Forestry Memories

Jock Brodie on D4 caterpillar

Photographs courtesy of John Brodie, Mold, N Wales who has sent in photographs of his father ‘Jock’ Brodie who for a time was a plough operator with the Forestry Commission in the northeast of Scotland.

John goes on to say ‘My father worked with the Forestry Commission during the 1950's, firstly at Swanley, Fetteresso near Stonehaven, where, as far as I can remember he was a lorry driver, this would have been 1951/52. We then moved to Finzean when he started work as a plant operator at Blackhall near Banchory. Again, as far as I can remember he worked in places like, Rannoch Moor, Pitlochry, The Culbin Sands and the Rhynie and Tomintoul areas’.

This image shows ‘Jock’ at the controls of a D4 Caterpillar possibly circa 1958 climbing up a steepish knoll. The interesting bit is the directly mounted ground cultivating machinery which seems to be attached to the large lifting arm on the back of the tractor. Unfortunately again it is hard to see what configuration of heads being used but it looks wide and could be two single furrow tine plough heads, a single furrow tine head with a separate ripper tooth along side or again two sets of ripper teeth only for sub soiling and braking up an iron pan. Can anyone enlighten us? There is just the possibility that this D4 was a Road Squad machine normally used for ripping rock but on trial to the ploughing team to test some ploughing and ripping system.

The location is possibly the Drumtochty/South Fetteresso area but not certain.

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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Northeast Scotland , Tractors Ploughs and Drainage Machines

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