Skip to content

  Advanced search
Contact Us
  • TruckNet UK Home
  • Board index ‹ UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS ‹ OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
  • Change font size
  • FAQ
  • Chat [0]
  • Gallery
  • Register
  • Login

Long Departed Southampton Hauliers

Remember when going scotch (if from the south), or going down to the smoke (if from the north), was long distance?
When Middle East work was readily available?.
When driving a 111 or F89 meant you were truly the king of the road?
Recall those companies long gone, where every day was an adventure?

What ever happened to those drivers you spent hours with.. where did they go? and recollect on those characters in the industry sadly no longer with us.
This forum is for us all to indulge in a little nostalgia and remember with rose coloured glasses how much better it was in the olden days

Moderators: ERF-NGC-European, dieseldave

Forum rules
Forum rules and sanction system updated 15/2/2009-click here to read before posting

By posting content to TruckNet, you're agreeing to our terms of use and confirm that you have read our Privacy Policy, and our Cookie Use Policy. You acknowledge that any personal data you post on TruckNet may be accessed by other members of TruckNet and visitors to the forum

Post a reply
14950 posts • Page 1 of 499 • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ... 499

Long Departed Southampton Hauliers

Postby TK Dave » Thu Dec 18, 2003 12:55 pm

Cast your minds back to the mid 1970s ( younger members ask your parents or grand parents). Anyone recall the following two firms who worked out of Southampton Docks?

Arthur Kneller Transportation. Yellow and blue rigid flatbeds (general haulage tramping in a Leyland Terrier or Ford D series four-pot day cab anyone?)

BFC. Had a yard at Eastleigh and the Cunard container contract, although also did general. May have owned AKT (see above). Known without much affection as 'Barney's Flying Circus.'

Any recollections, observations and especially pictures welcome. I worked briefly for AKT, (who's transport manger was an ex-Middle East hand,) and where I learned to rope and sheet.
TK Dave
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 91
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2003 11:57 am
Location: London
Top

Postby zzarbean » Sat Dec 20, 2003 1:30 am

I was a contract subbie to Ferrymasters Southampton around then but I must admit I can't place those firms. Probably due to spending too many nights in the Juniper Berry or paddling around the swiming pool car park.
Ted
User avatar
zzarbean
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 443
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2003 8:55 pm
Location: Churchdown UK
Top

BFC

Postby BondiTram » Sun Dec 21, 2003 6:12 pm

BFC was Bowden Freight wasn't it?
Bought up lots of firms round the country including J & H at Nottingham hauling for Plasterboard out of East Leake & Gotham.

Salut, David.

PS Or was that BFI? :?
Originally from Nottingham, England.
Worked for French haulier for 3 years before retirement end of 2002.
Before that driving on & off in UK, Europe & Australia since 1963.
BondiTram
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 182
Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2003 1:14 am
Location: Perigord Vert 24, France. Formerly Nottingham, England
Top

Postby Lucy » Sun Dec 21, 2003 6:49 pm

That rings a bell - although Fergusons now have the plasterboard contract...
User avatar
Lucy
SITE ADMIN
 
Posts: 6624
Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 9:39 pm
Location: Teesside
  • Website
Top

Postby TK Dave » Mon Dec 22, 2003 11:56 am

Thanks guys but I think Bowdens were a far better organisation than BFC...
TK Dave
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 91
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2003 11:57 am
Location: London
Top

Postby TruckNet UK » Mon Dec 22, 2003 12:00 pm

J & H at Nottingham hauling for Plasterboard out of East Leake & Gotham.


I remember IRVINGS having the Plasterbpard contract .. but havent seen there wagons for a while
TruckNet UK
SITE ADMIN TEAM
 
Posts: 520
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:46 pm
  • Website
Top

Re: BFC

Postby Trevor Parry » Mon Dec 22, 2003 1:39 pm

[.

