Lawrence Dunbar:
I REMEMBER GETTING STUCK ON SHAP 1961 FOR 24 HOURS WHEN I CAME TO MOVE OFF AT THE SELSIDE CAFE AT THE TOP THE HYDROVACK BRAKE UNIT HAD FROZEN UP & CRACKED HUDSONS OF MILLINTHORP CAME WITH THEIR WRECKER & TOWED ME ON A RIGID BAR THE DRIVER WAS A MASSIVE HAIRY CHESTED BLOKE & HE TOLD ME HE WAS IN A HURRY CO HE HAD 2 MORE TO SEE TO WHAT A WHITE KNUCKLED BLOODY TRIP THAT WAS NO POWERED STEERING HE WAS DOING 50 IN PLACES & WAVING TO OTHER DRIVERS & LAUGHING HIS HEAD OFF I WAS GLAD WHEN HE GOT US TO THEIR GARAGE AT SANDSIDE I SPENT THE NIIGHT AT THE ROSE COTTAGE DIGS AT KENDAL HAPPY DAYS EH CHEERS LARRY I WORKED FOR BAXTERS ROAD SERVICES NEWCASTLE IN THOSE DAYS
Dennis there was a fitter wotked for Hudson & he stayed at Rose Cottage, He may have been Polish, any mems ? Regards Larry
Suttons Tony:
Suttons used to have some old Leyland Comet units which sometimes were coupled up to tandem axle trailers loaded up to 16 ton for Glasgow, which would really struggle going up Shap, so one of the old bow fronted Atkinson 8 wheelers with the 6LW and a mighty 112 bhp which were all fitted with a shunt bar which was at the exact level of the rear crossmember on a York tandem would tuckup behind the Comet and give it a helping hand over Shap, all the York tandems used to have a dent in this crossmember, later of course Suttons standardised on Dysons which did’nt have this rear crossmember but these were pulled by Atkinson units with 6 LXB 150 bhp which did’nt need help…Tony.
Jack Ashworths of Bradford fit those shunt bars on their motors too
Lawrence Dunbar:
I REMEMBER GETTING STUCK ON SHAP 1961 FOR 24 HOURS WHEN I CAME TO MOVE OFF AT THE SELSIDE CAFE AT THE TOP THE HYDROVACK BRAKE UNIT HAD FROZEN UP & CRACKED HUDSONS OF MILLINTHORP CAME WITH THEIR WRECKER & TOWED ME ON A RIGID BAR THE DRIVER WAS A MASSIVE HAIRY CHESTED BLOKE & HE TOLD ME HE WAS IN A HURRY CO HE HAD 2 MORE TO SEE TO WHAT A WHITE KNUCKLED BLOODY TRIP THAT WAS NO POWERED STEERING HE WAS DOING 50 IN PLACES & WAVING TO OTHER DRIVERS & LAUGHING HIS HEAD OFF I WAS GLAD WHEN HE GOT US TO THEIR GARAGE AT SANDSIDE I SPENT THE NIIGHT AT THE ROSE COTTAGE DIGS AT KENDAL HAPPY DAYS EH CHEERS LARRY I WORKED FOR BAXTERS ROAD SERVICES NEWCASTLE IN THOSE DAYS
Dennis there was a fitter wotked for Hudson & he stayed at Rose Cottage, He may have been Polish, any mems ? Regards Larry
Hiya Larry, It was probably long before my time,the episode you mention,but if it is the fitter I’m thinking of his name was Peter ? I can’t just bring his second name to mind but he was a local chap.I can’t recall Hudsons employing a Pole but then again there was quite a number of Polish servicemen who ended up in our area after the war so they might well have employed one for a time.Cheers Dennis.
In the early 60’s,alongside their heavy recovery operation Hudson Engineers,as they became known,entered the Crane Hire buisness which was developed and became a major part of their operations.This is a shot of two of their cranes in our depot at Milnthorpe unloading new TASK tri-axles which we brought down in three’s from ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ cranes would call in on their way back to Sandside,usually at finishing time,for a quick job !! Cheers Dennis.
