Abingdon photos
i have 2 pictures of the mg production line in the 60s/70s , i purchased them on a market stall
will scan them and send them
Thanks John...I look forward to seeing them
Check out:
http://www.stinch.com/mg/factory.html
Click on Articles & then Abingdon factory tour.
If your car was built on 18th September 1980, then the photos could be your car being built.
Ken's excellent book "Aspects of Abingdon" contains many brilliant photos showing the production process. Many of the photos were taken by an engineer called John Seager who took the photos "in the last week prior to closure" so as mine was built on Friday 17th October, just perhaps somewhere is a photo of my LE!!
Richard
Hi Dickster
I think that some of those photos have done the rounds as they are the same as the ones i got from Ken.
Anyway I thought it would be interesting to show the quality index-I think it speaks for itself:D
Also nice to see that there wasn't much pinned to the Union notice board
What was a CU306?
Uploaded files:
A vast majority of the cars that were produced were despatched from the factory by train via the 2-1/2 mile branch line from Abingdon to Radford where it joined the mainline. Despite Beeching closing the line to passengers in 1964 the line remained open to goods (mainly for the transportation of MG's) until 1984. In its hayday (early to mid 70's) three trains (with twin deck rolling stock) left each week.
This photo was taken in the mid 60's and shows a loaded train of midgets waiting to be collected at Abingdon Station.
This is the view at the other end of the branch line where it joined the mainline. Someone must have had fun cleaning those MGB's when they arrived at their destination.
As produduction rose in the 70's double height rolling stock was used to cope. This is a rare picture of the ramp that was constucted to put MG's onto the top deck
Hi you just might be the man that can clear up an opinion that the last of the MGB GT's and roadsters were built from body shells that had been lying around for quite some time at the factory,I think that it might explain why my car had so much paint on it and surface rust in the shell that has now been taken out ....I hope !:|
kind regards
Phil
NB great pic's
Very nice pictures. It is great fun to see Abingdon during the MGB era.
Hopefully everyone has seen the pictures I took in Abingdon in 1968 when I was a college student. If you have not these were published in the August 2008 issue and the June 2009 issue of Safety Fast.
Hi you just might be the man that can clear up an opinion that the last of the MGB GT's and roadsters were built from body shells that had been lying around for quite some time at the factory,I think that it might explain why my car had so much paint on it and surface rust in the shell that has now been taken out ....I hope !smiley
kind regards
Phil
NB great pic's
Hi Phil
I have heard numerous stories about the last few cars being put together using whatever had been sitting around at the time and in some instances the shells being resprayed to suit a customers requirement (all shells came pre sprayed from swindon) so as to get a sale etc etc. not heard about the rust issue though....
Great pics, love the quality index chart but don't quite understand what it means to have the ngb at the top is that bad or good? Would've loved to have been old enough in Abingdons hayday to experiance and appreciate it. The old steam engine, those were the days. I was definately born too late:D.
its all good phil :D:D:D:D:D:D
I wish I could have been a fly on the wall aswell but unfortunately the factory gates closed many years before I could drive 🙁
