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Digging deep into construction machinery news

Thu 20 Feb 2014

Euclid R-15 Scottish built dumptruck alive & kicking

The Editor is fortunate enough to be the owner of the oldest surviving British built (Newhouse) Euclid R-15 dumptrucks, model B5FD, serial number B5. This machine left the factory around 1951 and was deployed to an overseas job in Aden, along with several other R-15’s which were ordered by Wimpey Plant to work on an oil refinery construction project. Since those days this machine, of which the Editor is the ninth owner, has visited four different countries, if you include Scotland. At Hunsbury Machinery, the Used Equipment Division of Blackwood Hodge, where the Editor worked for 20 years, he was asked by General Motors, the then owners of Terex Newhouse, to find them serial number B1 for their Jubilee Year, 1976, but the oldest we found was this one B5. She went to Scotland in 1976, was painted silver for the Jubilee, and stood as a sort of “gate guardian” until 1989, when she suddenly appeared back in Northampton. With the demise of Blackwood Hodge on the horizon, he decided that B5 wouldn’t go the way of some of the machines on site, with a one way ticket to the gas axe, so he managed to buy her for a smallish sum (in those days) and she has been in various locations since, the last place of residence being at the Rushden Historic Transport Society`s facility in Rushden, Northamptonshire. The livery in this photo is taken from the original Blackwood Hodge hire company which used R-15`s for rental before they became agents to sell them, around 1953. There are older versions from the USA, incredibly they built them there before 1936, but this fine example is the oldest surviving UK built unit, and I think you will all agree it’s in pretty good shape for an old girl. This classic truck also returned to Newhouse last summer (borrowed by Terex) for a dealer seminar, where she was the star attraction, photographed between a brand new Terex TR100 & TR60, in a now and then type scenario. Here is a short video clip of a Euclid R-15 in action, just listen to that noise. Don’t think the old girl will pass the emissions regulations either!
Massive thank to the Editor for sharing his photos with us here at the Digger Man Blog. If you have an interest in the old kit please check out the Blackwood Hodge Memories website too.        

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