I have been aware of the machinery graveyard that exists at the Butser Hill Lime works pit for many years now, but Wayne Lymburn, the lad that has brought it to my attention this time around, has reminded me of the deep affection that still exists in the UK for the old Hymac product. During Wayne’s recent visit, he did snap a few shots of the old 690, which has been a victim of vandals and graffiti artists over the years, which he has sent in to share with the readers.

Wayne tells us that the machine is still in a reasonable condition despite the vandalism, but did note that the control levers are no longer in the cab. The engine radiator is also missing, which might suggest that the machine has been cannibalised at some point, possibly to keep another machine going. On the plus side, the machine was parked up with its arm fully stretched out, so that a majority of the chromed hydraulic rams have not been left exposed to the elements over the years.

As many of you have asked what is going to happen to this rare Hymac, well all I can say about it at the moment is that a team of enthusiastic individuals from a well known machinery dealership in the South West, are looking into the possibility of saving this classic machine and fully restoring it to her former glory. If it does happen, and I for one sincerely hope it does, the Digger Blog will be covering the restoration project every step of the way with a series of update reports.

The big hurdle for the team behind this rescue venture at the moment, is that the owner of the machine is asking for a slightly unrealistic price for what is currently a dead machine, only time will tell now, but what a marvellous thing it would be to see this machine running again, and to hear this Perkins six cylinder springing back into life!

As soon as I hear anything definite about this restoration plan I will let you know here on Digger.