Robert Baillie Transport,Portsmouth and Horndean

I am Ray Smyth, I worked for Robert Baillie of Portsmouth from early 1970 for three years,
I would like to contact some Baillies drivers from that era, Ted King, Jimmy Farmer,Dusty Miller,
Henry Dzrystyk, John Heather,etc Mick Ansell and Amos Phipps in the office.
Regards, Ray Smyth, Ex Robert Baillie, Wigan Depot.

HI Ray remember Robert baillie yard in wigan and them coming in to hj heniz kit green there was a dave brookwell roy summner and a guy called harry always known as big harry i used to drive for william gaskell haulage crawford lancashier late 1960 early seventis regards dave.

Hello Dave,I have only discovered Trucknet late last year,Its brilliant. I think we may know each other from way back.Those you mentioned were on Baillies while I was there.Roy Sumner,first met him early 1968,when I had a short spell at Hailwood Bros,
Roby Mill,also Dave Brookwell at Hailwoods,He was only on Baillies for a few months.Harry Jones,(BIG H) joined Baillies early 1971,
and left in the summer of 1972, Harry and I have remained close friends ever since. If you are the Dave I think you are,you are
about 5ft 5ins like me. Kind Regards,Ray Smyth.

Hi. My Father worked for Robert Baillie from the time the company was first set up in the 60’s until just before it all closed down, around 1985. I still live in Horndean and Worked for them myself from 1979 when I left school. First as an apprentice Mechanic. They put me through my H.G.V. licence. I remember most of the drivers, having spent many hours bouncing along on the engine cover from the age of around 7. first at Peacehaven when they loaded the Guernsey Tomatoes, their mane contract, at Shoreham Docks. Then we all moved to Horndean when the import moved to Portsmouth’s Albert Johnson Quay. Obviously, when looking for older drivers and staff, there will be the inevitable sad news of those no longer with us. Amos Phipps passed away around a year or two ago following illness. Nicky Parker died some years ago, as did Peter Scott and Peter Trimmer. As for other drivers I still see, very occasionally, John Porter and Steve Parker. Both still driving in the Hampshire area. I know Mick Pullen is still around and I believe Ted Higgs is still with us, the air is still as blue wherever he goes. The last time I saw ■■■■ Dickens and Sid Colwell was quite a few years back so I don’t know about them. How’s that for a start. Oh My Dad? Terry Walker. He was the mechanic from the get go. as he developed the workshop, so he became workshop and also paintshop manager. You may remember he had poor vision. Well he was registered blind just before they made him redundant, about 6 or 8 months before it all closed down. He went blind (Retinitis Pigmentosa) late in the 1990’s We lost Mum a while ago and soon after that he started showing signs of dementia. He now lives in care. I’m still employed as a driver but no employer ever really comes close to how I remember Robert Baillie.

Hello Tim, Hope you are well. So pleased to see your post on the “Robert Baillie” thread. The Portsmouth area response was nil,
However I had replies from Southampton drivers past and present, “Fergie47,MaggieD,Mappo,Baldrick,and TIR”, who knew some
of the Baillies drivers from the 60s & 70s. As you mentioned in your post,many of the people that I knew will be no longer with us.
I was approaching my 26th birthday in 1970 when I started at Baillies,most of the drivers then were in their mid 30s & mid 40s,
any that are still with us will be in their 80s & 90s. I spoke to Mrs Phipps earlier this year,and she informed me that Amos Phipps
passed away Dec 24th 2013, He was a gentle man, and a gentleman. Have a look at “Long Departed Southampton Hauliers” on
Trucknet, My posts are on there from page 392.

Kind Regards, Ray Smyth.

This is the only picture I have of a Robert Baillie vehicle, not very good quality though.
Photo was taken on the A58,between Halifax and Rochdale in 1970,on my way back from
Bradford, No M62 then, it was being built at the time. FPO 13C, Atkinson, 150 Gardner.
I would like to come across some more Pictures of Baillies vehicles.

Regards, Ray Smyth.

