This shot was taken in the old BRS Team Valley depot on thursday, I’m sure it will bring back lots of memories. regards Kevmac47.
Your right with that one Kev.weve all been up and down Queens way a few times
That’s true, but you have to admit that Geoff Johnson’s motor looks a lot better than a couple of dirty old Leylands & Bristols.
Retired Old ■■■■:
That’s true, but you have to admit that Geoff Johnson’s motor looks a lot better than a couple of dirty old Leylands & Bristols.
hiya,
I wish the place was still filled with Leyland’s and Bristols, if it was
I’d still be in and out of there doing the job I loved. But only for the
Red and Rust brigade.
thanks harry, long retired.
We used to haul pig iron from Cardiff to a foundry somewhere in Gateshead, then load out of Team Valley back to South Wales.
Then the customer started demanding the pig iron in tippers. No problem, just hitch up to a single-axle trailer and off we go again.
The problems started when it came to tipping: our trailer was tipped by a donkey engine. No reliable Lister or Petter, let alone a Briggs & Stratton. Oh, no, the powers that be in our yard had decided to use the engine from an ancient Ford 8 car! As a battery was deemed to be an unnecessary luxury, the trick was to reverse the trailer into position, remove one of the six volt batteries from it’s normal position under the passenger seat & use it to fire up the donkey engine. You had to make sure you tipped the entire load out in one smooth operation because the Ford engine overheated if you tried to send the body up more than once.
Obviously, a radiator and a gallon of water would have increased the tare weight by an unacceptable amount!
harry_gill:
sammyopisite:
hiya,
I’d be standing canny if I’d a quid for everytime I’ve visited
this place had a pal who worked in there who had originally
worked for North West BRS at Greenhey’s depot he used to
put me the odd load on for Cornwall, very handy I had my
two sisters living down there so see the family, free digs and
got paid for it,well I was a tramper so wherever the depot I
was visiting wanted to send me I had to go.
thanks harry, long retired.Hi Harry did the BRS give you the option of coming home for a weekend after you had been away for 3 weeks as we had at Pickfords but I never took the option up as I usually managed to get home at least once a fortnight and I once was away from the depot for 13 or 14 weeks officially but I took the bride out every Saturday night.
cheers Johnnie
hiya,
Johnny, I’m not sure on that ruling do know that if you got
weekended away from base for a couple of consecutive times
you could ask the depot where you was staying for a rail pass
I used the option only once, getting home for a wedding more
often than not my backloads mysteriously passed our house so
a dodgy was the order of the day,otherwise I was happy to stay
put yep and have had some good weekends in “foreign climes”.
thanks harry, long retired.
[/quote]
hi came i jump in i was weekended many times . iff not loaded by midday use to get rail warrant . jump on train and home . get warrant monday morning back to motor . good old days . came from newcastle to newport once . newcastle too london and home allday traveling back and got payed for it . hope didnt mind jumping in OTTO .
Served my time at BRS parcels (Bridges Transport) in Leyland Lancs,It then became Lynx and is now a UPS depot also there was Preston BRS on Aquaduct street and Longton BRS on the A59 Liverpool Road.The Preston place is a body repair shop and Longton is a small industrial park.
bigtonec:
curnock:
somebody once told me what is now asda at junction 2 m5, was a brs depot
is that rightNot quite sure it was there, i know there was a BRS depot somewhere, i thought it was where the Toys r us place is, i know the ASDA as it is now used to be the old AEC factory, and after that it was UK car auctions, i believe all the ground was and is still owned by Richardsons
The BRS depot was on the opposite side of the road to Asda just the other side of the motorway, in fact if you are heading north on the M5 you can look down on to the old site, I also believe the site where Asda stands today used to be the old GUY factory and not AEC
The brs depot at j2 M5 was oldbury depot guy motors was fallings lane Wolverhampton,the asda site was a British leyland repair facility not sure if it was kennings,I have been in quite a few times also piggybacked out of there,as there was a decent ramp on site
Oldbury depot was where toys r us now stands, we moved from there to Dartmouth rd at West Brom next to where the truckstop was on the former Birmid castings site. West brom site closed about 6yrs ago, we then re-located to Landor st in B’ham 
The Asda site at Oldbury was where Leyland motors service centre stood.
Retired Old ■■■■:
That’s true, but you have to admit that Geoff Johnson’s motor looks a lot better than a couple of dirty old Leylands & Bristols.
Nothing wrong with a “couple of Bristols”
You really can’t expect me to remember THAT long ago!
One of Oxford group depots of yesteryear,this was Kidlington late 40s
TIDDERSON:
Just a reminder
I somehow don’t think they were the “pair of Bristols” that I was thinking about.
But I could be wrong. Brain cells mashed!
I agree its Bristols Cities in my book, Of course it depends where one comes from dosnt it, Where I live they are called threepeny bits, Regards Larry.
Any idea who built the cabs on those two Bristols?
Go on have a laugh, It was the ■■■ Brothers, Ha Ha Ha. Otherwise I dont know. Regards Larry.
Retired Old ■■■■:
Any idea who built the cabs on those two Bristols?
Both were new in May 1955. REL 715 was all Bristol built. RGC 211 had a cab made by Holmes. The Dodge Kew was brand new and hadn’t had it’s headboard fitted.
Was there a depot in Swindon prior to the one at Greenbridge?
Can remember a yard on Drove road but i think that was Swindon transports place.After that it was Collett crane hire.