I’m I’m search or drivers and staff of both AA Taylor & sons Earlestown and Poplar Motor Transport from 1970s early 80s for a surprise 60th birthday for Derek Rustage or any other old friends of his from this era please get in touch the more the merrier. The do will be in Ashton in Makerfield area many thanks Phil
There’s a name from the past!! I worked with Derek at Poplar Motors till they closed, last time I saw him he’d started up on his own on tanker work, that would be around 80-81. Think he had an F10 Volvo painted in Poplar colours.Poplars was indeed one of the better companies to work for at the time, at least they were buying Volvos, which at the time were considered not to be proper lorries by most transport firms in the Cheshire area,most firms stuck to ERFs and fodens like s*it to a blanket, saying “These foreign lorries won’t last”! When Pops finished I went on to work for Percy Brazendale running Baghdad for about 2 years.( He started ‘Dale link international’ with the intention of taking his fleet (5 motors) down with a load each and then staying down there doing internals in Saudi). At this time the Saudis decided that you had to have an arab partner to be able to work there, so he scrapped that idea and just carried on doing overland. It wasn’t the best paid job I’d ever had, but it certainly was one of the most interesting and enjoyable ones! One of my many memories is on returning from Baghdad and calling in at Londra and seeing Alfie from CVH sitting in the bar and singing ‘Waltzing Matilda’ to a bunch of aussi girls who had stopped there with Top Deck travel bus, not a thing you’ld expect to see when in Turkey, or so I thought at the time. Anyway, sorry to go off subject,please give my regards to Derek and wish him happy 60th birthday, if you say it’s from Pete from Crewe he may remeber me.
Hi Petecud, When u were at Populars do u remember the Fodens they had with 240 Gardeners ,We bought 2 one day cab KLG 200 L and a sleeper cab a bit of an annimal GLG 721K i think was the reg ,yours Barry
Hi Barry, I was at Pops from 75 till 80, certainly do remember the Fodens, infact my first motor with them was one, and believe me, after driving ERFs with 180 gardners in them it felt like I’d finally made it…till I saw the new 240 F88’s arrive!! I know Ken Elsby bought one or two of Pops Fodens, and you’re right, they certainly were animals especially after driving a Volvo…you just didn’t want to get back into them!! Pete.
Ayup Peter I know my dad remembers you he’s mentioned you in the past. My dad drove the sleeper cab 240 after it was painted maroon there’s a pic of it on here wen painted white. Do you fancy coming to do ?
Hi 14 ltre, The Foden sleeper was in POPS coulars when we bought it ,had a bit of tinworm though she had clocked a few miles was told she had been on the Jordon run dont know iff was true ,Cheers Barry
does any one remember huey lemon ?,he drove for pop’s for a while .
I don’t sopose you still have the 240 do you? I know my dad remembers Huey Lemon
It would be great to see some of the old Pops lads again, Derek and I were based in Hull for a while, had some rare times there, I can tell you…or maybe I can’t. Keep us informed about the do and if ata all podssible I’ll definately try to come. Last heard Hughie Lemon was living in the Nortwich area about 2 years ago.
I’ll keep you in formed on here hope you can make I I want as many as I can there, still in touch with Dave collier n tony kenwright and I worked with kenny woods for a while about 13 14 year ago n still in touch with him
Poplar used to take Rolls Royce cars to the Middle East in tilts for a short time, I know they used the sleeper Foden on that run. When Rolls Royce decided to containerise them ,some of the motors were put on the Seatrain contract and were painted white with the Seatrain logo on the doors.
The Fodens were being replaced with Volvos on that contract, so the older motors were put back on the general fleet and repainted, yet again back into Pops maroon and blue.
If you look in scrapbook memories on this forum there’s a pic of it white with seat rain on n a seat rain box on, I think kenny woods went to middle east with it n broke down with waterpump gone in Italy I think
I think you’re right about that, I remeber Kenny telling me about it. This was just before me and your dad started there, Don’t think Kenny was very impressed with the overseas work, he liked his Greenock and everything that went with it. Some cracking lads worked at Pops, hard to believe that it’s over 30 years ago!!
Hopefully he be there he’s very bad with arthritis now, iv had sum good nights out with him wen we was on tipper work. Do will be 15 th June I know I’m early but not goin be 5 min job getting hold of somany people from so long ago just hope it work out. He’s still driving every day don’t think he will stop
I should imagine that a lot of the then drivers have passed away,sadly. I think a good percentage of them were near retiring age, or certainly in their 50’s in the early eighties. It would be interesting to know how many are still with us. Are the Colliers, and Derek still in the transport game?. I got out of it in 2001, I had been working for Norbert Dentressangle from Chalon depot for 5 years, used to be out 4-5 weeks at a time. Got week-ended on a service area somewhere in the south of France and decided there and then to pack it in. Regretted it for a few years after, it was a cracking firm to work for then. Still like to hear whats going on in transport, don’t think it ever leaves you especially after 35 years at it. I’m 65 next year so I think I may be too old to get back into it!!
Yes both we’ve 4 wagon and Daves I think about ten wagons may be more still on containers
petecud:
Poplar used to take Rolls Royce cars to the Middle East in tilts for a short time, I know they used the sleeper Foden on that run. When Rolls Royce decided to containerise them ,some of the motors were put on the Seatrain contract and were painted white with the Seatrain logo on the doors.
The Fodens were being replaced with Volvos on that contract, so the older motors were put back on the general fleet and repainted, yet again back into Pops maroon and blue.
Humber McVeigh’s Salford used to load RR’s at Crewe,in Seatrain box’s,take them down to Felixstowe.
A trip I remember,driver,forget his name,loaded at RR and drove down to Ipswich,hit a bridge near the football ground,resulting in some damage to the RR inside,drove it back to Crewe,hell to play!!!
Good days,
David
Dont remeber Humber Mcveighs doing that job, maybe it was before Pops did it. When we first started taking them down to Folkestone we did it on flat trailers, would you believe, and in those days we used to go through London over Tower Bridge, 2 Rollers on a flat bed, now that turned a few heads I can tell you!! The only way they were secured was with wooden chocks front, back and sides of the tyres!! We’d made countless trips like that to Folkestone till one smart arse bobbby decided that they were an insecure load, even though we never had any incidents with this method. After that they decided to use containers or Pops old middle East tilts. When we got to the docks it was our job to take them off the trailers and drive them to the ferry loading areas, so you can say we were Roller drivers if only for about 3 minutes each car!
14 ltr:
Yes both we’ve 4 wagon and Daves I think about ten wagons may be more still on containers
Good for you!! Hope its all going well for you in these difficult times. Is Dennis, Daves dad, still with us? What ever happened to Lol Rattigan?
No Dennis died a few years back now Brian is stil alive if you knew him. I don’t know for sure on lol but I don’t think he’s still alive