“Red & Rusters” is a bit of a misnomer given that the more recent livery was white, blue, red or a combination of all three.
Oh, not forgetting the grey, of course.
JAKEY:
I do not think you old red and rustys like my pictures ?
Hi Jakey, If BRS is on it -post it .they all are of interest to us old red and rusters ,as you know I was Oxford based early 50s and remember the regular Friday trip from Halls brewery to Taunton, and getting free full bottles on return to Park End st with the empties !, I feel the identity was lost doing away with the red cabs on the Contracts , looking back I never discovered why our night trunks cabs were painted green on the – (Seddon units ) at that time ,-no we were not parcels ! toshboy
Thank you Tosh boy , my mate who was on with you lads in the 50s is not too good these days , I visit him most weeks now and his health is poor 
IVOR PARRY , night trunker mainly but did do a stint on days , ex railway man and was born in Port Talbot .
Pictured at BRS 64 ,he could just about walk then .
Tha Halls brewery contract was taken on in the early 90s , they built a warehouse in the depot and supplied drays and drivers , not for me thank you .
Wagons were neglected by the drivers and quickly looked rough, I found that picture on ebay and there is another one on there now , I keep hoping I find pictures of my wagons I drove after I came out the work shops .
I don’t know if anyone saw the great news in the August issue of Classic and Vintage Commercial magazine of the latest addition to the BRS presevation scene from Ipswich Transport Museum.A 1962 Bristol HA6G reg no. 427 EYO .A former Ipswich depot overnight trunk service to Manchester vehicle,later used as a yard shunter.Congratulations to all involved and may I say looking at the picture a credit to all.I note from the picture she did not have a fleet no. perhaps someone will be able to advise and no doubt will be in contact with the museum on 01473-715666.Sorry but photo taken from magazine,couldn’t resist showing such a beautiful shot.(apologise to C.V.C.)
Thank you Chris , nice Bristol .
Hello to all the old BRS guys that used to work out of BRS Northern’s Darlington Depot in Haughton Road 
I worked there (and later when it all moved to Portrack in Teesside) for about eight years as resident signwriter.
Work included the usual BRS vehicles, shop trucks and all the different contract vehicles including ‘Rothmans’ vehicles
before too many hijacks meant vehicles went plain Aircraft Blue.
Here are a few shots from about 1990…all signwriting, logos and striping is in paint before everything went vinyl.
…and here are a few in the later livery that became Two-tone Grey, before becoming Excel Logistics…
- by then I had a sign computer and suppied and fitted the tyre tread logo !
Hi Ron , thank you for the pictures of the fleet in the 80s /90s , this means a lot to me as I was in the workshops and out on the road around them times for Oxford branch , I preferred the white with red wheels than the later white and grey , ours were a mixture of sign written and decals .it looks like you had a varied fleet of different makes .
Hi Jakey, yep Up North, Mercs and Sed-Aki’s were preferred in the fleet, with the odd ERF unit thrown in.
…but those customers who were on a long term contract could specify any vehicle make,
so I got to work on a variety of vehicles.
It always surprises me when you find out how many different contracts BRS had.I worked on nights for BRS in Tyburn Road Birmingham.Kodak films,Bowyers Pies,IMI copper and cartridges,Grimsby Fish,Spillers pet food,Dunlop Tyres.
Lived in Goole and used to fit tyres at BRS Mariner Street Depot
but not seen any posts, as i recall it did have quite a lot of lorrys
Went in the old BRS depot at Foxes lane Wolverhampton yesterday for first time in 20 yrs,dunno how they used to fit everything in there,buildings looking bit rough now
This old picture is Irthlingborough Repair Centre workshops taken in 1963 according to the writing on the rear of the photo,I can’t make out all of the fleet number which depot the Bristol belonged to but I seem to recall this unit was damaged when on the access road onto the M1 at Newport Pagnell and was hit by an airborne car just above the drivers side front tyre,the driver was ok a few scratches and a fair bit of shock but the car driver not so lucky.
Cheers DIG
Hey, Can someone tell me if the nationalization of '47 act in '48 was a good deal for Britsh hauliers or a disaster ■■?
Because nationalization is only for dicature countries or one big company in financial troubles to save
the company of bankrupcy and work for workfoce.
Eric
Ron, I was at Darlington 1973-1986, purchased the 2 Mercs for the Greek operation, and whilst joining at the end of the red and rust period miss the days of multi-coloured regional fleets, but of course Darlington was different, painting the fleet a different “marigold” and wrapping the white stripes around the cabs, instead of finishing at the door pillar.
I have posted pics on the Volvo and Guy forums, the former being our F88 tractor fitted with a turn table recovery lifter, the latter being a Dumfries Big J visiting Haughton Rd.
Keep posting the pics.
BTW still with DHL, will be back at Darlington in September.
tiptop495:
Hey, Can someone tell me if the nationalization of '47 act in '48 was a good deal for Britsh hauliers or a disaster ■■?
Because nationalization is only for dicature countries or one big company in financial troubles to save
the company of bankrupcy and work for workfoce.Eric
Well is no-body going to stick their head above the parapet and speak the truth ? Bewick.
Bewick:
tiptop495:
Hey, Can someone tell me if the nationalization of '47 act in '48 was a good deal for Britsh hauliers or a disaster ■■?
Because nationalization is only for dicature countries or one big company in financial troubles to save
the company of bankrupcy and work for workfoce.Eric
Well is no-body going to stick their head above the parapet and speak the truth ? Bewick.
I can only speak as an employed driver so I would guess that my opinion will be different from a haulier, they were good to work for, working conditions, wages were better than most company’s and you were never pushed to work illegal the wagons and maintenance of vehicles was pretty good for the time when I was there 60s and 70s
cheers Johnnie
Bewick:
tiptop495:
Hey, Can someone tell me if the nationalization of '47 act in '48 was a good deal for Britsh hauliers or a disaster ■■?
Because nationalization is only for dicature countries or one big company in financial troubles to save
the company of bankrupcy and work for workfoce.Eric
Well is no-body going to stick their head above the parapet and speak the truth ? Bewick.
Hiya,
Well as a former BRS driver I did enjoy my time with them, as for the pro’s and cons
of nationalisation I haven’t a clue, but as far as I was concerned I did a days work
for a days pay and that was the way I worked for the private sector, but a lot of old
hauliers who got roped in when they got under the umbrella made a killing out of
the public ■■■■■ and some even remaining in well paid management being in the
right place at the right time to buy back at the minimal price when they started to
de-nationalise, Riding’s was a firm who did OK out of it.
thanks harry long retired.
mi13ke:
Ron, I was at Darlington 1973-1986, purchased the 2 Mercs for the Greek operation, and whilst joining at the end of the red and rust period miss the days of multi-coloured regional fleets, but of course Darlington was different, painting the fleet a different “marigold” and wrapping the white stripes around the cabs, instead of finishing at the door pillar.
I have posted pics on the Volvo and Guy forums, the former being our F88 tractor fitted with a turn table recovery lifter, the latter being a Dumfries Big J visiting Haughton Rd.
Keep posting the pics.
BTW still with DHL, will be back at Darlington in September.
Just noticed that on Bionic Bubbles forum is a lovely picture of both a F86 artic and a Seddon artic both showing in Eastern BRS.they are on page 6 of that forum if anyone whats to look.thought you might be interested mi13ke?
Chrisb.