Monklands Memories - Airdrie & Coatbridge areas

Life & Times as remembered by Bob McMillan
Summerlee and the Hydrocon

Some memories by Bob McMillan

My memories of this area are scant as it was difficult for a "Sunnysider" to get there.  It meant a trip down to the Fountain, round by the Central station and up Corsewall Street, an area of unknown territory to me as a youngster.

Looking across from Gartsherrie Road the ground rose some thirty feet or so between the canal and the modern housing in Summerlee.  There on the plateau lay the remains of the old Summerlee iron works.  The remains of various brick structures could be seen there until the ground was cleared in the 1950,s for the Hydrocon crane works.  The name "Hydrocon" I believe came from the development and use of hydraulic controls in their machines. 

 Previously such equipment used purely mechanical drive systems, which made them bulky, expensive to maintain and gave them less finesse when in use.   The old Ruston Bucyrus dragline machines were typical of this system.

When the site was being cleared they discovered the substantial brick bases of the blast furnaces and other major structures.   These lay exposed for some time before being dug out and the holes in-filled.

The actual Hydrocon factory consisted of several large brick sheds with tin roofs.  I assume that they were mostly assembly areas and that most of the necessary parts were brought in pre-made.   The flash of welding torches made it an interesting sight to a young boy.

When built, the cranes were driven out in to the yard and the jibs assembled.  Huge weights were attached to the crane hook and the whole machine tested.  It was interesting to watch the stability testing (as I now know it to be) where they tested different weights and jib angles until the crane started to tip up or tilt sideways. 

We youngsters always hoped they would go too far and tip one right over.  Indeed, one day we were rewarded for our patience and a crane did indeed go right over on its side.  Sadly (Hmmmm) I didn't see it happen but the vehicle lay there for a couple of days with the sad, bent latticework of the jib overhanging the drop towards the canal.  It was with a sense of pride that I used to pass Hydrocon cranes in later years (after cursing them for slowing down the traffic) and always wondered if I had actually seen that one in the yard. 

Later in the life of the site I believe they used to repair cranes, as cranes of all shapes and sizes used to appear and were seen being worked on