cant believe i found it almost straight away here it is lads … enjoy… 
Think you are all to far north on the A1,as to where the photo of the Armstomg Comet was taken. From what i can remember being told the photo was somewhere around the Biggleswade area. Iam nearly sure it is George Hendry who is driving this one.
There was 4 comets in there fleet,which did 2 return trips to London each week,running away on a Sunday back on a Friday.The first day was to Biggleswade,2nd tip and load London and return to Biggleswade,3rd run back to Gateshead. Their was an article in a Leyland Journal when the Comets where new .
ECN73 is in this weeks Commercial Motor in it new form as a cattle wagon.
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AH SEOUL, now we know why it’s called The Yellow Sea 
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I know what you mean Jim about bosses being lenient in the seventies as I had a friend who lived just south of Oxford and by mutual agreement he would send me to Morris’s at Cowley on a Friday afternoon. After having a great weekend at her place 
I would then be on the doorstep at six o’clock Monday morning ready to tip. You know what we used to say " you can’t do enough for a good boss ".
The tight [ z.b. ] still wouldn’t pay me for the weekend though 
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Stravaiger,
ECN 73 was my uncles wagon from new when he worked at Armstrongs. When the comets where replaced LAD Albion Reivers it was converted into a tipper to take waste to Armstrongs tip at Beamish until about 1974 when it was pensioned off and purchased by Bill Wilkinson for preservation.
I have done many a happy mile in ECN 73 both driving and riding shotgun. Happy days!
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hi lads, still think that photo of armstrong’s is the orchard or in that area, erf 64cu thinks biggleswade area, um the towers was on the north bound side, and you had to pull off the road into the car park, most of the north east lad would push on to sandy for they break, or mac’s at Huntington, no doubt some one will know where it was taken and put us all out of our misery, Jim if you worked for j-m-smith, wishaw did you load out of Anderson boye’s at motherwell, they did most of the wales and Kent coal mines deliveries, i worked for brownlees they had lorries on C licence contract to A-Bs, they did all the N-C-B central stores, i was on A licence, so got all the machines that went direct to the pit, these were always asap, but a i would rather do that than 20ton spud’s hand ball, 
brownlees was one of the best job i ever had yes it was trip money, but the gaffer payed your tax for you. plus if you did 3 trip it was 5 nights out money, great days bumper
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hi Jim brownlees were dark blue with red and gold lettering on the doors and front of motors, only had about 10 motors Albion leyland dodge guy (andy cap & big j,1 atki 8 legger,it was a mixed fleet 4 & 6 wheel ridged and artic’s i started there 1965, he bought a couple of volvo 88’s around 1970 because the machines were starting to get a bit on the heavy side, 30-40 ton’s, old john the gaffer died 1971 and the Philip the son died 1972, so it was closed down and everything was auctioned off, has i have said it was a great outfit to work for, sadly all of the lads that worked there when i started have past on 
has they say all good things come to an end, great job great days, 
bumper
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Its not until you see some of these older photo’s that you realise how many of these old firms have gone now, if the Northeast is a reflection of the change around the rest of the country and the amount of now defunct companies that were so busy, one of the main games I played while travelling up and down as a kid with my father was recognising the many other haulage wagons we encountered either by spotting the livery or the type of vehicle, I must have drove Dad daft. This also brings me to another point, drivers often had their offspring on board especially in the Summer months and I did the same, some firms during the Sixties did wave the ‘not covered by insurance’ flag but these were few then and later when on long distance I also enjoyed having my kids along at times when driving. It had its positive side too, you tended to drive more carefully and it was company, an extra pair of hands even, although my lad was too interested in drawing to leave the cab when I was rolling the sheets up his younger Sister was dead keen to help and eventually quite good at helping folding sheets or undoing the dolly knots, she loved it. However the Health and Safety bods would have a heart attack today which is a shame as many a lorry driver must have been born from seeing what life was like when along with the old man or a mate. Poor Dad couldn’t avoid me I was up like a shot soon as I heard him in the bathroom in the morning and waiting when he came down to breakfast, infact I wrote a poem about this a few years ago I’ll post it see what you think. Franky.
Hope this has worked, I know this is called Jottings but here’s a ditty of memories as a youngster, does it ring ant bells with others. Cheers Franky.
fantastic poem there frankie boy…
loved paragragh 4…
The Gardner barks, it belches out loud,
Build up the air, jusk look at the cloud,
Into gear, handbrake goes ‘boosh’,
Foot on the pedal , One Fifty horse’s loose.
FANTASTIC…
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Great stuff Franky,I remember all that so well,thanks for posting it - what about going for Poet Laureate,it’s miles better than the crap they write nowadays.
I like the bit where you had to pick all the maps up after hitting trailer pin,the times that happened to me,especially with a Mandator
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I had a Seddon like that F reg (quite rare) the engine was out and the cab was off. The chassis was at the back of a mates yard.The gypoe’s come along one weekend and cut it up when the scrap was a good price.
John
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