Click on a photograph to enlarge an image.
Click on this hyperlink to see a brief Engineering Specification for this press.
Click on this hyperlink to see other Notable Orders from the 1940s.
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.
Comments about this page
John, I think O/No.5555 must have been used quite often as it required a lot of expertise to operate and JBE still had the men to do this. Only remember seeing the m/c in action twice. Once from a distance, as they were rolling 3″-4″red hot plate. The second time it was 3/4″plate for the shovel/blade on very big bulldozer type m/cs. In JBE/FP terms I suppose this is sheetmetal work!! I wonder where 5555 is resident now? Do they still have original photos, or is the website the only place to find them.
Ed: Alastair, these are the stories we like to hear about! These pics are from F&P archive records and I am not aware of any others in existence. I believe the site was demolished in 2002 and I guess the machine was scrapped. You may wish to click on this link and read and listen to a former employee recalling his visit to Clydebank in the ’50s. John B
I worked on this machine several times between 1974 and 1979. I was employed in the maintenance department under Jim Ward, the maintenance manager. The main hydraulic pump was sent to F and P for refurbishment at some point, but other than that there were only a few minor faults during this time.
Ed: Alastair, many thanks for your contribution. It is great to have someone comment on a machine that was already some 30 years old before you came on board. Was the machine used very often? I do recall viewing the machine during a visit in the ’70s but it was not operating at the time. John B
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