“A picture is worth a thousand words…” so much in that photo reminds us of what the job used to be.
The nets of onions also reminds me of a load of David Brown tractor front loader booms and buckets for export that I took to Newhaven Docks, also on an AEC Marshal. After a very quick tip, by dockers standards in the early 1970s, I went into the Mainland Markets Deliveries hut that was on the docks to ask about a back load. The traffic manager told me to go back into the shed I had just come out of, where there was a considerable amount of Spanish onions on pallets. I had to load 10 tons for Manchester market and 4 tons for Blackburn. So I thought, nice easy load, forklift loading. But no, the forklift remained in the corner of the shed, it was a handball load. Some union dispute about the forklift putting men out of work.
Ha ha,aye Mainland Market Deliveries - when you rang them up "Yes full load of C I tomatoes for Sheffield/Leeds markets and then find out it was Manchester/Liverpool wanted for delivery yesterday. Just the once and never again.
“A picture is worth a thousand words…” so much in that photo reminds us of what the job used to be.
The nets of onions also reminds me of a load of David Brown tractor front loader booms and buckets for export that I took to Newhaven Docks, also on an AEC Marshal. After a very quick tip, by dockers standards in the early 1970s, I went into the Mainland Markets Deliveries hut that was on the docks to ask about a back load. The traffic manager told me to go back into the shed I had just come out of, where there was a considerable amount of Spanish onions on pallets. I had to load 10 tons for Manchester market and 4 tons for Blackburn. So I thought, nice easy load, forklift loading. But no, the forklift remained in the corner of the shed, it was a handball load. Some union dispute about the forklift putting men out of work.
I do remember as late as 2003 picking up an unaccompanied 40’ Elvex tilt from the docks to unload netted onions in the International Market off the M4. All that had to be handballed onto each pallet the forklift presented to the rave. I did it because I enjoyed the excersise, as handballing was already out of fashion by then! Stank of onions though. Robert
Onions! Well remember those loads did a lot of work for PSA transport out of Teesport they were the Polish shipping agency for the vessel that did weekly Gdansk- Teesport- Tilbury route. 20 tonne no pallets fruit markets would put pallet at back on fork truck and disappear then you handballed full load onto pallets. Definately kept you fit.
Regularly tipped at the fruit market on the Team Valley at Gateshead and security always used to ask for a fiver from driver as this was to subsidise the casual labour they employed. Got short shrift from me every time " What you want me to pay for the privilege of unloading container all by myself you can go and zb yourself!"
They did start palletising onions later but they were obviously loaded by fork truck as they were rammed in so when trying to pull pallet out with pallet truck they were hard work pulling out or you ended up having to re-stack them anyway. Happy days!
Great stuff about the AEC MK5 refueller,Dean,thanks.
4000 gallon tank on two axles for the RN,would have been four axles in civvie street.My favourite wagon of all time is the MK5 AEC,loved every one I drove.
Opereated by Hague Transport Ltd of Ormskirk this AEC Mercury 4x2 tractor unit,
Reg No UTB 478H, was new when these AEC publicity pictures were taken in 1969.
moomooland:
3
2
1
0 Opereated by Hague Transport Ltd of Ormskirk this AEC Mercury 4x2 tractor unit,
Reg No UTB 478H, was new when these AEC publicity pictures were taken in 1969.
I find it interesting moomooland that Hague Transport who normally ran a large fleet of Atkinson motors should switch to AEC ■■?.
moomooland:
3
2
1
0 Opereated by Hague Transport Ltd of Ormskirk this AEC Mercury 4x2 tractor unit,
Reg No UTB 478H, was new when these AEC publicity pictures were taken in 1969.
I find it interesting moomooland that Hague Transport who normally ran a large fleet of Atkinson motors should switch to AEC ■■?.