While on about Hudson Engineers here’s an odd shot I’ve dug out ! The Hudson crane is backed in behind some Libby loads and I took this shot out of the “cage” when I was up replacing the lighting filiments in the yard floodlights ( camera always at the ready !!) Thats the crane driver,Bob Bagguley,grinning up at me, before my bowls evacuated on him !!! Cheers Dennis.
hi, used to travel over shap quite a bit back in late 50ty-60ty, loaded a AB coal cutter at silverdale pit s-o-t had to get it back to AB factory at motherwell ASAP, made good time till shap, came to a crawl after the jungle cafe, eventually got to the summit and there was one of Sam’s AEC artic’s with an 8 legger AEC piggy backed, both were loaded with plate,you could smell the heat from the artics engine as you past, but i found the most testing roads to drive on were the roads in north scotland, more so after inverness, this photo will give you some idea what they were like, bumper
This is the wagon I got stuck on Shap in winter TBR.997, With the frozen Hydrovac, A very bad winter , lots of work for wreckers, I remember one of James Hemphills atics snapping a prop shaft, another reccy job for the Big hairy chested Hudsons driver, Happy Memmories, Larry
Bewick:
While on about Hudson Engineers here’s an odd shot I’ve dug out ! The Hudson crane is backed in behind some Libby loads and I took this shot out of the “cage” when I was up replacing the lighting filiments in the yard floodlights ( camera always at the ready !!) Thats the crane driver,Bob Bagguley,grinning up at me, before my bowls evacuated on him !!! Cheers Dennis.
Yes Dennis , so you say , some may think you went up there to get a birds eye on the ropes & sheets
dafdave:
I used to stop at one at the summit in a laybye[forgot the name].
First. and re:- The Leyland Clock. Here is a picture of it, along with Leonora , the lady who used to wind it up. She still lives – about 400 yards North of the Old Jungle Cafe–just around the corner from where it was sited., on the left hand side of the road about another 600 yards past her house. I always give her a toot as I go past.
As for the Bus stop cafe at the summit.It was called “the eagles nest” Dave. It was run by the Mrs.Huguez (dec.) with her Daughter Dorothy, on left in pic.(now in her late 70.s) and her young assistant Ann, on the right. (now a Great Gran.).
For further pics etc. Check out the “■■■■■■■ Companies” thread on the " Old time Lorries, Companies, and Drivers (interactive) thread lower down this Main Page. Start at Page 4, I posted a few pics of Shapfell on that, and later pages. There are a lot of good pics. and links to other Shap pictures on those pages from other posters.
Enjoy wallowing in Deep Nostalgia fellers.
Hi I can remember three other Leyland clocks. LEYLAND MOTORS FOR ALL TIME .One at Alconbury one at Beattock and one on the East Lancs road, Were there any more? Regards Ken
Bewick:
While on about Hudson Engineers here’s an odd shot I’ve dug out ! The Hudson crane is backed in behind some Libby loads and I took this shot out of the “cage” when I was up replacing the lighting filiments in the yard floodlights ( camera always at the ready !!) Thats the crane driver,Bob Bagguley,grinning up at me, before my bowls evacuated on him !!! Cheers Dennis.
Yes Dennis , so you say , some may think you went up there to get a birds eye on the ropes & sheets
I remember going over Shap one night, & the traffic came to a stand still about 1/2 mile from the top, I was driving PGR251 an 8 wheeler Atki, & the hand brake wenr over the knot, a regular thing with this model, the cables used to get stretched, the were a bloody nightmare to say the least. I couldnt get out of the cab so I called to the other drivers , & they got some rocks & put under the back wheels., then I gave them a large screwdriver so when I pulled the ratched back the driver with the screwdriver lifted the paul & the hand brake then came off, I met up with him & his mates at Milburn Motors at Kingston Carlisle & the teas were on me, Its nice to look back to those old days when help was allways at hand eh, not the same today sadley to say, Im not knocking the young drivers in any way, we old lads were taught different thats all . Regards Larry & If I may say so one of the Monarchs of the Glen, & the road of course.
Dave the Renegade:
My sprinter on Shap in 2008 with a fat git sat in it.
Was this before the Police threw the “stinger” across the A6 ? Anon.
Is that the vehicle in which the Eco-Warriors camped in on Shap summit a couple of years ago ?
Anon no. 2.
No CWM I think it was a bloke doing a bit of sheep rustling,well they need a bit of decent blood into them Welsh border rabbits they call sheep!!
I suppose you are right , Dennis. He s parked so close to the best of breed of our proud Kendal Roughs . If that is the case , then arent those weirdo Eco-Warriors a vegetarian ( or vegan ) tribe ?
Cheers , cattle wagon man.
