hi buycrider, not sure if astra was the name of that cafe, remember it was on the left just after high hesket, and it was open 24hrs old brian box starting to go a bit 
never used the a6 after 1959 till the mid 60tys thing had changed a bit by then, did mostly scotch aberdeen, inverness,59 to mid 60tys, anyway thanks for that information buycrider, bumper
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hiya, both woodhead and shap were bad in equal measure in winter, but you could miss woodhead out and do a detour by several means, shap was the only route up the west side and there was no other option that in my opinon was where it’s notoriety comes from, it caught me many times going both ways,there was more uphill on woodhead too, shap the hill being a relatively a short stretch. thanks harry long retired.
harry_gill:
hiya, both woodhead and shap were bad in equal measure in winter, but you could miss woodhead out and do a detour by several means, shap was the only route up the west side and there was no other option that in my opinon was where it’s notoriety comes from, it caught me many times going both ways,there was more uphill on woodhead too, shap the hill being a relatively a short stretch. thanks harry long retired.
When Woodhead was shut Harry the Snake A57 would have been closed long before,so you could get over into Lancs from Sheffield either via Huddersfield/Halifax/Todmorden or via Derby,Uttoxeter and Stoke,the latter being the easiest but the longest.When I was on nights in the 80s I’ve got over Woodhead when some of our other drivers were “policed” onto the hard shoulder of the M62 at the top of Windy Hill.Mind you if I had got stuck it would have been trailer P45 for me,Woodhead was always banned in bad weather but you never knew what it was like until you got up there 
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Shap would carry far more traffic than Woodhead in those days,however Woodhead is busier now than it’s ever been or it was until I became a tax exile. 
Woodhead? Snake Pass? Windy Hill? they didn,t have one of these beauties up there.(acknowledements to Lenore, who used to do the clock winding, and still lives just around the corner from where the clock was;And to Shap Heritage Society; For use of the picture). Also they certainly won,t have one on the Isle of Man, so eat yer heart out CW.(tax exile of this Parish.)
No,you are right Buycrider,no Leyland clock on Woodhead,it did have an AA box though.No Woodhead Heritage Society either.
And certainly nowt like that Leyland clock on t’Isle of Man but they did have Leyland buses.Here’s a pic of the last load we got.
Chris.
Buycrider:
That cafe on the A6 Bumper. Does “The Astra”, ring any bells?? That was on the Southbound side. There was another old favourite on the Northbound side, I can,t remember what it was called.
The pub was called The Cross Keys , & Chippy was the Landlord.
Dave.
Thanks for that Dave. That,s one loose end ■■■■■■■ nicely .
Buycrider:
Further to my post Yesterday, and my comments about the Hudson,s Breakdown vehicle, HSU 364 pictured above. Here,s some up-to-date info from a man who drove it,at Hudson,s; and in his own words.This vehicle is an AEC Mammoth Major.MkV. I believe that it was first owned by Russell of Bathgate. It then passed to Nelsons of Arnside. Hudsons bought it off Nelsons, and converted it for Recovery Work, in the 1970,s.The cab was replaced with a Leyland cab, in the early 1980,s It does not have it,s original registration number,which got" lost" when Hudsons first used it on Trade Plates. It is now owned by a former Hudson,s employee, living in ■■■■■■■■
here’s some pictures of the ex. Hudsons Mammoth Major that I took last week when visitng the owner’s yard.
The cab was originally replaced because one of the fitters got annoyed with the original cab with its rattles, cracks and suicide doors 
So out came the cutter and the Ergo cab was bunged on.
There’s no Ergo fittings inside though and it is very basic! It doesn’t tilt either and a Leyland Marathon panel fills the gap at the front!
It has a 3 speed transfer box from a Diamond T coupled to the original 6 speed AEC box and 760 engine.
With that combination it is capable of a surprisingly high speed!
It is still in use sometimes and can pull most things asked of it…
Sounds good too
I hope you gave that cab a bit of a clean-up before you got out Steve. That Spiders web looks like it,s been there for some time. 
Buycrider:
I hope you gave that cab a bit of a clean-up before you got out Steve.
that was the clean cab - used the most!
Buycrider:
I hope you gave that cab a bit of a clean-up before you got out Steve.
Robbo, They reckon it came out your wallet…
I couldn’t believe that cos Kenny told me you never carried one or it rarely seen 
Now listen here Mr,Bedgar. any more of that personal attack stuff,based on a scurrilous rumour, and I shall be nominating you for a yellow card off Rikki, cos he is hanging about in the back-ground to protect “on thread” posters like me . That,s his job. Also" youngnad" is a mate of mine, with us being marras; so when he is finished his weeks hard graft ,he,ll have a go at yer as well for giving me grief. 
ps. where have all the pics. gone. OOhh!! They are back this morning. It wasn,t you messin about was it Rikki??
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KTS. Remember them well George, from my time with Burnholme. They did all of the same sort of General Haulage. Kicking off mainly from out of Gartcosh and the other Steel plants in Scotland. They were a great bunch of lads, Geoff ?( who now has a card shop in Carlisle, and used to do Penrith Market). and “Dan” Sissons-(Desperate Dan being his CB Handle)–, the others I cannot recall. There is a sad story to tell about “Dan”. I was heading out over the water,in about 1997/8 ,and stocking up with bevvy etc, at East Enders in Calais. When I came out, parked up alongside me was yer man Dan in his Dayson,s waggon. (he had left KTS some years before, and had done M/E work with Daysons). We had the craic for about half an hour, and then went our separate ways. I got back to our depot, about a week later, and as I was walking to the office saw his ex father-in-law Willie O,Neill , who had retired a few months earlier, standing there. I stopped to have a craic with him, and told him about seeing “Dan” the previous week on the Thursday.He told me that I would not be seeing him again, as he had got back home to New ■■■■■■■ or somewhere up the A76, where he was then living. Was sitting down watching tele, and died. This was about 12 years ago, so he would have been 39/40, A sad end to a great lad. Sorry about no pics. I,m hoping some-one has. He might be on one.
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Buycrider:
Now listen here Mr,Bedgar. any more of that personal attack stuff,based on a scurrilous rumour, and I shall be nominating you for a yellow card off Rikki, cos he is hanging about in the back-ground to protect “on thread” posters like me . That,s his job.ps. where have all the pics. gone.
Me an mate mate Kenny wil come down an see you !!! 
As long as he doesnt go in me garden shed and start singing those anti-Sassenach songs that he sings in the “Shed” at Hawick Brian, when they are having a day off from slashing in the fountain at Gala , and insulting the Provost,I don,t mind. Let me know when your coming. I.ll stick a couple of Pizzas on.
Firms with Cattle Trucks who used to deliver to us in the 60’s and70’s were ME Saunders Ulverston
Bells Carlisle
Lawsons Cockermouth
Pickthalls Cleator Moor
Alderson & Huddart Appleby
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