This is a photo an ERF 240 Gardner. I was taken late 70’s when I worked for them.
i used to work for john russell in the 70s good times , my brother in law drove for them to ,farmer was transport manager i passed my class 1 with them in a ERF have pics somewhere will post them when i find them . supermajor inverness .
supermajor:
i used to work for john russell in the 70s good times , my brother in law drove for them to ,farmer was transport manager i passed my class 1 with them in a ERF have pics somewhere will post them when i find them . supermajor inverness .
My dad Jock Hutchison used to work for John Russell back in the 70’s too. He used to do the night trunk to London with a few other Fifers, Davie Simpson, Jock Speed, Adam ? (From Lochgelly). Only other driver I can remember on the opposite shift was Pete Cormack.
Don’t know the connection between John Russell of Edinburgh and Wullie Russell of Bathgate, as far as I am aware Russell of Bathgate and John Russell of Grangemouth were brothers.
Sadly one of Wullies sons who ran a transport business in Perth jumped off the Forth Road Bridge.
After Wullie sold his business to TDG, he set up a storage business in Leith, I think it was called Three Sisters Storage. Brother John in Grangemouth sold his business to TDG too. Both Wullie and John had similar colours, Wullies shade of blue was light where John’s was dark.
John G Russell (Purple John) was one of Wullie’s son’s, there were others involved in transport (Robert, the black sheep of the family drove for John G for a while driving a Buffalo up & down the road, he then he bought three Scania’s of his own subbing off John G.) but can’t remember them all now. John G started in business by buying Whitefield Road Transport in Govan, Glasgow, before moving to Allison’s (Of Dundee) old depot at Allison Way, Muirhead, just outside Glasgow and got into containers in a big way.
He bought this property because it was next to the railway line as he intended to run trainload’s of containers to major ports in the south, the rail unions killed that idea stone dead! He also bought Carntyne Transport of Carntyne, Glasgow, tipper fleet all rigids and changed the business model. He also bought R D Spitall’s of Port Dundas, Glasgow, and both companies engaged in work for Distillers and Bonded Warehouse companies in the Whisky Trade.
Alex
My dad used to drive for John Russell & Son (Edinburgh) many years ago. There lorries were two tone blue with a white roof. They ran mostly ERFs both A & B series, also they ran Fodens Atkinsons plus a few Leylands and i have many a happy memory trucking with my dad on the school holidays doin the night trunk run from Edinburgh to Potters Bar. Would love to hear from anyone who remembers this firm.
Caps Lock. We heard you the first time 
Found this pic of Russell of Bathgate a rare Scania 110 eight-wheeler bulker 1974
Regards Pat
is that the same John Russell that have a depot in Daventry, They work out of the rail terminal there, My cousin worked for them a couple of years ago, He used to travel down from Glasgow on a sunday and work out of the terminal all wk then home to Glasgow on Friday…■■?
Regards Kev
SB139:
is that the same John Russell that have a depot in Daventry, They work out of the rail terminal there, My cousin worked for them a couple of years ago, He used to travel down from Glasgow on a sunday and work out of the terminal all wk then home to Glasgow on Friday…■■?Regards Kev
i remember them workin out of daventry,at first they used to travel down by airplane,then they were supplied with a car
im not sure if its the same Russell the one my dad drove for had a depot at Potters Bar.There were a few John Russells back then, there was Russells of Bathgate, Russell of Grangemouth, John G Russell, and John Russell & Son from Edinburgh.
i think it was russells o bathgate,they got purple motors
John Russell and Sons of Edinburgh were based in Ashley Place, just off the Newhaven Road, they became Russell Industrial Storage after they packed in Haulage, Nearby was Thos Smith Jnr (part of TDG) based in Pitt St.
They had ERF B series plus some Seddon Atkinsons Foden Fleetmasters and Leyland Roadtrains, It would be great if someone could post some of their photos on here, I am not to sure how many lorries they had, perhaps someone might know the number in their fleet, they always seemed to be hauling shipping containers.
One of John Russell of Edinburgh sons set up his own haulage business called Russell of Bathgate , eventually selling it to the TDG. Then one of Russell of Bathgates son set up John Russell (Grangemouth) this company was also sold to the TDG. After this he set up John G Russell , all of these four hauliers called Russell belonged to the same family!
neil0965:
John Russell Foden
This is a brilliant photo, thanks neil, does anyone have any more photos of this fleet?
Apparently “John Russell of Edinburgh is William Russell / Russell of Bathgate"s brother” so there is some family connection.