Doxford engine works

[Delta]

Some great old pics here:

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/William_Doxford_and_Sons#The_Manufacturing_Process

 

[jugs]

Stop posting machine porn - it's like showing an alcoholic a bottle of rum

I do miss BIG engineering

 

[Wozzaaah]

Already posted twice before. Here's a link.

 

[tigler]

Was just about to say that !!

 

[arceyered]

Thanks for the post tigler
I see that you are from the West-Mids .
I used to work at John Thompsons Bilston, in The Mars shops. The lathe used to machine the boiler cylinders was that big the opperator used to sit on the tool post.
Wish i had taken a photograph

 

[jugs]

Already posted twice before. Here's a link.

Cant have too much of a good thing

 

[seriesonewelder]

Thanks for the post tigler
I see that you are from the West-Mids .
I used to work at John Thompsons Bilston, in The Mars shops. The lathe used to machine the boiler cylinders was that big the opperator used to sit on the tool post.
Wish i had taken a photograph

Was it Thompsons who made chassis for Land Rover?

 

[Hitch]

Looks like Drains' apprentice photos :lauging:

 

[Engineer1964]

Now thats Engineering, The size of those machines and working to a thou' of an inch, amazing.

Love the Flame Cutter, I bet it takes practice to get the shape sides square and not on the ****

Thats gotta be at least 18 inches or 2 ft thick

 

[Engineer1964]

Was it Thompsons who made chassis for Land Rover?

Yes for discovery's and also for vauxhall fonterra's, but the management Buyout went pear sharped and GKN and Landrover finally took over ending thompsons involvement alltogether

The Pressings and Fabrications sector was sold to a management buyout. This became UPF. It acquired the Pressings and Fabrications Division of Parkfield Group plc on 31st August 1990. This was basically the chassis making concern. It seems to have been very successful.

But something went wrong. It seems that they company had became over-ambitious and plans to expand into Europe built up debts of about £75 million.

KPHM were appointed as receivers. They continued production but told Land Rover that they would not supply any further Discovery frames unless they were paid £45 million. After High Court cases they agreed to continue production with Land Rover taking over some of the debt.

Then GKN stepped in. This group, mostly now based at Telford, included Sankeys, the old Bilston company, who were also heavily into motor parts. GKN set up a subsidiary called GKN Thompson Chassis Ltd., who agreed with Land Rover and the receivers to buy out UPF. But by then the buildings were in the hands of Advantage West Midlands, a government agency concerned with the development of the region. GKN took a three year lease of the site and, during this short period, invested over £1 million. But, even so, it was only a short term move and GKN announced that when the current contracts, for Discovery and Vauxhall Frontera chassis ran out, any new contracts would be met at the GKN Autostructures premises at Telford.

http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/Museum/Engineering/JohnThompson/johnthompson07.htm

 

[arceyered]

Was it Thompsons who made chassis for Land Rover?

Yea that's her.
I did my apprentiship there in the 60's , Thompson employed Seven and a half thousand people in their hay day and with the likes of Stewart & Lloyds ,Barnshores GKN etc Bilston was alive .
Now I am sorry to say it is a shadow of it's former self and the cloth cap and silk muffler brigade have taken a lot their skills to the grave Change is not always for the better

best advice given to me by an old welder, learn to weld with both hands and before you ask, yes I have seen an old bath welder in the boiler shop on the Millfields Road weld a stiffener with a set of pliers in each hand "well there was a time on the job"., Some times you are that restricted to get into a welding position being able to weld with the other hand can be very helpfull
Paul

 

[squazy84]

sure now ye have tesco instead ...fail

 

[seriesonewelder]

Yea that's her.
I did my apprentiship there in the 60's , Thompson employed Seven and a half thousand people in their hay day and with the likes of Stewart & Lloyds ,Barnshores GKN etc Bilston was alive .
Now I am sorry to say it is a shadow of it's former self and the cloth cap and silk muffler brigade have taken a lot their skills to the grave Change is not always for the better

best advice given to me by an old welder, learn to weld with both hands and before you ask, yes I have seen an old bath welder in the boiler shop on the Millfields Road weld a stiffener with a set of pliers in each hand "well there was a time on the job"., Some times you are that restricted to get into a welding position being able to weld with the other hand can be very helpfull
Paul

Thanks fellas
I remember going past the factory when I was younger - not been that way for years.
When I was production welding one of my colleagues had a 'try out' at Thompsons on the chassis line - he couldn't keep up with it..


What I'm interested to know is apart from Disco' (coil sprung) chassis did they make earlier Land Rover (leaf sprung) chassis?
(I understand they made Range Rover chassis as well - similar to Disco')

 

[ronan]

Does anyone have anymore pictures of engineering on a large scale ? I seen the video about craven brothers factory in manchester making massive machinery, there must be more.

 

[jugs]

Does anyone have anymore pictures of engineering on a large scale ? I seen the video about craven brothers factory in manchester making massive machinery, there must be more.

Here's a few ......enjoy

Turning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbvRPLHq2So&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taMV8CcszbE&feature=related

Boring
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXyfNc5roAk

Milling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbq-Hi9wcU4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4J5YhpSePg&feature=related

Gear cutting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVzKwm6jQJw&NR=1

6,000 ton Press-brake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjTjECIftew&feature=related

Heavy transport
1950
Look out for - Steam winches, Trams, Steam lorry & health & safety
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXwHsI4n0Ko&feature=related

1980
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PH0idBnJj4&feature=related

& in 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFmgNl-EKXM&feature=related

A site worth looking at
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/v...rmstrong-whitworth-lathes-gun-barrels-168975/

Edit: look at this- 14,000 tonne load http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqPoQD3vOZE&feature=related

 

[arceyered]

Thanks for that jugs great.
Seriesonewelder
Yea. They did all the developement for it
They made in their time to name a few
Bently- Rolls Royce-Morgan -Railton -Alvis -frog eye Sprite
Taxi-Jcb- Dennis -Ldv- Land Rover-Range Rover- Disco-Frontera-
Merc coach frames and on and on
I worked on the rover track for a while you had to move a bit.

 

[ronan]

Thanks for that jugs , the old engineering films and photos are great , the golden age of mechanical engineering. Anyone got any photos of any of the machine tool manufacturers ? Archdale , edwards , armstrong whitworth or any of those massive firms.

 

[jugs]

Interesting 20 min film about Robert Stevenson's Britannia Bridge (20 miles from me) original fabrication & modern re-build
http://www.youtube.com/v/0H1NgOaIaKA&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1

BIG stuff

 

[jugs]

Another Film from the 1950s -Vulcan rail works.
http://www.youtube.com/v/rLr2G-1WPTI&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1