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Anyone worked at Firth Browns?

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Hi Peter, Now this picture is a good-un.

Looking down the rail track to the right was an area of the melting shop and further

down at the black builing was most of the Machine Shops, 2 M/C roll grinders

5bay and 6bay. Across at the left was Bessama shop and the Tyer Mill.

Walked Up/Down on that track loads of times. Again lots of memories Peter.

Yours Brian

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Hi Peter, Now this picture is a good-un.

Looking down the rail track to the right was an area of the melting shop and further

down at the black builing was most of the Machine Shops, 2 M/C roll grinders

5bay and 6bay. Across at the left was Bessama shop and the Tyer Mill.

Walked Up/Down on that track loads of times. Again lots of memories Peter.

Yours Brian

 

I recognise it Brian. Carwood Road bridge in the distance :thumbsup:

 

The photo was taken on 28 Oct 1985. I knew about Siemens Elect Melt shop as I trained to drive a crane in the scrap shop there. Also knew about the machine shops you mention as I used to walk through them when I was an office junior in Progress and Planning office. Don't think I ever went in the Bessemer and Tyre shop you mention though. Lots of memories as you say :)

 

Here's another pic also in colour, on the same date, on Saville Street East, of the front of Siemens shop when demolition had started...

 

http://picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?action=zoomWindow&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;t07301&prevUrl=

 

Peter.

Edited by PeterR

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Hi swowls,

 

Thankyou for your interesting comments in post 681.

 

Excuse my ignorance :) but could you let me know what GFM stands for please?

 

Also, was Lister a small transport vehicle?

 

I remember clearly the Scammell Scarab. When I was in Central Warehouse, 1964 to '66, I sometimes offloaded materials transported from light machine shops when acting as standby crane driver....

 

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=Qn0xYTpR&id=FA6AA0F11D3B5D5E4BAEC928D9193B8E03621876&thid=OIP.Qn0xYTpRB4gsDi7HMLvFEgHaE4&q=scammell+scarab+images&simid=608003324822097042&selectedIndex=0&ajaxhist=0

 

and think there were some B.E.V. electric trucks aswell..

 

Peter.

 

---------- Post added 18-12-2017 at 14:38 ----------

 

Hi brian 1941,

 

I came across another pic for you.

 

Bet you know this one :) ...

 

http://picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?action=zoomWindow&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;t07300&prevUrl=

 

Peter.

 

Hi Peter,

I believe the short version, so we were told is General Forging Machine but there is a longer version in Austrian. GFM was in Steyr, Austria but I believe they now have a plant in the US. they also made like table top models that forged rifle barrels including the riffling. As you may or may not know FB got busted for inadvertently forging the so called "super gun" that got stopped on the docks before it was shipped to Iraq, or Iran cant remember which. It was forged at FB under the assumption that it was pipe mold guides, but someone figured out prior to shipping that if you put all three tubes together you had one hell of a cannon. GFM long version:

Gesellschaft für Fertigungstechnik und Maschinenbau

 

---------- Post added 18-12-2017 at 22:06 ----------

 

Hi swowls,

 

Thankyou for your interesting comments in post 681.

 

Excuse my ignorance :) but could you let me know what GFM stands for please?

 

Also, was Lister a small transport vehicle?

 

I remember clearly the Scammell Scarab. When I was in Central Warehouse, 1964 to '66, I sometimes offloaded materials transported from light machine shops when acting as standby crane driver....

 

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=Qn0xYTpR&id=FA6AA0F11D3B5D5E4BAEC928D9193B8E03621876&thid=OIP.Qn0xYTpRB4gsDi7HMLvFEgHaE4&q=scammell+scarab+images&simid=608003324822097042&selectedIndex=0&ajaxhist=0

 

and think there were some B.E.V. electric trucks aswell..

 

Peter.

 

---------- Post added 18-12-2017 at 14:38 ----------

 

Hi brian 1941,

 

I came across another pic for you.

 

Bet you know this one :) ...

 

http://picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?action=zoomWindow&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;t07300&prevUrl=

 

Peter.

I don't remember if the Listers had one or two wheels up front, with the driver standing on the front platform and holding a tiller like handle for steering, they were electric. They had a flat bed at back, I think we had two of them in the maintenance dept and used a lot by the heavy lifters.

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Hi Peter,

I believe the short version, so we were told is General Forging Machine but there is a longer version in Austrian. GFM was in Steyr, Austria but I believe they now have a plant in the US. they also made like table top models that forged rifle barrels including the riffling. As you may or may not know FB got busted for inadvertently forging the so called "super gun" that got stopped on the docks before it was shipped to Iraq, or Iran cant remember which. It was forged at FB under the assumption that it was pipe mold guides, but someone figured out prior to shipping that if you put all three tubes together you had one hell of a cannon. GFM long version:

Gesellschaft für Fertigungstechnik und Maschinenbau

 

---------- Post added 18-12-2017 at 22:06 ----------

 

 

I don't remember if the Listers had one or two wheels up front, with the driver standing on the front platform and holding a tiller like handle for steering, they were electric. They had a flat bed at back, I think we had two of them in the maintenance dept and used a lot by the heavy lifters.

 

Is this the GFM you mention? The name is a mouthfull :)....

 

http://agfm.com/?reload

 

This is my Dinky Toy B.E.V.Electric Truck as I mentioned on my previous post. It sounds very much like your description. I seem to remember these being at FB.

