Meet our vintage heavy machinery maestro
Meet Tom Parkes. He loves tractors – and nobody knows the vintage heavy machinery found within our collection better than he does.
Thanks to people like Tom, we know the items found within our collection are in good hands.
While the Bill Richardson Transport World collection has its roots in classic trucks – after all, vintage trucks from marques like International and Diamond T were the vehicles that ignited Bill’s love for collecting the classics – our museum has evolved beyond that and now includes displays that will captivate a range of people, no matter where their interests lie.
Today, Bill Richardson Transport World is home to more than 300 vintage vehicles ranging from Henry Ford Alphabet Cars to 1930s Ford V8s, classic models like Thunderbirds, and an impressive array of vintage Volkswagen Kombis.
In the whopping 15,000 square metre space of the Bill Richardson Transport World collection, visitors will also come across an incredible array of vintage heavy machinery in our Ian Ridd Shed, named after a good friend of Bill’s. At the time of Bill’s death, Ian Ridd had been busy working on restoring some of the vintage heavy machinery visitors can see here today. After Bill passed away in 2005, Ian stepped up and took on the role of curator for us for more than eight years, until his well-deserved retirement in 2013.
That’s where Tom comes in.
His passion and his knowledge for everything vintage heavy machinery-related is unparalleled. In fact, whenever the Transport World team needs some vintage machinery cranked up, turned over, or maintained – Tom’s our man.
So, why is he so keen on vintage heavy machinery – and what makes it so special?
We’ll let him explain.