Liverpool Hauliers in the 1960s

[xkopite]

Thanks for posting pic, any idea of load being carried please.

[ray_smyth]

Hello xkopite, Great picture from James,showing a wagon at work. Swift of Maghull was and still is
a Wholesale vegetable merchant, I see their curtain sider around the Wigan area quite often,
usually delivering spuds to fish and chip shops. The load on James Charters " Austin" picture looks very much
like crates of cauliflowers. In the early 70s, I drove for Robert Baillie of Portsmouth,based at
their Wigan depot,and toward the end of the Guernsey tomato season,we would load French
cauliflowers at Portsmouth,usually for Liverpool Fruit & Veg Market at Edge Lane.
If the load was fully sheeted, when you took the sheets off at J.V.Whites, or Pouparts in the
market ,the pong was not unlike a cabbage smell. We sometimes ran from Portsmouth with
just corner boards and a flysheet, to allow a bit of fresh air through the load. Once the sheets
were off, it looked like a block of flats on a 40ft trailer. I started my HGV career in 1965 at
Jarvis Robinson Transport in Bootle. Kind Regards, Ray Smyth.

[mckennas8]

xkopite:
Can anyone tell me the company liveries for the following firms please.
I have just looked at some black & white pics in a couple of books.
The Co-operative Wholesale Society (African Oil Mills, Parliament Street)
Criddle & Co
Liverpool Haulage Co
Michael McKenna
The Garston Bottle Co Ltd
C & W H Taylor Ltd
Runcorn Transport
Bibby
Any help please lads Photo’s would be most helpful.
Thanks

[lawrence_dunbar]

[mckennas8]

My dads truck working for T&L Widnes
Also a Scania 111 for Ferrywheel

[lawrence_dunbar]

[robert1952]

Lawrence Dunbar:
0

Well, he can hardly let the air out of the tyres to clear the funnel under the bridge! Robert

[xkopite]

Thanks for the reply Ray very helpful and your recollections of work. Thanks for your pics and comments lads. Robert I was thinking the same about his tyres.

[suttons_tony]

On The Garstang Bottle Company, they ran Leyland Octopus’s and Trailers which they owned in a darkish green cab and body with red chassis and wheels & gold writing. They also ran a fleet of 8 wheeled AEC’s and Trailers which were on contract and were a red colour one of which can be seen in B/W a little below your entry…Tony.

[bewick]

Suttons Tony:
On The Garstang Bottle Company, they ran Leyland Octopus’s and Trailers which they owned in a darkish green cab and body with red chassis and wheels & gold writing. They also ran a fleet of 8 wheeled AEC’s and Trailers which were on contract and were a red colour one of which can be seen in B/W a little below your entry…Tony.

IT was Garston Bottle Co Tony ! Garstang was a bit further north ! Cheers Dennis.

[ray_smyth]

Hi Lawrence, Just been having another squint at this thread,and in particular the picture
of the AEC 6 wheeler concrete mixer exiting the Mersey Tunnel. I think it is the branch
tunnel portal on the Liverpool side. Some people were surprised to learn that the tunnel
had a branch on each side of the river,even some locals. Is it your picture Lawrence ?.
If you zoom into the top left corner, you can see a sign, “VOSS MOTORS”, this company
were the main Austin car dealership on Merseyside. The road surface is typical of many
in Liverpool at that time, they were stone “Setts”. Back to the picture, directly ahead
of the AEC is Princes Dock at the Pier Head. I started my lorry driving career aged 21
in 1965 with Jarvis Robinson Transport,about 3 miles from this location, driving a
bonneted Leyland Comet,about 13tons GVW. No indicators,hand signals from the driver.

Kind Regards, Ray Smyth.

[xkopite]

Hi Ray, I can confirm that you are correct in your thinking Liverpool dock exit at Pier Head.

[ray_smyth]

Hi Dave, Hope you are well. Thanks for your comment. I got on to Google Earth,
and see that the branch tunnel is still in use,albeit only as an exit.
I then wizzed across the river to Rendel Street,Birkenhead, and there is just the
retaining sidewalls and a bricked up portal. I wonder how many people remember
the traffic lights at the points where the branch tunnels met the main tunnel.
I remember both the branches being two way traffic. Regards, Ray Smyth.

[xkopite]

Hi Ray,
Yes the traffic lights so important at the time no doubt with a lot of heavy lorries using it. I have seen the odd picture taken of those lights in question.
As you say traffic in and out of this dock road portal, looking at some pics it was very busy.
Cheers
Dave

[retired_old_fart]

xkopite:
Thanks for the reply Ray very helpful and your recollections of work. Thanks for your pics and comments lads. Robert I was thinking the same about his tyres.

If you’re still looking for info, a former workmate has a Sentinel steam wagon originally belonging to Criddles. Until a few years ago it was still in Criddles livery which was mid Brunswick green with black wheels, wings & chassis and gold signage.

[retired_old_fart]

Correction. I’ve just realised that Criddles’ colours were basically LIGHT Brunswick green, not mid. The is a decent photo of a similar wagon at www.flickr.com/photos/chrisbell50000/7985260316

[viking]

Taken from a different angle. Not my pic.

[ray_smyth]

Hi Dave, I am quite new to Trucknet, and I have just found “Scrapbook Memories” thread.
There are 456 pages, I am up to page 18, Have a squint at pages 17 & 18.
Some Liverpool pictures.

Regards, Ray Smyth. raysmyth@fsmail.net

[xkopite]

Thanks Ray,
Yes I have them in my collection thanks for telling me about them mate.
Cheers
Dave

[ray_smyth]

Hi Dave, Just found a picture of a 1935 Leyland Beaver and drawbar trailer,
on Bubblemans “Scrapbook” thread. It belonged to Jarvis Robinson Transport
of Bootle. I think the picture is taken at Wapping on the Dock Road,Liverpool.

JRT had about 5 of these prewar ballast tractors,and also a Foden, JKF 215,
dating from about 1949. I started at JRT just after my 21st birthday in 1965,
and my first week was on this very job, Load 4 Guinness tanks at Salthouse Dock,
then trundle 500 yards to Guinness Export Bottlers at Norfolk Street.
Drop the trailer at Norfolk Street,and hook on to the other trailer with 4 empty tanks,
and trundle back to Salthouse Dock, and do 3 or 4 more round trips,and that
was a days work.

In the cab on the nearside was an enormous ratchet handbrake lever,connected
to a steel cable,which went to the trailer cable. I cant recall any airline susies,
or lighting susie. At 10-12 MPH, brakes were not needed, and hand signals were
still quite common then. The next week I got my own lorry,a Bonneted Leyland Comet,
Reg No. NKF 176.

Ray Smyth.