TIME FOR T! PART THREE
I contacted Sam in 2017 as he started his restoration of 20 YZ 65 which he had secured in November 2016; it turned out to be Diamond T works chassis number 980 1531, assembled in 1942. As 20 YZ 65, it had been an important part of the author’s early life as it was a resident of the TAVR depot in Shipcote, Gateshead, a place which he had spent many hours as a very young lad, watching the Diamond Ts shuffling around the Army’s yard.
At this point, Sam now had pieces of Diamond T and a very large pile of rusty bits. The engine was sitting on its own awaiting a complete rebuild.
Sam couldn’t have been more helpful, so I followed his progress and finally arranged to call in on him to see how the restoration was progressing as he laboured with the first parts of the project. It was awe-inspiring to see the results of his engineering skills down to the smallest of details. At one point, he even made his own nuts and bolts! Experience gained from his work as a
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