I used
To work at brs glos as an apprentice mechanic, when i left at the age of 21 i bought a152 oro as my first unit and did spain and poland with her for about three yrs, they didnt like the cold
richmond:
I used
To work at brs glos as an apprentice mechanic, when i left at the age of 21 i bought a152 oro as my first unit and did spain and poland with her for about three yrs, they didnt like the cold
Hi Richmond
Was A152 ORO a Gloucester based vehicle then ? If so i guess you knew it quite well mechanically ie if it was a good motor or not, i was led to believe a lot of the daf 3300 were based at Gloucester can you confirm this…
this was the old chaps motor, b&w photo when he had it new & had to take it to the NEC for promo work, the 2nd photo on his last day taken at Tewkesbury lorry park on a saturday morning.
Hi jellybelly ,thanks for posting the picture of your dads DAF i like the pictures especially the colour one, that Daf looks looks really good …
Where was your dads Daf based ?
Gloucester, he started at Walls in 1959 till made redundant in 1985 i think it was, think all the DAFS were based in Glos as im sure Acton had closed by then, have got some other photos of Walls trucks but as they was given to the old chap by another driver i will ask him if its ok to put them on here.
Hi jellybelly,
Heres one i photographed near cambridge many years ago, A292 GSS (note the air kit ) its the only one i saw like this…think it was probably fairly new at the time… unfortunately it was only on a cheap camera…
Would be good if you could post the other pics, but if not, could you just post the reg nos
regards
Unispeed yard Brampton (Nr. Beccles). Before they moved to Lowestoft
Interesting old picture there Norfolktrucker ,were the Birdseye lorries based at GT yarmouth and Lowestoft ?
I found on the internet today where the factories were and what they produced
GT Yarmouth =vegetables ,meat products & composite meals
Grimsby = vegetables & fish
Lowestoft = vegetables ,fish & composite meals
Hull = vegetables & fish
Kirby = meat products,vegetables,fish & composite meals
Eastbourne = confectionary , pastry & pastry products.
Gloucester = Walls ice cream
roadcruiser:
Interesting old picture there Norfolktrucker ,were the Birdseye lorries based at GT yarmouth and Lowestoft ?I found on the internet today where the factories were and what they produced
GT Yarmouth =vegetables ,meat products & composite meals
Grimsby = vegetables & fish
Lowestoft = vegetables ,fish & composite meals
Hull = vegetables & fish
Kirby = meat products,vegetables,fish & composite meals
Eastbourne = confectionary , pastry & pastry products.Gloucester = Walls ice cream
After their time at Brampton, all the lorries were eventually based at South Lowestoft Ind. Estate (it’s now where Travis Perkins builders merchant are based). None of them were actually based at either the Lowestoft or Gt. Yarmouth factories.
Then when BRS took over they were relocated to BRS Beccles.
Interesting that they weren’t actually based at the factories , i can actually remember seeing the transcons occasionally pulling Boulton & Paul joinery trailers on the old A604 (Now the a14),no doubt after BRS had taken over the vehicles…
You guys may have noticed but, most of the Birds Eye trailers are just insulated reefers with no refrigeration plant fitted.
Birds eye were quite unusual by using a system which maintained the sub zero load temperature using ICI ‘Drycold’ (solid CO2) dry ice blocks laid on top of the pallets. I assume the blocks kept the load frozen for the duration of the journey. I’m sure someone will know!
On the loading dock at Great Yarmouth, you would always see blocks lying on the floor festering after being chucked off the trailer after the journey.
I’m sure no one uses this method nowadays but, Birds Eye obviously thought this was more cost effective and reliable at the time.
Regards.
Stirling.
Full livery, waiting outside the Birds Eye factory
Note: No fridge trailers as we have today. Insulated Reefers only
Load the frozen product and you have a finite time to deliver, before the product deteriorates
With Transco units, happy to cruise at 70mph, this was not normally a problem
roadcruiser:
brookie:
I used to see the transcons as they ran to birdseye Eastbourne up until early/mid '80’s when they shut the plant down. I moved a lot of the machinery when I first started my driving career, nearly all went to Gloucester.Regards,
Mark.
Interesting comment about Eastbourne mark , i was aware they had a plant somewhere on the south coast , apparently they made gateau and sponges there , do you know if there were any artics based at Eastbourne, or whether they just called in to collect product from there?
Hi roadcruiser, no I don’t think they had any motors based here in Eastbourne, but they did have plenty of “Artic” roll 
! I think it was gateau and “arctic roll” that was produced here mostly. My uncle worked there, both in the factory and as a security guard, needless to say my aunt’s freezer was always full…as was my mums…
Regards,
Mark.
most of the trailers at gloucester were fitted with fridges behind the side guards if i remember correctly.
brookie:
roadcruiser:
brookie:
I used to see the transcons as they ran to birdseye Eastbourne up until early/mid '80’s when they shut the plant down. I moved a lot of the machinery when I first started my driving career, nearly all went to Gloucester.Regards,
Mark.
Interesting comment about Eastbourne mark , i was aware they had a plant somewhere on the south coast , apparently they made gateau and sponges there , do you know if there were any artics based at Eastbourne, or whether they just called in to collect product from there?
Hi roadcruiser, no I don’t think they had any motors based here in Eastbourne, but they did have plenty of “Artic” roll
Regards,
Mark.
Hi mark,
Thanks for the reply , i guess they must have sent vehicles in there to pick up the products ,then deliver them to the distribution depots, it seems quite a distant location though ,considering where the other factories were…
I remember buying WBM 451X when l was an Own Driver must have been about 1984/5. I had a Tag axle put on the back so l could pull Norfolk Line trailers. Sadly we were involved in a fatal head -on collision the other chap fell asleep at the wheel on the A47 just before East Derham in 86. The Truck was a right-off and l think it got sold as scrap.
Transconi!! Great truck
In the 60’s I used to help WG Suckling old swan Liverpool they ran mainly Seddon 5 L s
I think they was one of first sub contractors they bought 1 six wheeler 3 Thames traders 4 wheelers
Long insulated bodies painted up in birds eye colours with canvas " elec… ice" holders in the roof
roadcruiser:
Full livery, waiting outside the Birds Eye factory
Note: No fridge trailers as we have today. Insulated Reefers only
Load the frozen product and you have a finite time to deliver, before the product deteriorates
With Transco units, happy to cruise at 70mph, this was not normally a problem
That is not at Birds Eye, it is at the Tesco RDC in Snodland Kent
Ron
lovely photos o/p.
thanks for posting