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Alex McClarty 1988 model E526 ETN

couchloafer

Member
SUPER Site Supporter
I recieved this information and the pictures some time ago........sorry I didnt post sooner. If anybody wants to contact Norman for more information let me know........

Hello Kevin,
Sorry it has been a while making contact but I have been unwell. I got a bug from one of my grandchildren but I feel OK now. I did however post your items at 10 AM Saturday.
Let me tell you a little about myself. I am a retired Transport Manager who worked for 25 years with the company who owned the Snow Tracs (ST). This company was called The North Eastern Electricity Board (NEEB) and was one of the regional Electricity supply companys in the UK up until about 1989/90 when the government decided to make them all PLC's. The company name was changed to Northern Electric and about 1993 there was a hostile takeover bid by Trafalgar House which failed, however we were later taken over by Cal Energy, an American organisation which still owns various sections of the business today. Other parts were sold off to RWE a German business.


Registration number CPT 606L:- This vehicle is a ST4 circa 1972. I did not work for NEEB then. This was the first ST bought and the brainchild of the guy in one of the pictures, Ray Eland who was a regional Fleet Engineer. The vehicle was based at Penshaw depot near Sunderland, Tyne & Wear. I cannot understand why a vehicle like this was bought for this area as there aren't many remote and hard to reach parts. I think it was a case of big boy toys. Anyway, to justify it's existance and to satisfy Health & Safety requirements a 'roll over cage' and pole/ladder carrier was fabricated from scaffolding tubes. These I, was later told were reclaimed/secondhand tubes to keep the cost down. I was also told that because no fitter/mechanic at Penshaw depot could electric stick weld to any degree of competency, this was the easier option as all the sections are bolted together. The only other comment I can make about the the vehicle is the back door and how the bottom has been cut to accomodate the high tow hitch. Obviously the Health & Safety man must have overlooked this and I can imagine how many Linesmen would have skinned their legs or even worse on this. I don't know what happened to this vehicle but I can bet my boots it is still around somewhere.

E526 ETN:- This ST replaced a vehicle similar to one just mentioned which was used in another operating area which included Northumberland. This area does have a large Overhead Supply network to maintain especially in the winter and this vehicle was based at Hexham. I was a humble fitter then who had started work for NEEB in 1978, so this was ten years on. I got the job of commissioning this ST and two others for other regions because among other aspects, I could electric weld. My supervisor and I decided that I would make a rollcage ladder rack come pole rack out of square hollow section mild steel. He ordered it and I fabricated it. It was a lot lighter and slightly less intrusive as the scaffolding poles and a lot cheaper. The areas on the ST where the rack was bolted had to be reinforced but this did not prove difficult. The idea was to carry a lightweight, undressed OH pole on the rack and on other ocassions heavy wood ladders. The use of Aluminium ladders was not allowed for obvious reasons. Also the trailer would be used to to carry the metalwork for the pole to the location of the job. As you can see from the photos that wood has been used to box in the tops of wings/running boards to allow the Linesman to carry conductors, bolts etc.
The set of photos were taken as you can see when the ST was brand new and as luck would have it, I had my camera with me that day. One of the photos shows a rear shot with the Lolode trailer coupled up and you can see the second axle wheels are clear of the ground. This was deemed to be unimportant as this would be how the ST and trailer would be used in the field. When the trailer was coupled up to the towing vehicle, a Bedford 4x4 lorry or another similar vehicle, both axles would be flat on the road. I tackled the problem of the tow hitch height on the ST, there would be no danger of the tow hitch getting in the way and causing mishap to the linesman. This was done by fabricating a piece of rubber mudflap in the shape of a filled in U, bolting it to the rear section so it rested on top of the hitch and rivetting a short length of tread strip on top for a boot grip. In the early days of towing a ST to a job, a Land Rover would be used because it worked out legal on the Gross Train Weight however in reality this was far too dangerous in practice as some of the earlier trailers did not have brakes. This ST would prove to have a hard life, it was hit by a farmers tractor which damaged the side and roof. There were other incidents by I cannot remember exactly the circumstances. The bodyshop would repair the vehicle in a situation of a third party involvement but other damage caused by a hapless linesman we at the workshop would carry out the repair and charge the OH section.
Around 1990 my Supervisor retired and I got his job and just after this we got a new big boss with new ideas. I was promoted and got an even larger patch to look after and at one point was based at where the story began, Penshaw. In some respects I would be doing a lot of what Ray Eland did, my own job which now was a lot more than my previous Supervisors job. The irony was the salary did not reflect this and the big boss with new ideas was coining it in. I'm not bitter and I am pleased I am retired now.

Snow Trac ceased making vehicles in 1981 and E526 ETN is a 1988 model. Can you refresh my memory or agree with the following?
The times I would order spares for the ST, I would ring a dealer in Crieff, Perthshire Scotland by the name of Alex McClarty which changed to JCR Young at the same location. Do you know if this JCR Young took over the production of Snow Tracs after 1981? I was not involved in the procurement of new vehicles at this time so I don't know. I kept my own personal phone book when I left work and before I started writing this email I decided to ring two numbers for JCR Young which are unobtainable. Hope I haven't bored you with my recollections.

As you can see I have sent three pictures of ST's from a 'Off Highway Trucks' book, I don't know if you have seen them before and if you want better copies I can scan them and email them to you.

Can you give me some detail about your ST's and maybe email some photo's because you have made me wish I had taken more pictures and I have got new interest in the vehicle. I will certainly look out for anything to do with Snow Trac from this day on.

Kind regards
Norman
 

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couchloafer

Member
SUPER Site Supporter
Here are the other pictures.......
 

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Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Interesting. Mine is also an Alex McClarty Snow Trac, a 1972.

The photos of the modified front end Snow Trac are interesting. (E526 ETN) I've seen a couple that had custom engine bays, but only after the owners did an engine swap to put in a water cooled engine. I think member Roughwoods has a Toyota powered unit with a modified front end similar to that, if I recall correctly. But that one looks like it was designed better than the ones I've seen, do you know anything more about it? Did it come that way? Why? Etc?
 

couchloafer

Member
SUPER Site Supporter
Bob,
Here are some better pictures of E526 ETN..... PM me and I will send you his email address....... all I have is what I posted but it is because I got busy and didnt follow up with him....... the pictures I have I purchased from him in May of 2008 I believe
 

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couchloafer

Member
SUPER Site Supporter
notice the white summer grousers........I had never seen summer grousers that were white only the winter grousers.....
 
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