Inspirational transport names

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OLD TIME LORRIES, COMPANIES AND DRIVERS (INTERACT
1

Ignoring the key subject about the EU - or whatever it’s called now!

Harry’s post about Fearing’s of Burnley got me thinking. I used to spend my time as I drove my Leyland Comet, in 1969, mainly from the Scottish Borders to Lancashire and Yorkshire, loaded with timber, through Carlisle and Penrith, over old Shap, then through Kendal and finally onto the M6 at Carnforth, looking at the lorries coming the other way. Who can forget that sign as you were heading North ‘temporary bend’ - in that case temporary was about 7 years!

Being from Barrow, Brady’s and Athersmiths were the favourites. They had so many trucks between them that you saw them often.

Smith of Maddiston, Allison’s Freightlines, Anderson’s, McKelvie’s, Dobson of Edinburgh, even a tiny firm you’d see occasionally over Shap, Eddie Stobart, Caldbeck. I think they had about 4 or 5 motors at the time!

Caledonian - the Callie - Alloa Glass. London Carriers. A tiny motif in the centre of the trailer. Their green 40’ vans, pulled by Guy units, either the older great looking invincibles or the new ‘Big J’s’. So many evocative names. Perhaps a year or so later, one of my all time favourites - an Irish firm - 40’ vans with ‘SHENANDOAH’ taking up the whole of the side of the trailer!

I realise how sad I am when I drive down from Barrow to my daughter’s in Oxford. I still do it!

No more Brady’s or Athersmiths, but hey, life goes on! Even Fast Eddie is just a name. Someone will take them over and change it eventually!

John.

2

aye sitting next tae my dad and him waving at all the other floats /farming companies :smiley: BUT I still remember the first time I saw a P&S contracts Mack with king o the road on the bumper, seemed like a dream as they disapeared intae the distance.

3

I agree. There was always something special about seeing wagons from the far reaches of the British Isles. I can remember looking for Markinch in the atlas the night after I first saw Munro wagon. And Shore Porters Society Est. 1066. Plus, where did they get those tartan paints? Legendary feats of long distance driving by lorries from Buckie and Turriff.

4

When I was a nipper I used to take down number plates as I suspect many of you also did, my dad was in the AA and in there handbook you could look up a prefix and see where the vehicle was first registered, its sad I know but past a lot of time on long car journeys. Buzzer.

PS. suspect fast Eddie is controlled by someone else should we look in to the detail of who actually own’s it,

5

Another inspirational transport name was British Road Services! This was partly because they had their depot locations stencilled to the side raves and you could see how far they were from home (as shown in the Alan Spillett painting below). They certainly caught my attention in the '50s & early '60s. :sunglasses:

alanspillett.jpg

By the late '60s we were getting a new type of head-turner in the shape of big names from Eastern Europe, like CSAD, Pakaes and Hungarocamion.

Robert

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B j Waters ( Uk Europe) or European service as it used to say has to be the best known for tippers .

7

Knights of Old has always stuck in my mind as being something special.
Oily

8

What about Robsons of Carlisle and not forgetting our own Bewick Transport. :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

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Stanfield:
What about Robsons of Carlisle and not forgetting our own Bewick Transport. :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

So many Robsons! I nearly bought a foden with a 150 Gardener from them, but went for a new Mastiff instead.

A lad from Grange, whose name temporarily escapes me subbed from them in a 150 Foden, still in their colours, which he’d bought from them. Robsons were moving up to the massive 180s! When asked how he kept up with the rest of them he replied ‘Ah, when they stop for a break, I keep going!’

Bewick will remember him.

Talking of Bewick, in 1969 he was still a cygnet!

Chrisarbon:
I agree. There was always something special about seeing wagons from the far reaches of the British Isles. I can remember looking for Markinch in the atlas the night after I first saw Munro wagon. And Shore Porters Society Est. 1066. Plus, where did they get those tartan paints? Legendary feats of long distance driving by lorries from Buckie and Turriff.

Kelman of Turriff!

John

10

My favourite four when I was a youngster to spot were Gibbs of Fraserburough, Robsons of Carlisle, Smiths of Madiston & Suttons of St Helens with their yellow headboards with their fleet numbers on…

11

When travelling with my dad in the 50’s the fish wagons of the north of Scotland Charles Alexanders, Munroes, Wm. Taylors, Gibbs et al always waved.
Punctilious Pullage has to be my favourite modern one. Jim.

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A West Wales name that’s graced the highways for many years.

13

Robert, in those far off days before our Lords and Masters in Brussels forced us to change our system of registration numbers it was easy to tell where a vehicle came from however far from home.

We know the answer. OUT!

David

14

John it was Unsworth from Cartmel that run in Robsons colours had a yard right in the village opposite the priory iirc.

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BIBS:
John it was Unsworth from Cartmel that run in Robsons colours had a yard right in the village opposite the priory iirc.

That’s the man Bibs! I think he was ‘Percy’ Unsworth. That conversation took place in ‘The Gilp’ - the cafe at Gilpin Bridge. I seem to remember that Bradys had one of those dog eared notices on their board - you know, the ones that nobody ever reads - about time wasted in the Gilpin Bridge cafe.

