire Terrier.

This is Jack Byard’s ninth book in the popular ‘Know Your…’ series. For more titles see here.

Know Your Trains new book by James Race advance information

Know Your Trains, James Race. Paperback, 104 x 155 mm (landscape), 96 pages inc. 44 photographs. ISBN 978-1-908397-13-3. Now available from Old Pond at £4.99.

Know Your Trains shows the wide range of different trains to be found on the railways of Great Britain today. All 44 the trains featured can be found on the national network. James Race has organised the trains alphabetically by manufacturer’s name with class number and type of train also included. The left-hand page describes the history of each machine, while the right-hand side displays a full-page, high-quality photograph.

The trains featured are: Alexander Pacer – Alstom Adelante – Alstom Coradia 1000 – Alstom Juniper – Alstom Pendolino – Alstom Prima – Bombardier Electrostar – Bombardier Turbostar – Bombardier Voyager – BREL 1987 Electric Locomotive – BREL EMU – BREL Express Sprinter – BREL Inner Suburban EMU – BREL InterCity 125 – BREL Networker – BREL Outer Suburban EMU – BREL Sprinter – BREL Wessex Express – British Rail 1961 Diesel Locomotive – Brush 1957 Diesel Locomotive – Brush 1962 Diesel Locomotive – Brush 1989 Diesel Locomotive – Brush 1993 Electric Locomotive – Brush 1997 Rebuilt Locomotive – English Electric 1952 Diesel Shunter – English Electric 1957 Diesel Locomotive – English Electric 1958 Diesel Locomotive – English Electric 1960 Diesel Locomotive – English Electric 1962 Electro-Diesel Locomotive – English Electric Deltic – GEC Alsthom TGV-TMST Eurostar – General Electric InterCity 225 – General Electric PowerHaul – General Motors JT42CWR – Hitachi Javelin – Hunslet Suburban EMU – Leyland Pacer – Leyland Super Sprinter – Met-Cam Ex-Tube Train – Met-Cam Super Sprinter – Parry People Mover PPM60 – Peppercorn A1 – Pressed Steel Suburban – Siemens Desiro.

Felix Thornley Cobbold Agricultural Trust new book advance information

A Farming Legacy 1910–2010 Celebrating the Centenary of the Felix Thornley Cobbold Agricultural Trust, Rosalind Thomas. Paperback book, 246 x 189 mm, 144 pages inc. 32 photographs. ISBN 978-1-908397-14-0. Now available from Old Pond at £19.95.

The Felix Thornley Cobbold Agricultural Trust was established in Suffolk after the death of wealthy philanthropist Felix Cobbold. A Farming Legacy describes how the trust has developed during the course of a remarkable hundred years.

The trust has survived wars, pestilence, economic upheaval and momentous changes in farming practice. It has seen its focus shift from providing smallholdings and allotments to running a demonstration farm. For many years it has been host and benefactor of Otley College which has provided agricultural education – and other courses - on the outskirts of Ipswich. All the while, the trust has not lost sight of its charge: to support local agriculture.

Author Rosalind Thomas supplements the story of the trust with details of the agricultural and social scene in Suffolk. She also touches on wider historical changes which have had an impact on East Anglian farming.

A Farming Legacy includes a preface by FTCAT Chairman Stephen Cobbald, an appendix listing the property donated to the trust by Felix Cobbold in 1910 and a second appendix detailing the chairmen of the trust from 1910 to today.

New Zealand Country Calendar Director's Pick DVD advance information

Country Calendar Director’s Pick, TVNZ. DVD approx 183 minutes. ISBN 978-1-908397-32-4. Now available from Old Pond at £17.95 inc. VAT.

Originally released by TVNZ in 2010.

For over 45 years TVNZ’s Country Calendar has brought the best of New Zealand’s farming and countryside to the screen: over two thousand programmes. In 2010 veteran presenter Frank Torley was asked to select his twelve favourites. This is the result – three hours ranging all over the country from 1974 to the present.

