In the 1970's, Cummins Engine Company was an engine manufacturer based mostly in USA and supported by a large number of Distributors and Dealers around the world. Much like what you might consider might be a "normal" distribution network.
In Brisbane, Australia, the then Blackwood Hodge Group of companies held the Cummins Diesel franchise - interestingly, along with a Detroit Diesel franchise.
Blackwood Hodge was based at Eagle Farm and serviced the Detroit product from that location while leasing another building in the new industrial sub-division of Sumner Park in Brisbane's south west from where it would base its Cummins business.
Cummins Diesel Sales & Service (CDS&S), under the leadership of general manager, the late William (Bill) Goldie, operated from 61 Spine Street, Sumner Park, from the early 1970's. The business comprised a modest spare parts section, engine sales, truck section, fuel injection overhaul section, component recon section, engine dynamometer and a V12 (28 litre) rebuild section. Total staff numbers were about thirty. It was the only Cummins Distributor in Queensland and one of just a handful in Australia.
Products of the day included: H/NH/NT small cam engines and we saw the introduction of the first Big Cam with its AFC fuel pump; V6-140, V8-470 (185) and V8-504 (210) engines in gems like the ubiquitous "butterbox Acco" and "D Series" Fords; C/CT/CS160-195 464 cubic inch six cylinders; V8-300 (marine and military) and V/VT/VTA903's, and V12's (1710 ci) from 400 to 800HP. In 1977 we saw the first KT-450 (K19) failure in a Big Bud tractor. Specialist technician of the day, Ian Muller, had the privilege of conducting that repair after the engine was extracted from the tractor onto a tilt-tray and brought to Sumner Park workshop. From the "V12 section" the company serviced the engine needs of the burgeoning Queensland coal mines with a re manufactured exchange V12-1710 (V28) Cummins construction engine program. The engines were "cycled" at 8,000hr intervals for overhaul - if they lasted that long.
But the Cummins Brisbane camp was not always a happy camp and the Sumner Park business model came to an end in the mid 80's at which time Cummins Engine Company (USA) directly acquired its distributor network in Australia and reshaped the Cummins Diesel Sales & Service business firstly as "Cummins Diesel" and soon after as just "Cummins". Cummins then embarked on an expansion and building phase that has seen it develop into a much larger organisation (a listed company) today.
But before it did, and from the Sumner Park days in particular, many of its good people found reason to leave and create their own paths. (Here, you will find a summary of some of the people and the paths they took - with apologies to those I have missed).
One of those people was Ken Roberts.
