Birmingham and black country firms

[saviem]

Evening all,

Older, and wiser, Trev I fear you are wrong…older perhaps, but wiser, I doubt it!

Pete, that is a bit of a teaser! Yes there was that enormous , and beautifully landscaped site next to the Vine pub, where the Astral static caravans were displayed. But when it was developed, and the housing estate built on it, Harris seemed to go as well!

I do remember some of their Bedfords parked at the back of Don Everalls yard on Bilston Road, about the time of the redevelopment. And of course I can remember the sinking feeling in my tummy when on my way to Aberystwyth with a load of Hay, and just coming out of Carno, there always seemed to be one or two Harris Bedfords, or D Series with those green aluminium monstrosities on the way to some new static home park…slow…even a 4 pot Foden that I drove was faster!!!

That was a heck of a site next to the Vine, and I am inclined to think that Harris were based there, or in Showell Road.

But thinking about it today, I am remembering WA Coopers yard, at the Ball of Coven. Run by Beryl Coopers dad, and of course Beryl married Tony, and the lot, (including the Ball, went under the M54…then Tony started K Transport Services at Spittles old yard on the Old Stafford Road at Standeford.

How they obtained that yard was a classic case of the unethical Banker…yet of the Spittle family, Jack, (a superb Gentleman), never bore a grudge. What a beautiful fleet of Bedfords the Spittle`s ran, in pale blue, and orange. Jacks old O series is still knocking around, I think one of the Barker family own it.

Apologies, Im off down the railway sidings of my mind…

Perhaps Im past my sell by date…

Cheerio for now.

[pete_smith]

Not my photographs, in the first pic in top right hand corner you can just see a BRS noddy parcel van. Saviem, going back to Jack Spittle can you remember the motor Jack drove for Baur casings (they where based in Crown Street) think it was a Canadian Ford? I do not know what happened to Jack Photo collection he had loads of his own motors and a fair few of Goodyears including a Bedford OB artic that he used to run to London with fully loaded with soles and heels for export,the performance must have been startling!! The Bedford OB that Jack had last was for sale in the Heritage Commercial Magazine not long ago and also he had a TK tractor unit,Reg no 33 DJW,with a 466 in it, i do not know where this truck ended up as it was parked down the side of his house in the early 2000’s,Cheers Pete

[pete_smith]

Mander’s Paint’s Guy Otter’s

[pete_smith]

Fordhouse Transport, Wolverhampton

[rastone]

pete smith:
Fordhouse Transport, Wolverhampton

Bit out of town Pete but I don’t suppose you have any pics of Haywards of Shenstone

Tony

[lawrence_dunbar]

pete smith:
How about the registration number on this one!Taken outside Sam Satterthwaites Obvious not my photo and sincere apologies if i have offended by posting it, Cheers Pete

Great photo Pete of a proper wagon, Its just a pity they don’t make them anymore, Regards Larry.

[pete_smith]

rastone:

pete smith:
Fordhouse Transport, Wolverhampton

Bit out of town Pete but I don’t suppose you have any pics of Haywards of Shenstone

Tony

Hi Tony,I have’nt any i’m afraid but I will keep my eye’s peeled for you, as you say its a bit out of town, what motor’s did they run? Cheer’s Pete

[rastone]

pete smith:

rastone:

pete smith:
Fordhouse Transport, Wolverhampton

Bit out of town Pete but I don’t suppose you have any pics of Haywards of Shenstone

Tony

Hi Tony,I have’nt any i’m afraid but I will keep my eye’s peeled for you, as you say its a bit out of town, what motor’s did they run? Cheer’s Pete

I think they ran some Bedfords mostly on Milk.They looked good in their green colours.Dennis Hayward ran the job and I did a deal with him for a secondhand Commer two stroke and we stood in the middle of his yard ( black with puddles on it an a miserable day) and we were a fiver difference and he was very stubborn and I was and I was gettin a bit ■■■■■■ off so I pretented to go and use his garage phone to discuss the deal with the boss but I only told them I wouldn’t be back at the office at that time so I went back and thought I’ll stick this out.I would have taken his deal but as he’s kept me in the cold yard I dug in and did the deal at my price.Not worth it for a fiver but it was 5 p.m.I got on well with him after that and met him at the Lupin Show as he collected milk from there.He took Arthur’s and my photo with a Kodak Box Brownie and stood right across the other side of the field.I think they did some work for an engineering co just down the road from him in Lyn Lane (?).He wouldn’t go onto Bulk milk tankers

Tony

[pete_smith]

A couple off the net

[trev_h]

Hi Pete, I’ve never heard of that firm Wilson and Lovatt any idea where they operated from in Wolverhampton?
I remember Davis Bros from Rolfe street in Smethwick but I didn’t know they ran tippers from there.

[pete_smith]

Trev_H:
Hi Pete, I’ve never heard of that firm Wilson and Lovatt any idea where they operated from in Wolverhampton?
I remember Davis Bros from Rolfe street in Smethwick but I didn’t know they ran tippers from there.

