I’ve dug out a few pictures of the " Pod trucks " i used to drive for Brains back in the day but can’t see how to put them on here. If anyone wants them contact me via here.
Mick Box
D209UAR/F159MNO/G916KEX
Is there anyone here that worked for this company around the mid 80s- early 90s
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I’m trying to track someone down its very important to me. Thanks in advance
Billy
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griffithsbilly86:
I’m trying to track someone down its very important to me. Thanks in advance
BillySent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hi mate,
i was there for the last three years at Grays till they went bang.
steve.
Hi thanks for the reply would you happen to know anyone that worked there around that time that could possibly help me find out his last name? Thanks Billy
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Hey mate sorry I have just reread my original post and have realised that I had forgotten to add some details. I think the persons first name is Graham and I know that he died in a fatal lorry crash (assuming whilst driving a work lorry) I think he may have been Welsh. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
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griffithsbilly86:
Hi thanks for the reply would you happen to know anyone that worked there around that time that could possibly help me find out his last name? Thanks BillySent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Is that Billy who used to get in the Ashford truckstop in the late 1990’s (1999 ish ) I worked for brains in the 80’s the bloke who tested me when I started was called on the CB radio the ayatola or something and had a brother also who worked there Lived in bilaricy (spelt that wrong )essex
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scotdrivernorth, that would have been Bob Sullivan and his brother Dave.
ExBrain:
scotdrivernorth, that would have been Bob Sullivan and his brother Dave.
Hi yes that’s them Bob was the one who took me for my test drive and started me on brains, my mate young Andy went out with bob’s daughter I had many a drink with Bob ,Dave and family.used to stay over at his house in billaricay ,yes some great times blimmy a few years back thanks for that. Cheers have a good new year …also remember his name on the CB was the ayatola or something like that lol. !!!
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scotdrivernorth:
ExBrain:
scotdrivernorth, that would have been Bob Sullivan and his brother Dave.Hi yes that’s them Bob was the one who took me for my test drive and started me on brains, my mate young Andy went out with bob’s daughter I had many a drink with Bob ,Dave and family.used to stay over at his house in billaricay ,yes some great times blimmy a few years back thanks for that. Cheers have a good new year …also remember his name on the CB was the ayatola or something like that lol. !!!
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Come to think of it does anyone know of Andy who also worked for brains in early 80’s he also went out with Bob Sullivan’s daughter blimmy I feel old ha!!!
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Hello
I have only just found the Brain Haulage site after looking for the book " Brain Haulage " by Peter Sumpter, I was employed by Brain’s as an apprentice mechanic in the Liverpool depot in 1974 / 75, the workshop foreman was Jimmy Lloyd, and Roy Anderson was the other mechanic. The three of us had all worked together previously for Ulster Ferry Link Line, this company had moved out of Liverpool due to the continual disruption / strikes by the Liverpool dockers, and we all went our separate ways. I then got a phone call from Jimmy Lloyd to say a job was there for me and I would be on " London " wages, needless to say I jumped at the chance.
The workshop in Naylor street was to say the least, awful, so small it was a struggle to get a 110 Scania through the doors, trailers had to be worked on in the yard. But Brains was a good company to work for and we were mainly left on our own, we saw John Stoneham from Grays a few times a year, and the other name I remember was Peter Singleton, he was the transport manager in Liverpool, another ex Grays escapee.
The disruptions / strikes continued with the Liverpool dockers, I was then told the workforce was being reduced, I was last in so I was first out, I had just completed my five year apprenticeship and Jimmy Lloyd asked me " what are you going to do " Join the Police I said, Jimmy put me in the old Bedford van and took me straight down to Police Headquarters where I signed on the dotted line.
Because of my mechanical background, I was soon in the Traffic Department and dealing with H.G.V’s, I kept in touch with the lads from Liverpool, they then moved to a nicer workshop / yard in Hawthorne road in Bootle, all in all Brain’s was a good company to work for.
All the photographs on the site bring back so many memories, Brain’s did not cut corners on vehicle maintenance and the vehicles always looked the part.
Regards
John
Hello folks another new member here having only just come across the site and joined.
As my handle implies I used to drive the four wheeler back in the day, I started on Brains in 1968 when I was twenty three and drove it for as best I can remember about two or three years before stepping up to drive on of the Guys on contract to ACT.
The photo of the Albion in Brains colours has me at the wheel and was taken when Carol Brain decided to enter seven trucks in the driver of the year awards, myself and three 110 Scanias in Brains colours and three 80s in ACT colours, and I did rather well walking away with the cup for the best A or B licence truck, that was 1970. I did manage to ■■■■ Carol off by painting the wheels red on the Saturday then lined the white before the red was dry so it turned and nice shade of pink 'She was not impressed!
I do remember a few drivers from back then namely my brother John as well as Dave Terry who is no longer with us I’m afraid although I did so he a few years back at my brothers wife’s funeral along with Frank ‘jock’ Bailey, I also remember George Beardon I think his name was as well as Brian Mason and the little dark skinned bloke whose name eludes me at the moment but I did remember he was unlucky enough to hit one of the bridge supports on the M4 one foggy morning and rather bent his truck but was ok, then one year to the day fell out of a 110 on a night out on Wednesbury I think and broke both of his wrists and was stood here in his under pants and couldn’t get back in the cab. Oh joy!
