ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Some of the photos in this feature were taken at the factory by Reg Rogers, a former miner who worked as a welder at the Pengam factory. He was also an avid photographer, taking more than 600 photographs around the factory and winning local awards for his work. His photos are the only known detailed record of the explosion at the factory on 11th January, 1962. Reg’s photos are kindly reproduced with the permission of his son Billy, who inherited his father’s negatives.
Information for this feature has come from a number of sources, which we wish to acknowledge here.
David Whyley’s small book Austin Pedal Cars (1999, Arthur Southern Ltd) is a detailed and well-researched history of the Pengam factory and the Austin pedal cars. The book is out of print now, but copies do turn up from time to time.
Austin celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1955 and a race for J40s was included at the jubilee celebrations at Longbridge. An excellent film was made of the event, which includes the race. In 1957 British Pathe produced a film for BMC titled They Work Again, which takes a detailed look at the factory, the workforce and the disease Pneumoconiosis. Both these films are included in the DVD The Best Of Austin in the Fifties which is available from the British Motor Museum, Gaydon.
The South Wales Echo newspaper was a good source of information regarding the explosion in 1962. Thanks go to Katrina Coopey at Cardiff Central Library for her assistance in tracking that information down.
A search on Youtube will reveal numerous videos for the Settrington Cup, first run in 2012. Also on YouTube you will find some excellent videos on the J40 pedal cars. In particular, check out the short film about a driving training school in the US – narrated by James Stewart, it would seem! Interestingly, he calls the car the Phoenix Link Trainer. They are definitely J40s, though. There are also a couple of good websites for information, www.
austinmemories.com and www.austinj40pedalcarclub.org.
uk (which of course is the site for the club in the UK).
If you have an Austin pedal car that needs work, Roy Halford in the UK ( www.j40.co.uk) sells many parts, including some reproductions, although he is now in semi-retirement. Last but not least, Chris Knight at CK Auto provides trim kits for the seats – see his full range at www.ckautotrimkits.com
CLASSICS MONTHLY
MARCH 2020
MARCH 2020
CLASSICS MONTHLY