In the early 70’s I started with Cawthorne Sinclair on a night flyer from Skelmersdale to Birtley and return. I remember the interview and the driving test with a fully loaded F85 Volvo. It didn’t look powerful enough to the job as I was used to old Atkinson noisy brutes with man-sized controls that you wrestled with all night.
I was very pleased with the Volvo and its comfy walk through cab and whistling turbo. No deafening noise, no draughts and my first tacho. It could easily lug 20 tonnes over the Pennines twice a night, five nights a week.
The route was along the East Lancs road to pick up the M62 then off at the A58 because the M62 ended shortly after. Over the Seven Sisters to Leeds then A 58 again to Wetherby then up the A1 to Chester-le-Street and then Birtley depot. Change trailers and head back home. I was a cushy job and there were only two night trunk drivers at this time. The company had a good social life and the drivers were all about the same age group.
On odd occasions, I would take an empty trailer to Hatfield and bring back a load of light bulbs.Then I would bump into my old pals at Suttons and marvel at how they still used to plug up and down the M1/M6 with outdated worn out Atkinsons with 180 Gardeners.
In the early 70’s I started with Cawthorne Sinclair on a night flyer from Skelmersdale to Birtley and return. I remember the interview and the driving test with a fully loaded F85 Volvo. It didn’t look powerful enough to do the job as I was used to old Atkinson noisy brutes with man-sized controls that you wrestled with all night.
I was very pleased with the Volvo and its comfy walk through cab and whistling turbo. No deafening noise, no draughts and my first tacho. It could easily lug 20 tonnes over the Pennines twice a night, five nights a week.
The route was along the East Lancs road to pick up the M62 then off at the A58 because the M62 ended shortly after. Over the Seven Sisters to Leeds then A 58 again to Wetherby then up the A1 to Chester-le-Street and then Birtley depot. Change trailers and head back home. I was a cushy job and there were only two night-trunk drivers at this time. The company had a good social life and the drivers were all about the same age group.
On odd occasions, I would take an empty trailer to Hatfield and bring back a load of light bulbs.Then I would bump into my old pals at Suttons and marvel at how they still used to plug up and down the M1/M6 with outdated worn out Atkinsons with 180 Gardeners.
Some time in the 60s, my wife, myself and a couple of friends where shopping in Birmingham city centre.
We noticed a crowd gathering on the Smallbrook Ringway and went to investigate.
Right on the bend where the Ringway split into a large circular section over the Bull Ring, a Cawthorne et Sinclair artic had broken down.
The tractor was a French registered Berliet pulling, what was then , a typical Continental tilt.
I do not know what the problem was ,thought at the time i think i had concluded it was transmission failure.
Whatever the cause the result was mayhem,I can clearly remember the driver, a little dapper looking Frenchman in his green
C+S overalls trying to explain his predicament to a policeman who couldn’t speak French.
While all this was taking place a Birmingham City Transport bus, its driver distracted by this foreign truck stuck on the bend, drove into it. The damage was only minor, but it all helped to add drama to what was rapidly turning into a jolly afternoons entertainment, Plod meanwhile was now pleading with the crowd for anyone who could speak French to step forward,
We left eventually, the lorry still stuck, the driver attempting to get details off the bus driver.
I often wondered how it all got sorted out and how long it took the C+S to get back to Paris.
does anyone have any info or pics on cawthorn and sinclair. as a kid i remember travelling all over europe with my dad in 1418mercs, f88s and maggie deutz
I remember the Maggies from when I was a kid. They had contracts with Caterpillar at Birtley & Thorn EMI in Sunderland. I understand they became part of Cavewood eventually, but as Caterpillar & Thorn both closed there wasan’t much work left.
there’s a great chapter in one of bob tuck’s books about the firm with lots of photos - will try remember which book exactly
used to work with a fellow in the mid 90s named bob hunter from chester-le-street who was on C&S, ever such a nice bloke, he was on european work for them from the start (well mid 60s anyway)
I used to see Brian Robson On the odd Sunday night shipping out of Southampton.Saw his son Brian on the odd occasion(the well known footballer).Nice lad. There was another driver who I called the Sergeant Major because he looked just like one.There was also a mad scot who was the shop steward.Anyone remember them? Early 70s.
When I started in the haulage business as an O/Driver in 1978 I used to do some work for BCT in Walkden Manchester and Cawthorn + Sinclair used to pull their trailers. (they might have been C+S’s trailers with BCT on the tilt)
Mackem:
I remember the Maggies from when I was a kid. They had contracts with Caterpillar at Birtley & Thorn EMI in Sunderland. I understand they became part of Cavewood eventually, but as Caterpillar & Thorn both closed there wasan’t much work left.
Are there any caterpillar plants open in the n/east? I can remember in the late 90s picking up c/piller spares in belgium and taking them to stockton,also loaded engines at c/piller belgium and took them to peterlee.
I can remember shipping out of Soton every Sunday with loads of C&S lads. The only ones whose names I can remember were a smashing bloke called Norman and a great big fella called Jimmy Wynn.
The Who rock group were aboard on one trip and one of them annoyed Jimmy greatly by plunking a guitar, endlessly, in the bar. Jimmy warned him to stop, and when he wouldn’t, Jimmy smashed his guitar against a pillar.
They were mostly carrying Caterpillar stuff for Grenoble.
I first knew them when I first started in 1965 on SCA who were then in Chandlersford. They later moved to Stepney around 1970
charlie one:
I used to see Brian Robson On the odd Sunday night shipping out of Southampton.Saw his son Brian on the odd occasion(the well known footballer).Nice lad. There was another driver who I called the Sergeant Major because he looked just like one.There was also a mad Scot who was the shop steward.Anyone remember them? Early 70s.
Brian Robson was my branch chairman when I worked at Gallacher Bros Annfield Plain.He was then working for Cavewood who took over CS. I seem to remember somebody saying he had bought a paper shop but I think I also heard that he has since deceased (not certain)
Worked with 2 other lads ex CS who were at Gallachers.Dickie Parker who went back to Cavewood for a couple of yrs but unfortunately has also deceased & Brian Crosson who did most of the swiss work for Gallachers who has also deceased. Sorry to be the the purvayer of bad news Charlie
Many thanks for the info Greek. Sad to hear about the sad demises.The problem is,when you have not seen these guys for a long time,you forget they age.Comes a a shock.Thanks again Charlie.
Mackem:
I remember the Maggies from when I was a kid. They had contracts with Caterpillar at Birtley & Thorn EMI in Sunderland. I understand they became part of Cavewood eventually, but as Caterpillar & Thorn both closed there wasan’t much work left.
Are there any caterpillar plants open in the n/east? I can remember in the late 90s picking up c/piller spares in belgium and taking them to stockton,also loaded engines at c/piller belgium and took them to peterlee.
Caterpillar bought out DJB (David Brown) at Peterlee although this was a while after they closed Birtley. Birtley is now the Komatsu plant. Only other plant I know is Desford near Leicester.
i worked with bob at chastneys at seaham. after that he went to r and n at birtley. when chastneys finished i went there, worst two weeks of my life.i came off a newish f10 and was given a clapped out sed atki 301. bob was ok ,he was doing greece in their only decent motor,a 2435 merc. he sent an article into heritage commercial mag last year about his cawthorn days.he said the best motor he had there was a sleeper cab 1418 merc. but they only had two,my dad had one and kieth tindal had the other one.there are ony a few ex cawthorn drivers left now,they meet in the barley mow club in birtley once a month.bob took sent me some articles from the sixties when they had french motors based in paris and le havre,i would love to see any more photos if anyone has any.
