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Road resurfacing vehicles

Pomgolian

Pomgolian

Kiwi Brummie
:angel: These rather large monstrous contraptions seemed to feature noisily and quite often in my childhood memories. I'm not sure why, but I loved seeing them trundle along the roads and the smell of the 'Tar' as the great thing rolled along.
 
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Isn't it just, we used to follow them for a good way, sometimes throwing pebbles onder the roller to see if was squashed into the road or better still just occasionaly it would come rocketing out like a bullet. The smell of the tar boiler usually somewhere near? what a great way of clearing your chest in winter!!
 
Hey I remember we had races in rural areas in Tasmania when I was a teenager - at agricultural shows etc. They were great fun!
 
I loved them too, Chris. Mom took me to stand by a tar boiler when I had whooping cough, Rod. Such a lovley smell. When Brian is creosoting the fences I'm back there :)
 
Oh Memories of a small boy,
to see those wonderful machines
working away in our streets when they
used to resurface the roads,the smell of the
tar,you can bet your life,we got some on our footwear,
and clothes,used lard to get it off our legs
 
Something that springs to mind is the unique sound they made, you could hear one coming a mile off?
 
I can still remember the sound and the smell of them. used to loved to see them when the road needed to be repaired which happened after November the 5 th one year.  I could be wrong but was the front roller steered by a heavy chain from each end ?
 
POMGOLIAN. MIKE-G.  A great photo and so pleased to see it . I seem to think it was one like that with that makers badge ( the horse ) on the front that once repaired the road in Coleman Street.
Thank you so much for sharing your photo with me.
 
The roller above was made by Aveling & Porter ,the prancing horse and the title Invicta was their makers badge.They built their first steam roller in 1865

Colin
 
Mike-g.   I guess thats the handbrake and the steering wheel but were is the clutch, footbrake and accelerator ?
             If l get behind that wheel I challenge anyone to try to stop me , not easy by any means. not even for me l
             bet ! ! !
             Oh , to have such power .
NO, dont jump out Mike, Stay with me PLEASE ! !
 
Mike-g.   Colin B.    I was out today and came across a Steam Roller made by Aveling & Porter and I beleive they were made at Grantham ( I will check the internet later)   A chap was there so I began talking about the steering linkage and he told me that it takes 52 turns on the wheel to take it from one lock to the other and you know by the end of it, also it runs away with itself at times. The steering chain went around a worm gear on the underside near the firebox.The number on it was 106 and it was built in the 1940's, it was going to Australia but never went and was under wraps for 4 years.  No one person can own it/ them ? but have custody untill it is passed on to the next custodian.  At the moment it is in the care of a local farmer.  There were two boxes at the rear, one full of timber ( although in times past this may have been coal. makes me think did they ever use coke ? but l cannot imagine that it would have been suitable - Could it ?  The other box partly held water ( a shelf above for either tools or clothing or both.)  This tank fed a lower water tank below the drivers platform which in turn supplied the boiler. It took Four Hours to get it started.  ( No good if you are in a hurry then.)
Well its the nearest I got to riding on one but it still gave me an enormous amount of pleasure talking to them and they were so polite.
I do hope that I made their day as much as they made mine.
 
The horse on the front

The horse on the front of the roller denoted that it was made by Aveling and Porter. There is a house at bromsgrove called Aveling and the horse has been used as a door knocker. The house did belong to the Bromsgrove council roller driver.
When I went up the Yardley Wood road (number 13 or 24 bus route) in the fifties there was a yard full of these lovely beasts, just past the traffic lights at Wake Green Road.
 
Some beasts in action :rolleyes:


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl2-sFq48tY&feature=related"]YouTube - galloping horses steam road engine (1 of 3)[/ame]
 
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