coomsey:
pete smith:
coomsey:
0
Hi Pete this pic of yours sister of one I used to run into Hudsons with. She was 1 of 4 L reg ERFs Emmo,s had 76/78 ish. All 180/DB 6 red,white n green same as my 1st one GNR 497 L, 2nd resprayed same red as they use now GAY 823 L, my god I had some stick with that reg
Hi Coomsey,
A rarety to see an old company still trading now! Tango Boy, a member on here, works for them, I can only remember as far back to the days when they started having the Volvo F10’s, Cheer’s Pete
Yes like everywhere now Pete loads of companies gone . They started with mostly Leylands then onto Fodens n soon anything with Gardner in, always new. Their first foreigner were a day cab 88 about 77 ish. they had about 12 motors then most parked in what would have been 3 gardens in terraced row in Belton.You had to back into yard where one of the houses had been knocked down, 6" either side off a narrow road it were a buga, the new ( and a few of the older ones) artic drivers used to be sweating cobs by the time they,d got em in. Yards on old South pit yard now.
Yes Tango boy lives in next village to me but I don,t think I know him unless he uses Black Hoss Whitwick. cheers paul
If anybody interested go to page 50 photos n Tipcon 70 n you,ll see corner of Emmersons ERF in colour next to F86
Another long gone Birmingham fleet was Supalink.
They operated out of Garretts Green somewhere,with a mixed fleet of rigids,delivering produce and dry goods to Sainsbury Supermarkets.
That was when produce was delivered in dry box vans.
I can remember produce being delivered on 4 wheeled flat beds covered with tarpaulin sheets, direct from East Anglian farms, in times of supply difficulties.
One of these guys was hauling his sheets off at Sainsburys Walsall, the original store.
He had a 5 pot ERF flat which he had driven through the night, after working in a market garden the previous day.
No wonder he looked knackered.
oiltreader:
J.Field & Co.
Oily
Hi Oily,
I think the sons run it now but back in the 1980’s Stan Field was the gaffer and he had a Bedford OB coach fitted with a Perkins P6 and one Sunday morning 20+ of us went to the Leyland Museum in it with John Randles,manager of Featherstone test centre,driving it he showed it no mercy but it performed well and I can remember stopping at the old Poplar cafe at Lymm on way back and taking loads of photographs,boots lost the film! Thanks for the photo, Pete
pete smith:
oiltreader:
J.Field & Co.
Oily
Hi Oily,
I think the sons run it now but back in the 1980’s Stan Field was the gaffer and he had a Bedford OB coach fitted with a Perkins P6 and one Sunday morning 20+ of us went to the Leyland Museum in it with John Randles,manager of Featherstone test centre,driving it he showed it no mercy but it performed well and I can remember stopping at the old Poplar cafe at Lymm on way back and taking loads of photographs,boots lost the film! Thanks for the photo, Pete
Hi Pete,
You have a good memory, the coach was a Leyland Cub which we still have, I didnt go that day but can remember my dad going on his adventures! I havnt heard anything of John Randle for a long time, so not sure if he is still around?
Flintstone19:
11
pete smith:
oiltreader:
J.Field & Co.
Oily
Hi Oily,
I think the sons run it now but back in the 1980’s Stan Field was the gaffer and he had a Bedford OB coach fitted with a Perkins P6 and one Sunday morning 20+ of us went to the Leyland Museum in it with John Randles,manager of Featherstone test centre,driving it he showed it no mercy but it performed well and I can remember stopping at the old Poplar cafe at Lymm on way back and taking loads of photographs,boots lost the film! Thanks for the photo, Pete
Hi Pete,
You have a good memory, the coach was a Leyland Cub which we still have, I didnt go that day but can remember my dad going on his adventures! I havnt heard anything of John Randle for a long time, so not sure if he is still around?
Afternoon,
I think John has passed away, I went with Jack Spittle who may have made a model for your Dad? the boot of the coach was full of cans of booze and we had a good day out, Len Crane may have been on the trip also? I reckon it would have been September 1986! Is your yard still up by where Goodyears remould plant was? Thanks for the reply and putting me right on the motor, nice to see you still have it, Cheer’s Pete, PS. What was the little dropside motor Stan had a Dodge?
Pete,
Yes, we still have the 2 Dodges, short nose and long nose, the short nose hasnt been out for quite a few years , but the older long nose model I have running and drive regular. I have took it to a couple of shows over the years…
They were proper good old days and not many of the old school left, John Randle was always a bit of a character but when I used to take the lorries for test they always passed if he was about! The yard is still in the same place but we have expanded over the years taking on some extra land next door, the fleet was getting bigger so we needed more space.