Morning Trev, Not sure but there was a firm called Henry Lovatt who done a lot of construction on the railways,one job being the Nottingham or the Leicester stretch of the Great Central Railway in the late 1800’s (it has been a few years since I read the book!) and I think their yard was round back of Dudley road,I presume where Fordham Plastics used to be.
Davis Brothers I never knew they ran anything that old,looks like too much hard work to me in that photo! Is West Midland Hire and Haulage something to do with Davis Brothers? because I can remember going over Smethwick with Frank Gibney to pick up a hire truck, a DAF 1900 E39 ROG!,and I’m sure that was out of Davis’s yard, I bet Saviem will know for sure! Cheer’s Pete

[steelboyf10]

pete smith:
Not my photographs, in the first pic in top right hand corner you can just see a BRS noddy parcel van. Saviem, going back to Jack Spittle can you remember the motor Jack drove for Baur casings (they where based in Crown Street) think it was a Canadian Ford? I do not know what happened to Jack Photo collection he had loads of his own motors and a fair few of Goodyears including a Bedford OB artic that he used to run to London with fully loaded with soles and heels for export,the performance must have been startling!! The Bedford OB that Jack had last was for sale in the Heritage Commercial Magazine not long ago and also he had a TK tractor unit,Reg no 33 DJW,with a 466 in it, i do not know where this truck ended up as it was parked down the side of his house in the early 2000’s,Cheers Pete

Great to see one of Robinsons motors, they used to run up to Shotton each morning and load for the Midlands, had an atki Borderer, can’t recall drivers name, big lad, who ran off the A41 on the railway bridge south of Whitchurch and went down the bank and drove out the gate and continued up to Shotton!, they don’t make like that anymore…trucks or drivers!!!, had a Sed atki 400, driven by Alan, short bloke always wore a cap, 1978? Happy days!!!
Any other shots of the fleet, or Hargreaves, who ran ERFs

[pete_smith]

Hi Steelboy,
Picture of one of Hargreaves from an old thread on trucknet (photo is from Boblad),no more of Robinsons I’m afraid, Cheer’s Pete

[pete_smith]

Another one for you Steelboy, I found this picture on a spanish E-bay site it is obviously a Peter Davies photo,Cheer’s Pete

[steelboyf10]

pete smith:
Another one for you Steelboy, I found this picture on a spanish E-bay site it is obviously a Peter Davies photo,Cheer’s Pete

Thanks Pete, not seen the 6 wheeler before always ran 8 leg gers or units with 240 gardeners…no big Js

[punchy_dan]

pete smith:
Driven most if not all of its life by the late Tony Saunders (RIP), I understand it is being restored in the Buxton area, any of you Peak District lads got pics or info please, credit for pic to Claire Pendrous or Fryske, Cheers Pete

Just seen this pete,my friend and fellow villager owns this lorry .

[punchy_dan]

Some good stuff on here ,Any Applebys or sutcliffes Bilston I remember the sed Atkis looked great with the steel bodied trailers ,theyed be come down through wirksworth when I was school with stone on from middlepeak and dene quarries ,my Dad was in the birmingham west mids areas every day delivering to Sturge chemicals at Kings Norton( I think Haywoods worked for them too ,blue volvos ) then collecting scrap from coopers / Emr smethwick ,Darlaston or landor St ,Dunns or Charles Dobsons when they were by the express way , we used to go in a cafe off watville rd smethwick on the corner of Kentish rd ? You could drive through a works nr here ,was it Records ? The cafe owner ran a new D reg Leyland road train I can’t remember his name but he did machinery abroad he was selling the lorry quite cheap any way he got jailed as drugs were found in the trailer floor .another job my dad did was from rovers on bromford lane new range rovers to smethwick for crushing up ,also big rough scrap known as OA from Hams Hall power station when it was demolished ,we would also call at the veg shop on pershore rd the man there ran a blue scania fetching in his own supplies .you may remember my dads lorries as he did these routes every day from about 1973 until 2005

[pete_smith]

Hi Dan,
I remember Dobson’s yard off the Expressway, right on the corner and you had to drop the trailer on weighbridge.
Dunn brothers yard is now owned by Simm’s and EMR 's bale yard at Smethwick is now mothballed.
What truck did your Dad run Dan before the EC, was it D47?
Who has got the Wulfruna Comet, Mr Fearn? Cheer’s Pete

[mike_p]

Hi Dan

The fruit and veg man at stirchley still has his old scania

good story mate very intresting

Mike.

[punchy_dan]

MIKE P:
Hi Dan

The fruit and veg man at stirchley still has his old scania

good story mate very intresting

Mike.

Cheers Mike ,your right it was stirchley high St ? Can’t think of his name though ,just up from there by the canal was a coal yard and opersite was an eng works possibly where I think viper cranes were made ,can’t remember when it was demolished but scammell 8 wheelers were used .