Forestry Memories

Talbot lining out plough at Ledmore Nursery

Talbot lining out plough at Ledmore Nursery

Date Added: 20 February 2018 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1953 Picture No: 3937

Photograph is courtesy and copyright of Forestry Commission, Forest Research, Roslin, and provided with help from Glen Brearley. FR Photo number No A1327 taken by Michael V Edwards.

Side view of Talbot lining out plough FC1961on location at Ledmore Nursery, Perthshire.

Does anyone know the origins of this machine? It looks very complex as though a basic agricultural plough had many extra additions added front and rear by a local blacksmith.

The attached PDF shows two views of the plough, one of which is it in action. On the side view the small mould board fitted below the draw bar pushes soil against the roots of the trees hanging down from the lining out board. This soil is then pressed down and firmed level by the front drum wheel. The large mould board may bring up more soil for the second drum wheel to firm and level off as the soil section to the next row of seedlings. Somehow this firmed soil section has a vertical edge cut into it possibly by the rear coulter disc and the excess soil forced away to create the vertical edge for the next set of lining out boards. Not sure!

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Groups: Forest Nurseries, Forestry Areas, Other Vehicles and Machines

4 Comments

M. V. Edwards was Silv. (N) who took the photo around that time. Sandy Rose was head forester and keen on doing innovative things with ploughs. He had a tractor driver David Murdoch who was a bit of an engineer who developed and adapted things. This plough turned over the furrow, compacted the soil, and cut a straight face for the Lining out boards all in one pass.
I do not know where the name Talbot originated. Comment left on 20 February 2018 at 21:36 by John Keenleyside
I think you are right Norman Talbot was probably the name of the local blacksmith but cannot be sure. I first went up to Ledmore in 1956 with a load of grafted ramets of Scots pine from Bush Nursery to create seed orchards on a site adjacent to the cultivated part of the nursery. Davie Murdoch the tractor driver left the Commission and secured a job as Head Forester with the Wills family (the cigarette people) on the edge of Dallas in Moray. I came across him again when I moved to Forres in 1979. He had a passion for restoring old tractors and agricultural machinery. These items were on display on a Darnaway estate Dairy farm. On retiral he bought a croft at Rose-isle in Morayshire and created his own museum with Tractors, a restored Threshing mill in working order powered by a Field Marshall single cylinder tractor with flat belt power take off. He also restored a lorry which he acquired from a dump, doing the entire project himself, mechanics, Body building, painting lettering, registration insuring and getting on the road again. All this as additional info. but not of relevance to the original subject but show that this man had considerable abilities and skills. He has now passed on to his maker. Comment left on 22 February 2018 at 10:01 by John Keenleyside
John. I have an image of the Ledmore Plough taken by Sandy Rose but not able to use it as so far not received permission. However it is a much neater and compact assembly and about half the length of the machine featured here. Also it seems to have been mounted on the hydraulic lifting arms of the Bristol crawler tractor. There are striking similarities in actual working bits but mounted on a better designed frame. Comment left on 22 February 2018 at 19:44 by Norman Davidson
Sandy Rose was my grandfather and my cousin has a few pictures of equipment used at Ledmore, some of which was designed by my grandfather. I'm sure family members would be delighted if these pictures were published.
Feel free to get in touch and I can put you in touch with my cousin who is a bit of a historian. Comment left on 18 July 2024 at 17:20 by Kevin Coghlan
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