PS Or was that BFI? :?[/quote]
BFI used to do the plasterboard out of East Leake and Gotham (usually handball :cry: Fergusons now have the contract.
Ted, your mention of the Juniper Berry brought back some happy memories, and some embarrasing ones too, (don`t ask, cos I`m not telling.) Do you remember the landlord who fancied himself as a comedian, and Dockyard Doris? :lol: :lol: :lol: I beleive it`s now a restaurant.
Merry Christmas
Trev
PS. I meant the Juniper Berry is a restaurant, not Dockyard Doris :lol:
ERF drivers do it with twins
Trevor Parry
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 331
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2003 11:29 am
Location: Ilkeston, Derbys
Top

Postby Lucy » Wed Dec 24, 2003 8:25 pm

TruckNet UK wrote: I remember IRVINGS having the Plasterbpard contract .. but havent seen there wagons for a while


Definately Fergies now...I know this, incidentally, 'cos I spent many a happy hour sat at East Leake waiting for a backload when I worked for them...and have a good friend who is still doing it now, poor [zb]... :wink:
User avatar
Lucy
SITE ADMIN
 
Posts: 6624
Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 9:39 pm
Location: Teesside
  • Website
Top

Re: BFC

Postby 240 Gardner » Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:21 am

BondiTram wrote:BFC was Bowden Freight wasn't it?
Bought up lots of firms round the country including J & H at Nottingham hauling for Plasterboard out of East Leake & Gotham.

Salut, David.

PS Or was that BFI? :?

Yep - that was BFI "Bowden Freight International" - also had an Iveco dealership in Essex, and Bowden Container Services too. They went bust many years ago
240 Gardner
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 3373
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 2:00 pm
Location: Cotswolds
  • Website
Top

Postby Rob K » Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:26 am

Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2003 8:25 pm
Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:21 am

:shock:
"Typical agency muppet."
User avatar
Rob K
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 13496
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2003 12:58 pm
Top

Postby Mike-C » Mon Jul 31, 2006 1:55 pm

Rob K wrote:Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2003 8:25 pm
Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:21 am

:shock:


There's been a few like that lately, i'm suprised no one else noticed, they all carry on like it was yesterday!!!
User avatar
Mike-C
MODERATOR
 
Posts: 8729
Joined: Wed Aug 03, 2005 2:51 am
Location: Liverpool
  • Website
Top

juniper berry

Postby dafdave » Mon Jul 31, 2006 3:29 pm

zzarbean wrote:I was a contract subbie to Ferrymasters Southampton around then but I must admit I can't place those firms. Probably due to spending too many nights in the Juniper Berry or paddling around the swiming pool car park.
dafdave

Ah Zzar you bring back a few memories there,the juniper berry had some good nights there. Came out one night and two lads sadly the worse for drink[[ unusual]]were betting each other over jumping the wall at the side of the door,the one with the 30ft drop on the other side.

Regards Dave
one flew over the cuckoos nest
dafdave
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 1990
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2005 5:27 pm
Location: southport
Top

Postby harry » Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:00 pm

Bowdens used to have a Monsanto contract down to Lisbon. I used to see them there in the old days.
User avatar
harry
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 6746
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:48 pm
Location: Boceguillas
Top

Postby jj72 » Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:14 pm

anyone remember British International from Nursling, white Daf units and blue tilts? They used to do Black & Decker part loads out of Spennymoor for us to Estoril as they weren't much use to us - good set of lads in their office as well as on the road, seemed to vanish early 90s
jj72
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 2730
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2003 11:53 pm
Location: the axis of diesel
Top

Postby greek » Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:38 pm

Drank one night in the Berry with a guy from Bristol (in the days when drivers didn`t shut the curtains & stick the telly on) anyway I diverse Supped with the guy all night good crack usual entertainment on stage came to closing time & he`s waving to this good looking Italian kid standing by the door , Come on Kenny here`s my lift I`l drop you off at the wagon [i`m skint so I`m off to make myself afew bob ] I nearly fell off the bar stool :!: :!: Anyway took the lift & the guy from Bristol dissapeared into the moonlight with the Boy never to be seen again (Well he wasn`t back when I left at 8am) :oops: :oops: :oops: :wink: :wink:
ROPES & SHEETS RULE
greek
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 1274
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 6:42 pm
Location: N.E.
Top

Postby harry » Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:49 pm

:roll: I dun unnerstan..? You mean he was gay..?( & on the game...? ) "i`m skint so I`m off to make myself afew bob " Translate that for me greko...? :roll:
User avatar
harry
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 6746
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:48 pm
Location: Boceguillas
Top

