The first sania I saw

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACT
21

Trev_H:

Frankie Flintstone:
First Scania 110 I drove was MKW 421G for Leather Chemical Co out of St Helens, shortly after I drove NAK 715H for same company, the units were supplied by B & W Motors of Wolverhampton on a one year lease, at the end of the lease the returned to B & W who sold them on to a Midland company called Foulkes, I hope the spelling for Foulkes is correct

The first Scania 140 I ever saw was a LHD one for an owner driver from Todmorden Eric Isherwood who traded as Britannia transport running a tanker and I was always led to believe that this was the first 140 in Britain it may not have been so but it was quite early and was supplied by B & W from the new depot at HYDE.

Hi, I worked for B+W at W-ton and remember servicing both of those motors but I also remember putting a new cab on a leathers chemical 110 that had a really bad smash but I’m not sure of the reg. number, Scania came to look at it, as up until then they had not had a 110 sustain really bad damage and wanted to inspect it.
LGK 3D was the first LB76 in the country and was in a salmon pink colour as a demo, although it was not the first to be sold and taxed, a firm from Walsall had one of the first (Partridge steels at Pleck) an E reg, as did Bowkers of Blackburns and J&S Hemmings from Pensnett.LGK was then sold to J.Rounds of Dudley who had it many years before Ray Hingley aquired it.
I only ever saw 68 G’reg 110’s so it’s possible that an F reg not sold in our area could have been first.
IIRC the contract lease on Leathers motors was for 21months as was Joseph Foulkes, Sammy Williams,T. Brady and many other companies to get a market established.

The one that had the new cab was driven by Ian Sharp who rattled the back of a fully loaded steel wagon I think in South Wales somewhere, I remember it stood in B & W’'s yard for quite a while following the accident and I don’t think we ever got it back, it amazing how this Forum jogs people’s memories, I don’t suppose you have any photographs of Scania’s in Leathers colours have you.

22

Big Dorris:

Frankie Flintstone:
First Scania 110 I drove was MKW 421G for Leather Chemical Co out of St Helens, shortly after I drove NAK 715H for same company, the units were supplied by B & W Motors of Wolverhampton on a one year lease, at the end of the lease the returned to B & W who sold them on to a Midland company called Foulkes, I hope the spelling for Foulkes is correct

The first Scania 140 I ever saw was a LHD one for an owner driver from Todmorden Eric Isherwood who traded as Britannia transport running a tanker and I was always led to believe that this was the first 140 in Britain it may not have been so but it was quite early and was supplied by B & W from the new depot at HYDE.

Im good friends with the man who was the Garage Manager at B & W Hyde (He had been sen there from the Wolverhampton depot) and he confirms that Erics 140 was the first in he Country and he also tells me within 6 months he put a new crank in it !

It seems the old grey matter is still working OK remembering that it was the first 140 in Britain, I knew Eric quite well and it was about 1976 when he gave up transport and sold the unit to a bloke who wrote it off within a couple of weeks of acquiring it, Eric went on from transport to importing furniture from Germany and I never heard much of him following that., we at Leathers also went to Hyde for service when the garage opened as it was nearer to St Helens for us.

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Sorry Frankie, no photo’s, never been one for taking them, I now wish I had!

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Trev_H:
Sorry Frankie, no photo’s, never been one for taking them, I now wish I had!

The problem with photo’s way back then was taking photo’s was easy but the cost of processing the was a bit much especially colour ones, one more thing about B & W I was at a Vintage Show in ■■■■■■■ when I was chatting to someone and in the conversation it came out that this person worked at B & W as a sales rep and remembered the Leathers fleet quite, that was not you was it?

Frankie

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Frankie Flintstone:

Trev_H:
Sorry Frankie, no photo’s, never been one for taking them, I now wish I had!

The problem with photo’s way back then was taking photo’s was easy but the cost of processing the was a bit much especially colour ones, one more thing about B & W I was at a Vintage Show in ■■■■■■■ when I was chatting to someone and in the conversation it came out that this person worked at B & W as a sales rep and remembered the Leathers fleet quite, that was not you was it?

