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Who were the outfit whop named all their wagons after birds - Swan, Swallow etc. ERFs if I think?
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That was Sadlers, who became Swans Transport, Newhaven,Edinburgh.
Dave.
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Thanks for the Saddler’s pic Stravaiger (nice name!).
I’m not sure how long Jubilee lasted. They just appeared out of nowhere with 2 brand new Big Js, which were pretty flash at the time. The two guys might have been brothers and they were always on a hurry-up. I’m sure the units were bright blue with big headboards.
They were decent blokes and always good for a laugh. Pretty sure it was Wishaw too, 1970/71?
.
hiya,
asked further back if ffyfes of forres, maybe spelled wrongly , are still on the go quite a sizeable outfit if my memory is still working,nice paint job too.
thanks harry long retired.
harry_gill:
hiya ,
does anyone remember deans of darwen drove his first artic he bought it just because i had a class 1 and was wasted driving a four wheeler i hadn’t driven rigids for a long time and loved it and he went and spoiled it nice motor though, thanks harry long retired.
do u remember kenny grimshaw i work with him now
hiya,
laybuy seem to remember the name but it was 1972ish when i left that part of the world, if my memory serves me well i think there was an oldish guy called i think called jimmy a younger guy than me called david no good with surnames i did know the gaffer geoff catlow passed away not so long ago maybe kenny can refresh my memory with the full names of the lads iv’e mentioned deans seemed to keep their drivers it wasn’t my type of work a bit same day after day i was a tramper at heart and moved away from darwen and went back to that on the old red and rust BRS.
thanks harry long retired.
What a Brilliant old Thread, I’ve only just stumbled onto it. First thing to catch my eye was the mention of McKelvies - their yard was in Clark St in Paisley which was only up the road from where we lived, it was a playground for us as kids and as it happens my TM now served his time there as a Mechanic - Frank Harrison - don’t know if anyone will know him.
Then there was mention of Ian Henderson. He started out as I recall with premises in Greenhill Road in Paisley along with which he had a Scrap Yard. This was where my mates (to become my Brothers in Law) learned about cars and lorries from about the age of 14, by helping wee Ian pull them apart as well as work on the Wagon he’d aquired at the time. Both of them ( Malky Lees & Frank Duffy) went on the road for Ian once they turned age enough to get their licence, and both stayed with him for a long time. At the start of the War in Bosnia Henderson bought a load of old Army Surplus Bedford TK’s, got himself a contract with UNHCR, painted the TK’s white and shipped them all off to work them throughout Bosnia and surrounds. Malky went over there for a while, Frank went on to work for Malcolms, Morris Burke and a few others. Henderson in that time also moved to Christie St in Paisley, and then to Meadowside Road in Renfrew. Don’t know where his is now but I suspect he’s still got a motor on the road.
Somebody mentioned Bob Taylor of Hillington - I got on well with Bob, first getting to know him through his patronage of Glasgow Flying Club where he was a ‘Social’ member and I was the resident DJ. Bob was a BIG lad and there was one night we had a Hypnotist ■■■ Comedian on. Bob was slumped sleeping on a stool in the corner at the Bar throughout the first half Hour of the Show so didn’t hear the slagging he got from the Comedian. By the time he awoke the entertainer had about a Dozen folk on the floor hypnotised and taking the rip out of them too, however he noticed that Bob had come around and was staggering about looking for the loo, so he told his subjects that they were on the Titanic in heavy seas and that if they didn’t stagger in the opposite direction from Bob he’d be lost over the side. What a giggle as Bob staggered one way they staggered the other. Of course Bob didn’t have a clue about what was going on but decided to join in anyway so this went on for ages, as he went one way they went the other. Us watching were actually beginning to feel seasick !!. Done a couple of single pallet runs for him to Edinburgh and Dundee areas in my old Disco Van when he was stuck. What a man though, wonder if he’s still about ?.
I think Taylors of Paisley are still on the go, from their shed in Wallace Street, I’ll have a look next time I’m down that way.
