Wigan Album
M6 Motorway
5 Comments
Photo: Barrie Old
Item #: 28926
This "train", batching plant and concrete wagons were bought by McAlpines for this contract.
I worked on the Concrete Train for McAlpine in 1975 and I thought that was one of the first times it had been used!! Old technology by that time.
That's a cracking image Barrie, if only for the obsolete vehicles. The L.A.D cabbed octopuses, or should that be octopi ?. I think that's an A30 van on the hard shoulder, then a QL Bedford, not sure about the bus, then there's a Thames Trader. Brilliant! As far as I'm concerned, you can post all 33 pages.
Regards. Ozy.
Sorry, should have said A55 van, not A30. Calm down Garry and get back to your sherry.
It was purchased (delivered) in early 1964 and the first time it started laying the full width carriageway was on 18th June 1964 on the Northbound carriage from Hampson Green heading south. From May to early 1965 I was assigned to the soils lab (McAlpines) for training purposes and worked alongside the train and its associate works. I will upload some of my photos in due course. The truck mixers were 9 cuyards capacity from memory based on the Leyland Octopus chassis.The batching plant was situated where Forton Sevices are now. (Lancaster South)