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Page 5 |
Newsletter 103, Winter 2013 © Hampshire Mills Group |
Hilda~ an old Iron Lady saved from neglect and
the scrap yard
by a Hampshire Mills Group Member as told by
Andy Fish
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Hilda was built by
Aveling and Porter Ltd. Rochester, Kent in 1929 for
Bridgewater Borough Council; it is a D type 8 ton
compound piston valve road roller with extra wide
rolls for tarmac work and carries
works number 12335.
Later, Hilda was
sold to Eddison Plant Ltd of Dorchester, but was
believed to have been based at the company’s Romsey
depot. When first retired, Hilda went to the
recreation ground at Green Park in Millbrook,
Southampton. Hilda gave great pleasure to the many
children who played on her, before being saved from
the scrap man; she then went through several owners
before being purchased in 2002 from Norfolk in
un-restored condition by H.M.G. member, Nigel
Spender.
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Hilda on her journey to Green Park in the 1950s |
and at Green Park in the early 1970s
Photos from Nigel Spender’s Collection |
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Nigel
has spent 11 hard years stripping and rebuilding Hilda, as you can see
from the picture Hilda was close to the end,
scrapyard beckoning, when Nigel purchased her but
at the
beginning of October this year HILDA was finally
ready, successfully in steam again and triumphantly
travelling across Basingstoke to the Milestones
Museum - her first trip out under steam since
leaving Eddison’s depot in the 1950s. |
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Hilda on her first trip out, October
2013 Photo by Rob Fish
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