Carrying A Multi-Tool

[themadhippy]

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This is the rarer King version of the Simon Polecat PEU (pole erection unit) and is the only vid I can find

The venue looks suspiciously like bletchley park

[kalmatthew]

1 hour ago, kerry davies said:

This is the rarer King version of the Simon Polecat PEU (pole erection unit) and is the only vid I can find so far showing a very brief shot of fitting a step. The modern contractors seem to erect the stick then send along a MEWP to fit the pole furniture. 

That was really interesting to watch. I was supprised at the lack of concrete, does anyone know if that was because this was a demo or if telephone poles arent normally concreted into place? (sorry for the derail) 

[kerry davies]

The "huts" are very like the Bletchley ones but are there too few trees? The "control tower" puts me in mind of the fire college at Moreton in the Marsh. The pole training yard at Bletchley is almost a car park surrounded by huts. It could be Stone in the early days?

Concrete would rot the foot of the pole and standing there waiting for it to set would be a pain.🤣 It would be nigh on impossible to cart the stuff across fields, rivers and up mountains so machine or hand dug you use what comes out of the hole. Sometimes on replacements they would take sacks of rubble and in urban sites they might use chippings topped off with tarmac. For steel and fibreglass hollow poles, used on housing estates, they might use concrete but nowhere else.

[Ynot]

What Kerry says. 🙂
It's the use of the back-fill that came out of the hole coupled with the heavy use of the hydraulic tamper gizmo which ensured the poles stayed upright and solid. 🙂

As I recall (and looking at the vid) the hole drilled is not a great deal larger than the poles themselves, so little room for movement anyway.

Those that might have a less than satisfactory grounding MIGHT also have the use of ties, stays or struts or to add stability on long runs where there might be additional tension from the overhead cables where a steep angle of the run is involved.
GPO - OVERHEAD CONSTRUCTION - POLE STAYS & STRUTS (britishtelephones.com)

[sandall]

11 hours ago, kerry davies said:

The "huts" are very like the Bletchley ones but are there too few trees? The "control tower" puts me in mind of the fire college at Moreton in the Marsh

Unlikely to be Bletchley - looks like flat open land, so far more likely to be Moreton. I used to regularly drive past in the 60s on the way to Evesham. Most of the accommodation & classrooms at BBC Evesham was still in these same "military" huts.

Edited April 21, 2022 by sandall
addition

[sunray]

On 4/20/2022 at 10:04 PM, kerry davies said:

This is the rarer King version of the Simon Polecat PEU (pole erection unit) and is the only vid I can find so far showing a very brief shot of fitting a step. The modern contractors seem to erect the stick then send along a MEWP to fit the pole furniture. 

These two guys were probably instructors demonstrating new kit in 1965 which became standard in 66. Some still have to be dug in by hand using a rabbiting spade and post hole spoon. 

When I did my TTA courses at Bletchley 1972/4 we were instructed to use a club hammer and never a ball/cross pein as the striking face is larger.

Of course the proper way of doing it is to drill a pilot hole.

[themadhippy]

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Unlikely to be Bletchley - looks like flat open land

Ok it wasn't agricultural but ive vague childhood memory's of sherwood drive being pretty open in the early 70's

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The "control tower"

wasnt the cia  caa  on the park in the 60's,I know they were definitely there in the 80's

 

Edit to add

clicking the youtube  link  after another watch and in the description

"Post Office (GPO) machine that makes planting telegraph poles much easier, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire."

 

 

Edited April 22, 2022 by themadhippy

[sandall]

1 hour ago, themadhippy said:

clicking the youtube  link  after another watch and in the description

"Post Office (GPO) machine that makes planting telegraph poles much easier, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire."

Well spotted