This photograph illustrates the upper shaped former with two roll assemblies in a (combination) roller box (1st stage) and the lower shaped former with two roll assemblies in a similar (combination) roller box (2nd stage), with a central hydraulic unit for clamping the bars to the former during the rolling operation.
Note the smaller air actuated cylinders on each former, used for the initial clamping of the bars to the formers and the gauge stop mounted at the end of each former, used for accurately positioning each bar prior to commencement of the rolling operation.
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Click on the hyperlink to see other Notable Orders from the 1970s
If you remember designing, machining, fitting, installing, maintaining, or working with this machine please share your memories at the bottom of the page by clicking on the words Add a comment about this page.
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I served my time at Redman’s Worcester in the 60s. The guy in the photo is definitely Jim Churchill. Great lads, too many to mention! My mentor was Arthur Dunn, genius engineer!!
Definitely Jim Churchill.
I served my time at Redman’s in Worcester in the 60s with ‘Snowy’ Weston, Ivor Badham and dozens of good lads. Yes,happy days!!
Ed: Eddie, thanks for confirmation of the name. A number of Redman employees transferred to Gloucester in the early ’70s with the bumper bar machine. Do you recall the names of any of your former colleagues who transferred? John B
Hi – I turned the rollers for these machines in the new light machine shop. I turned them on a new VDF lathe; the material was then hardened in the heat treatment department, located at the end of the heavy machine shop.
Hi John! Sorry Chippy, I can’t help on this one. I remember working on bumper bar machines in the new fitting shop in the early seventies. A fitter I worked with who had come down from Worcester was Pete Skelton ( I think! But not to be confused with Pat Skelton). He was a real good fitter and must have been in Gloucester on and off for 18 months! Pete.
Ed. Note: Pretty certain that the person in the photo IS Jim Churchill. John B
Hi John! I’ve had an idea that maybe Jim’s surname was Churchill, any thoughts on that? Chippy Aston.
Hi Chippy! Laugh!! I had the same thought and mentioned his name to Tim Lodge when I saw him yesterday to pick up a few photos of machines he had that I wished to scan for the website. He could not recall him, however, based on our collective recollections, we will go with Churchill unless anyone else says otherwise. John B
Hi Chippy! I recall the names of quite a number of the Redman engineers that transferred to Gloucester around 1971. I am sure you are correct with the first name Jim, however, I cannot recall his surname either. Hopefully someone else may? John B
Hi John! Not much I can say about this photo apart from the first name of the person inspecting the bumper. I remember his first name was Jim, but I cannot remember his surname at the moment. Any ideas Mr Charlton! I seem to remember he came down to F&P from Redman’s in Worcester when we took on the Bumper Bar production work. Chippy Aston.
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