Tom
Yeah he sure could eat, I was once in Manchester depot one dinner time in comes Steve, fish and chips two meat and potatoe pies and two barm cakes one for each pie, then when that lot was gone says “weren’t that good”. Never known anybody eat as much as did and not put any weight on. I bet when he retired he weighed the same as when he first started at Bridges. Can’t recall who covered his food with pepper it might have been Steve, only two Bernards I can remember was Bernard Atherton and Bernard can’t remember his surname but I think he was on Warrington.
I think your right about the Reivers they were longer and higher.
Thinking back about Little Hulton, Ah that’ll be the Town House cafe were we used to go back to Preston in convoy, as many as 10-15 wagons. We certainly turned some heads in Choley town centre, and going through Preston town centre was something else, especially going along Fishergate. Those were the days happy times. Mick
I remember when Keith Saul cut a v out of manifold to make wagon noisy as hell and he’d bomb down orchard st. And drop to second gear and all the people would cringe ha! Good times
Reading your posts is like looking back at my time at Ripponden & District, both as a van lad and driver. I spent a lot of years in the 60s and 70s on the Manchester runs.
This is me in '71 with my Chieftain, I was also on the Eccles run . This was taken on Barton Rd., having just delivered to British Mail Order Corporation on Hall Bank.
Endless tales of what we got up to, sometimes I can’t quite believe them, but some of the happiest days of my life !!
Regards. John.
I drove for Bridges late 60"s.A TK.Offsider was from memory called Graham.He always made me pull into a truck stop on the way to Liverpool so he could play the pin ball machines.One time in Liverp0ol I lost the truck on a brick surface road,spun several times and ended up at the T junction facing the right way.Graham thought I was the best but it was luck.one weekend we went down to London on the double deck Ribble coach,he had never been there.When I left drove a Ford D carrying plastic egg cartons for another Preston firm but can not remember there name.Had digs not far from Yates wine lodge.
Hi Conga
Was it Chris Millers? They were in Croft st in Preston. They had a contract delivering egg trays from Ireland and they ran Ford Ds. I used to deliver the egg trays in containers for them in the early seventies.
falcoman77:
Hi Conga
Was it Chris Millers? They were in Croft st in Preston. They had a contract delivering egg trays from Ireland and they ran Ford Ds. I used to deliver the egg trays in containers for them in the early seventies.
That was the firm.I used to do the west country run.The Ford D’s were a good truck in their day.
Great to read all the stuff about Bridges Transport and the banter !
I started work at Atlas Express aged 18 … 1977 - 1984 . Initially on the loading bay, then when i passed my test drove a seven and half ton Leyland Terrier . At 21 sent off to their training school in Leicester and returned with my class 3 then spent the early 80s running around the south lakes in a Dodge Commando … Happy days !!!
In 1989 i was driving for the NHS and got nattering about Atlas to one of the lads Kevin Murphy and over the next few years we often had the craic … he had loved his days at Bridges . A while ago i heard that he had passed away . He would have loved seeing these posts and that he has been part of it . RIP Kevin Murphy … it was a pleasure knowing you .
As a belated response to “wenbush” from August last year 2017- Ronnie Bushell was, I think on the Oldham run? A shortish, stout chap with a ‘florid’ (reddish) face.
He had a good sense of humour from what I recall but I only knew him at Raglan street depot, not when it moved to Leyland in 1972 (?).
In Raglan street the Manchester loading deck was the first after pulling off the weighbridge and Liverpool was round the far side. The Oldham bay was at the far end on the right after Paddy Tyrell’s Swinton/Trafford park bay and my/Arthur Dawson’s Eccles/Irlam bay.
The whole depot, as was, is now split into enclosed rentable units, seems odd after knowing how it was.
You can drive in for a nosey round , I wasn’t challenged
when I had a nostalgic look round a couple of years back.
Anybody remember the automatic cart tracking system?You could load a cage/cart up and send it round to another bay using removable “pins” to make a destination. Very old school but it worked in a fashion. The bloody track was forever stopping/ starting though. Now, was that at Raglan street? Or just at the new Leyland depot? I’ve forgotten. Thought it was Raglan street…maybe both! Anybody enlighten me?
Tommy Ashworth. ( “Ummalterman”)
