Ron Lane – What Was Pebble Mill?

CMCR9 on display at Shrewsbury Steam Fair 27-28 Aug 2017

CMCR9, in the 1970s, with rigger driver, Ron Lane. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

Jerry Clegg has sent through the information below about the outside broadcast truck, CMCR9 being on display this bank holiday weekend:

“The heritage scanner North 3/CMCR9 will be at large again next weekend and on show at the Shrewsbury Steam Fair, Onslow Park, Shrewsbury. North 3 will be resplendent with its freshly renewed logos following a gradual wrinkling problem with the previous gold letters.

You can see details of the show using the following link :-

http://www.originalshrewsbury.co.uk/see-do/events/shrewsbury-steam-rally-2017

Do be aware that the show takes place on Sunday 27th and Bank Holiday Monday 28th August, so don’t turn up on the Saturday or you might get roped in to rigging the gazebo or the EMI 2001!

As always, we will be very pleased to meet up with any of you who can make it to Onslow Park. This is one of the best of its kind and a really good day out for everyone.”

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CMCR9 show season 2017

CMCR9, in the 1970s, with rigger driver, Ron Lane. Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

I have received the message below from Jerry Clegg, which gives details about the events that CMCR9, Pebble Mill’s original CM1 scanner, and another OB truck, LO23, CMCR54, will be exhibited at:

“The new show season is almost upon us. Steve Harris will be exhibiting the heritage scanner North 3/CMCR9 together with the former Lo23/CMCR54 (type-7) at the Kelsall Steam Rally near Tarvin in Cheshire on Saturday and Sunday 24th and 25th June 2017. Steve is planning to have both vehicles powered up. You can find details about the Kelsall show on their website using this link :-

http://www.kelsallsteamrally.co.uk/costs-2/

After Kelsall, the next event for North 3 will be the Wilmslow Show on Sunday 9th July, which this year is at a new venue which is :-

The Carnival Field, Altrincham Road, Wilmslow SK9 5NG

The website for the Wilmslow Show is :-

www.wilmslowshow.co.uk

We look forward to meeting up with some of you at these shows.”

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Ron Lane with CM1

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The photo is of rigger driver, Ron Lane, with OB scanner, CMCR9, which was his pride and joy. Apparently he used to regularly black the wheels, and keep the truck looking its best. The truck was built in 1969 and was BBC Birmingham’s original CM1. The scanner is probably stationed at the Royal Show, Stoneleigh.

It is this scanner that has been restored by Steve Harris and his team, and now tours round different exhibitions each year.

This photo was originally shared on the Pebble Mill Engineers Facebook group. Thanks to Stuart Gandy for making it available.

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Malcolm Hickman: ‘Ron was a great guy. Always had a tin of tyre black gloss in the cab.’

Louis Robinson: ‘The Royal Show is my best guess too. The OB team from Birmingham did a great job for us (Michael Coley, John Miller and me) with the Exhibitions Unit. Then the BBC (London) decided to go with Manchester… mistake.’

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Ron Lane with CM1

Photograph from Engineering Manager, John Abbott, no reproduction without permission.

Rigger driver, Ron Lane, standing proudly next to the scanner CMCR9, Pebble Mill’s CM1, which later became BBC Manchester’s North 3. The location is probably a Gardeners’ World outside broadcast, possibly at ‘The Magnolias’, Percy Thrower’s garden, where the weekly gardening show was recorded in much of the 1970s.