Sorry mate maybe I got the wrong wagon! What did the S reg have in her, a Cat? Does seem a waste to get rid if there was nothing wrong with her, I’ve certainly gone up the road in a a lot worse!
adr:
Sorry mate maybe I got the wrong wagon! What did the S reg have in her, a Cat? Does seem a waste to get rid if there was nothing wrong with her, I’ve certainly gone up the road in a a lot worse!
14litre Cat 455bhp. Was plated to 65ton aswell, it only had 2 drivers in 12 years. One of our fitters said she was being restored so maybe the other one’s being used as a donor wagon. The W reg has a ■■■■■■■ 11litre Celect 405 and was taken off the road in 2009 when work went slack. It needed some work doing and wasn’t worth selling so it was broken up for parts.
Tuckwell artic driver taking a bit of a risk 
Muckaway:
Tuckwell artic driver taking a bit of a risk
Looks more like taking a ■■■■ 
Believe it or not, he did that standing around the other side. I wouldn’t stand anywhere near that thing when it was tipping, never mind with the trailer on the p155 and unit bent forward.
I know the driver of that merc , its Mick Dagless from Kidlington .
Muckaway:
BigG-Unit:
Muckaway:
Don’t forget the time on the water boilers GeorgeThat was before then Nathan, when I was a whippersnapper! I was only shovelling coal most of the time. Mind you I did have a driver who had just been made up and he used to like having a day back on the shovel which meant I did get to do a bit of driving, although no steering was involved.
I could tell you about another one who liked to go home early, but perhaps not on here!
Did you drive this 6wheeler when she was based at Oxford, George?
She’s still earning her keep (at weekends) and used to do the runs from Oxford to Woodstock, Abingdon and Fairford. Apparently, dust was a problem but it had a great heater.
ANORAK MOMENT I’ve noticed that the top feed apparatus has been removed from behind the chimneyand she’s got OXF on the sides (Great Western shed code for Oxford depot)
It’s quite possible Nathan, but can’t say for defo. we mostly used the pannier tanky’s on the Fairford Goods, 74’s & 46’s I think they were and some small tender engines on passenger, now and again. I remember those 14’s mostly on the Abingdon flyer from Radley, with the auto car thingy. We didn’t work that though, as it was a kind of rest week for the top express men. I have a faint recollection of working on them on odd occasions and being a bit cramped, but not anything that stands out in my mind. She certainly looks the part. 
Is that at Didcot now?
It’s privately owned and does the rounds on preserved GW lines with an autocoach. I helped out at Toddington on the Glos Warks before fuel got too expensive and had a footplate ride on it to Winchcombe and back. Another ex Oxford 14■■ is 1420 (did the last train to Woodstock) and that works on the South Devon. They all went westwards early '60s when Witney and Abingdon lost their passenger trains. Some ex BMC workers might remember one shunting in the car factory when BMC hired one around '61…
Muckaway:
It’s privately owned and does the rounds on preserved GW lines with an autocoach. I helped out at Toddington on the Glos Warks before fuel got too expensive and had a footplate ride on it to Winchcombe and back. Another ex Oxford 14■■ is 1420 (did the last train to Woodstock) and that works on the South Devon. They all went westwards early '60s when Witney and Abingdon lost their passenger trains. Some ex BMC workers might remember one shunting in the car factory when BMC hired one around '61…
You saying that, reminded me of a chap who drove their diesel shunter, a real and well known character name of ‘Cheddar’ Wilson. Allegedly, he was banished under a cloud from the railway, around the end of the war, so got the job on Morris’s shunter at Cowley. He missed the train driving terribly, so was severely punished for the rest of his working life I suppose. 
When we were on the Oxford to Risborough goods and shunting at Cowley, he would often come over to us and ask to have a go on a steam engine. He would shunt up and down, loving every minute of it with a smile from ear to ear. Some of the chaps that had worked with him would tell a tale of his ‘party piece’ when going in a tunnel he would step out of the cab, walk down the side of the boiler, round the front and back down the nearside, into the cab and jump on the fireman, frightening the life out of him! Now I know there was a handrail along side of the boiler, but in pitch darkness, with many obstacles under foot and with only a four inch ledge in places, it was, to say the least a hair raising manoeuvre, just to get a laugh!
That’s him George, Cheddar Wilson. I’ve helped a mate out at Didcot before, and one of the men helping out (no longer with us) remembered Cheddar and the tunnel was the one at Horspath. Apparently, he was like a dog with 2 todgers when Evening Star turned up one day to haul a load of export Morris cars. Nobody really knew why he upset BR, but he was known to be GWR through and through so perhaps he resented the nationalised system? Ron Mobbs, (son of AW, the Wheatley coal merchant) remembers handballing coal from wagons at Wheatley and Tiddington into Bedford O Types. he must’ve enjoyed it as he’s got 2 at their new yard off London Road!