Frankie

No, I think that would be Bill Wright, who now sells Daf’s, I bumped into him at a lorry show at Oswestry last year, he was amazed I could remember some of the reg.numbers of Scania’s he had sold ! Someone did post some pictures on this site of new motors at B+W but I can’t find the thread.

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Hi Frankie Flintstone when you were at Leathers did you know any of the Yorkshire lads as 2 or 3 came to Sykes John Powell RIP and Dave Hannan and Frank ? I know it is a long time back but they had a few yarns about Leathers
Cheers Johnnie

27

sammyopisite:
Hi Frankie Flintstone when you were at Leathers did you know any of the Yorkshire lads as 2 or 3 came to Sykes John Powell RIP and Dave Hannan and Frank ? I know it is a long time back but they had a few yarns about Leathers
Cheers Johnnie

Leather’s Chemicals are a blast from the past.I drove an ex Leathers AEC MK5 Mandator AKU 384B on market work out of Sheffield,it could fair trap on as well. :smiley:

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sammyopisite:
Hi Frankie Flintstone when you were at Leathers did you know any of the Yorkshire lads as 2 or 3 came to Sykes John Powell RIP and Dave Hannan and Frank ? I know it is a long time back but they had a few yarns about Leathers
Cheers Johnnie[/quote

I started in 1970 when they built the new factory in St Helens, a few of the Bradford drivers jumped the gun and left thinking that they may get finished but many of the Bradford drivers remained until the 1990’s, Leathers changed their name to Hays Chemicals and in 2002 Shut the factory in St Helens and became Albion Chemicals and now are Brenntag but still operating.

29

boden:
An article in CM of July 19 1968 featured what was claimed to be the first Scania 110 on the road in the UK, operated by Pentus Brown of Leighton Buzzard and was due to go on the road that very Friday pulling a Boden tri-axe with twins all round.I presume this is the same one that appeared in Scania brochures of the time which also featured 76 models operated by British Ropes.

Scania expected the most popular spec to be as with the 76, which was turbo engine ,10 speed splitter and double reduction back end ,all for £4850, around 55 grand at todays prices.

The first Scania I saw was either a 110 operated by Jamesons who had a depot at Heywood,or a 76 6x2 belonging to RAH out of Teeside pulling one of those skelly type trailers with a load of steel beams. Some years later I worked with an ex-Ancliffes driver who one day casually mentioned what I had read in CM about drivers squaring up to each other over who was having the Scania and who ws having the Atki.

As someone has said, its along time ago now. I was 12 then and now I’ve just passed mi second medical!!! and climbing into a Scania 5 nights a week doesnt seem as attractive as it did then.

I have just had a look in Patrick W Dyer’s recent LB book and it confirms that the “first UK registered example” was indeed Pentus Brown’s and that it was used in the brochures coupled to a Boden triaxle. However, it was on the “G” plate- maybe it ran on trade plates until August? I found this photo of it on the internet:

63ve5s.jpg
63ve5s.jpg670×799 120 KB

In addition, I found this scan of another CM article, which states that the LB110 was marketed in the UK from around July 19th.

cm_test1968.jpg
cm_test1968.jpg799×449 75.4 KB

The book also mentions that the LB110 had its European launch in February, so there was plenty of opportunity for people to import them prior to July and register them in GB. Maybe Rexyu’s 110 was one of these, as he remembers the reg, OTR68F. As it stands, his lorry appears to hold the title “First UK LB110”, at least until someone else pops up with another!

Keep posting the stories and pictures of old LBs. Scans of the other two CM articles mentioned by Rexyu and Boden would be great.

