The Fatal Gardner Scandal: The Arrogance That Destroyed Britain’s Diesel Engine Empire

Comments · 188

• BI

  @billy.g3597 · 4 months ago

  My late father was a Gardner apprentice back in the 1950s. I think he  learnt milling and shaving. He always took great pride in being a Gardner man.

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• DA

  @David-999-z · 4 months ago

  It's common to hear people boasting about the quality of German engineering. But British engineering used to be second to none. It was poor management that destroyed British industry.

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• MR

  @MrCrabbing · 4 months ago

  I still have a 8LXB in my trawler

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• NA

  @natcalverley4344 · 4 months ago

  Gardner marine diesels were amazing. Twenty to thirty thousand hours with regular maintenance!

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• LI

  @Lilredfrog4576 · 4 months ago

  I'm an ex Rolls Royce diesel fitter from the late 70s, but love the total quality of the Gardner. I remember seeing many period lorries in crawler gear going up the Welsh hills. Perkins gobbled up Rolls Royce, and I left then due to redundancy chasing me into the military engine division, and being last in was first out. Love the diesel engineering company, and still appreciate my wonderful apprenticeship at 64. It's been so useful throughout my life in oil and spanners.

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• RO

  @rogerburnett1013 · 4 months ago

  In the 1960s my Yorkshire keel barge had a 3LW Gardner that was installed in 1945. It's rhythmic sound led it being known as "the sewing machine boat". In the 1970s I salvaged a 2LW from a sunken barge on the Bridgewater Canal. After spending a year on restoration, I installed it in a 16 ton gaff cutter I built for a voyage to the Caribbean. For 20 years she never missed a beat.

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• DA

  @davidoswald9253 · 4 months ago

  Interesting commentary bit about one person overseeing the construction of an engine. Back in 1982/3, I bought a 6LW from a scrapyard in woodseaves, Staffordshire to put in an irrigation pump to sell on.  I was a farm manager so had use of the workshop. I contacted the powers that be and was sent the original build sheet for the engine I had bought!! All the build measurements were there and the name of the guy who built it!! Now thats proper engineering.

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• JA

  @jamiecartwright5093 · 4 months ago

  Oh manchester, so much to answer for!

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• IA

  @ianmccall5295 · 4 months ago

  I rebuilt several 6LXB 180 engines in the 70's they were fitted in ERF and Foden tractor units amongst some others also. The only failures I remember were caused by drivers driving them to destruction after springing a water leak on the cooling system. I don't ever recall a bottom end failure, although we did have one with a cracked crankcase once. When rebuilt in the shop you fitted the starter motor, gave it some fuel from a Castrol oil can and started it up. They would run just sitting on the cast aluminium sump very happily and you could rest a coin on its edge on top of the valve covers they were that smooth. A bit smokey until they got warm but what an engine. The best ever.

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• JO

  @JohnOgle-j6d · 1 month ago

  Extraordinary pioneers.

• JO

  @JohnSeddon-b3q · 4 months ago

  As a child I can remember a Manchester trader buying any Gardner engine in any condition, he would assemble a consignment of several hundred 😊diesels, select the best parts for reconditioning in graded batches, including scrap blocks and ship the total consignment to a regular Hong Kong buyer who would build up diesels and supply used parts for the large population of Hong Kong junk boat owners who regarded the Gardner as the Rolls &nbsp;Royce of engines, frugal and reliable and able to give many years of service.<br><br>On my global business travels last century I have seen many elderly marinised Gardners in remote places, Central Africa, Amazon Basin, even the Falklands.

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• GM

  @gmdyt1 · 4 months ago

  A wonderful documentary. The only thing I craved for was a sound clip of a Gardner....

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