Old Hymac crying out for a restoration

Tue 15 Apr 2014

Old Hymac crying out for a restoration

The old and abandoned machinery photos and topics have always been a popular feature on the blog, and this latest batch of machine graveyard shots is sure to stir the memories of plant and machinery fans around the globe. This old British classic, Hymac 590C, has been at rest in a quarry not far from where Stuart lives for many years.

The machine is owned by Roy McCullough, who also owns the quarry and is also involved in the earthmoving, and demolition sectors, Stuart says “Roy still has some very old equipment lying around in the quarry, he has owned this old Hymac for over 30 years now, in fact this machine and another one like it, both worked on the construction of the famous DeLorean car factory in Dunmourry nr Belfast which started around 1978”.

It looks like the machine has thrown a track off in the past, (and as anyone who has operated a Hymac in the past will tell you, they did that for sport), and has been left like it ever since. Stuart seems confident that the machine would still start if a battery was fixed into the old girl. Sure would be great to see and hear that engine roar back into life, as this machine is crying out for someone to restore it to its former glory.

Check out the cab interior, and to think we used to think this was luxury in those days! I always used to think it was a bit dodgy having those tracking levers that locked into place as opposed to the dead man’s levers that we are more familiar with today, and look at the front screen demister vent with the pipe coming up from the heater.

Also lying at the same quarry, is fairly tidy Caterpillar D9H complete with a single shank ripper. Apparently around this time in 2012 when I first wrote this blog post, the machine had just undergone an engine overhaul.

The big old Cat was used in conjunction with some Terex TS24 motor scrapers two years ago on a major road job in the area, but has not done much since.

Talking of Terex, lurking in the bushes is this old dozer from the same company, which could be an early 82-30 model, looks as though it has seen better days.

And finally in this machine resting place, an old towed scraper box that has been towed out from its original resting place since Stuart last visited, it has had its tyres blown up and apparently has been sold to a customer for a potential restoration job.

The Digger Man Blog thanks Stuart for sharing his photos of these old classics with us.

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