I also remember the Sully brothers of course as well as Angus Donally I think his name was as well as the Greenock flyer John Newman, there was also a chap from Kent we called the Vicar and a few others from that side of the water I remember but can’t recall their name, so long ago.
One funny incident I remember well was when Charles Brain had a load of road scrapings delivered and he and Terry Thompson I think his name was were spreading it on the bottom road out of the yard( the old one of course) And Charles was diving a little roller he had hire and he ran over his own shoes embedding to the ground having swapped the for wellies.
After a while and I had a couple of kids I decided to spend more time at home and came off the road and into the yard driving the cranes for a bit and again after a while got pee’d off with that so asked to go back on the road again which request was denied so I left and went to all places Mileams down the road and Purfleet, then it was back to Brains on nights for a while then left for good or so I thought.
We moved to Suffolk and after a while I decided I wanted to go back on the road and started at Felixstow driving a Daff, then one day got back in the yard after a night out and was presented with one of the left hookers and told off you go Tamworth, so was lucky enough to have my first experience of a left ■■■■■■ on mainly duel carriage ways and boy was there some bloody sand in that cab I was forever trying to get rid of it.
A lot of time has passed by since then, I was single when I started and now am about to become a Great Grand Father at the end of this month, Where did all the years go?
By for now David Stowe
Having just received and read the book on Brain Haulage I remembered I found this photo of me in one of the UASC Scanias not so long ago whilst having a tidy up. Not sure which Scania it was but the photo was taken at Heathrow Coldstores in Colnbrook. I’m guessing I was about 8 in that pic so probably 85 ish (I’d hope so looking at my hair!!!).
On the trailer was a forty foot reefer (possibly loading with lamb?!) and we overnighted at the old Spitalfields on the Friday night on the way back. The gen-set kept coming on all through the night which did not help getting of to sleep!
Happy days 
sa
4wheelerdave:
Hello folks another new member here having only just come across the site and joined.
As my handle implies I used to drive the four wheeler back in the day, I started on Brains in 1968 when I was twenty three and drove it for as best I can remember about two or three years before stepping up to drive on of the Guys on contract to ACT.The photo of the Albion in Brains colours has me at the wheel and was taken when Carol Brain decided to enter seven trucks in the driver of the year awards, myself and three 110 Scanias in Brains colours and three 80s in ACT colours, and I did rather well walking away with the cup for the best A or B licence truck, that was 1970. I did manage to ■■■■ Carol off by painting the wheels red on the Saturday then lined the white before the red was dry so it turned and nice shade of pink 'She was not impressed!
I do remember a few drivers from back then namely my brother John as well as Dave Terry who is no longer with us I’m afraid although I did so he a few years back at my brothers wife’s funeral along with Frank ‘jock’ Bailey, I also remember George Beardon I think his name was as well as Brian Mason and the little dark skinned bloke whose name eludes me at the moment but I did remember he was unlucky enough to hit one of the bridge supports on the M4 one foggy morning and rather bent his truck but was ok, then one year to the day fell out of a 110 on a night out on Wednesbury I think and broke both of his wrists and was stood here in his under pants and couldn’t get back in the cab. Oh joy!
I also remember the Sully brothers of course as well as Angus Donally I think his name was as well as the Greenock flyer John Newman, there was also a chap from Kent we called the Vicar and a few others from that side of the water I remember but can’t recall their name, so long ago.
One funny incident I remember well was when Charles Brain had a load of road scrapings delivered and he and Terry Thompson I think his name was were spreading it on the bottom road out of the yard( the old one of course) And Charles was diving a little roller he had hire and he ran over his own shoes embedding to the ground having swapped the for wellies.
After a while and I had a couple of kids I decided to spend more time at home and came off the road and into the yard driving the cranes for a bit and again after a while got pee’d off with that so asked to go back on the road again which request was denied so I left and went to all places Mileams down the road and Purfleet, then it was back to Brains on nights for a while then left for good or so I thought.
We moved to Suffolk and after a while I decided I wanted to go back on the road and started at Felixstow driving a Daff, then one day got back in the yard after a night out and was presented with one of the left hookers and told off you go Tamworth, so was lucky enough to have my first experience of a left ■■■■■■ on mainly duel carriage ways and boy was there some bloody sand in that cab I was forever trying to get rid of it.
A lot of time has passed by since then, I was single when I started and now am about to become a Great Grand Father at the end of this month, Where did all the years go?
By for now David Stowe
I remember you I was the fitter at felixstowe
john claydon
There seems to be one ‘Essex’ company missing from the previous posts and that is Brain Haulage.
Albeit that Brain’s were based all around the country their main base up until they finished was Oliver Road, West Thurrock.
My dad worked for them for 19yrs 11mths until they closed on the 18th September 1992.
If anyone has any photo’s please post as in all the time my dad worked there he never took any.
here ya go…
Excellent photo’s!!
Up until a year or so ago Brain’s ex drivers were holding reunion’s at the Thurrock hotel which me & my dad attended every year.
Where I work now there are ex Brain’s drivers working and we still talk about ‘old times’.
yeah i am a good friend of an ex driver, that’s how I got the photos (and the Canute ones on the other thread). He helped restore the two that are shown next to the Elstran TK in one of the photos.
Sold one of those now to a man in ireland now painted it red on irish plates
that man just had meetings with charles and is bringing a book out in the very near future thought the transcons looked nice liked the oddball in there fleet like the marathons the man the TM sed atki day and sleepers or the maggie the big js my dad used to have a super comet artic on durox on there then aguy invicable