Hello my grandad is Anthony Hopwood (Tony hoppy) of eastham, he had a haulage company with his dad Albert Hopwood close to plymard fields bromborough, if anyone has any stories I would love to hear them, I’ll get pictures uploaded soon. regards mark hopwood
God lock down is boring… 
But you do get chance to catch up on stuff…so a bit random but in the corner is a OB F86…
NMP, from the national waterways page…OB DAF
Last one…OB 4 wheeler
Browsing through Trucknetuk whilst having a lazy evening, I came across this old thread.I worked for OB transport during the late '60’s, when the fleet consisted of mainly Commer ts3 two strokes.At that time, they ran a fairly large ( well, about 10 vehicles ) on a night trunk service to London Colney.They would go down on one night, and return the following night. I ended up driving the only Atkinsons on the trunk run, day shunting them at Ellesmere Port. Funny enough,I still remember the reg numbers, 159 GLG, and 303 NMB. Always found OB (Offley Brothers) very easy-going employers,and I was quite sorry to leave.
The small tanker firm that has been mentioned based in Eastham may have been Guiness,Mansley & Yeats, a short-lived company tottering along in financial hardship,which eventually went bankrupt. Incidentally, the Yeats part of the name was Ron Yeats,the Liverpool footballer.
Another Tanker firm from Eastham was Cawoods, who used to run a fleet of 8-wheel Foden 2-strokes carrying fuel oil (black oil).Before the motorways were open ( late '60’s-early '70’s) they would run through Ellesmere Port town centre in the early evening on their night shift with a tremendous scream ,lovely sound! There would normally be 2 or 3 in convoy, you can imagine the racket.
About the same era, Philmac Oils had some Dodges fitted with, I think ■■■■■■■ v8 or v6 engines, they were another ludicrously loud engine,so much so they had to have the silencer system modified after complaints from local residents ! Oh for the old days !
Does anyone have any photos/details of OB Transport Ellesmere Port? The firm was owned by Offley Bros who also had a BL Car Dealership opposite their yard in Chester Road Whitby which is where Morrison’s Supermarket is now based. I can remember them in the mid-late 80’s but am not sure when the company was wound up.
I know diesel-dave will like this thread too
Any help on this topic and any of the other old 'Port firms would be appreciated.
Cheers - RR
As I remember didn’t OB used to do the carbon black from Cabbot Carbon?
What about Ionian Transport? They used to do containers out of Cawoods when they had a terminal in E’ Port, owned by a bloke called Joe Ion.
Ross.
I remember Offley Brothers,they had a load of motors in Shell Chemicals at Stanlow and they also worked for Associated Octel in E.Port and Northwich,running anti-knock compound to refineries. I thought they were taken over but I can’t remember by whom.
I just found this photo.I can’t remember where it came from so apologies in advance if somebody recognizes it.
George Catchpole was another tanker firm from E.Port,they were in Shell as well.
bigr250:
As I remember didn’t OB used to do the carbon black from Cabbot Carbon?What about Ionian Transport? They used to do containers out of Cawoods when they had a terminal in E’ Port, owned by a bloke called Joe Ion.
Ross.
I remember both companies, in fact I worked for Ionian 90/91, it was owned by Joe Ion & Phil O’Brian hence the company name, last 3 letters of each surname, Joe is the only one I’ve ever met with his full name on his number plate, his Jag was JOE 10N, we did a lot of work for McAndrews
couldnt place OB transport until your picture chris, remember seeing them at octel. catchpoles as im sure you know was took over by catchpoles…now heres one for you. a small tanker firm based in eastham in the eighties, can i remember the name…nope… 
wirralpete:
couldnt place OB transport until your picture chris, remember seeing them at octel. catchpoles as im sure you know was took over by catchpoles…now heres one for you. a small tanker firm based in eastham in the eighties, can i remember the name…nope…
You’ve got me there Pete. I do recall a firm who ran tankers in Eastham but I think they were fuel distibutors,not chemical hauliers. Their yard was on the left as you ran off the A41 down to Pak Tanks IIRC.Can’t recall the name. 
Who took Catchpoles over? It says Catchpoles took Catchpoles over in your post,had you been at the bottle? 
I could murder a fried spam sandwich from that wooden hut cafe on the A57.
Thanks for your contributions to this thread guys, I opened it initially on OB Transport but since other firms local to E’port and Wirral have been mentioned I’ve amended the thread title accordingly to cover Chester as well.
