Drott BTD6 in railway service.

[Guest Max Stafford]

I have a nice little Langley kit of this faithful old tractor shovel and I'm considering using it as a load for a Lowmac or suitable engineers' vehicle.

Did BR use any of these in the mid-1960s and if so what would the livery and markings be, ideally for an ScR machine.

 

Thanks.

 

Dave.

[Adam]

BR certainly used them - the photo I can remember (though they'll be lots of others) is of one engaged in track reclamation in the shed yard at Bath. As far as I'm aware there's no special livery, though there might be some plant numbers of some sort I wouldn't like to say what they were or where they were painted.

 

Adam

[Guest Max Stafford]

I suppose Drott's bog standard red or yellow would do the trick then. I shall need to do a bit of digging -pardon the pun- for evidence of fleet numbers etc.

 

Dave.

[Oldddudders]

I spent a fortnight at Stratford LIFT (London International Freight Terminal) in 1974, or specifically the Freightliner bit. They definitely employed a couple of Drotts to move boxes in the area away from the rail lines, and hence the rail-mounted straddle cranes. Further details elude me, sadly.

[petethemole]

Here's one in the Midlands, head-on in the background so no markings:

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwr/tilehill/lnwrth714bth.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/tilehill.htm&usg=__PC4ckEggrdhVkccF7IvxQ2HU2cI=&h=120&w=170&sz=23&hl=en&start=29&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=BZvLAx2U_y8tIM:&tbnh=70&tbnw=99&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddrott%2B%252B%2Brailway%26start%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2_____en%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1

[R A Watson]

I think that some of these (or very similar) were fitted with side tilting buckets so that they could lift ballast from one track bed and tip it into wagons on a paralel track. There was one in Bristol for a long ime whch had been bought for preservation along with the low loader wagon it travelled on.

 

The wagon is now at Cranmore, but the dozer never followed it, I am not sure where it is now.

 

Wally

[Guest Max Stafford]

Thanks lads. From the Tile Hill photo, it certainly looks like these machines were in service by the period I'm interested in.

 

Dave.

[Fat Controller]

Not sure if this is a Drott, or not...

http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/p54640938.html

The machines used at Stratford were Drott straddle-loaders- same manufacturer (International Harvester) different design and use.

[The Stationmaster]

The Western were definitely using Drott front bucket dozer/loaders in the mid/latter part of the 1960s but I don't know which model they were (although I suspect they were most likely the BTD 6 from various descriptions of what they can do I've found on the 'net).

 

They were known on the WR as traxcavators and were quite impressive things to see at work with a good driver in charge. I can't however remember seeing any job where there were fewer than two of them in use at the same time - best buy another one

[Oldddudders]

Not sure if this is a Drott, or not...

http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/p54640938.html

The machines used at Stratford were Drott straddle-loaders- same manufacturer (International Harvester) different design and use.

Yes - I didn't properly read the OP, hence also failed to make much sense of the Tile Hill pics. Some days.....

[Guest Max Stafford]

Not sure if this is a Drott, or not...

http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/p54640938.html

The machines used at Stratford were Drott straddle-loaders- same manufacturer (International Harvester) different design and use.

 

I think the machine on the Lowmac is a Cat design. I can't remember the model number, but I remember 'spotting' them as a kid!

 

Next picture to it features the interesting juxtaposition of a Hymac on a Lowmac...

 

Dave.