We know New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and this selection contains some wonderful filming. There are plenty of cattle, sheep, dogs and horses on view, as well as items on deer, land management, wine-growing and bee-keeping. But it is the people you will remember, outdoors men and women full of energy and enterprise from the couple producing wine with no experience to the fifteen-year-olds running 3,500 up-country acres.

The episode shown are:
Class 8 Country: restoration of over-grazed land
Deer Capture: 1970s capture of wild stock for farming
Snow Raking: livestock rescue in high-country snowstorm
Sweat, Steam and the Straw-Walloper: steam thrashing and horse-drawn binder
Orange Roughy: follows research into stocks of the fish species
Blind Bee Farmer: Bryce Hooton’s new enterprise after accidental blinding
Twins: fifteen-year-olds with big-station responsibility
Wild Cattle McGarrie: an exciting muster along the coastline and into the sea
Branches Station: an autumn muster of cattle and sheep in high country
Wild Cattle: helicopter round-up
Vines on the Hill: how to succeed in wine-producing with no experience
Dunstan Downs: an artist inspired by hard-country Merino work.

There is a catch-up on each story and, where available, there are captions for the hearing impaired.

Manapouri The World's Toughest Tunnel DVD advance information

Manapouri The Toughest Tunnel, NHNZ and TVNZ. DVD approx 50 minutes. ISBN 978-1-908397-31-7. Now in stock at Old Pond at £14.95 inc. VAT.

Manapouri was originally released in New Zealand in 2002.

New Zealand’s remote Doubtful Sound, in the south-west of the South Island, is a stunning area of tranquil lakes, plunging fjords and dense rainforests fed by 200 inches of rain a year.

In the 1960s a team of more than a thousand men undertook New Zealand’s biggest ever construction project – building a hydroelectric power station to take advantage of the massive water supply in the region.

The men drilled and blasted a six-mile tunnel and cathedral-sized power hall in extreme conditions – with the cost of the lives of sixteen workers. Almost as difficult was the twelve miles of road building needed to link the top of the tunnel with its outlet at sea level.

Thirty years later it was decided that a second tunnel was needed. This time, the main work was to be done by a state-of-the-art tunnel boring machine. But the geology challenged even this equipment. In most places the rock was so hard that cutters had to be replaced every six feet. To make matters worse, there were five earthquake fault bands where the hazards of crumbling rock and constantly falling water brought the machine to a halt and destroyed morale.

In order to link the tunnels more drill-and-blast work was needed and bulkheads were assembled under water. Tension reached fever pitch as the boring machine approached the hand-built tunnel. Would the two join up?

This absorbing programme from Natural History New Zealand covers both stages of tunnelling, with archive footage from the 1960s and new filming from the 1990s. It shows the skills of tunnel engineering and project management at their highest levels.

Massey Ferguson 3000 series tractor DVDs from Tractor Barn advance information

Massey Ferguson’s Thinking Tractors, Stephen Richmond and Jonathan Whitlam (Tractor Barn). Part One - Dawn of the Electronic Revolution, approx 100 minutes, ISBN 978-1-908397-35-5. Part Two - A New Power, approx 90 minutes, ISBN 978-1-908397-36-2. Each programme £16.95. Available now from Old Pond.

Tractor Barn has announced the imminent delivery of the first two DVDs in a 4-part series covering the Massey Ferguson 3000 series from its birth in 1986 to the range’s replacement in 1994. Stephen and Jonathan claim that 1986 ‘is when the modern tractor as we know it today was born … Massey Ferguson became the first tractor manufacturer to truly embrace electronics in agriculture.’ The programmes feature extensive archive footage as well as filming by Tractor Barn themselves.

In Part One - Dawn of the Electronic Revolution they deal with MF’s early electronic controls on the 4000 series of 1979, improved in the early 1980s with the 3500 series. But this was only the beginning as the company was about to take a giant leap forwards with the introduction of the new 3000 series in 1986 which bristled with electronic monitoring and control systems. Using previously unseen archive footage they show how the very first prototypes were tested and developed to produce the world’s first ‘thinking tractors’ and how these were then launched to the farming public alongside the smaller 300 series machines.

