Evening all
Looking at pics of Cargills older motors, A series ERFs the address and phone number is different, the E series where based at Gilwilly but where were they based before that?
cheers
Cockney Pete3:
Evening allLooking at pics of Cargills older motors, A series ERFs the address and phone number is different, the E series where based at Gilwilly but where were they based before that?
cheers
Curly’s original operating site was a Texaco filling station on the A6 in front of what was The Lowther Estate sawmill ( Now Jenkinsons)
Curly and his wife lived in the bungalow and he kept his E Type in the showroom ! Later on his Range Rover ! He had a single bay workshop attached to the side where he maintained his immaculate fleet. He was running two D reg LV ERF’s 180 ■■■■■■■ engines in the mid 60’s when I got to know him as an 18 year old trailer mate and his Driver of the other unit was a chap called Gordon Furness from Shap who again I was friendly with. Gordon often stopped in Kendal on the layby opposite the Victoria Tavern for a pint on his way North from S.Wales loaded for Scotland. Even in those days Curly was fastidious as ropes were not allowed to be carried in the cab and apparently each weekend Maggie ( Curly’s wife) vaccumed out both cabs ready for starting the next weeks work. Curly’s main traffic south was Fire brick from Castlecary ■■ to S.Wales then coil from S.Wales to Scotland but he would tackle any traffic in the UK but always back up to Scotland ! His fleet expanded and contracted at times as he could get cheesed off the he’d sell some of the fleet off and then over time build up again and in later years he moved the operation to The Gilwilly estate where he eventually packed up . Unfortunately his demise was a sorry set of circumstances as he was retired and living on his own in a log cabin on the Lowther estate and the poor B------ had apparently been dead for a week or so when he was found ! He was laid to rest before many of his old Pals found out and I for one would have attended his funeral if I had found out but anyway I can recall him as being one of a breed of Hauliers that have long since disappeared never to be seen again . He was as hard as iron and the quality of his fleet maintenance was something to behold and I used to see him in later years when he visited the MOT centre adjacent to our depot in Milnthorpe and he would call in for a brew and a bit craic although on the odd occasion when he was handed a trivial failure ( The arosols in the MOT just loved to knock off the clean fleets 
) We would sort him out in the workshop and get him back into the Station for a pass 100% no danger ! Cheers Bewick.
Thanks for the information Mr Bewick. I used to see the ERFs regularly and where always a credit to owner.
robthedog:
One from your village Dennis
They were an old established firm and had both general haulage and milk collection motors that delivered milk into the Libby factory. They also had Holme Park quarry near Burton on the side of the M6. After the owner ( Richard Ormrod Hodgson) passed away in the early 60’s I believe his widow allowed the business to carry on with the existing management then in about 68/69 the whole business was sold to Boddy Industries from Sheffield who’s interest was mainly centred on the Quarry side of the operation. However they did carry on running the transport side and changed the colour scheme to yellow and grey from the green of that AEC in the shot. In 1970 they moved lock stock out of the village down to a new site in Carnforth where Boddy’s started to develop warehousingon the old Iron Works site. In the early 70’s they did grow the transport side running into the teens of Scanias and York trailers but suddenly in 1974 after battling with rubbish drivers and union problems they kicked the whole transport operation into touch at a moments notice. My Dealer pal Malc Woodhouse bought the whole ROH fleet and I actually bought 4 York 1972/73 LD 40 footers from him.
Turning the clock back to 1970 when ROH left Milnthorpe I bought what was called “the sugar warehouse” where ROH stored and distributed T & L sugar and this was my first workshop and small yard. Two years later I bought their large garage and office block adjacent to where the AEC was photo’d and sold my first premises to a welding engineer. The new depot was a cracking workshop and offices but just with a small yard and was smack in the middle of the village which restricted access severely. However I had my eye on the redundant BR goods yard next to the Libby factory for a trailer park and then the firm of K. Fell & Co who were located next to the BR yard were offered for sale in 1976 so I snapped them up and I eventually bought the goods yard which created a depot of over 3 acres ! I sold off the Milnthorpe depot in 1980 having used it for woodpulp storage over the previous 4 years. Interesting times the '70’s I can tell you ! 
cheers Bewick.
robthedog:
One of your Dennis
White trailer ? Was that a K Fell
Yes Rob same shot better angle it was a Bewick Borderer pulling one of the new K Fell C/F 40 foots loaded with Sainsbury evap milk at the back end and Libby rice at the front IIRC Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
robthedog:
One of your Dennis
White trailer ? Was that a K Fell0
Yes Rob same shot better angle it was a Bewick Borderer pulling one of the new K Fell C/F 40 foots loaded with Sainsbury evap milk at the back end and Libby rice at the front IIRC Cheers Dennis.
Hi Dennis, The load on this trailer reminds me of my three years working for Robert Baillie & Co Ltd in
the early 1970s. Having handballed 3000 trays of Guernsey Tomatoes at wholesale fruit markets in
Carlisle, Kendal, Liverpool, Leeds, etc, us shunters based at Wigan then loaded 20 tons at Heinz, Wigan.
Our corner boards were about 7 foot long, and they were roped on the pallets before the sheets went on.
Having mentioned Kendal, I am trying to remember the name of wholesale firm at the top end of
Kendal, not far from the Ribble bus garage, I think the wholesaler also had an operation at Barrow.
