atkins derby

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACT
101

cheers ash i,ll write the reg numbers down of them and ask nobby if he remembers them motors thanks again mate :smiley: :wink:

102

a la Francais

103

ash your a legend :smiley: :wink: cheers mate :wink:

104

Hereā€™s another one Carl

105

cheers mike nice pic :wink:

106

Hi Carl.
Havenā€™t got any pics but your mate Nobby may recall a couple of drivers.
Dave Bridel worked for Atkins in the UK, Daniel (Nevada) worked out of Cherbourg. Their kids married ( I think it was Daves son & Daniels daughter) & have/had a restaurant in York.
Also ask Nobby if he recalls Bernie Thompson (from the transport office)at last count he owned trucks collecting garbage round Cherbourg.

107

cheers dave i will mate :wink: i,ll see him in the week somtime as were both trampers and i,ll ask him

108

This was an awesome fleet certainly a contender for one of the greatest hauliers of all time.

109

They also used to do good breakfast in the cafes they used to own at their yards eitherside of the A38 just south of Derbyā€¦ :grimacing:

110

gunnerheskey:
They also used to do good breakfast in the cafes they used to own at their yards eitherside of the A38 just south of Derbyā€¦ :grimacing:

Yes, they were amongst the last of a good roadside breakfast, in fact if it was open now I would be on my way now! It sort of put the airport caff to shame just up the A38 :open_mouth:

I always thought Derby was a good place to head for, 40 years later I now live here :stuck_out_tongue:

111

Heres the very cafe Wheel Nut - well, just a small part of it. And hereā€™s some of the wagons I drove hauling containers to and from Tilbury. Pics (which Carl might like) were taken at a truck show in Atkins yard about 1988/9, I think. As for Derby, much better than living in Nottingham - from a footie point of view, naturally.

112

Dave Humphries:
Heres the very cafe Wheel Nut - well, just a small part of it. And hereā€™s some of the wagons I drove hauling containers to and from Tilbury. Pics (which Carl might like) were taken at a truck show in Atkins yard about 1988/9, I think. As for Derby, much better than living in Nottingham - from a footie point of view, naturally.

And slightly less risk of being shot, only very slightly mind.

I remember all the road tests started and finished at Atkins in the good days of Truck magazine.

Newbies, notice the third blue line on the Scrapia

113

I think it was 1968 when Atkins cafe was opened at Findern on the A38.It was single carriageway then but I never had a problem crossing to the S/W bound lane even in a Reiver or AEC MK3. :laughing: IIRC it opened at 0600 mon-sat and was a revelation in transport cafe design,warm,clean bright and the snap was good.That bloody sh***** down the road called the Airport could have done with some updating to compare with Atkins,talk about a bloody dump :angry: . The only thing to remember about Atkins was to make sure you paid your parking and not to encroach on the yard foremanā€™s white lines round the back if you were parking on a dodgy.

114

Found this on tā€™Internet:

115

What a beautifull Mickey Mouse Foden, that is serious customizing for its day| Is it my eyes, or does the fuel tank look like a highly polished beer keg? Or didnt the driver like pub prices on his nights out so decided to make his own arrangements!

116

Heres another one Carl.

117

Article from the Derby Evening Telegraph in 2008

118

Interesting article and Atkins are typical of a British company that went through the Fifties to today and the many changes during those times. The writer is also typical of the young driver that is inspired by childhood memories or experiences that push him into a life on the road, however as we all know sometimes this can be through rose coloured specs, you either loved the job and done it for the rest of your working life, loved it at first then grew disillusioned but couldnā€™t get out of it or ended up hating it and got out as soon as possible, thatā€™s apart from the ones that loved or loathed but had to leave the job through illness or injury. Makes you think about your own working life and what you might have done differently. Franky.

119

Wheel Nut:
Article from the Derby Evening Telegraph in 2008

Not a bad story is that, but canā€™t help thinking of the stories he couldā€™ve told if heā€™d stuck out the hard graft in the 60sā€¦
Think he wouldā€™ve drunk in the orange tree not the juniper berry eh wheelnutā€¦ :smiley: :smiley: :sunglasses: :sunglasses: :laughing: :laughing: :wink:

120

steptoe:
Heres another one Carl.

I have a feeling that this truck was used in one of those Long Distance Diary stories in the late seventies on a trip into the Commie Block.
So get up in your loft Dreva and see if you can find it and repost it :smiley: .