Possibly they were requiring a medium weight tractor unit for specific jobs. That was a 26 tons gvw combination and with that York trailer an 18 tons payload was achievable.
moomooland:
3
2
1
0 Opereated by Hague Transport Ltd of Ormskirk this AEC Mercury 4x2 tractor unit,
Reg No UTB 478H, was new when these AEC publicity pictures were taken in 1969.
I find it interesting moomooland that Hague Transport who normally ran a large fleet of Atkinson motors should switch to AEC ■■?.
Possibly they were requiring a medium weight tractor unit for specific jobs. That was a 26 tons gvw combination and with that York trailer an 18 tons payload was achievable.
Not 100% certain but IIRC Hague’s were bought out by West ■■■■■■■■■■ Farmers who were based in Whitehaven but with depots all over the North. At one time they were reputed to be the largest farmers Co-oprative in Western Europe. WCF were the largest account that Nat West had in ■■■■■■■ and their “Flagship” branch was Whitehaven. I recall my favourite Bank Manager at Nat West in Kendal had to move to Whitehaven to take over that branch which he didn’t really want the promotion not many years before his retirement. He kept his house on in Kendal and rented a Bungalow in St. Bees then he returned to Kendal on his retirement. Cheers Bewick.
shugg:
I find it interesting moomooland that Hague Transport who normally ran a large fleet of Atkinson motors should switch to AEC ■■?.
Yes i agree W & J Riding up the road in Longridge were exactly the same regarding Atkinson in fact Tom Riding only ever ran one AEC an account of which he recalls below…
“AEC Mercury 4x2 tractor unit Reg No 470 OTB Fleet No 54 was a brand new addition to our fleet in 1960.
Nicknamed ‘Our Tom’s Baby’ it was bought in preference to a Super-Comet and was in fact the only AEC vehicle to enter service with Riding’s.
Fitted with a 5 speed gearbox and 2 speed axle it had excellent brakes and was very nice to drive.
Unfortunately, in my experience, the AEC engine could not take the same pain as the Gardner engines and engine life was always it’s problem which resulted in us only ever having this single AEC in our fleet”.
moomooland:
3
2
1
0 Opereated by Hague Transport Ltd of Ormskirk this AEC Mercury 4x2 tractor unit,
Reg No UTB 478H, was new when these AEC publicity pictures were taken in 1969.
I find it interesting moomooland that Hague Transport who normally ran a large fleet of Atkinson motors should switch to AEC ■■?.
Possibly they were requiring a medium weight tractor unit for specific jobs. That was a 26 tons gvw combination and with that York trailer an 18 tons payload was achievable.
Not 100% certain but IIRC Hague’s were bought out by West ■■■■■■■■■■ Farmers who were based in Whitehaven but with depots all over the North. At one time they were reputed to be the largest farmers Co-oprative in Western Europe. WCF were the largest account that Nat West had in ■■■■■■■ and their “Flagship” branch was Whitehaven. I recall my favourite Bank Manager at Nat West in Kendal had to move to Whitehaven to take over that branch which he didn’t really want the promotion not many years before his retirement. He kept his house on in Kendal and rented a Bungalow in St. Bees then he returned to Kendal on his retirement. Cheers Bewick.
Hague Transport weren’t bought out by WCF. Harry Hague sold his businesses (Hague Transport Ltd, Harry Hague Ltd and his growing, packing & selling interests) to W B Anderson in 1966, after they made an offer he couldn’t afford to refuse. They then sold the business to WCF in the seventies, thereafter the operations at Lathom became WCF Distribution Ltd. Harry Hague went to Tichener & Brown, where he tried to resurrect their operations, before retiring to Beetham.
WCF Distribution moved their operations onto Burscough Industrial Estate, after the original Briars Lane site was sold for redevelopment in 2015/6. Last year, the company was bought by Bannister International, and the final traces of WCF have now been removed from the vehicles, save for the adhesive shadow around where the stickers once were.