Postby David Miller » Tue Aug 01, 2006 5:32 am

H. I was just reading this thinking that I'm not so sure that I would want to admit to spending that much time in the Juniper Berry. When I was at sea that was home from home for the Cunard and Union Castle stewards. And very nice they looked in the good dress! :)
User avatar
David Miller
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 831
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:38 pm
Location: Baddesley Eyore, Warwickshire
Top

Postby harry » Tue Aug 01, 2006 5:43 am

I never had time for anything in Sotton. Always scrambling for a boat. The gender benders were of no interest for me ( & vice-versa if you didn`t encourage `em ) when you had the all them Spanish & South American gals lookin` for romance. :lol:
Re: Bowdens ; Its funny ,when I think of it ? In the old days it used to take about 3 days to clear in Lisbon. So every night I used to go to the clubs ,fall in love & end up in an hotel. But there was this Bowdens driver who had this handlebar mustache & would go to the Bavarian bar that was crammed full of crumpet. He used to stand at the bar wearing a blazer ,grey flannels ,collar & tie. He went there because they served beer in big pint mugs. He used to smoke his pipe & drink his beer like a sergeant major ,while all around him were truckers from all over Europe totally wasted & really wild women doing what they did best. He never went with any of the girls. But as soon as he got to Lisbon he made a bee-line to the nightclubs. A respectable oddity...... ( I was there now ) :lol:
User avatar
harry
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 6746
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:48 pm
Location: Boceguillas
Top

Postby TK Dave » Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:46 am

Nice to see this old thread resurrected.
My first boss in Southampton was a former ship's steward, appropriately named Lennie Dear, camp as a row of tents but a smashing bloke to work for.

For the record BFC - who's yard definitely was at Eastleigh, possibly on a farm, and who pulled a mixture of Cunard boxes and rope and sheet mixed flatbed freight out of the dock sheds was not either Bowden or BFI.
From fuzzy memory the fleet included TKs, D series and Dafs and had white cabs with red wings and chassis. AKT, their very dodgy susidiary, had a yard, also used by BFC, in St Marys close to the railway. Their livery was a bright yellow and blue and they only ran rigid flatbeds. AKT probably fielded six wagons. BFC four or more times that, most bought second hand. Drivers were often swopped between the two firms, hence I worked for AKT - 4 pot Ford and Leyland Terrier, both day cabs, on long distance - but also drove a BFC TK and Perkins powered D series, a real flyer.
TK Dave
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 91
Joined: Mon Nov 03, 2003 11:57 am
Location: London
Top

Postby Spardo » Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:02 am

David Miller wrote:H. I was just reading this thinking that I'm not so sure that I would want to admit to spending that much time in the Juniper Berry. When I was at sea that was home from home for the Cunard and Union Castle stewards. And very nice they looked in the good dress! :)


Can't say as I know the pub, when I was working by on the Castle boats in port before sailing on the Mary, I was straight home to Auntie each evening where I lodged, at Portswood. Sounds like I was doing the right thing :wink: . Might have needed the steward-rejection practice though on the QM, if it hadn't been for the force 9 that kept us all below decks and seperated right through to New York. :lol:
Salut, David.

The BondiTram is back!!

Follow my dog journeys:

http://longdistancedogdiary.weebly.com/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/my_videos?o=U
Spardo
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 5651
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 1:35 am
Location: St. Front La Riviere 24 France, formerly Nottingham
Top

Postby 240 Gardner » Tue Aug 01, 2006 12:08 pm

Mike-C wrote:
Rob K wrote:Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2003 8:25 pm
Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:21 am

:shock:


There's been a few like that lately, i'm suprised no one else noticed, they all carry on like it was yesterday!!!