Gerry
Oldbury Garage. I have some recollection of when returning from north on my way to Longbridge or Solihull for a load south, the smell of Midland Tar Distillers ,and a firm Aldridge Tankers having wagons running with bitumen from there, would that be right Pete 
Oily
oiltreader:
Oldbury Garage. I have some recollection of when returning from north on my way to Longbridge or Solihull for a load south, the smell of Midland Tar Distillers ,and a firm Aldridge Tankers having wagons running with bitumen from there, would that be right Pete
Oily
Hi Oily,
Oldbury garages is what P J Butler has “morphed” in to, Midland Tar Distillers is before my time but A G Bird did work for them and also the Leyland Octopus what P A Adams owns now was new to Midland Tar Distillers, will put a couple of pics on tomorrow as I can’t do it on this I pad, cheers Pete
Hi Oily,
The A G Bird motor was on contract to Midland Tar Distillers and the Octy was new to them as a Tanker,
Flintstone19:
Pete,
Yes, we still have the 2 Dodges, short nose and long nose, the short nose hasnt been out for quite a few years , but the older long nose model I have running and drive regular. I have took it to a couple of shows over the years…
They were proper good old days and not many of the old school left, John Randle was always a bit of a character but when I used to take the lorries for test they always passed if he was about! The yard is still in the same place but we have expanded over the years taking on some extra land next door, the fleet was getting bigger so we needed more space.
Gerry
Hi Gerry,
Thanks for the info on the Dodges, never realised there where two! John Randle was a gentleman and my old man always had a pass, can you remember when they used that concrete ramp at the rear of Featherstone to test the service/handbrake?
Nice to see an old established haulier “still at it”, not many left, Cheer’s Pete
An early Foden diesel from Teddy smiths fleet, went on to ERF 8 leggers later,
Joseph Foulkes, Wednesfield,
pete smith:
An early Foden diesel from Teddy smiths fleet, went on to ERF 8 leggers later,
Is E A Smith still running, Pete? I passed their depot around twenty years ago and it didn’t look any tidier than the old days A couple of my mates used to run the 8-wheelers from Hereford to Llanwern & back on nights. Cash in hand, of course! 
Retired Old ■■■■:
pete smith:
An early Foden diesel from Teddy smiths fleet, went on to ERF 8 leggers later,
Is E A Smith still running, Pete? I passed their depot around twenty years ago and it didn’t look any tidier than the old days A couple of my mates used to run the 8-wheelers from Hereford to Llanwern & back on nights. Cash in hand, of course!
Hi ROF,
Long gone mate, Gill’s sausage factory on the site now, E.A Smith had the knack of making a 3 year old motor look 20 years old! When the O licence came in and MOT’s they got in a bit of trouble with the ministry, I seem to think that Stan Smith ( Stan Smith and Sons, blue Daf XF’s) is Teddy Smiths grandson?
Hope you are well and keeping out of trouble! Cheer’s Pete
Very well, thanks, Pete. If I remember rightly, Ted had a couple of old Octopusses as well. He went to the same school of transport as one of my employers- reckoned that the transport laws were never intended to be strictly adhered to- just a guideline, he said! Our local magistrates tried to convince him otherwise but of course, he knew much better than them.
This was sent to me so ain’t got a clue of its origins, will remove if asked,
Starr Roadways, looks like Blackburn on the door, anyone recognise the company? Nice looking Atki anyway, Cheer’s Pete
pete smith:
This was sent to me so ain’t got a clue of its origins, will remove if asked,
Starr Roadways, looks like Blackburn on the door, anyone recognise the company? Nice looking Atki anyway, Cheer’s Pete
Hiya,
One of Griffith’s of Blackburn, W H Bowker took these over but I haven’t
got a clue why the Starr headboard, other than it was in it’s position of
having been purchased and awaiting it’s new paint job, I do remember
the motor though.
thanks harry, long retired.
harry_gill:
pete smith:
This was sent to me so ain’t got a clue of its origins, will remove if asked,
Starr Roadways, looks like Blackburn on the door, anyone recognise the company? Nice looking Atki anyway, Cheer’s Pete
Hiya,
One of Griffith’s of Blackburn, W H Bowker took these over but I haven’t
got a clue why the Starr headboard, other than it was in it’s position of
having been purchased and awaiting it’s new paint job, I do remember
the motor though.
thanks harry, long retired.
Hi Harry,
Thank You for the information, hope all is going as well as to be expected for Mrs G and yourself, take care, Pete