The story behind the AECs was partly down to tare weight (in the case of the Mercury, used for work on a local oil distribution contract, and released onto general work later) and partly to test what was out there for trunk operations (two Mandators). The Mandators weren’t a success, with injector pipe and cooling issues being a consistent problem. The AECs were withdrawn and Atkinsons re-instated, which saw some ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ Borderers join the fleet.
shugg:
I find it interesting moomooland that Hague Transport who normally ran a large fleet of Atkinson motors should switch to AEC ■■?.
Yes i agree W & J Riding up the road in Longridge were exactly the same regarding Atkinson in fact Tom Riding only ever ran one AEC an account of which he recalls below…
“AEC Mercury 4x2 tractor unit Reg No 470 OTB Fleet No 54 was a brand new addition to our fleet in 1960.
Nicknamed ‘Our Tom’s Baby’ it was bought in preference to a Super-Comet and was in fact the only AEC vehicle to enter service with Riding’s.
Fitted with a 5 speed gearbox and 2 speed axle it had excellent brakes and was very nice to drive.
Unfortunately, in my experience, the AEC engine could not take the same pain as the Gardner engines and engine life was always it’s problem which resulted in us only ever having this single AEC in our fleet”.
0
Not really comparing like for like there. The Gardner 150 was generally regarded as “the” engine for 24-ton gross work, whereas the little Mercury, originally a 14-ton gross four-wheeler, was being asked to do the same job. Lightness, and therefore carrying capacity was the aim, but you get “nowt for nowt”. As the iconic Mr. Riding said, the Mercury was a super little motor to drive, especially if he had specified the 6-speed 'box, but, although most operators found it reliable, it was a bit of a struggle at 24-tons as I found out for myself!
HELP!!! I’m starting to sound like CF
shugg:
I find it interesting moomooland that Hague Transport who normally ran a large fleet of Atkinson motors should switch to AEC ■■?.
Yes i agree W & J Riding up the road in Longridge were exactly the same regarding Atkinson in fact Tom Riding only ever ran one AEC an account of which he recalls below…
“AEC Mercury 4x2 tractor unit Reg No 470 OTB Fleet No 54 was a brand new addition to our fleet in 1960.
Nicknamed ‘Our Tom’s Baby’ it was bought in preference to a Super-Comet and was in fact the only AEC vehicle to enter service with Riding’s.
Fitted with a 5 speed gearbox and 2 speed axle it had excellent brakes and was very nice to drive.
Unfortunately, in my experience, the AEC engine could not take the same pain as the Gardner engines and engine life was always it’s problem which resulted in us only ever having this single AEC in our fleet”.
0
Not really comparing like for like there. The Gardner 150 was generally regarded as “the” engine for 24-ton gross work, whereas the little Mercury, originally a 14-ton gross four-wheeler, was being asked to do the same job. Lightness, and therefore carrying capacity was the aim, but you get “nowt for nowt”. As the iconic Mr. Riding said, the Mercury was a super little motor to drive, especially if he had specified the 6-speed 'box, but, although most operators found it reliable, it was a bit of a struggle at 24-tons as I found out for myself!
HELP!!! I’m starting to sound like CF
Hiya,
When working for BRS our Mercury’s when in tractor format only ever
pulled single axle trailers and carried 12 tons max but although in my
opinion a super motor they did tend to blow the odd head gasket and
I, against the rules always carried a “fit anywhere” injector pipe and
enough gear to change a bust one, I did have to put my mechanical
skills to good use on a couple of occasions but loved the motors and I
only ever drove the Park Royal cabbed jobbies although the “ergo’s”
did make the scene when I worked there, apart from moving one I
didn’t get one for work.
thanks harry, long retired.
A British Leyland AEC publicity photograph of an AEC V8 powered Mammoth Major 6 chassis.
had to move to Whitehaven to take over that branch which he didn’t really want the promotion not many years before his retirement. He kept his house on in Kendal and rented a Bungalow in St. Bees then he returned to Kendal on his retirement. Cheers Bewick.
