Long uphill pull for Priestman excavator
Photograph is courtesy of Margaret Murray, daughter of Jimmy Munro who is seen at the lead lorry getting into his cab. There is no information with this photograph and year is a guess.
This is the second image of an operation to haul a low loader with a Priestman excavator on board up and over a steep section of road by pulling it with two other lorries. This Bedford has a registration of JUU863 and Forestry Commission roundel badge on the door. The passenger has a tie on and is likely to be the area civil engineer or foreman (Jim Gardiner?) and here they are about to start the pull by the look of the driver with both hands on the wheel!
See previous record No 3661 for the view of the three lorries.
This image also shows more clearly the profile of the hills with Glen Hurich the glen leading up to Resourie nearest to the camera then the small ridge over which is Coire Nan Con followed by the high ridge over which in Loch Shiel. In fact it can just be glimpsed on the extreme left of the photograph.
This is an alarmingly steep road (even when it was surfaced with bitumen) with sections of 1 in 4 gradient and taking a digger up on a lorry on this gravel surface must have been a hair raising event. The point on the photograph appears to be about half mile down from the top on the Polloch side – one of the steeper sections. Going over the top and down past the first of the lead mines there was another very steep section and bends which must also have caused problems taking the machine inwards.
Little wonder they started building a new 12 mile road into Glenhurich along Loch Shiel side in 1962!
Any information on the lorries, the men and a recent photograph of the location would be much appreciated.
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Other Vehicles and Machines, Road and Bridge Engineers and Works