pete smith:
A couple of shots of the original Heads of the Valleys road, 1st pic Blackrock,2 nd pic looking down from Brynmawr, 3rd pick looks like the start of the original bypass of Blackrock looking down the Clydach Gorge.
Hi Pete, great photo there of the old road. My mate Pat Lynch from Brynmawr was visiting a few weeks ago and tells me the new road will be a real shocker if you haven’t seen it progress as the build continues.
I used to go down the old road on a nifty 50cc KTM flat out. Not so quick coming back up though. A few years later did it on my Susi PE 250 enduro, a total different experience. Probably came up faster than I went down it as the nobbly’s wouldn’t hold on the bends. Not sure if it was the bends that were tight or the cheeks of my arse!
Planning to go home for a wedding next year and my 60th birthday. My daughter will be at Swansea University so might have the opportunity to visit both old and new roads!
jshepguis:
Hi Andrew.
I know Sandersons were not strictly speaking a Welsh company but i have just received this colour photo taken in Sandersons yard at Great Broughton and noticed there is a Cardiff telephone number on the cab. So before they opened the yard on Commercial Road in Newport, they originally ran the night trunks to Cardiff. When my father started trunks he did say for a short time he had digs in Cardiff before digging in Newport this would probably be around 1966, hope this is of interest to you.
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Hi all,
Thanks for the excellent colour image of Sanderson,s fleet.I think they bought out Durham Transport and that’s how they ended up on Corporation Road in Newport? As a kid I went on Fradley changeover in many atki’s and a Volvo F86 from Protheroe Transport in Port Talbot with the late Graham Rickard and Hughie Thomas.Hauliers back then often had outbased offices and I am guessing that’s the Cardiff phone number connection? Joint Motorways had a Manchester office around the same time…,.
Regards Andrew.
mechanic77:
Dai Echo has asked if anyone remembers a company in Newport [ based further along Corperation road] called R Williams international?
He recalls his Uncle drove an F88 for them on trips to Sweden.
Hi Neil. I have no memory of R Williams International.
Could I ask a favour? Some how I misplaced the Truck and Driver or maybe Truck magazine that both young Dai and Rhiann had drawings posted in the kids section! If I can get the month and year I will try to get hold of a reprint of that edition. Hopefully one of the O’Conner family still has a copy!
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
jshepguis:
Hi John.
After a few years of being owned by Durhams fleet colours were changed to a blue with a green and purple stripes this mirrored Durhams whose colours became red with a matching orange and yellow stripe. Was highlight of my summer holidays going on night trunk with my dad and staying at digs in Newport. Sandersons depot was just getting established when i first started going in the mid 60,s seem to think depot was either next to or behind a Shell garage on Commercial road.
Chris you are right about changeover with S Protheroe after years on night trunk my dad then dropped onto changeover as well as my uncle . I would when on holiday try and go as often as possible with both of them. In fact my dad and uncle did a fortnight about changeovers on nights then a fortnight of days local tipping and reloading for nights, so was not unusual for me to do a night then go straight away with one of them on days!! As andrew will know changeover was just off the A38 at an old bit of road signed posted as Fradley depot warehousing seem to think in those days you could see a big Lucas factory in the distance. Obviously it’s all changed a lot now.
John
I had to leave my Mandator at Swansea one Friday late afternoon in 1975,due to a u/s compressor.I got several lifts and finished up at Lichfield about 2300 and one of Protheroe’s drivers stopped for me,explaining that he was only going to Fradley but didn’t want me to think he didn’t want to give me a lift.He explained that sometimes the changeover was late so I stopped where I was and eventually got a lift in a Cardiff based Burtons the Tailors wagon to Trowell where he swapped outfits with a Leeds driver,ending up at Tinsley Sheffield about 0100. Happy days - train fare and a night out and four hours minimum for Saturday…
That shot of Protheroes octopus brings back memories,when i was 21 i used to shunt for them in the Abbey Works and loaded that lorry many times with the other 8 leggers for the North East.The regular driver was Glenmor Watkins rip but i think the driver in the photo is John Power rip.thank you toppthecat for sharing it.Tony
smallcoal:
Hi all anyone know where this was taken thanks
Hi Smallcoal,
That photo was taken up the valleys by Martin? Who drove for the late Kelvin Powell (R.I.P.) Here is one of WYNNS taken by someone many years ago at,so I am told Ipswich.
smallcoal:
Hi all anyone know where this was taken thanks
Hi Smallcoal,
That photo was taken up the valleys by Martin? Who drove for the late Kelvin Powell (R.I.P.) Here is one of WYNNS taken by someone many years ago at,so I am told Ipswich.
Hi Andrew ,you wouldn’t know what valleys would you ,I’m sending you a pm mate
Hi all,
Courtesy of DeanB and the Paul C.Gee collection.These two and several others were owned by John Williams of T and J Transport.A mate of mines father drove for them for many years…
smallcoal:
Hi all anyone know where this was taken thanks
Hi Smallcoal,
That photo was taken up the valleys by Martin? Who drove for the late Kelvin Powell (R.I.P.) Here is one of WYNNS taken by someone many years ago at,so I am told Ipswich.
Hi Andrew ,you wouldn’t know what valleys would you ,I’m sending you a pm mate
