oh yes, i remember john’s 141 looked a treat it did. did you know he was as bald as a coot under that cap?
LB76:
oh yes, i remember john’s 141 looked a treat it did. did you know he was as bald as a coot under that cap?
LB76… did you know he has a toupee now and has for the last 20 years, thats why we call him ‘wiggie’
yes mate i was aware of it , in fact i saw his lorry ,well you couldnt miss it could you ,on the beattock cafe car park and went in to see him and he sat with his back to the door and i walked up behind him and ruffled his cap (didnt know at this time that he was bald) and his cap and rug came off and fell on his breakfast! i was horrifies as i genuinely didnt know up till then , talk about red face! i dont know who had rhe redder face me or john!
lovely bloke all the same
Dieseldogsix:
oiltreader:
Would this have been Mortons very first lorry?. Delivering car bodies to the Morris factory at Cowley, I am guessing it is a Daimler.Also with my posting about the Progressive Group Carrimore Triple Deck and the Commer unit being replaced with a Mandator and the the driver being Johnny someone, I did not mean Johnny Pratt, I knew him and he never had the triple deck. John Pratt, I remember had a Leyland 400, 5 car, then a six car Mercury like the one in the previous pictures with the bottom well deck, 6 Triumphs up, these were 5 car trailers cut and frabricated in the workshops at Torrington Ave.
Round about 67/68 Progressive workshops moved to Bedworth, quite near to the colliery. Myself and Alan Long had the first Mercurys(ergonomic cabs), 7 car Carrimore. I collected both of them from Bedworth. We ran nights Oxford to Carlisle, 3 trips a week, relief drivers tipping in Scotland, loading Imps from Linwood, at first we ran together, leaving Sunday evening, then alternated, me leaving Sunday night , Alan leaving Monday night. this was for about a year. This was when they started using the trains (MAT), so we were taking off scottish.
oiltreaderThey also had a depot in Rowley Road for a short while, which later became Sheertrucks depot, if you look at the Mandator with the single axle Hoyner trailer I think that is where that was taken.
Dieseldog
Just been reading through some of the posts again and come across your mention of Progressive at Rowley Rd, yes you are right, as I have mentioned before Progressive had a yard there, it was formerly Larry Port, I can’t remember what his firm were called before being taken over, he remained manager for Progressive.
Larry Port started with platers, all women, no blokes, same with office staff. He then acquired wagons, artics and wagon and drags, all Commers in red livery, when taken over by Progressive, one of the drag units came to Oxford, I had for a while, not a bad motor, 6 cylinder Perkins, it had a rotary fuel pump on which the pipes used to break, I still have a spanner I bent for access to the pipe nearest the block, happy days.
oiltreader
Another couple of pics, not Coventry, but Brumagem, apologies. but hey they are transporters of an earlier time and note the speed limit plate.
oiltreader
Wow a real oldie! Big old (new) Austin Somersets from a time when we built things, good things 
Another firm who had quite a lot of wagons, MVC, they had depots in Oxford(Headington) and Luton (Slipend, I think), not sure where else, maybe Coventry, does anyone know? they did a lot of scottish, the emblem on the doors was a white rose surrounded by thistles and the wording “The Tartan Rose” the livery was a grey colour.
oiltreader
Gardner 120:
Oooooh tears to my eyes time … I was a Jag apprentice 11 years in and 10 at Motor Panels and my grandad 38 years at Canley for The Standard - they lived in Tile Hill Lane opposite the factory and lorries went up and down 24 hours a day carrying bodies in from Liverpool and cars out on transporters. Also a nice pic of Rootes there too - top stuff!
From 1965 to 68, my Dad, Don Tibbs and George Stevens used to do the ferrying on nights out of the Standard- Triumph, I used to go with him on a Friday night, happy days.
Gardner 120… do you remember Motor Packing in Torrington Ave?
Great pics Altury, got any more, Martin Latham was my boss at Cartansport BRS Coventry, you’ll know Lomas and that crowd then.
altury169:
Me on the pumps at Coventry depot 19670
altury cant work out if you was at lathams the same time as me Dad Stan Druse can only rememer one foden wagon and drag that wagon ran 24 /7 the driver on nights was a big lad and also took is son just cant remember is name… Dieseldogsix might know his name ,he then got a new model s80 i think with a 180 gardner that flew ,been waiting a long time to see lathams fodens ,thanks
Nice picture of the ERF, is it possible to enlarge it?.
Mark R:
Nice picture of the ERF, is it possible to enlarge it?.
Mark, double click on picture then click again
Thanks mate, thats much better.
foden 01:
altury169:
Me on the pumps at Coventry depot 19670altury cant work out if you was at lathams the same time as me Dad Stan Druse can only rememer one foden wagon and drag that wagon ran 24 /7 the driver on nights was a big lad and also took is son just cant remember is name… Dieseldogsix might know his name ,he then got a new model s80 i think with a 180 gardner that flew ,been waiting a long time to see lathams fodens ,thanks
Could it have been Poppa Preece (spelling) who was killed on the Chester Rd having just picked up a new Atkinson from Preston, he used to be at BRS (Furness & Parker) but I think he got fired , I know he worked nights and was a big bloke, his son lives opposite my brother.
Hi lads
Pop you mentioned was killed taking my Guy Big J from Preston depot back to Cov. and he told me that sat. morning he didn’t want the wagon as it was to big and fast. Michael Latham rang me sat. night and told me about Pop. I believe he lost control and hit a house near Castle Brom. No pics of the Guy, it had a 180 ■■■■■■■ and a high speed diff. and would do 70+mph TBE 953H I think was reg.
Lathams had a few Fodens before Stan Druse started at Lathams I think he was still with Furness & Parker.
altury169:
Hi lads
Pop you mentioned was killed taking my Guy Big J from Preston depot back to Cov. and he told me that sat. morning he didn’t want the wagon as it was to big and fast. Michael Latham rang me sat. night and told me about Pop. I believe he lost control and hit a house near Castle Brom. No pics of the Guy, it had a 180 ■■■■■■■ and a high speed diff. and would do 70+mph TBE 953H I think was reg.Lathams had a few Fodens before Stan Druse started at Lathams I think he was still with Furness & Parker.
thats a sad story i remember the name now ,did you work with my Dad altury