Road maintenance 1912 and 1936

[J.H.Boland]

These photos came from some old family albums. The photos,although about 25 years apart,are from the same area in what is now south London, Ontario. The steam tractor ,owned by my great uncle, is grading the gravel road. At the time, landowners were responsible for maintaining the road adjoining their property.If they didn't have the equipment, they had to hire someone who did. It was a good use for the equipment in the off threshing season.Taken about 1912.

The second photo is a municipal snow plow and support trucks, about 1936. Note the cable and pulley arrangement.I guess hydraulics weren't as common then.

Jim

Edited February 24, 2018 by J.H.Boland (see edit history)

[Brass is Best]

Great photos!

[Spinneyhill]

Even in the '70s I remember an earthmoving contractor using a dozer (D6?) with cable operated blade and a cable operated carryall scraper behind the dozer. I think it was one of Bob Semple's mid 30s dozers, about which he made a big song and dance in the media. Bob was a minister of works and this might have been something to do with helping the country out of the depression. This sentence about him comes from Wikipedia:

"During his term in Parliament, Semple held many important infrastructure portfolios, such as Minister of Public Works (1935–1941, 1942–1943) and Minister of Railways (1941–1949).^[7] Semple was seen by many as the public face of the first Labour government's infrastructure investment. "

 

I think the dozer had the wee petrol motor starter too. It blew beautiful smoke rings during startup.