Cheers, Ray
Ray Smyth:
Bewick:
robthedog:
One of your Dennis
White trailer ? Was that a K Fell0
Yes Rob same shot better angle it was a Bewick Borderer pulling one of the new K Fell C/F 40 foots loaded with Sainsbury evap milk at the back end and Libby rice at the front IIRC Cheers Dennis.Hi Dennis, The load on this trailer reminds me of my three years working for Robert Baillie & Co Ltd in
the early 1970s. Having handballed 3000 trays of Guernsey Tomatoes at wholesale fruit markets in
Carlisle, Kendal, Liverpool, Leeds, etc, us shunters based at Wigan then loaded 20 tons at Heinz, Wigan.
Our corner boards were about 7 foot long, and they were roped on the pallets before the sheets went on.
Having mentioned Kendal, I am trying to remember the name of wholesale firm at the top end of
Kendal, not far from the Ribble bus garage, I think the wholesaler also had an operation at Barrow.Cheers, Ray
Hiya Ray ------ A E Docker & Sons main depot Hindpool Sidings Barrow and secondary depot down a blind alley on Sandes avenue in Kendal and then they moved into a redundant goods shed in the BR station yard.
When I was running the D1000 in 68/69 as an o/d I used to sub of Watts of Carlisle via their London Colney office for back loading home and one of the jobs they started giving me was loading off Covent Garden to Dockers in Barrow. The job was a pain in the ---- for watts as they wanted there trunks straight back to Carlisle via the A1 and A66. If it worked and I was tipped handy in London on a Thursday guess what job I got ? It was a real grueller because sometimes I’d done a flyer down to London midnight Wednesday and my load of Libbys was often for Stamford street or a wharf or sometimes a couple of cash and carrys ( remember them !) So I would have to get parked on “the stones” as soon as I could mid morning and once parked you didn’t move and the barra boys had to come looking for and bellowing “Dockers Barrow” ! One of the Barrow Boys got me to run around the block ( once only!) to their warehouse to load a biggish consignment but then I was kyboshed I couldn’t get back to park up on the stones ! what a battle I had that first time to finish loading !!! Once loaded by mid day with all kinds of imported produce ---- Egyptian & Cyprus taties, Canary toms boxes of flowers citrus fruit etc.etc. Usually by mid day I was loaded S & R and ready to roll. Well after calling at L/Colney I’d get on up the road a bit and park up on a cafe on the A5 and get my head down. I had to be in Barrow by 4 am Friday. I’d be outside Dockers before 4am and have all my ropes off and then when they opened up back into the warehouse and Dockers Lads wrapped my sheet up and “Mr Albert” Docker would turn up and bring my cooked breakfast which I sat at his desk to nosh it down with a pint of tea ! This was while they did all the unloading and then they would put back on my motor a small assortment of stuff for their Kendal depot and in return for this favour they would fill a box with all kinds of stuff which my Mother used to really appreciate ! I was back in Kendal by 7am parked up and in bed zzzzz! Only killer then was Libbys would ring and want to load the motor for Monday delivery by 3 pm !
All the times I did the Docker job I never had any damage as I took great care when loading i.e. in winter time the cold wind could knacker flowers and some fruit so I always had this stuff up the middle a the sides built up with taties and the like ! Watts shunters used to load it into a van and just bang it in any old how as it came and they always had claims It didn’t always work that I was available for the job and it used to ■■■■ Mr Albert off no end even though it was a good earner for me I eventually stopped subbing off Watts so that was the end of the Docker job but TBH it was in the days when shall we say cough cough the log sheets could be altered to suit your “commitments” Happy Days Cheers Dennis.
Thank you for all the info Dennis…As soon as I saw that you had mentioned " Docker ",the name of the
wholesaler, I immediately remembered the chap there was Dan Docker. Once I had handballed a couple
of 100 trays of Guernsey Tomatoes at Dockers, Dan would give me 2 shillings tip, and a bunch of bananas.
Cheers, Ray.
Hi Ray I’m pleased to have been able to shake the old memory cells for you There was another Docker wholesale firm in Carlisle who were related to the Barrow Dockers but I’m not sure how maybe Cousins and their motors were IIRC maroon and green with gold lettering. Whereas the Barrow firm’s motors were red and they used to run an 8 wheeler ERF which ran to Liverpool market IIRC . Cheers Dennis.
hodgeturbo:
Dodd Wood Keswick
Wat woz thoo jurn up Dodd Wood Hodge eh! ? Robbing the Ospreys nests mebe ? 
And what sort of payload can you carry on that motor ? Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
hodgeturbo:
Dodd Wood KeswickWat woz thoo jurn up Dodd Wood Hodge eh! ? Robbing the Ospreys nests mebe ?
You need to ask CARRYFAST for the definitive answer
Bewick:
Hi Ray I’m pleased to have been able to shake the old memory cells for you
Hi Dennis they also had a steer ERF been hoping someone will one day put a photo of those
2 Motors used to be parked up a lot on Hindpool Road Frank
Leyland 680:
Bewick:
Hi Ray I’m pleased to have been able to shake the old memory cells for youHi Dennis they also had a steer ERF been hoping someone will one day put a photo of those
2 Motors used to be parked up a lot on Hindpool Road Frank
How you doing Frank ? hope you are keeping well ! I only remembered the 8 wheeler so have learned summat ! But they didn’t send them as far south as Covent Garden only to Liverpool market ! Cheers Dennis.