The first vehicle constructed at Ford’s Dagenham plant
The first vehicle constructed at Ford’s Dagenham plant – a Model AA truck – rolls off the production line in October 1931. This week marks the 90th anniversary of the start of construction of the factory on the outskirts of London, England.
When Henry Ford first envisaged a London-based assembly plant, British road networks had barely developed and most bulk supplies were still delivered by water. An area of marsh on the southern estuarial edge of Essex offered the prospect of a deepwater port, which would allow for bulk deliveries of coal and steel, so in 1924, Ford purchased the land for £167,700.
On May 17, 1929, Henry Ford’s son, Edsel, broke the first ground at the Dagenham plant, starting a 28-month construction project that included driving 22,000 concrete piles through the clay of the marshland in order to support the huge weight of a factory.
The plant featured its own steel foundry and coal-fired power station, and in its first full year of production, built 22,595 cars and trucks. By 1933, 6,900 employees had built 36,424 cars, as well as 14,318 trucks and tractors.
We (American Truck Historical Society) are looking for vintage assembly line photos for our "Trucking through history" display wall. Although we house 100,000 images in our library, we don't have any good assembly line images. Is there a way for us to get permission to use this (or similar) images for this purpose (educational)?
ReplyDeletemy Grandfather is the 3rd man on the front row of this photo
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