Report - Lucas CAV / Delphi Diesel Systems - Sudbury, Suffolk - 2021/2022

[Olkka]

I've been struggling to sleep the last few nights, laying anxiously in wait for parts 3 - 8. When will i be relieved of this torment

 

[Speed]

Next up the Filter Unit. I've not really explained yet exactly what the factory made but that's because it was kind of complicated. It was basically divided into 3 'units' Nozzles, Injectors and Filters. each unit operated somewhat like separate factories but all under the same roof. For the last 4 or 5 years I was there I worked on maintenance and engineering in the filter unit which was upstairs at the back of the factory. We made 5 or 6 main types of fuel filters, some traditional metal canned and some in plastic mouldings. The process involved pleating the paper, gluing the elements in and then pressing them into a can or friction welding the two halves of the plastic casing together before being leak tested, laser or silk screen marked and packed. In a way it was a lot less technical that what went on downstairs in the rest of the factory but it was in many ways more intense on the manufacturing engineering side of things with more of a none stop production line vibe going on. Sadly we were never given the investment to make our production truly competitive and were constantly undercut by inferior products from aboard (yet when we proposed dropping our standards to compete our customers wouldn't allow it!)

One thing I found interesting in the filter unit was the comparative size of the toilets. The men's was tiny up here but the woman's was massive hinting at what the original demographic of the filter department must have been n the 70s. They even apparently came complete with some kind of makeup table like you would see in a cinema. I wonder if women's toilets in modern factories are so well kitted out? Ours certainly arnt!

Sadly the whole of the filter unit was stripped bare so not really much i can show you other than this..

Il move on to some of the services side of the plant. To start with the two level substation.

This had seen some pikey activity between my various visits but it was interesting to poke about in being one of the only parts of the site i never really had freerun to go mooch about in at my leisure

Two generators in here for emergency lighting etc. These had to be tested monthly IIRC one of the jobs i tagged along with on occasion.

Another 'secret' plant room.

Which opened out onto the canteen loading bay

Sadly the canteen itself was ruined during my tenure. It used to be a massive traditional affair with long counter and rows of hatches hiding a big kitchen. After use of it dropped they partitioned most of it off as offices and halved the size of the kitchen.. At least they repurposed one of the hatches i guess!

Modernised kitchen area, The cupboard on the right used to be full of all kinds of 60s crockery and giant cookware. I remember binning it all!


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[monk]

Lovely stuff mate

 

[Speed]

Next through into the Boiler House

Finally turning into a half decent explore..

The Boiler house housed three very dated Lamont oil fired boilers.

The boilerman's hut. A cute little soundproof booth with porthole window. I think this was more to help down out the noise of the original compressors which were later replaced with quieter (and more efficient) screw units.

Boiler house office. In contrast to the rest of the place this was all untouched. Im guessing the boilerman would have been the last to leave site. They were the only people that worked proper 24/7 cover, even Christmas day.

All mod-cons here.

CAV Tote

Well stocked, on my return visit the pikeys had helped themselves to the socket sets to dismantle the substation!

Up top, plenty of encapsulated asbestos.

The main feedwater tank and steam receiver. Wish i had paid a bit more attention to all this stuff when there was someone to talk to who had run it for 50+ years!

And from above

Claughton neon display. Never saw it say anything sadly!

Next down to the basement

The basement ran down the front half of 'services' end of the factory

Half is mainly big tanks for water, fuel oil etc.

Sprinkler system pump

Some kind of boiler ancillary. May have been the fuel oil feed?

Tunnel under the road

The tunnel took the compressed air over to the air dryers and storage tanks

The second half of the basement was basically derelict the whole time i was there

This area was home to the central coolant system that circulated coolant around to all the original shop floor machinery (like the Wickmans pictured in the previous posts). The coolant tanks for this were on the left of shot here. On the right there was once a swarf conveyor that removed swarf from the machines via conveyor systems that sat in trenches under the factory floor.

I got wet feet but worth it to photograph one of the lesser spotted parts of the factory!

Back up to daylight

And a quick peak into the fire station before heading to the Social club.. Sadly the old Dennis engine had gone.
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[Speed]

First stop the grounds keepers hovel. The steps would have lead up onto the bowls green before the hedge took over..

Not much inside. Few more nice totes..

Into the club itself you enter into a reception area compete with 90s 3 piece.

And brass plaques

Heading up to the main floor.

The ball room

Up on the stage

so 60s..

Modernisation ruins everything

Balcony with a cracking view..

And a bar of course

Sadly the sparkles arnt original.

One end had a partition with storage behind

The infamous CAV tray.. It seemed these old canteen trays got all over the town let alone the factory. I still see them being used today in peoples houses!

Kitchen area

Kitted out in Oldhams finest

Report of a social club wouldn't be complete with out the chairman's office..

Substation to you and me.

Boiler house

Old Water tanks

Downstairs theres another bar.

An interesting mix of dated and modern in here.

Truman tray and trophy cabinet behind. Interestingly someone had written a receipt for the removal of the trophies dated a week before i was there.

The rest of the ground floor consisted of toilets

and changing rooms for home and away teams using the sports field etc..

and I think that about it until the security guy buggers off from the front of the fire station! Bit weird to go back there and probably be a bit weird to see the diggers move in and rip it down too. Still the town is getting a Hotel apparently, shouldn't be complaining!

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[albino-jay]

Fantastic! That social club looks great. I really do miss places looking like that.