I often used it to park my trailer, to run home unit only, and never had anything pinched from it!

One Brady driver I met regularly there was Reg Leader, a lad about my age. He worked for Ray, then Dean Steele for many years, but had a heart operation a couple of years back, so is a bit less active.

He said that on Saturday nights he used to go out with his mates and Theresa, his wife, used to go out with hers. I thought that was an odd thing to do, but he’s still married to Theresa and Lynda and I divorced in 1981, so what do I know!

John

16

Now John seeing as you are a Barra man did you know Colin Jackson he drove a Leyland comet for Lewis’s potatoes merchants from Barra used to call in the sunset cafe regularly then he went on for Brady’s he died fairly young also there was a bloke called Ron drove a new Ford D1000 v8 ■■■■■■■ can’t remember the name of the firm maybe you can remember

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BIBS:
Now John seeing as you are a Barra man did you know Colin Jackson he drove a Leyland comet for Lewis’s potatoes merchants from Barra used to call in the sunset cafe regularly then he went on for Brady’s he died fairly young also there was a bloke called Ron drove a new Ford D1000 v8 ■■■■■■■ can’t remember the name of the firm maybe you can remember

Yes, I remember Colin Jackson. My brother Andy drove for Bradys for some years, so would probably remember him better. I’ll ask him.

Alf Cade, a friend of my dad’s, who owned Lewis’s - wholesale fruit and veg - was one of the first to open a ‘Supermarket’, a novel idea in the early sixties.

I went to school with his sons, John and David. I was speaking recently to a lad called Dennis, who used to bunk off school to go out on the deliveries for Lewis’s. Can’t remember his second name, but he was also at Possy’s funeral.

John Cade was telling me recently (after a life as a school teacher in South Africa) that one of the great joys of his youth was to take the seven and a half tonner to Manchester very early during the summer holidays to collect fruit and veg from Manchester market.

I think Ron drove for Wilf Carr? If it’s the same Ron?

I had left the Mastiff at Dunderdale and Yates for some repairs and was standing on the A6 near Fulwood, log book in hand when I saw a D1000 coming towards me with a Barrow registration! W Carr & Sons Wholesale potato and vegetable Merchants. Since I knew he’d be going past my house on Abbey road I waved for Britain at him.

He drove past!

He must have seen my hang dog body language in the mirror because he pulled in. I looked like a little boy at that time (don’t look so young now!) and he thought the log book was a scam. We got on famously and always waved at each other thereafter!

I can’t remember his surname though.

John

18

Harris and Miners, Widecombe in the Moor. I remember seeing them in the 1950s for the first time and looking in an atlas to see where they were from. Little did I know then that one day I would get to know Brian Harris. Incidentally, I used to spend hours looking at road maps learning where places are.

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gingerfold:
Harris and Miners, Widecombe in the Moor. I remember seeing them in the 1950s for the first time and looking in an atlas to see where they were from. Little did I know then that one day I would get to know Brian Harris. Incidentally, I used to spend hours looking at road maps learning where places are.

Me too!

Jimmy Kelman from Turiff, NTE…by gum they could “stretch the regs”…

Brian Harris, (with that eye that could see behind you)!

Sam Anderson…once got snowed in at Newhouse, and while they cleared the road for me, I sat in his kitchen with a bowl of cheese gruel, and bread, listening to Evangelical Bible tapes!!!..boy did I rocket down that road, and back to England…always wondered why those Anderson Scanias could keep going night and day…they had "divine " assistance!

Stared in awe at a P&S Mack, as it thundered past me …20 years later I sat in a B61 and really could not understand how such a “little” lorry could carry such an image!

Tommy Gibb, what a Gentleman…my pal Chris Kelly once helped him out with a break down. Tom never forgot…and a few Atkinsons, and Seddons went over the border!

But that was the way it was, you respected people, and that respect was returned, and business, and friendship blossomed, it was not about" the bottom line", more about trust, and helping each other out, but those relationships often resulted in increased bottom line figures!

At Les Halles, off Sebastopol in Paris, I often saw the beautiful Berliets , witheir whitewall tyres of Transports Martin of Nice…never expecting 10 years later being instructed on how you carry Carnations in bloom without damage, in their spectacular Nice offices. Even less so walking away with an order for little Saviems into their Volvo fleet!

But we have all relished the sight of the maroon liveried Scania L serie of Louis Giraud travelling through Britain, with their exotic looking Coder of Marseille Tank trailers…but a tough company to deal with, the battle was between two British men, John Baker, of DAF France, …and poor little Saviem, for their business…we both had a bit!!!..but I gained my love of Bollinger in their offices…and many happy memories of a giant who lost the battle with Norbert Dentressangle…

And what an outfit Norbert created, true to his fathers ethos…he respected, remunerated, and regarded “his” drivers as his business…and look what he and Marie Theréase created, perhaps the finest transport operation that Europe will know…perhaps never to be repeated, but truly an Inspirational Transport Business!

Cheerio for now.

20

David Miller:
Robert, in those far off days before our Lords and Masters in Brussels forced us to change our system of registration numbers it was easy to tell where a vehicle came from however far from home.

We know the answer. OUT!

David

D’accord! Robert :wink: