Digging into the past
The Viator • Published 22 Nov 2011 12:00
7 Comments
I Recently mentioned a reader had asked me for information about the Inchgreen Engineering company of Greenock.
In the late 1950s, the business advertised it carried out light and medium engineering work and precision engineering. Inchgreen went on to produce diggers and loaders for the construction industry.
The main photograph, above, is from the Tele archives of 1961 and shows an Inchgreen digger demonstrating its abilities on council land at Ravenscraig.
The story that went with the picture said the company hoped to produce 500 of these fivetonne machines a year for home and export markets.
I came across another story from the summer of 1963.
It was illustrated by a picture of a new design of an Inchgreen digger, right, an example of which was at that time being displayed at the International construction Equipment Exhibition in London's crystal Palace.
Inchgreen was described as Scotland's only manufacturer of hydraulic excavators and loaders for use on building sites.
General manager Gordon Sparling said: "Development work is continuing on a range of other equipment for use in place of the digger which is detachable.
"We feel that clydeside workmanship, coupled to good design, has produced a machine that can stand up to the heavy demands upon it by the builders."
The Inchgreen products appear to have been based on American designs, with components bought in for assembly at Inchgreen.
I cannot find any reference tothe total number of machines
built.
What I have gleaned from the small amount of information on the internet would suggest the diggers had some flaws and were not greatly successful.
A reader, who was employed by an accountancy firm retained by Inchgreen, said it was owned by the Swire Group.
He visited the Inchgreen premises at the end of the 1960s and into the early part of 1972, and believes the remaining components for the diggers were bought by someone in Ireland.
Inchgreen's former offices are now part of British Polythene Industries. The Inchgreen Engineering company was renamed Scott lithgow (Offshore) in December 1976.
Incidentally, does anyone recognise the Inchgreen digger drivers in today's pictures?
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
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Jada1953
11 posts
Dec 16, 04:02
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Jimboweb
5 posts
Dec 16, 08:54
Report commentMy father worked as a turner for Inchgreen Engineering/Mitchell Swire/ Scott Lithgow.
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bigd1946
1 post
Dec 28, 13:07
Report commentI served my time at Inchgreen as a Turner Fitter 1962 to 1967.
They finished up producing a model called the Inchgreen Beaver all designed and made in Greenock apart from the Ford tractor units which I think came from the States.
The guy demostrating the machine in your pic will possible be Harry Bingham he was chief demonstrator, mad Irish goalkeeper who played in the works football team.
Yes happy days indeed.
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blondie2
1 post
Jan 3, 17:21
Report commentProblem is,nothing like this is being produced in Inverclyde.Call centres,hospitality,but nothing like its heyday...very sad...
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ingineer
1 post
Jan 12, 17:54
Report commentI worked for Inchgreen from August 1965 onwards. Most of the information in Wiki is what I passed to a chap in an email.
The company was owned by Swires who also owned a chunk of Scotts Shipbuilders
The original diggers were built under lisence from theWagner Iron Works of Milwake. This company folded I think and tjhe desighn was taken over by Inchgreen Engineering and the subsequent models were designed here in Greenock.
About 62 of the latest type IG6 model were built.
Among the more interesting machines were 2 loading shovels, 1 for the sugar shed in James Watt Doch, and the other went to United Glass in Shettleston, to shovel broken glass, it had solid tyres fitted.
The tractor unit was a Ford 5000 series skid unit from England Hydraulic pumps from Dowty, rams from Nichol and Andrews Hillington, And Powerjacks england. The cabs were by Scottish Aviation Prestwick, the frames and other fabrication were from The Vulcan works Paisley.
The company names changed as far as I remember
1 John S Thompson
2 Inchgreen engineering
3 Mitchel Swire (after takeover of Mitchel plumbers Dalrymple st and others)
4 Cowal Engineering (name changed by Scott Lithgow. Cowal of Gourock had been taken over some tim before). At this time Ferguson's engineers who were housed in lithgows yard, were moved to Cowal.
After nationalisation of the shipyards the cowal interests were transferred to JG Kincati in East Hamilton street with a few men going to the Arthur Street works.
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weerose
3 posts
Jan 13, 21:00
Report commentyour report by ingineer is quite interesting but his spelling is not ,take note JOHN.G.KINCAID.CO.LTD,not kincati
ex J.G.KINCAID,APPRENTICE AND WORKER
WEEROSE not real name
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jcblad
1 post
Mar 29, 23:28
Report commentMost interesting to read the posts about Inchgreen as I am helping a friend restore an old Inchgreen IG5 so any information readers have would be much appreciated. I am particularly looking for pictures of the machines or factory and also and old sales leaflets or items - if you have anything please get in touch. My email is julian.carder@jcb.com
Hope someone can tell me more about them as I would like to write about the history of the company
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