In Part Two - A New Power Stephen and Jonathan take the story forward with modifications to the 3000 series followed by the bigger 3600 series. ‘It soon became plain,’ they say, ‘that the new MF 3000 and 3600 series set the benchmark by which all other tractors would be measured.’ In this DVD the Tractor Barn duo include a wealth of  original Massey Ferguson films and also  provide ‘a unique look at one particular 3070 tractor at work on a Suffolk farm during the 1990s taken from our own archives, giving a fascinating case study of the 3070 model itself.’

To follow later this spring are Parts Three and Four. Part Three - Extended Family will cover the introduction of new models including the 3100 series. Part Four - End of an Era will cover the final new models in the 3000 series plus the Dynashift transmission and the replacement of the whole range in 1994.

More programmes by Tractor Barn can be found here.

Volvo F88 & F89 at Work second edition book by Patrick W Dyer advance information

Volvo F88 & F89 at Work Second Edition, Patrick W Dyer. Hardback, 210 x 265 mm, 144 pages including 200 photographs. ISBN 978-1-908397-15-7. Now in stock at Old Pond at £19.95.

Volvo revolutionised heavy truck design in 1964 with the introduction of the L4951 Titan TIPTOP. The new model brought the principle of the tilting cab to Europe and provided the foundations for the F88 of the following year. Safe, comfortable, powerful and reliable: the F88 was everything that the competition was not. ‘Driver appeal’ as a concept was born. Furthermore, it arrived exactly when the rapidly expanding international haulage scene needed it most. The result: Volvo could not fail to make an impact.

The F89, with more power, followed in 1970 and the UK only F88 290 was introduced in 1975. Over a twelve-year production life, Volvo built over 60,000 examples of the F88 and F89.

This second edition of Patrick Dyer's book includes virtually all the photographs that were in the original publication and also contains 50 additional shots, many from the Volvo company archive. This has enabled Patrick to give greater coverage to the G88 and G89 models which were infrequent visitors to the UK. Patrick has heavily revised and developed his text The format of the book is larger than before, in keeping with Patrick's books on Scania, DAF and the Ford Transcontinental.

Massey Ferguson Implements and Machinery Part 1 DVD advance information

Massey Ferguson Farm Implements and Machinery Part 1 1958-70, George French and Dennis Burston. DVD approx 90 minutes. Now in stock and available here from Old Pond at £16.95 inc VAT.

In the period 1958-70 Massey Ferguson developed an outstanding range of implements and machinery that worked as a team with an equally fine succession of tractors. The farmer could be sure to find in the dealerships the mechanical aids that were just right for his circumstances.

In order to achieve this, the company had to have a great diversity of machines available. Dennis Burston and George French indicate the scope by selecting original or authentically restored implements representative of the period and coupling them with appropriate tractors. They are filmed doing the work for which they were designed. The great age of the MF 35, 65 and 100 series as well as the early balers and combines is brought to life again. This is the first in a three-part series.
To be seen on this DVD:
Ferguson TEF and 2-furrow plough
M-H 744 and manure spreader
M-H 726 combine harvester
MF 35X and Ferguson 3-furrow plough
MF 65 and 793 4-furrow plough
MF 35X and 722 disc harrows
MF 35 and 714 flex spring-tine harrows
MF 65 and 728 Superseeder grain and fertiliser drill
MF 35 4-cylinder diesel and 735 loader
MF 35X and 712 dung spreader
MF 35 and 732 cutter-bar mower
MF 35 and 8 baler
MF 65 and 802 baler
MF 65 and 701 baler
MF 735 combine harvester
MF 780 combine harvester
MF 17 trailer
MF 165 and 41 3-furrow plough
MF 165 and 46 2-furrow reversible plough
MF 130 and 722 8ft disc harrows
MF 178 and 49 9ft disc harrows
MF 135 and 736 flexi harrows
MF 178 and 29 grain and fertiliser drill
MF 175 and 86 4-furrow plough
MF178 and 41 4-furrow plough
MF178 and 30 3-furrow reversible plough
MF130 and 37 flexible tine cultivator
MF 1100 and 37 cultivator plus crumbler roller
MF 165 and 32 finger-bar mower
MF 135 and 20 baler
MF 31 combine harvester
MF 400 combine harvester