This is LUO 287F Leyland Super Comet i used to Drive,“Moorland Lady” Mainly Scotch & North East Runs.
Norman Croad,Torquay.
Who Remembers “TOR PRINCE” >>Desmond Arthur John Roberts,ILsington,Newton Abbot,S.Devon… My Father “Charlie” drove the ERF from new, 24 Ton Gross, 150 Gardner,6 speed David Brown,2 speed Eaton Axel
Working in the Dartmoor forests loading pit props by hand,& delivering them to either Bowater at Newport,Gwent,or Ellesmere Port,Cheshire.
Also loading china clay Once a week from St Blazey in Cornwall, to Ideal standard in Hull,E,Yorkshire.I used to go everywhere in the wagon with my father when i was a young Boi…Eventually the ERF was aquired by W.F.Miners & Sons,Ashburton,Devon…My Father went to work for them With the ERF.
Norman Croad,Torquay.
great photo you should go onto facebook where there is a brian harris group with quite a few old drivers on there of brians
6LX:
0Harris & Miners ERF 220 ■■■■■■■ GUO 847D
I remember When Ken Sims was the DriverNorman Croad,Torquay.
Hi Lawrence,thanks,im a old Harris & Miners Driver,So when it went to Brian Harris Transport i dont know many new hands on there,im on the facebook!!
Norman Croad,Torquay
6LX:
0Who Remembers “TOR PRINCE” >>Desmond Arthur John Roberts,ILsington,Newton Abbot,S.Devon… My Father “Charlie” drove the ERF from new, 24 Ton Gross, 150 Gardner,6 speed David Brown,2 speed Eaton Axel
Working in the Dartmoor forests loading pit props by hand,& delivering them to either Bowater at Newport,Gwent,or Ellesmere Port,Cheshire.
Also loading china clay Once a week from St Blazey in Cornwall, to Ideal standard in Hull,E,Yorkshire.I used to go everywhere in the wagon with my father when i was a young Boi…Norman Croad,Torquay
Hi “6LX”, St Blazey brings back memmories, I used to load back from there , From a Company IIRC South Eastern Traffic Services, Mostley for Wallpaper Co,s in Oldham, They were the good old days when there was allways plenty of return loads about in the 60s, Regards Larry.
Larry,you mean South Western Traffics,Bodmin…
Plenty of return loads of China Clay about then in the 60s & 70s, from Cornwall.
Heavy Transport was the Man to Ring!
Norman Croad,Torquay.
6LX:
Larry,you mean South Western Traffics,Bodmin…
Plenty of return loads of China Clay about then in the 60s & 70s, from Cornwall.
Heavy Transport was the Man to Ring!
Norman Croad,Torquay.
Thanks Norman, Im sure I still have one of their business cards somewhere, I used to save them in those days, & IIRC They used to advertise in The Headlight Magazine at that time, Regards Larry.
Hi Larry,Yes they used to advertise in the Headlight, i see yr from Ponteland,i used to load out of AEI cables yrs ago Chester/Le/Street,for Plymouth,
Ive stopped many times at Bellinghams Digs in Newcastle,by the quay.
Norman Croad,Torquay.
Lawrence Dunbar:
6LX:
Larry,you mean South Western Traffics,Bodmin…
Plenty of return loads of China Clay about then in the 60s & 70s, from Cornwall.
Heavy Transport was the Man to Ring!
Norman Croad,Torquay.Thanks Norman, Im sure I still have one of their business cards somewhere, I used to save them in those days, & IIRC They used to advertise in The Headlight Magazine at that time, Regards Larry.
Hi Norman, I new I had it somewhere, Bellinghams is long gone now, It was canny grub at the right price, Regards Larry.
Hi Larry,hey that bring back Memories,i Know S.W.T. had a office in Bodmin,i forgot they had a office in Plymouth,Yeah i guess that Bellinghams has gone,the digs were alright,I always tried to keep to Hauliers for a return load.& also i used to keep a ABC Guide Book of all hauliers in it.
Norman Croad,Torquay.
Lawrence Dunbar:
6LX:
Larry,you mean South Western Traffics,Bodmin…
Plenty of return loads of China Clay about then in the 60s & 70s, from Cornwall.
Heavy Transport was the Man to Ring!
Norman Croad,Torquay.Thanks Norman, Im sure I still have one of their business cards somewhere, I used to save them in those days, & IIRC They used to advertise in The Headlight Magazine at that time, Regards Larry.