I can recall George Mayers of Chester but dont know where his yard was, can anyone answer that one?
edge transport from chester !,are they still going ?.they used to run a nice fleet
Hi all,
We run to Cabot Carbon at Lees Lane every day from Wiltshire and I can remember an OB driver called Gary who used to shunt all day in the factory.
This was around fifteen years ago. They lost the job to a small firm called Brian Jellicoe they then continued the internal shunting until about five years ago. Sorry cant remember to much more about them.
Regards Gazza
Not an Ellesmere Port haulage company but how many remember Jos Millican from Sandysike(Sandisyke?) near Longtown who used to run rough timber to Bowaters at E.Port,maybe they are still going.Then there was Philmac of course who have been mentioned on here in another topic like A.S.Jones. There are stacks of them but trouble is I can’t recall their names at the moment .
stringy:
Joe is the only one I’ve ever met with his full name on his number plate, his Jag was JOE 10N
I remember that plate on his Jag well, a mate of mine married his daughter and Joe definately didn’t aprove!!! (a stunning looking girl who clearly favoured her mother 
)
Ross.
Aahh…my specialist subject, I spent the early years of my driving career (1972 onwards) in and around Ellesmere Port so in no particular order and in answer to your various posts so far… 
Another old firm from the Port was Carters Removals…a couple of Bedford TK pantechnicons but mostly Guy,Seddon,Foden and ERF boxvan artics with a few flats and early,-very early,- one of the first operators in the country of those new fangled Boalloy bodies…curtainsiders,… they got their first about 1968, I think 
)Turquoise blue bodies, Red chassis.Yard was in Coronation Rd. where the car wash is now, opposite the EPIC sports centre.
That tanker firm in Eastham, Pete…was it Meade, King & Robinson ■■ Bottle green and black livery with gold leaf signwriting. (Don’t think you mean Philmac, they were quite a large fleet from the off, now called Nynas, of course…)
Catchpoles were bought out by Hoyer, they also used to run a few artic tippers on the coal & coke and flats on the Cabot Carbon job, but latterly just concentrated on the tankers until they sold up.Red Atkinsons and ERFs, yard was down the bottom of Cromwell Rd.
H.H.Robertson, the manufacturers of roofing and walling sheets were also in Cromwell Rd. they had a fleet of Ford D series artics and 50 or so flat trailers.
- Just further down was Geo. L. Scott, who ran their own ERF artics delivering castings from their factory to the various motor manufacturers down south. A light custard yellow coloured fleet, only half a dozen at the most.
Ross,- I also worked for Ionian, but well before you, about 1975, I think. I drove a B series ERF, - Joe would only buy British, also had Atkinsons, Seddon Atkinsons, Fodens in the Red and blue livery, with just a couple in the yellow Macpac/Macandrews colours.
George Mayers yard was in Boundary Lane, Saltney, they only ever ran Atkinsons as far as I remember, on the steel out of Shotton. Turquoise cabs, red chassis.
Edge Transport had their yard in Hoole Lane, Chester. Sold it to a housing developer and moved to Llay Industrial Estate where they still are today, still running MANs and DAFs in their yellow and white colours.
A couple more names from the Chester area who also loaded steel from Shotton: -
Pownalls, Grove Rd. Mollington…maroon ERFs.
J.H.Hourd, Powey Lane Saughall…Blue and grey DAF 2800s.
Roley Parry, Capenhurst…Red and blue AEC and Albion 6 wheel rigids.
and don’t get me started on the own account tanker fleets based in Ellesmere Port…
Gulf, Mobil,Texaco, Shell, BP, Fina, Total, Esso, National Benzole, Jet/Conoco, Burmah, Castrol, …
hiya chris,
i may have accidentally knocked a can or two of carling down my head last night!.. 
, catchpoles was taken over by hoyer. mick carter who originally worked for catchpoles is still at hoyer…
wirralpete:
hiya chris,
i may have accidentally knocked a can or two of carling down my head last night!..
Accidentally knocked a can or two of Carling…
I didn’t know Catchpoles were taken over by Herr Hoyer,I’ve been off tankers since 1979 and a full time shunter from 1986 till 2005 (don’t snarl ) when I gracefully retired from the clutches of Wincanton and retired as a tax exile in the Isle of Man .See you for a fried spam sandwich A57.
Meade,King and Robinson,I remember their wagons well Deesider. I worked for A.E.Evans in the 60s and 70s and we did a bit of spot hire work for them,mostly white spirit out of Stanlow.They would be the firm at Eastham then.