Llanwern steelworks

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

in the 70s and 80s as a young lad used to go out for the day with me dads mate colin foster
we used to go into llanwern drop a empty and pick up a full trailer with 2 coils on normal destination the north east reloading bagged fertilizer
he worked for frome valley transport and drove a L reg aec mandator day cab and then a Preg marathon 1 also a day cab
all the hauliers around hereford used to haul out of llanwern or ebbw vale when they closed down so did many of the hauliers
any pics or stories of the steel works would be great
thanks graham

2

I was a regular in Llanwern but not on the steel side.When I was on tankers in the 70s,I used to go into Bitmac,a Scunthorpe based company who were benzole refiners.There were two weighbridges IIRC,one at the Newport end and the other at Magor.One of the biggest hauliers I remember was Edwards from Lydbrook and the shunters had priority over everybody else and I’ve seen some arguments between queueing drivers and shunters,rowing about jumping the queue :laughing: .I think it was Short Brothers who ran a lot of the big plant in there and Hazells had big fleet of tippers in there as well,there were so many hauliers in Llanwern at that time and now I understand there’s not much left now.

3

Used to go their quite a lot graham with steel rolls from davy roll company from gateshead, new rolls down old ones back, also used to take steel down from raine steel works to ebbw vale collieries first time i went down was about 1972 with my dad when i was a young boy , he still runs down their with the steel rolls, been with the same company since 1972 FREEWAY HAULAGE

thanks MARK.

4

Used to load out of there regular when I worked for the Wild Group in the early '70’s.We had an office in Newport in those days.
On occasion when I’ve been in Glasgow,I’ve loaded steel ingots from Ravenscraig back to Llanwern.
I was up Glasgow way last week and I remembered how you could see the tops of the gas holders from the motorway with Ravenscraig in big letters.

5

i have spent many a happy hour in llanwern.with my father loading trailers on edwards transport, then mike prosser transport.and then when i worked for cyril knowles on contract to civil and marine pulling bulk powder tanks full on slag.happy days :slight_smile:

6

here is another pic of edwards transport contract wagons.enjoyplease note i have permission to have this photo.bob

7

Thanks for the Edwards AEC MK5 pics Bob,I’ve spent some time driving those AECs.
Was it the same Mike Prosser who shared a yard with MFS at Ross,the old BRS depot IIRC?

8

yes it was.spent a few years there as a mechanic in the late 70’s.it was the old brs depot which was shared by littlewoods foods (mfs) and colins tyres.the depot is now a morrisons supermarket.prosser ran 8 wagons at onetime and almost all ran into llanwern or the orb works.

9

I used to fuel up at BRS Ross-on-Wye when going to Llanwern with slag pots or ladles from English Steel Corporation Sheffield and Newton Chambers Chapeltown and Rolls from the Davy Roll Company Sheffield this would be in the late 60s and early 70s Sheffield to Ross was a days work so we used to refuel at BRS and stayed at Kittys

10

here is a pic of my daf (based at llanwern) for cyril knowles

11

Hi Bob,
I met a mechanic who worked for Edwards of Lydbrook,he was a brotherinlaw to a bloke called Neville Kentish from English Bicknor,who I Know well.
Cheers Dave.

12

dave ,there is a name from the past .bicknor is only a mile from me.there are still quite a few drivers about here from edwards transport.and we get to chat to them about the old days.sadly a lot have passed on,but i have lots of memories.which i will one day put down on paper with all the pictures that i have collected. i bet you knew my late brother in law,norman banks from watling street. leintwerdine ? he drove for d&n morgan for years.always in llanwern he was.am i right in thinking it was called the spencer steel works first ?

13

wideboybob:
dave ,there is a name from the past .bicknor is only a mile from me.there are still quite a few drivers about here from edwards transport.and we get to chat to them about the old days.sadly a lot have passed on,but i have lots of memories.which i will one day put down on paper with all the pictures that i have collected. i bet you knew my late brother in law,norman banks from watling street. leintwerdine ? he drove for d&n morgan for years.always in llanwern he was.am i right in thinking it was called the spencer steel works first ?

Hi Bob,
I have heard of Norman Banks,don’t know many from Leintwardine,probably knew him by sight.The chap who is Neville’s brotherinlaw is called Jim,think he went on his own with his sons.
Cheers Dave.

14

What a gem that mk5 Aec is, We had them at Adams Butter in Leek. Flying machines. In the 60s and70s Leek to Waltham Abbey 1 day trip change over
down and back in the night, They had their own front panel made with twin headlights and under bumper spot lights, They looked stunning in
their day. As we know In the 60s/70s no motorway lighting and very poor tail lights if any, You needed to see up front.
I 've got acces to a photo just need to borrow it .
John

15

I drove this AEC MK5 for a bit,690 engine,6-speed box,and I’ve been into Llanwern with it.It was a great tool,but when the regular driver came back off holiday I was back on a MK3 :laughing:

16

renegade,i just twigged who jim is! jim mathews from short standing(almost english bicknor).still running a ex brian harris erf a fh12 and a daf xf.has his son brian driving one of them.they do meat haulage for ensors. bob.

17

wideboybob:
renegade,i just twigged who jim is! jim mathews from short standing(almost english bicknor).still running a ex brian harris erf a fh12 and a daf xf.has his son brian driving one of them.they do meat haulage for ensors. bob.

Hi Bob,
Only met him once when he brought Neville up here,Neville said he was still in transport with his sons,last time he mentioned him.
Cheers Dave.

18

Went into Llanwern a few times for Owens, pale shadow of the place it used to be.

Dave, sorry this is off-topic; is that Leyland in your avatar the same one that’s now parked up in Jack Griffiths’ garage just outside Llandridnod Wells?

19

Chris Webb:
I drove this AEC MK5 for a bit,690 engine,6-speed box,and I’ve been into Llanwern with it.It was a great tool,but when the regular driver came back off holiday I was back on a MK3 :laughing:


These are the twin headlight mk 5s I think they looked good for 1964. They was flying machines 70 MPH all day
John

20

I only went into Llanwern a handfull of times with Seawheel flats with wells, we loaded coils and either put them on the train in Cardiff or run through to Ipswich with them.

The only pics I took were these two, May 1983…