Fodens.

[gingerfold]

Hi Pete, it was in that mill that I used the continuous “man lift” for the one and only time in my life to ride from the basement to the top floor. On a subsequent visit when Eric Stone, the Mill Manager, offered me a ride on the “man lift”, I replied “I’ll use the stairs, thank you”. Tramping up six or seven flights of stairs was a lot safer than that scary experience.

[pete_smith]

gingerfold:
Hi Pete, it was in that mill that I used the continuous “man lift” for the one and only time in my life to ride from the basement to the top floor. On a subsequent visit when Eric Stone, the Mill Manager, offered me a ride on the “man lift”, I replied “I’ll use the stairs, thank you”. Tramping up six or seven flights of stairs was a lot safer than that scary experience.

Hi Graham,
Had one of those in the mill in Wolverhampton, used to jump on it with a sack truck! If there was any one else on it you did not like you could look up between the floors and pull the emergency cord next to it and leave them stranded between the floors, I never thought for one minute I would ever talk about that contraption ever again, Cheer’s Pete

[windrush]

I believe the Foden Haulmaster of Tilcons was driven by out of Ballidon quarry Dennis Bond from Wirksworth? Dennis would set off for Bison floors at Lichfield and return about three days later, much to the annoyance of the weighbridge staff who expected him back in a couple of hours for another load! From Lichfield he would pick sand up at Hints quarry and take it to Meriden sand pit, pick sand up at Meriden for Gore quarry near Kington, take gritstone from Gore to West Drayton and then scrap up to Rotherham or coal from Kent to Newcastle upon Tyne. From Newcastle across to Harden redstone quarry for chippings to Weaste plant near Trafford Park. All without the TM’s knowledge, he ‘ploughed his own furrow’ did Dennis! Later, when Tilcon sold the fleet off, he bought his own truck and continued in much the same way.

Pete.

[bewick]

windrush:
I believe the Foden Haulmaster of Tilcons was driven by out of Ballidon quarry Dennis Bond from Wirksworth? Dennis would set off for Bison floors at Lichfield and return about three days later, much to the annoyance of the weighbridge staff who expected him back in a couple of hours for another load! From Lichfield he would pick sand up at Hints quarry and take it to Meriden sand pit, pick sand up at Meriden for Gore quarry near Kington, take gritstone from Gore to West Drayton and then scrap up to Rotherham or coal from Kent to Newcastle upon Tyne. From Newcastle across to Harden redstone quarry for chippings to Weaste plant near Trafford Park. All without the TM’s knowledge, he ‘ploughed his own furrow’ did Dennis! Later, when Tilcon sold the fleet off, he bought his own truck and continued in much the same way.

Pete.

IMHO Dennis ( no relation!) was a proper tipper driver, minimal m/t running not your 50/50 running, sounds like a very sound operator to me, a man of my own liking ! Great Cheers Bewick.

[muckaway]

I do similar in my job, albeit not in a Foden sadly. I know what needs doing, load up some muck or rubble in our yard, take it to the recycling plant, tip, or grateful for a free load farmer. If there’s no immediate load to do for a customer I’ll go to Smiths for some stock, drop into our yard and ring any customers who have loads on hold. Do them and tip where I deem appropriate and repeat the cycle. Even my boss asks me back in the yard “what you got on for tomorrow?” or like today “any chance we can do…?” It’s like being an od but without the risks. Come November 2nd I will’ve been here two years. Might even be a new wagon for next year too…

[lawrence_dunbar]

Bewick:

windrush:
I believe the Foden Haulmaster of Tilcons was driven by out of Ballidon quarry Dennis Bond from Wirksworth? Dennis would set off for Bison floors at Lichfield and return about three days later, much to the annoyance of the weighbridge staff who expected him back in a couple of hours for another load! From Lichfield he would pick sand up at Hints quarry and take it to Meriden sand pit, pick sand up at Meriden for Gore quarry near Kington, take gritstone from Gore to West Drayton and then scrap up to Rotherham or coal from Kent to Newcastle upon Tyne. From Newcastle across to Harden redstone quarry for chippings to Weaste plant near Trafford Park. All without the TM’s knowledge, he ‘ploughed his own furrow’ did Dennis! Later, when Tilcon sold the fleet off, he bought his own truck and continued in much the same way.

Pete.

IMHO Dennis ( no relation!) was a proper tipper driver, minimal m/t running not your 50/50 running, sounds like a very sound operator to me, a man of my own liking ! Great Cheers Bewick.

Me too, I used to do a bit of work like that myself Tilcons were good for loading you for anywere when the work was busy, Regards Larry.

[pete_smith]

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[gingerfold]

[pete_smith]

.

[windrush]

Muckaway:
I do similar in my job, albeit not in a Foden sadly. I know what needs doing, load up some muck or rubble in our yard, take it to the recycling plant, tip, or grateful for a free load farmer. If there’s no immediate load to do for a customer I’ll go to Smiths for some stock, drop into our yard and ring any customers who have loads on hold. Do them and tip where I deem appropriate and repeat the cycle. Even my boss asks me back in the yard “what you got on for tomorrow?” or like today “any chance we can do…?” It’s like being an od but without the risks. Come November 2nd I will’ve been here two years. Might even be a new wagon for next year too…

I worked much the same way Nathan when I later worked for a local haulier on a six wheeler, if Ballidon had nothing for me (which in Tossmac’s time was often! ) I was on the phone finding my own work and also sorting my own rates at times! If no work then I could find work to do on the truck, greasing it or relining a brake or two etc. Several loads a day out of several different quarries some days, but I always asked the rate first if I didn’t have a rate sheet for that quarry as some were just not worth loading.

Only Dennis got away with doing it in Tilcon’s time though, we were expected back almost to the minute for our next load and woe betide us if we were not back when we should have been as the main priority was to get loads out and not to wander all around the planet doing as we pleased like folk on general haulage! Dennis had previously worked for W.H Phillips at Wirksworth so was used to tramping around for a week at a time and had a ‘black book’ full of contacts.

Pete.

[jshepguis]

Couple of restored Fodens taken at the 2015 Tyne Tees run.

[pete_smith]

All off E-Bay,

[pete_smith]

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[pete_smith]

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[grumpy_old_man]

That Chinese 6 is handsome.

[pete_smith]

.

[sm8]

Beautiful!

[nigelhunt]

heres a couple of my photos.

[nigelhunt]

[nigelhunt]