Hi Norman I still have a few old Headlight Magazines I must hunt them out & look back at the good old days 
Regards Larry.
Burgoyne"s Transport of Kingsbridge,Devon.
1967 Commer 4 Wheeler.
Norman Croad,Torquay.
Tolley & Smale had about 20 artics in the late 60`s, they had AEC Mandators, Atkinson Borderers, Then they had 2 AEC Marshals 6 wheel rigids and I think they also had an AEC 4x2 rigid, these were all flat beds. They also had a Commer artic with a 2stroke TS3 & I think they had a Commer rigid as well. Initially they were based on the quay roundabout where Kingsley Car sales is now. Think there were about 30 drivers and were re-located to the edge of the town to Brennacott Road, off Clovelly Road by the council.
The council then surrounded their depot with new bungalows! They were purchased by Cedar Transport of Greenwich,S.E.London around 1973/4 who within 2 years had asset stripped the company and sold off all the trucks and kept three as they had an existing contract with Kendals cotton wool manufacturers at Braunton & used to run a night trunk 6 nights a week to the Tampax factory at Havant.
In 1969 AEC developed a V8 engine to replace the 12 litre 760 6 cylinder naturally aspirated engine that had powered the Mandator that was the mainstay of nearly every fleet in the country. The V8 engine was about 260B.H.P whereas the earlier 760 was about 200. The v8 engine Mandator had a walk through cab and was only in production for about 9 months. Tolley & Smale had one(H reg) and Thompsons of Devon had two. AEC brought out several modifications to the brakes as these trucks could cruise at 85m.p.h., but could not overcome over heating problems with the cooling system. AEC bought back many of these V8 Mandators prior to their demise, the AEC V8 Mandator from Tolley & smales fleet was purchased by Morney Goddard of Bideford scrap yard to haul around his recently purchased 27ton mobile car flattener that operated throughout the South West.
The new owners overcame the over heating problem by mounting a 5 gallon jerry can to the exterior back of the cab to increase the height of the header tank and the amount of coolant, this worked fine until one afternoon the jerry can exploded denting the rear of the cab in as if the truck had been jack knifed & blew the rear windows out of the cab. At that time the truck was driven by Jeff Roberts who had previously worked for Tolley & Smale & for North Devon Meat & had done one trip for Astrans but only got as far as Istanbul. Tolley & Smales major work load was the storage & transport of Ambrosia, mostly to Scotland and at that time were back loading through Scottish Road Sevices from Mac Murrey, Edinburgh with steel for erecting the elecricity pylons from Taunton, 110 miles, to Indian Queens.
There were 4 artic loads to each pylon & an average of 4 pylons per mile. Cedar Transport finally closed down the Bideford operations after the Dockers strike in 1974 when the large freight ships were unable to dock at the major UK ports & were diverted to the Dutch ports where their cargos were transhipped into smaller freighters and redelivered to smaller ports such as Padstow where Tolley & Smale held the shipping rights in an attempt to avoid the flying pickets.
I’ve added spaces and paragraphs to help folks to read your post more easily. 
dd.
john57:
Thanks Bubbleman, your efforts are much appreciated, you must have some collection. Anyone know more about Tolley and Smale like where their yard was, how big a fleet and when they stopped trading etc, cause i recognize the name but nothing else.
There`s some more info on Tolleys posted on this thread by Lorry Lady.
Tolley and Smale - now there was a company!
You had Black Victor as your star driver didn’t you? I shall be seeing him next week.
Were you involved with them Lorry Lady?
David
Thanks for that info on Tolley & Smale Lorrylady, did you have any involvement with the company.
THis is HJT Transport of Kingsteignton,Devon.
6 Wheeler AEC Marshall Tipper
No Longer with us now.
Norman Croad,Torquay.
This WL VaLLance Transport of Heathfield,Newton Abbot,Devon.
Foden With a 40ft Box van
The Firm is still in Operation.
I used to work for WL Vallance in the early 70s,I was 19yrs old then,I Think,I was a paint sprayer,& used to drive the wagons around the yard
I remember Looe Vallance,& Gerald Vallance,No longer with us now.
I think the Business now is Run by Nick & Matthew Vallance.
Norman Croad,Torquay.
bubbleman:
Hello again,heres the red 140 you wanted Jamie,plus a few more including a Watts Renault.
Hope these are ok
Cheers Marc.