Two of Baillies Atkinsons, Photo taken about 1970/71
Baillies depot, Chapel Lane,Wigan. Regards, Ray.
Pictures by Eddie Heaton.

A couple of pictures of Connals Transport of Glasgow.
They used Bailiies yard at Wigan as a changeover point
for their trunking and shunting operation.
Brown & Polson of Paisley was one of Connals main
sources of work. Pictures by Eddie Heaton about 1970/71.

1.A very smart Scania 110.
2.Unusual Volvo G89.

Ray Smyth.

I’ve found a few Photos you may be interested in Ray. This was the last Atkinson they had. It had a 220 ■■■■■■■ Engine and Eaton Roadranger Gearbox.I have no idea where or when it was taken but it was based in Horndean. This unit eventually became the workshop ‘Shunter’. I regularly took trailers for MOT to Botley Testing Station with it. And also covered a few miles with a straight bar towing device the workshop foreman fabricated which clipped into the fifth wheel. I was usually in the towed vehicle.

These were the first two vehicles of the Robert Baillie & Co Ltd fleet. Atkinsons. I don’t have any record for the Reg No’s but the fleet numbers on the units started at 10, and the trailers started at 100. I do know that the picture was taken somewhere on Purley Way, Croydon which is where head office was.

Here’s the same unit as you pictured only it’s in Horndean. It’s standing on the vehicle wash bay.

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The original livery for the Chassis was silver. This was purely because my Father, Terry, found it reflected the light better so he could see what he was doing underneath. It’s also why the chassis were usually repainted at MOT time. Not (necessarily) because Dad was such a perfectionist. here it’s on the wash bay in Horndean so it’ll be no spring chicken.

Another one on the wash bay, only someone has washed a 5 off the number plate. Same unit below. I don’t know what colour this was. At first I thought it was the Yellow livery that Atkinsons were delivered in but it doesn’t look new so it could be after a major repair. This time it’s in the workshop in Horndean where I worked most weekends from the age of around 8, then full time after leaving school until Robert Baillies were no more .

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Just out of interest. This is parked in the front yard, opposite the workshop where the drivers and mechanics would park their cars.

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Mr Baillie loved his Volvo cars so he did try an F86 for a while. They also had an F88 demonstrator for a short while, but they couldn’t understand why the fuel consumption was so much lower than Volvo had promised. Until a manager put a card into the new fangled TACHOGRAPH machine in the F88 and found it was mostly due to the regular 80mph speed register. No more Volvo’s had the RB logo after that. Gardner’s were much better!!

You can never say they weren’t kept clean.

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As I remember this was the third of the ERF fleet. the first with the full sleeper cab ( they only ever had two) all the others were day cabs with Jennings sleeper ‘perches’ added on. The first 3 ERFs were ■■■■■■■ 250 engines and Eaton Roadranger Gearboxes. After that the fleet was standardised with the… ‘FAR BETTER’…? Gardner 8LXB engines. The trailer is still at 32feet to accommodate the ‘Banana Box’ These were insulated containers, not refers, which were for the Jamaica Produce contract.

The first of the Gardner engined ERFs. showing the Jennings sleeper.

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Hi Tim,

Thanks for posting the photo’s, brings back memories of the old days,give my best to your Dad I remember him in the workshop,and also Mick Ansell,he lived up the road from me in Clanfield.
You might know Roy Muscato,and John Mynett from Petersfield used to do a bit of work for Robert Baille.

Regards
Richard

Sincere thank you to Tim Walker for taking the time to dig out these “Robert Baillie” pictures,
and posting them on here,along with his comments.
The picture of the brand new Mark 1 Atkinson lorries is a bit special,the one on the left,
fleet No 11, is FPO 13C,a picture of which I posted earlier this year,on the A58 between
Halifax and Rochdale in 1970, having been rebuilt with a new cab,following being rolled
over on the old A34 near Steventon,Oxfordshire. Note the different type of headboard
on the cab. Thank You Tim, Kind Regards, Ray Smyth.