A MYSTERY has been uncovered after a classic Dinky Toy car was found inside a Droylsden gas main that is being upgraded.
Shane Mulhern was operating the camera equipment at the project on Canberra Street when the unusual find was made.
What appears to be a Dinky Toys Daimler Scout Car, a die-cast model of a British light reconnaissance vehicle used during the Second World War made from 1942 until the 1960s, came into vision and was rescued.
Its size means it is unlikely to cause a major issue to the distribution of gas, especially as other engineers found a football, an oil can, boots, planks of wood and a golf club inside old gas mains.
But Mr Mulhern, director of Stockport-based gas main-laying company PMCE, which is helping Cadent upgrade its oldest pipes in the Greater Manchester area, was still stunned at his find in pipework that had been there since the 1960s.
He said: “Before we insert the new polyethylene gas pipes into the old iron mains, we camera them to find the services (narrower pipes which run off the bigger gas main, into homes) and look for any possible obstructions along the way.
“I was pushing the camera along the main in Canberra Street, Droylsden, when I came across what looked like a toy car. I couldn’t believe my eyes!
“Later, when we ‘broke out’ a section of the main, I was able to retrieve it. I’ve looked it up and it’s a toy that was made by Dinky up to the 1960s, so the dates match with when this old cast iron pipe was originally put in.
“The way gas pipes were installed in those days was very different to how we do it now and we do come across foreign objects from time to time – I’ve found trousers before, and a newspaper from 1957.”
Cadent’s project in Droylsden is part of a 30-year programme to upgrade old metallic gas mains and replace them with durable plastic pipes.
As well as maintaining a safe and reliable supply of gas now, the modernisation ensures the network is ready for the increased introduction of greener gases, like biomethane.
In the North West this year alone, £75 million I being invested to upgrade about 385km of its network.