Vintage Machines Storage Yard, Devon (pic heavy)

[Foxylady]

I've seen this place several times whilst on bus journeys to Exeter. The last time I went past it looked abandoned and there appeared to be several JCB's there, so I noted it for an explore. After several weeks of trying, I finally managed to get out there yesterday morning.
I thought it was going to be a bit special, but didn't realise until I actually got there how special it actually is. I took some photos of the outside as I walked up to it, then noticed someone working in the yard, so I skirted around the back of the loading shed to get a few pics. The owner came around from the other side and saw me, so I went up to him and explained what I was doing and asked permission to take photos. He was really good about it and in conversation later on, told me the history of the yard and a bit about some of the machines there. He's now retired and it's no longer a working yard, but he keeps it as a storage yard for vintage machines and continues to work on them. They weren't JCB's, as I'd thought, but very old tractors, plus trucks, a road roller and a wonderful steam traction engine.

The History
The yard was a sawmill from 1895 and previous to that there were sawpits on the site. The loading shed was put up in the fifties and later became a scrapyard.

And there's more where that came from...

 

[Foxylady]

Lots of wheels...

And a wonderful red tractor in the loading shed.

And more to come...

 

[Foxylady]

Parts of a road roller...and a rather cute wheel.

Next to this is the steam traction engine. It was made in 1911 for Peebles in Morecambe, Lancashire. Currently being worked on.

Just turned around from taking this one when I saw the tractor in the next pic. It looked fantastic with the sun glinting off it and I took a photo of that, then found I'd run out of film and didn't have any more. Very glad I got that one, though. I can feel a new avatar coming on...

Cheers

 

[krela]

Wow I love old machinery like this, it reminds me of the Dramway scrapyard north of Bristol (which has now been cleared). Great stuff

 

[mr_bones]

It looks like something out of Fred Dibnah's back garden - interesting stuff especially as these type of places are few and far between.

 

[lost]

I like the yellow Magirus-Deutz and the older C-registration truck I'm not sure of.

 

[Foxylady]

I like the yellow Magirus-Deutz and the older C-registration truck I'm not sure of.

I wouldn't have a clue, Lost. I only know how to recognise a few bits of farm machinery and that most tractors used are either Massey Ferguson or John Deere, and that's yer lot! Those trucks are great though, aren't they!

 

[Cerberus]

Cool. The red tractor in the shed with the big spikes on the back could well be in use for forestry. The big spikes are lowered into the ground to act as an anchor for a winch to pull big logs out or otherwise winch stuff much heavier than the tractor itself.

 

[Richard Davies]

It looks like something out of Fred Dibnah's back garden - interesting stuff especially as these type of places are few and far between.

A couple of weeks ago Fred Dibnah's family auctioned off a lot of stuff from his back garden.

 

[Foxylady]

Cool. The red tractor in the shed with the big spikes on the back could well be in use for forestry. The big spikes are lowered into the ground to act as an anchor for a winch to pull big logs out or otherwise winch stuff much heavier than the tractor itself.

Ta for the info, Cerberus. I've been googling for farm machinery websites and hadn't seen anything like that (not that I'm obsessive or anything, mind! ).

 

[King Al]

Nice one foxy, great to see something different from time to time, whats in the giant shed pics 8+9

 

[Foxylady]

Nice one foxy, great to see something different from time to time, whats in the giant shed pics 8+9

Just looked through the pics again now that you've asked that Al, and I hadn't realised before that it's not a shed...looks like a container from a lorry or something like that? No idea if there was anything inside.

A couple of websites, if anyone's interested in checking out farm machinery. There's other interesting stuff on them too such as cranes and various industrial machinery.

www.tractordata.co.uk

www.classictractors.co.uk

Cheers

 

[scammell23]

Commer truck

This is an intewresting old truck. It has the same cab as a Karrier Bantem!

 

[Neosea]

Nice going Foxy, that is a cool site. Have you been since?

 

[scammell23]

Fordson Thames E4 GS 4x4 gun tracor truck

This is an interesting old truck. It has the same cab as a Karrier Bantem! Of course its a Fordson Thames E4 GS 4x4 Gun Tractor from the 1950's
I'd love to drive the kids to school in that beast!

 

[Foxylady]

Hiya Scammel
Thanks for the info about that...I know virtually next to nothing about vehicles, but I do love these old trucks, etc.

Wow I love old machinery like this, it reminds me of the Dramway scrapyard north of Bristol (which has now been cleared). Great stuff

D'you know, I thought about Dramway myself, Krela. A shame it's all gone now. Are there still photos of it on DP or did they go when the gallery went?

Nice going Foxy, that is a cool site. Have you been since?

Weirdly enough, I was thinking about it recently. I haven't but I'd love to go and visit the old guy again and see what he's working on now, but it would mean a special bus trip out there so I've kept putting it off.

 

[spacepunk]

Pics 8 & 9..love the number plate GTA (Grand Theft Auto)
I could spend all day in there FL, looks amazing.

 

[Foxylady]

I could spend all day in there FL, looks amazing.

Yes, I could've stayed for a lot longer as there were so many interesting things to rummage through, but I didn't want to outstay my welcome. I'll have to look in again when I've cleared my current list of explores.

 

[ricasso]

Cool. The red tractor in the shed with the big spikes on the back could well be in use for forestry. The big spikes are lowered into the ground to act as an anchor for a winch to pull big logs out or otherwise winch stuff much heavier than the tractor itself.

I agree, we use a similar winch and ground anchor [ but on a john deere ] to pull over big stuff when we're
felling, absolutely phenomenal power in those old winch's

 

[smiffy]

yard stuff.....

Thats a great yard Foxy .....having had a look at the photos there is some really interesting old stuff in there , here's what I've managed to sort of identify...
The first crane is a Coles either an Argus or Anieus model (all their cranes of that era were named after Greek gods and/or mythological figures) 6 /8 tonne lift capacity .
They were diesel / electric in that the diesel engine ran a DC generator to operate all the lift/slew/hoist motors etc...(How do I know? Cos I owned a couple of them a long time ago when I was in the demolition game)
The little JCB sort of excavator immediatley behind the first crane is a 'Whitlock' which was an early competitor of JCB they were usually based on either a Ford or Massey Ferguson agricultural tractor and were also a very good 'budget' machine and ( !!!! ) a Whitlock was the first ever excavator I was allowed to drive by my Dad.... I was 4 years old (yes 4 honest !) and I still have the old cini film of me (filmed by my Grandad) digging out a septic tank at the house my Dad was building .
In the far corner of the yard is another Coles Crane , same sorta model as the first...These cranes were very popular throughout the 60s & 70s (along with their biggest competitors 'Jones Cranes') with engineering yards and factories ....also British Rail owned a lot that were often rigged on rail wheels and one of mine was an ex National Coal Board crane.......
Oh yeah (edit) The loading shovel is (I think...) a Chayside or possibly a Muirhill.........Not ot sure but summat like that of 60s/70s era anyways....
On another noter...(slight hijack sorry Foxy) there was an incredible yard like this just outside of Coventry owned by a Marceau Demoulder...... he was a great fella to deal with and would let anyone wander his yard looking for stuff to buy...Over the years i bought a lot of kit from him but haven't been there now for well over10 years ...Is he still alive ???? Anyone in that area fancy having a look for him ???
Have found the Coventry yard ...here's the Flashearth...looks like uits being cleared out though .......
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=52.45155&lon=-1.432071&z=16.8&r=0&src=msa