,
Its nice to know lots of you old lads got good memories, If anyone had asked me cold Id be bloody hopeless but reading this everything come s back. Scotland like everywhere all the old firms disapearing.Elldis have got a Merc liveried in Siddle c Cooks colours (birthday thing for one of the directors) I remember when I was about 10 seeing one in Stanley front street & thought thats what Id like to do & here I am 50yrs on still doing it but its not the same & I`m not looking back with rose tinted glasses things have definatly gone downhill.
harry_gill:
hiya,
are john smillie of govan still going,always ran tidy ERFs,did they ever try anything different? used to go to their place for return loads in the 60s rarely use the m6 now so not a lot of chance seeing them,thanks harry long retired.
Harry attached a few pictures from John Smillie’s unofficial Lancashire Depot, “The Brock Transport Cafe” on the Old A6 North of Preston.
Ooopps sorry about that got the Nicol lorry in by mistake, photobucket tiles too small for me and the livery looked alike. regards Big Al
Big Al:
Ooopps sorry about that got the Nicol lorry in by mistake, photobucket tiles too small for me and the livery looked alike. regards Big Al
Jeez I am cracking up, too many birthdays William Kirk’s lorry where the hell did I get Nicol from. Maybe thinking William Nicol of Aberdeen
but they have a maroon livery, eh don’t they ? 
Don’t you just hate getting old ? regards Big Al
Big Al:
Big Al:
Ooopps sorry about that got the Nicol lorry in by mistake, photobucket tiles too small for me and the livery looked alike. regards Big AlJeez I am cracking up, too many birthdays William Kirk’s lorry where the hell did I get Nicol from. Maybe thinking William Nicol of Aberdeen
but they have a maroon livery, eh don’t they ?
Hate getting old ■■ Well the alternative isn’t very appealing at the moment !!
hiya,
might have been asked before but are Fyffes of Forres still going always tidy looking motors and quite a lot of them.
thanks harry long retired.
Chris Webb:
stravaiger:
Who would this be coming north on the old A74 in 1971. Just seeing the type
again reminds me of team who ran one in conjunction with their clearance
house activities.Jim ? and Benny ? who operated out of baillieston,Meadow Transport.
They hauled round bar from Meadow Works in Motherwell.Not saying it was theirs of course,just reminds me of them.I’d hazard a guess at that Scammell and say Key Warehousing from Hull.The livery looks like theirs.
Halo Stravaiger,
Meadow Transport, Benny still about dont know about the other Guy.
does any body remember langdons of taunton running a volvo rigid with a trip back axles
laybuy:
does any body remember langdons of taunton running a volvo rigid with a trip back axles
I remember that F86 laybuy,it was a regular visitor to the Wincanton/Co-op RDC at Barnsley.Last time I saw it was in 1994.I wonder if there’s a photo of it anywhere?
harry_gill:
hiya,
might have been asked before but are Fyffes of Forres still going always tidy looking motors and quite a lot of them.
thanks harry long retired.
Hi Harry
yesterday a fellow member of trucknet sent me some photos of some of our vans
One of them BSO 172C a Bedford SB we had bought when it was about 18 months old from Fyffes of Forres.
I have written a bit information on our thread W. H. Williams Spennymoor. I beleive thatb they sold out to White & Co about 30 years ago
Best wishes
Carl
Further my last posting I have found this photo of a van operated by Fyffes of forres
alexsaville:
Munros of Aberdeen went bust, I seem to remember that the man who ran that died , shortly after, it went to the wall.
Alex
Hi Alex…hope you’re well .
Munro… when running to Scotland with S.o.M from Southampton, Andrews at Brock ( anyone remember these digs ) was a days work. Also a days run for Munro from Aberdeen, so we would frequently meet up with them. One was one old guy, Peter, had a gammy leg, but that didn’t stop him driving, He’d been on the old sailing ships as a youngster, and we’d often sit for hours of an evening, him telling me all about the ships, and his time driving, he was great company, and I often wondered what happened to him.