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CVWiFIR0TbSAVvFW2

 

Peter.

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Hi Peter, That picture you put on here of Firth Browns looking down the lineside

you can see them 2 water towers, there are at bottom end near Newhall rd Bridge.

Can you remember some while back that i gave them a mention.

Yours Brian.

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Is this the GFM you mention? The name is a mouthfull :)....

 

http://agfm.com/?reload

 

This is my Dinky Toy B.E.V.Electric Truck as I mentioned on my previous post. It sounds very much like your description. I seem to remember these being at FB.

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CVWiFIR0TbSAVvFW2

 

Peter.

 

exactly what they looked like.

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Hi Peter, That picture you put on here of Firth Browns looking down the lineside

you can see them 2 water towers, there are at bottom end near Newhall rd Bridge.

Can you remember some while back that i gave them a mention.

Yours Brian.

 

Hi Brian,

 

For convenience here's the pic again...

 

http://picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?action=zoomWindow&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;t07300&prevUrl=

 

Yes, I see the towers. I can't seem to recall them now though but must have seen them, in the flesh as it were, all those years ago. I think I remember you mentioned them being on the pic on the cover of the old FB magazine I sent you.

 

Peter.

 

---------- Post added 19-12-2017 at 17:15 ----------

 

exactly what they looked like.

 

Thanks swowls.

Edited by PeterR

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Is this the GFM you mention? The name is a mouthfull :)....

 

http://agfm.com/?reload

 

This is my Dinky Toy B.E.V.Electric Truck as I mentioned on my previous post. It sounds very much like your description. I seem to remember these being at FB.

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CVWiFIR0TbSAVvFW2

 

Peter.

 

Driving the electric trucks must have been one of the worst jobs in the world. They were out in all weathers, breathing diesel fumes and no protection whatsoever from traffic.

I used to maintain the one in the tyre mill, the blokes on the shop floor weren't too happy when it broke down,as they had to hand ball the steel tyres between the hammer and the rolling mills.

Along with cranes, manipulators and fork lifts they made great big-boys toys to play with for the apprentices :-) I got put in front of the area engineer for driving one on the road in shut down fortnight :-)

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Driving the electric trucks must have been one of the worst jobs in the world. They were out in all weathers, breathing diesel fumes and no protection whatsoever from traffic.

I used to maintain the one in the tyre mill, the blokes on the shop floor weren't too happy when it broke down,as they had to hand ball the steel tyres between the hammer and the rolling mills.

Along with cranes, manipulators and fork lifts they made great big-boys toys to play with for the apprentices :-) I got put in front of the area engineer for driving one on the road in shut down fortnight :-)

 

Was Norman Thorpe the Engineer at the time? He had an office in Central Maintenance for a long time when Ray Bond, Doug White, Wilf Aram jnr. and myself were on T&M. Don't Believe Ray Jeffcock was an area eng. at that time.

 

---------- Post added 20-12-2017 at 00:33 ----------

 

Is this the GFM you mention? The name is a mouthfull :)....

 

http://agfm.com/?reload

 

This is my Dinky Toy B.E.V.Electric Truck as I mentioned on my previous post. It sounds very much like your description. I seem to remember these being at FB.

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CVWiFIR0TbSAVvFW2

 

Peter.

The GFM machine FB bought was huge, it weighed 1122 tons, at the time it was the largest type of GFM made to that date. It would forge an ingot to about 27 feet long. I will see if I can get a picture for you.

http://www.agfm.com/new/Forging/images/rf.jpg

One type of forgings we did was for the Rolls Royce RB2-11 jet engines

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Was Norman Thorpe the Engineer at the time? He had an office in Central Maintenance for a long time when Ray Bond, Doug White, Wilf Aram jnr. and myself were on T&M. Don't Believe Ray Jeffcock was an area eng. at that time.

 

---------- Post added 20-12-2017 at 00:33 ----------

 

The GFM machine FB bought was huge, it weighed 1122 tons, at the time it was the largest type of GFM made to that date. It would forge an ingot to about 27 feet long. I will see if I can get a picture for you.

http://www.agfm.com/new/Forging/images/rf.jpg

One type of forgings we did was for the Rolls Royce RB2-11 jet engines

 

It might be an urban myth,but they said they could forge an RB211 engine shaft in 45mins on the GFM, whereas it took a full shift on a normal press.

 

Swols. I was given a dressing down by Bill Steele, who was a fiery Glaswegian. All the apprentices were s...scared of him.

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It might be an urban myth,but they said they could forge an RB211 engine shaft in 45mins on the GFM, whereas it took a full shift on a normal press.

 

Swols. I was given a dressing down by Bill Steele, who was a fiery Glaswegian. All the apprentices were s...scared of him.

 

Wasn't he a short flattish little guy? I had forgotten about his name. I had a similar experience as a foreman. On nights one of the hoists broke down over the tyre roughing mill, the vertical one and I took the mobile crane from Central Maintenance that Pete Dakin used to drive and got F'ed for that. I did have a go back though, told them next time **** happens on nights, we leave it for the day shift.

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Yes Peter them water towers were on the cover.answer to your quote 629.

Could you please put me this picture on firth browns thread.

No Y,04075 its roll grinders shop and you will have walked though this shop

in your time. Yours Brian, Thanks.

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