sandway:
Fantastic photos you’ve posted there TDL102. I’ve attempted to enlarge them as there’s some real interesting stuff there. I know they will enlarge if you click on them but many people don’t bother. The green Crusader with the grill up may be the ride of Norman Horsford of Mitchell & Robertson and the AGA lorry and is that a Colin Ashby Crusader and---- well, there’s so many old Kent companies represented and Roger was in with all of them.To enlarge your photos TDL102 I had to take screen shots and then enlarge them which means they lost a lot of definition. Do you have the means to enlarge them yourself. Marvellous photos though. Hopefully you have more.
Top picture: *****Clark Handyman, AGA Mandator, Unclear Tilt cab, Milk Marketing Board Albion?, Mitchell & Robertson Crusader, ***Clark AEC, Safeway Handyman.
Bottom Picture: Woodcock AEC, Terrier, Then three Tilt cab AECs, Can anyone identify the companies? the dark green one seems to read initial & intial whoever ? and lastly a Colin Ashby Crusader.
That picture of 599VKP makes the list so far of Mammoth Majors Firmins were still operating around about 1969-72: Flats; MkIII AF57, MkVs AF105, 2PKR, 599VKP. Bulker; 641NKJ and Cut down unit AF80.
That picture of 599VKP, on what is clearly a very hot day, makes the list so far of Mammoth Majors Firmins were still operating around about 1969-72: Flats; MkIII AF57, MkVs AF105, 2PKR, 599VKP. Bulker; 641NKJ and Cut down unit AF80.
Maidstone & District Motor Services. Were they anything to do with the bus company?
Lenham Storage on the old A30 westbound at Rockbeare Bridge east of Exeter. Thanks to Andy Clark for the photo.
Mitchell & Robetson’s old yard at Brandon Farm, Staplehurst. Occupied and much expanded and the home of Staplehurst Transits for many years now. Its a great photo thanks to Colin Goldup.
I’m sure many of the Kent lads will remember this sad sight. I only loaded out of there a few times when it first opened. Photos courtesy of Jaja Turnball.
Loaded out of there many times and hated the place with a vengeance. The terminal’s job was to unload railway trucks and palletise the produce. Forklift the pallets onto the lorry? oh no, the driver then had to take whatever it was off the terminal’s pallets and restack it onto his own. That went on IIRC for a couple of years until common sense prevailed, but then half the time they made such a ■■■■-poor job of stacking that you were back to square one anyway, especially if it was honeydew melons or onions you were loading. Even worse if you were only collecting to tranship in the yard because the chances of being able to put a satisfactory pallet onto the delivering vehicle were not good.
These two fine photos were posted on a Kent Transport F/B page by an old Coulling Brothers driver. Unfortunately I didn’t write down his name but thank him anyway.
However, what interested me were the ‘Airey’ houses in the background. As Coulling’s were based near Lenham I’m assuming the driver livid in a village nearby. I had a couple of relatives and some friends who livid in ‘Airey’ houses at Chestnut Close, Ulcombe. Any idea where these photos were taken?
I found the attached photo interesting. Nothing to do with the lorry or who it belongs to, its the load on the trailer that caught my eye. A load of empty bushel boxes. I carried thousands and thousands of them when I worked for Mitchell & Robertson and we were working for Frank Idiens, apple processors from Evesham and Wisbech.
However, one thing I never did was sheet the load. Mainly because the boxes were so unstable it was dangerous to walk on top of them. We used corner boards and ropes to secure the load and never had any problems. Once we got Tautliners it got even easier to secure and transport them of course.
Kent show 1970.
Some Coulling Brothers photos courtesy of Will Chesson.
The first photo shows Arther Chapman on the left standing in front of the 1418 Merc. It is believed this Merc was the last lorry Coulling’s had painted in their company colour of red. After this all the lorries were left plain white.
On the right in the first photo is Arther’s brother Roy. He drove the green Loders lorry. It was a Mere 1617 rigid. Coulling’s had bought out Loders a few years before of course.
The second photo shows the green Woodcock of Headcorn paint showing through where hanging ropes had worn it away. Coulling Brothers bought this ex Woodcock unit and had it painted white.
The photos of their yard shows Rod Filmer’s lorry parked up amongst the Coulling lorries.
My brother Tom drove this or a similar one in the mid to late 60’s doing multiple drops round Devon and Cornwall and away all week. Marley then changed to nightly night trunk and local drivers delivering during the day. Tom went onto nights and his run was from Harrietsham to Devizes and back for the last three years he was employed by them.
Sparshatts, Sittingbourne 1980.
sandway:
These two fine photos were posted on a Kent Transport F/B page by an old Coulling Brothers driver. Unfortunately I didn’t write down his name but thank him anyway.However, what interested me were the ‘Airey’ houses in the background. As Coulling’s were based near Lenham I’m assuming the driver livid in a village nearby. I had a couple of relatives and some friends who livid in ‘Airey’ houses at Chestnut Close, Ulcombe. Any idea where these photos were taken?
Evening, these photos were taken by my uncle Allan of my grandad Arthur Chapman’s lorry parked out side his house in the old Mount View in Borden, Sittingbourne. These house were later compulsory purchased and demolished for a new estate.
sandway:
Some Coulling Brothers photos courtesy of Will Chesson.The first photo shows Arther Chapman on the left standing in front of the 1418 Merc. It is believed this Merc was the last lorry Coulling’s had painted in their company colour of red. After this all the lorries were left plain white.
On the right in the first photo is Arther’s brother Roy. He drove the green Loders lorry. It was a Mere 1617 rigid. Coulling’s had bought out Loders a few years before of course.
The second photo shows the green Woodcock of Headcorn paint showing through where hanging ropes had worn it away. Coulling Brothers bought this ex Woodcock unit and had it painted white.
The photos of their yard shows Rod Filmer’s lorry parked up amongst the Coulling lorries.
Morning, might be of interest to you but the same K303UKP the day my grandad brought it home for the first time after Coulling’s brought it & had it put in there colour’s, Autumn 1995 (with an eight year old me in the cab & my mum taking the photos). Always remember grandad showing off the air suspension and raising the middle axle, which I thought was amazing at the time.
Although I was quite sad that he’d given up his 2028, he did ask if I wanted him to get it back but I reluctantly said no that’s ok lol.
And reference to the red 1418 grandad always did say it was the last red Mercedes on the fleet before going white and that he used to get called the “red barron” (pardon the spelling) because of it.
A fine looking photo of a Colin Ashby MAN. One of our local companies.