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My Dad had a G reg 110, IIRC it was VYG 753G, a day cab with a 5spd box, it was 2nd hand when he had it, but a huge improvement on the Big J that preceeded it :wink:

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Same Mark big step up from the Atki silver Knight at leaste we all didnt have to fight with who went with him lol or the big air filter banging your head while sitting on the hump in the Guy aww HSSE lol I am still sure I have seen a picture of a early 110 with those little letters with Scania vabis on the grill I am going to get looking through the pics now

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Frankie Flintstone:
First Scania 110 I drove was MKW 421G for Leather Chemical Co out of St Helens, shortly after I drove NAK 715H for same company, the units were supplied by B & W Motors of Wolverhampton on a one year lease, at the end of the lease the returned to B & W who sold them on to a Midland company called Foulkes, I hope the spelling for Foulkes is correct

The first Scania 140 I ever saw was a LHD one for an owner driver from Todmorden Eric Isherwood who traded as Britannia transport running a tanker and I was always led to believe that this was the first 140 in Britain it may not have been so but it was quite early and was supplied by B & W from the new depot at HYDE.

NAK i think was a Bradford registration (i`m sure Chris Webb will know) but Leathers were also in Bradford ,i remember Colin Connolly having a 110 dont know the registration though he also had a V8 Mandator before that for Leathers at Bradford

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astran had the first 110 draw bar yyw 330g and first 140 drawbar 6x4 elk 384j and first 110 6x4 arctic elk385j and the first 3 142s aoo 66x aoo 67x aoo 68x

34

[zb]
anorak:

boden:
An article in CM of July 19 1968 featured what was claimed to be the first Scania 110 on the road in the UK, operated by Pentus Brown of Leighton Buzzard and was due to go on the road that very Friday pulling a Boden tri-axe with twins all round.I presume this is the same one that appeared in Scania brochures of the time which also featured 76 models operated by British Ropes.

Scania expected the most popular spec to be as with the 76, which was turbo engine ,10 speed splitter and double reduction back end ,all for £4850, around 55 grand at todays prices.

The first Scania I saw was either a 110 operated by Jamesons who had a depot at Heywood,or a 76 6x2 belonging to RAH out of Teeside pulling one of those skelly type trailers with a load of steel beams. Some years later I worked with an ex-Ancliffes driver who one day casually mentioned what I had read in CM about drivers squaring up to each other over who was having the Scania and who ws having the Atki.

As someone has said, its along time ago now. I was 12 then and now I’ve just passed mi second medical!!! and climbing into a Scania 5 nights a week doesnt seem as attractive as it did then.

I have just had a look in Patrick W Dyer’s recent LB book and it confirms that the “first UK registered example” was indeed Pentus Brown’s and that it was used in the brochures coupled to a Boden triaxle. However, it was on the “G” plate- maybe it ran on trade plates until August? I found this photo of it on the internet:

1

In addition, I found this scan of another CM article, which states that the LB110 was marketed in the UK from around July 19th.

0

The book also mentions that the LB110 had its European launch in February, so there was plenty of opportunity for people to import them prior to July and register them in GB. Maybe Rexyu’s 110 was one of these, as he remembers the reg, OTR68F. As it stands, his lorry appears to hold the title “First UK LB110”, at least until someone else pops up with another!

Keep posting the stories and pictures of old LBs. Scans of the other two CM articles mentioned by Rexyu and Boden would be great.

Heres a “F” reg 110.

And a Leathers Chemicals 110 too

Cheers Bubbs, :wink:

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Wow! Bubbleman, you are the curator of the finest lorry museum on the web! Rexyu said he was on for Eurohaul, so this must be a sister vehicle to his- maybe he can provide some more information on them.