Well, it would have to be Tykes and Scousers complaining :wink:
240 Gardner
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 3373
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 2:00 pm
Location: Cotswolds
  • Website
Top

Postby greek » Tue Aug 01, 2006 3:04 pm

I think youv`e translated it yourself Harry :wink: :wink:

I was just an innocent in them days H
ROPES & SHEETS RULE
greek
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 1274
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2006 6:42 pm
Location: N.E.
Top

Postby harry » Tue Aug 01, 2006 6:41 pm

greek Moving smartly on, :lol: SCA started life in Eastliegh before they moved to Island Row, Mile End Rd.
User avatar
harry
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 6746
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:48 pm
Location: Boceguillas
Top

Postby David Miller » Wed Aug 02, 2006 6:24 pm

Also moving smartly on... There used to be a Southampton outfit that did continental with yellow Fodens. What were they called - can't remember.
User avatar
David Miller
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 831
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:38 pm
Location: Baddesley Eyore, Warwickshire
Top

Postby harry » Thu Aug 03, 2006 9:37 am

Somebody else from Sotton,with dark blue Atkis had a go at it ,but soon packed in. ( The drivers told everyone that they were getting £100 extra a week to drive in Europe with them ) They looked a bit like circus wagons. They were well established in UK. Don`t remember their name either ?
User avatar
harry
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 6746
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:48 pm
Location: Boceguillas
Top

Postby David Miller » Fri Aug 04, 2006 11:46 am

Anybody would think we were getting old or something Harry.

As they say "Ive got Altzheimers... but at least I don't have Altzhiemers"
User avatar
David Miller
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 831
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:38 pm
Location: Baddesley Eyore, Warwickshire
Top

Postby harry » Fri Aug 04, 2006 1:37 pm

David Miller The trouble is that I moved around a lot & each location has its own bunch of characters so its only the very best or worst are remembered. When I started TIR I was based in London, then Dover.back to London ( I mean living in these places. ) Then for a long time it was Swiss , then Holland, tried Italy. All these locations have their own `families` so at times it can be difficult . Now I have washed up in UK my friend is the awful tv. :roll:
User avatar
harry
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 6746
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:48 pm
Location: Boceguillas
Top

Postby Deesider » Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:17 pm

:)
Does anyone remember a firm called 'Jameson' or 'Jameson Europa' ?
I think they were based somewhere in the Southampton area.
They had those tilt trailers that were lifted on and off trains, and had the chamfered roof edges so that they would fit through the tunnels.
They did mainly Italy, I think.
8)
Graham.
Deesider
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 782
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2003 1:21 pm
Location: Wirral
Top

Postby harry » Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:37 pm

Ye'ah,they went bust because they invested in hundreds of 10 metre tilt trailers. The rest of the world went for 12 metre. I think the idea was to set cheaper rates per trailer to Italy because they could get a cheaper rate on the ferries. I think trains were involved somewhere along the line..? they had a driver called Pinhead.
User avatar
harry
SENIOR MEMBER
 
Posts: 6746
Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:48 pm
Location: Boceguillas
Top

Postby Mike-C » Fri Aug 04, 2006 7:45 pm

240 Gardner wrote:
Mike-C wrote:
Rob K wrote:Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2003 8:25 pm
Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:21 am

:shock:


There's been a few like that lately, i'm suprised no one else noticed, they all carry on like it was yesterday!!!


Well, it would have to be Tykes and Scousers complaining :wink:


Sorry mate, i wasn' complaining, i just found it funny that it was just picked back up on and not mentioned. The reference to yesterday, i meant like the thread was started yesterday and not a reference to days gone by.

And Harry stay off the red wine tonight!!
User avatar
Mike-C
MODERATOR
 
Posts: 8729
Joined: Wed Aug 03, 2005 2:51 am
Location: Liverpool
  • Website
Top

Next

By posting content to TruckNet, you're agreeing to our terms of use and confirm that you have read our Privacy Policy, and our Cookie Use Policy. You acknowledge that any personal data you post on TruckNet may be accessed by other members of TruckNet and visitors to the forum

Post a reply
14950 posts • Page 1 of 499 • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ... 499

Return to OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: DIG, forster, murphy00, pushrod47, robinswh, tom tit and 71 guests

  • Board index
  • The team • Delete all board cookies • All times are UTC [ DST ]
  • TruckNet UK Home
  •  | 
  • About Us
  •  | 
  • Advertise
  •  | 
  • Contact Us
  •  | 
  • Press Center
  •  | 
  • Terms of Use
  •  | 
  • Privacy Policy
  •  | 
  • Cookie Use Policy
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group | TruckNet UK, DVV Media International Ltd.
Note to Media.. copying or use of quotes from any part of this bulletin Board is only permitted with the members permission and credit given to TruckNet UK