Dave the Renegade:
Muckaway:
Has anyone been to Ramthorn Concrete at Hook Norton? Everytime I go there I find something new to look at. So far I’ve spotted an AEC Marshal 6wheeler (bulk feed tipper with blue cab-someone at work reckons a bloke from Chadlington used to own it), Steyr cabbed ERF mini mixer (Ramthorns’ delivery truck), Commer Maxiload (ex Dukes), a Bedford horsebox (that was based on a coach chassis with the intention of it being sold as a motorhome, horsebox, removal lorry) Ford Cargo beavertail, Ford Cargo roadsweeper, numerous old cars and vans and yesterday a Haulamatic dumptruck.Can you get some pic’s of them Nathan ?
Ex Dukes D reg Commer Maxiload (this is still driveable and is used for moving the odd load of cattle feed around the owners’ farm)
I remember Frank “Cheddar” Wilson, he was a keen swimmer, getting himself in the Oxford Mail for his daft exploits, jumping off bridges into the Thames or Cherwell, also breaking the winter ice for a dip.
oiltreader
AEC Marshal seen near Hook Norton. The sale to a scrap dealer fell through recently because the scrapper didn’t want to pay what he originally offered. If anyone is interested in this wagon PM me as the body appears to be fairly good. The cab, obviously is shot.
Ex Felixstowe Civils C reg Ford Cargo Sweeper
Muckaway:
That’s him George, Cheddar Wilson. I’ve helped a mate out at Didcot before, and one of the men helping out (no longer with us) remembered Cheddar and the tunnel was the one at Horspath. Apparently, he was like a dog with 2 todgers when Evening Star turned up one day to haul a load of export Morris cars.] Nobody really knew why he upset BR, but he was known to be GWR through and through so perhaps he resented the nationalised system? Ron Mobbs, (son of AW, the Wheatley coal merchant) remembers handballing coal from wagons at Wheatley and Tiddington into Bedford O Types. he must’ve enjoyed it as he’s got 2 at their new yard off London Road!
Think it was a bit more than that Nathan but I’ll PM you latter with what I was told.
Hi oiltreader,: good to see you back, did you get my last PM? Yeah I remember those photos in the paper. He was always up to some caper wasn’t he. I think his mrs was quite well to do, well compared to our family anyway! My mum used to char for her at one time in a big house on the Iffley road. Mother used to say his wife would be driven spare by his antics! certainly a character though.
lightswitch:
chazzer:
Hi Lightswitch,
Just wondered if you were still in contact with Bob (the animal) Withey and what he was doing these days, I’ve known him for over 40 yrs and last time I saw him was in Hooky about six years ago and he was driving a machine for someone. Hope they have’t given Bob that new Scania it would be like giving a gorilla a loaded machine gun.
ChazzerHI Chazzer, Bob packed up the trucks and went driving the plant. Big Diggers.
Then packed that up and he now has a butty van on Enstone airfield he can also be found on a Friday night
selling Fish & chips in Charlbury (Football club car park ) I think.
Had a good chat with him over xmas and he seems to be doing very well !
I think he has turned into a Hairy Biker Cook ! God help us
Thanks for the update on Bob hope he’s doing well these days, if you see him give him my regards, wish I’d known he did F & C in Charlbury as I lived in Milton u Wychwood up until a couple of years ago and the nearest chippy was Stowe or Carterton but as I live in the States now it’s a bit far to drive.
Regards Chazzer (Charlie Gethin)
adr:
Hi Jakey’
As you saw on the tanker thread this is my daily horse. Yes we do have regular nights-out, although personally since I became Depot Supervisor I hardly do any at all, 1 cos I not bothered about them now, spent years away so much that I quite happy to go home at night now, 2 cos it works better for me to be in the yard in the morning & evening to deal with any queries/problems, I got 8 day drivers & 2 night men. We run out of Air Products @ Didcot, carrying Liquid Nitrogen/Oxygen, I will post pictures of a couple of our other wagons cos they not all DAF’S, also got some pictures of my old Seddon Atkinson cos I worked for Air Products for 8 yrs, so I will post them in case anyone interested.
Regards
My dad worked at Air Products in Bracknell I will sort his pics out and post
Hi Ford4428,
Your Dad worked at Air Products Bracknell, did he transfer to Didcot when they built the new plant or did he finish? If I remember there were about 10 that transfered to Didcot, a couple just did it for a short period to help train the new Didcot drivers like me, the others stayed although the last of them Martin (Saddles) Sadler finished about a year ago.Be great to see any pics you got, I haven’t posted my A.P. pics on here yet of the Sed Atki’ 401/411s & Stratos we had!
Regards Chris
