Hiya John,
F88 was new onto the K Fell fleet in 1976 then eventually repainted and put onto the BTS fleet.
The B/W shot is one I took at about mid day at the Mill in Beetham April 1970 the entire Bewick fleet ! eighteen month old D1000, four month old Mastiff unit and a brand new Bedford K E . The D1000 is loaded with reels and the tandem 4 trailer off the mastiff will be down on the trailer park loaded with reels. The Bedford is loaded with paper sacls from Robinson Sacks in Rochester Kent.
Hi Dennis Good to hear from you again i have not been on trucknet for a couple of years i can’t get used to the new layout dont know how you feel about it.Anyway i found the photos on another site that i am on and thought i would give tnet another go i knew that if you seen them you would give us a more indepth insight to them while you have thanks.
Thanks Dennis 3 different makes of vehicles which one inyour opinion gave you the best service?
Believe it or not John all three of those motors gave excellent service even though they were at the “cheaper” end of their respective markets, well maybe not the Bedford.
The reason they did well and served their purpose in the early days was because we looked after them and drove them sensibly. I drove the D1000, our first Driver was on the Mastiff and he eventually became our Operations Director and one of my younger brothers started on the Bedford as soon as he passed his test. The Bedford was a TK KE and it was the heaviest GVW I could buy at 10ton gvw and still keeping the ulw just under 3ton so it could carry a 7 ton payload but often had 8ton on it’s back !
The Mastiff was, for “A” licence purposes the lightest outfit I could afford to buy which at 26 ton gvw and coupled to the Primrose single wheeled tandem which I had built with wider axle beams so a normal 1100x22:5 wheel could be used ( no centre knave crap !) It could carry 18ton payloads but it needed a steady Driver otherwise with some of the high and heavy loads we hauled and a not too decent driver well there would and could have been problems.
I eventually sold all three on or before they were three years old and they were all three in perfect nick when they went although the V8 Perkins in the Mastiff was just whiffing a bit of burnt oil out of the breather but it was still going well with no probs ! Cheers Dennis.
A couple more of your trucks Dennis found on the net(nmp).
Hi John
Hope your well, I’ve came across a couple off truck pictures that my old fella used to drive, thought may bring back a few memories, kind regards Ian Gray.
Hi Ian Thanks for the photo its good of you to remember me their seems to be a shortage of Biesty photos and this is another i havent seen before is it ok with you if i use it on some of the forums i am on i will credit to your name. I am keeping well thanks hope your’e the same and again thanks for getting in touch its much appreciated.
Cheers John
No problem,
I came across these at my mams the other day, I took the pictures obviously when I was a kid, we lived in Pearson Street, Salford 7, I traveled all over the place in that and many others, the old man used to wake me up early hours, I’d wag school and I was in my element, back then was Buxton first, load of stone to, if my memory is correct, over the cat & fiddle around Cheshire area then to winsford for rock salt, I’m 67 now, and still have fond memories, I think after Biesty the old fella started for Tarmac in the old Orlando steel works, if I come across anything else i will post them.
Hahaha don’t know where Orlando came from, should of said old Irlam steel works.
Thanks Ian. Yes you are right Buxton- Cheshire- Winsford salt for a council depot and back to the yard a good days work back then and last but not least a pint in Mamas😂 it was a shame they had to sell up i enjoyed working their a good set of lads and great crack. 67 now eh, have you now retired ? I was 78 at beginging of August but i was still doing a bit up until 3 yrs ago (glutton for punisment). Keep in touch and take care + thanks for photos & memories
John
Hi John,
Followed the old man’s footsteps, I was at Tilcon mode wheel road, then RMC just off Liverpool Street Salford, to be honest too many at it, came off the tippers went into the waste game for Biffa, started there 1990 did 28 years on permanent nights, took redundancy in 2018 , finished there on a Friday started for another waste company on the Monday, then in 2022 was diagnosed with Cancer, was only given 12 months, so threw the towel in came off the road, I’m still above ground 3 years on, hahaha to be honest I don’t miss chasing my arse , I live for today now, anyway stay safe and keep well, regards Ian.
Bloody hell Ian sorry to hear about your illness i hope you have beaten it mate my Mrs was diagnosed with it in 2022 but was given the all clear at the begining of this year we were at the christie a couple of weeks ago for scan and check (still clear) so 
for you.