Leyland600:
Steve Did you see the photo on Old Wigton Facebook showing one of the first two Rayophane Albion Chieftains transporting a load of factory lassies along Station Rd back about 1952 when the beck was in flood and no one could get into the factory. My neighbour Joe Wilson was driving the Albion I showed him the photo and apparently he did two loads from the bottom end of New St into the factory.
Cheers, Leyland 600.
Hi G . Yes I did see that fantastic photo tho I wasn’t aware it was Sidacs or Joe Wilson . I bet he saw some things in his driving days . I remember him when I first started work he was driving a rigid ERF … I have been trying to find a photo of the old A series they ran with sleeper conversion … but not found yet Steve
Steve, that British Rayophane Albion Chieftain KRM 607 new 4/05/1951 ULW 3t 5cwt. Chassis No 73051C ran as a flat but had a lift on/off container van. Slightly earlier another Chieftain was purchased with a van body built on. KRM 289 first reg 29/03/1951 Chassis No 73029L ULW 3t-15cwt. Joe drove them both one early in the week and the other when he returned from the first trip to Players at Nottingham then probably second run to Wills at Bristol.
On the day of the floods he managed to get into work the wagon was in the lowered loading bay half submerged in water however he got started and pulled out with water running from all parts of the chassis. The factory manager asked if he could go out and pick up the factory girls stranded on Station Rd, the manager accompanied him on both trips he remembered this day very clearly when I showed him the photo.
Cheers, Leyland 600
Leyland600:
Baggra Yeat is a farm up in the Caldbeck Fells, there are no trains up there !!! he must have been looking at his Sat Nav.
Cheers Leyland 600
Howay Gerald you’ve got to cut me a bit “slack” eh! Correct me if I’m wrong but there is an auld “craic” somewhere in the archives of old ■■■■■■■■■■ where the Guard on the passenger train on the Mealsgate loop announces very politely to First Class that they were invited to alight at Mealsgate, to Second Class he says they must leave the train if they want to get off at Mealsgate. For Third class passengers( which there would be quite a number from Flecky !) he says “Mealsyeat so lowp 'oot” !! Or words to that effect ! Cheers Dennis.
Aye Dennis thoos reet aboot Mealsyeat however I believe the line was also known as the Baggra bus to those folk frae Baggra and Blenraisit.Two anecdotes from my coaching days where at Blackpool one Saturday night a lad from the village had a drink or two too much and was staggering around the coach park asking a Blackpool bobby where the bus to Rasset was parked. On another occasion while dropping off wedding guests at Fletchertown etc a lad asked if he could be dropped off just along past your mate Harry F’s bungalow, I said "you mean by the railway station bridge " then he started arguing that there was no such thing as a railway bridge or station at Mealsgate and he lived there. Have you not been to Baggra Yeat riding shotgun with Alec or RWB in the Trader or Beaver to pick up sheep ?
Leyland600:
Aye Dennis thoos reet aboot Mealsyeat however I believe the line was also known as the Baggra bus to those folk frae Baggra and Blenraisit.Two anecdotes from my coaching days where at Blackpool one Saturday night a lad from the village had a drink or two too much and was staggering around the coach park asking a Blackpool bobby where the bus to Rasset was parked. On another occasion while dropping off wedding guests at Fletchertown etc a lad asked if he could be dropped off just along past your mate Harry F’s bungalow, I said "you mean by the railway station bridge " then he started arguing that there was no such thing as a railway bridge or station at Mealsgate and he lived there. Have you not been to Baggra Yeat riding shotgun with Alec or RWB in the Trader or Beaver to pick up sheep ?
Cheers, Leyland 600
Hiya Gerald, aye Happy days eh! IIRC the railway bridge crossed the T junction at Boltongate road end onto the A595 I think it got took down eventually. When I lived at Ireby in the '50’s Harry lived at Boltongate and his first motor was a Commer stroker IIRC. Now as for visiting farms about Ireby I must have been to a fair number with first of all with AD and AHB on’t Beaver and also with William and RWB on the Comet and then on both the 1st and 2nd Traders with the two lads ! As for loading sheep they always had me up on both decks howking the wooly backs up as they were always reluctant to load and the same at Hawick and St. Boswells sales ! It was a fair load 200 sheep or fat lambs on the old Beaver ! I just bet you’ve had some fair coaching experiences hawking a “Shara” load of well “oiled Marras” up and down eh! Oh! and according to the Border news to-night it’s a gay dangerous place to live in Wigton nowadays ! Cheers Dennis.
To Carl & John, Yes it is remarkable how the dialects change as we cross from the North East through the Tyne valley to Brampton-Carlisle- through North ■■■■■■■ and down into South ■■■■■■■ with variations in the Penrith and Keswick districts. There is a huge difference from North Northumberland south through Tyneside and different parts of Co Durham to Teesside and North Yorkshire. After spending my lifetime in transport mainly I like to think I can pick out a district or town accent over quite a large area both in England and Scotland as far north Shetland. A lot of the words are derived from the days when the Vikings roamed the north. Our dialects should be preserved for all time. Who remembers when Stan Robson had “Robsons frae Carlisle” painted across the back platform crossmember of his wagons.
Cheers, Leyland 600.
Leyland600:
To Carl & John, Yes it is remarkable how the dialects change as we cross from the North East through the Tyne valley to Brampton-Carlisle- through North ■■■■■■■ and down into South ■■■■■■■ with variations in the Penrith and Keswick districts. There is a huge difference from North Northumberland south through Tyneside and different parts of Co Durham to Teesside and North Yorkshire. After spending my lifetime in transport mainly I like to think I can pick out a district or town accent over quite a large area both in England and Scotland as far north Shetland. A lot of the words are derived from the days when the Vikings roamed the north. Our dialects should be preserved for all time. Who remembers when Stan Robson had “Robsons frae Carlisle” painted across the back platform crossmember of his wagons.
Cheers, Leyland 600.
Yes indeed Robsons were the best in those days IMO, I new some of their drivers , They were canny lads, Cliff Charlton one of their shunters used to load at the Carnation factory in Dumfries, I quite often got a back load from Robsons at the Metals Box Works at Botcherby for Dainty Dina Toffees Ltd at Chester le Street, The good old long gone never to come back days, Regards Larry.
