Engineering conservationist, Ray Hooley, who rescued what is now the world’s oldest working excavator from a watery grave, has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award. It was awarded to Ray, now 94, by the National Transport Trust for his role in organising the rescue of Steam Navvy no. 306 in 1977 after it had been underwater for about 47 years….and for his 34-year custodianship afterwards during which he organised its renovation.
The photo below left shows Ian Hartland, Chair of the Vintage Excavator Trust (left) with Ray Hooley.
The steam navvy, incidentally, built in 1909 by Ruston Proctor & Co of Lincoln, is now with the Vintage Excavator Trust of Threlkeld, Cumbria, who organised further restorations with the help of a Heritage Lottery Grant after Ray donated it. It last worked at the VET open day last month.
The full story of “The Ruston in the Blue Lagoon” is told on a DVD now available in Crich Tramway Village Forge gift shop, priced at £14.95. The support item is “The Lincoln Trams,” a 17 minute documentary about the city’s trams through three eras……from horse-drawn, through the period of the unique magnetic system, to the overhead wires.