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Afternoon Gentlemen, what a cracking thread, you know reading this really makes those clownish writings of Heritage Commercials pseudo journalist “historians” lightweight in comparison. LGK3D, I remember her well, both in “pink”, bouncing along with either Bill Wright, or ■■■■ Phillips at the wheel, out to “Scaniarise” one of "my "Atkinson operators, in the Black Country or Shropshire. Or resplendent in Rounds black livery lugging some weighty loads out of Dudley. Trev, do you remember how deceptive the entrance to Rounds Netherton yard was? You could fly in coming up the hill towards the Church, despite the road being so narrow, but coming out, to go back towards Netherton, Dudley Council had strategically placed a concrete lamp standard right opposite, perfectly positioned to catch your trailer headboard as it swung outside the arc of your unit! (I do have personal experience)!! Ive a photograph of the Partridge Steels 76, resplendent in its Blue livery, all that writing was genuine gold leaf, (would be worth as much as the tractor unit today)! Hayes Freight was another Walsall operator who had a 76s, I bought one, I think a non turbo day cab, and sold it on to a lad from Rugeley who was running M/E with his brother. When Cliff Hayes had finished with a lorry, well it would be “well” run in. yet that 76 kept on going. When B&W moved up to Pensnett did you go with them? Was that when Ron Ball joined them? When you looked down into J&S Hemmings yard,at Pensnett, and all the fleet was in, that was some operation, what a shock when Phillip sold up. One of the first to do so, but he was right. Joseph Foulkes ran a fair few Scanias out of the Seamless Tube, ex B&W , before they took on the Mercedes franchise, and of course it was run by Ken Astbury, ex B&W! Bubbleman, the comments about your collection are bang on, it is really quite incredible, thank you for sharing with us all. I wondered if anyone knew about the Bill Entress 76, you did! Waless Entress, apart from being a hard operator, was a great innovator, a leading member of the Transport Association, and was also one of the first UK operators to utilise European vehicles in his operation. He ran some of the first “tin front” Magirus tractor units, as well as being an early F86 operator, maximising payload was the primary aim! That trial 76 was coupled to a (at the time), lightweight York trailer. Now there is another road transport entrepreneur, Fred Davies, whose York Trailer operation was always pushing the boundaries, 5th wheels, the Big D became the industry leader,innovative trailer design, in many areas, not to mention his eclective delivery fleet! Not many Kenworths about on Britains roads then. When you read Bubblemans article, then the one on 110s, posted by [zb] anorak, and written by Tony Wilding, dont you miss the “hands on” reporting, worts and all, against the homogonised stuff we get fed today? Ive never been a great Scania man, but I always loved the “Vabis” 76. Bought one in France a few years ago, 4x2 sleeper turbo, with a fair few bits to make a good one of her. Reading everyones contributions has rekindled my interest, that white steering wheel , well it gets to you, does it not. Cheerio for now.

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Yes Markus what a picture I have never seen one on a F plate. That also puts pay to my little vabis front badge but I will keep looking.
And Saviem your right about the white steering wheel I had put them on my 110/111s yet what they want for them now they must have been
made from elephant tusks or rhino horn lol


38

ramone:
The first Scania 140 I ever saw was a LHD one for an owner driver from Todmorden Eric Isherwood who traded as Britannia transport running a tanker and I was always led to believe that this was the first 140 in Britain it may not have been so but it was quite early and was supplied by B & W from the new depot at HYDE.

NAK i think was a Bradford registration (i`m sure Chris Webb will know) but Leathers were also in Bradford ,i remember Colin Connolly having a 110 dont know the registration though he also had a V8 Mandator before that for Leathers at Bradford
[/quote]
Hi Ramone,yes AK was a Bradford reg same as KU and KW up to 1974,then all three regs were transferred to Sheffield. the first scania I got a lift in on a dodgy was a Scania Vabis belonging to E Bullyment of Howden around 1970/71. I remember suitably impressed compared with the AEC MK5 I had. :laughing:

39

mrken:
Yes Markus what a picture I have never seen one on a F plate. That also puts pay to my little vabis front badge but I will keep looking.
And Saviem your right about the white steering wheel I had put them on my 110/111s yet what they want for them now they must have been
made from elephant tusks or rhino horn lol

Hi Mrken. Maybe you saw a pre-production LB110. There must have been a few floating about in the years approaching its launch, and some details would have been bound to be different to the production vehicles. That’s the next goal of this thread- to find a photo of a *pre-*1968 LB! Alternatively, maybe someone could nip up to Sodertalje, raid the archives and write a book about the development of the LB- A4 format, glossy paper, about 2" thick. Over to you, Father Christmas.

40

I drove a 111 on a P reg that had a white/grey steering wheel, it had a completely different interior to the T reg that I had, dash, seats, headlining, door cards, bunks etc. All brown in the T reg, grey in the P reg, although I’m sure the seats were a reddish colour :confused: