pyewacket947v:
A great thread this
I worked out of Salvesens Sainsburys RDC at Droitwich Spa and Lowfield motors where regularly encountered.
The Supalink pic stirs up a few memories…
I bet it does
There were all-sorts of rumors at the time when we took over in January 1982 as to why Supalink lost the contract with Sainsburys.
Yeah, i seem to remember some ‘stories’ going the rounds, it seemed to be a very ‘er loosely’ run outfit.
Of course we got to know quite a few of their drivers over time as we where nearly always doing our first deliveries at the same time.
In fact i ended up with a wheel nut trim on my 1617 taken off a Supalink Merc.
Most of their motors where pretty well used though.
ERF ‘E’ Series 4x2 tractor unit Reg No H695 OWC was registered new in June 1991.
Based at Middleton it was driven by Trevor Boss for eight years until 1999 after which time it was sold and finished up on
the fairground circuit for a further 14 years until 2013.
The fairground operator added another axle by extending the chassis. as can be seen in the pictures below,
moomooland:
2ERF ‘E’ Series 4x2 tractor unit Reg No H695 OWC was registered new in June 1991.
Based at Middleton it was driven by Trevor Boss for eight years until 1999 after which time it was sold and finished up on
the fairground circuit for a further 14 years until 2013.
The fairground operator added another axle by extending the chassis. as can be seen in the pictures below,
This was the yard shunter at Middleton for many years from around 1983 to 1995.
It was painted green and was called Kermit by all the drivers and staff.
It is pictured on the wash coupled to a trailer being cleaned out internally with the steam cleaner
that’s why the front end is so high up allowing all the water to drain out.
DEANB:
Heres one for you Paul taken at Middleton in 1992
That’s Kermit.
This was the yard shunter at Middleton for many years from around 1983 to 1995.
It was painted green and was called Kermit by all the drivers and staff.
It is pictured on the wash probably being cleaned out internally with the steam cleaner that’s why the front end is so high up which allowed all the water to drain out.
Heres another one Paul taken at Middleton in 1990.
Click on pic twice for larger view,is that you driving ■■
I drove CNV 129X while CNV 111X, pictured above, was allocated to Taffy Jones but don’t think that’s him at the wheel.
The picture was taken at the end of the A627M on the roundabout at Stakehill.
DEANB:
Heres another one Paul taken at Middleton in 1990 is that you driving ■■
Another brilliant find Dean thanks.
I drove CNV 129X while CNV 111X was allocated to Taffy Jones but don’t think that’s him at the wheel.
The picture was taken at the end of the A627M on the roundabout at Stakehill.
Pictured here at Penrith truck stop E Series 4x2 tractor unit Reg No H620 FNB, powered by a ■■■■■■■ 290 engine, was new in December 1990.
After being in service at Middleton depot for six years it was sold in January 1997 and exported to Malta.
DEANB:
Heres one for you Paul taken at Middleton in 1992
That’s Kermit.
0This was the yard shunter at Middleton for many years from around 1983 to 1995.
It was painted green and was called Kermit by all the drivers and staff.
It is pictured on the wash coupled to a trailer being cleaned out internally with the steam cleaner
that’s why the front end is so high up allowing all the water to drain out.
I did quite a few agency shifts at Middleton intermittently over the years that it was open despite being turned down for a full time job in 1982, I actually applied before they started advertising having seen an article somewhere,probably Commercial Motor, about Lowfield Cool opening the depot.
One particular period I got the call on a Friday to do a nights shunting regularly, 2 weeks on the trot the tug was defected and I had to use one of those ERF’s with the Gardner engines, ■■■■ near choked me to death, eventually told them that if the tug was defected again I would turn around and go home, can’t remember if I was ever asked again but I did several more regular jobs for them.
Made some good money when they reopened the depot again after closure for the run up to Christmas for a couple of years.
A lot of those rest-cabbed E10s delivered in batches of fleet motors had the 9-sp Fuller instead of the usual Twin-splitter. Was this the case with Lowfield? Robert
‘E’ Series 4x2 tractor unit Reg No H621 FNB, powered by a ■■■■■■■ 290 engine, was another of the batch of ERF’s added
to the fleet at in January 1990.
After being in service at Middleton depot for six years it was sold in January 1997 and exported to Malta as was most of Lowfields old ERF’s.
The Exel Logistics trailers in the picture above were also on the Sainsburys contract.
Exel ran out of Rotherham depot but, just like we did at Middleton, they suffered the same fate and closed down when Sainsburys opened a new distribution centre further North at Sherburn in Elmet just off the A1.
ERF-NGC-European:
A lot of those rest-cabbed E10s delivered in batches of fleet motors had the 9-sp Fuller instead of the usual Twin-splitter. Was this the case with Lowfield? Robert
They all came with the twin splitter Robert which i thought was a great gearbox.
Great stuff Dean.
It was taken in the lay-by on the A628 at Woodhead Pass just above the railway tunnel entrance.
The Exel trailers in the picture were also on the Sainsburys contract from their depot in Rotherham but like Middleton that depot also closed when Sainsburys opened a new distribution canter at Sherburn in Elmet.
0E Series 4x2 tractor unit Reg No H621 FNB, powered by a ■■■■■■■ 290 engine, was another of the batch of ERF’s added to the fleet in January 1990.
After being in service at Middleton depot for six years it was sold in January 1997 and exported to Malta as was most of Lowfields old ERF’s.
ERF-NGC-European:
A lot of those rest-cabbed E10s delivered in batches of fleet motors had the 9-sp Fuller instead of the usual Twin-splitter. Was this the case with Lowfield? Robert
They all came with the twin splitter Robert which i thought was a great gearbox.
Thanks MML! I thought it was a great 'box too and its installation in the E-series was one of the best. Robert
All most all of the 1982 registered ‘C’ Series ERF’s at Middleton depot with consecutive registration plates from CNV 99X TO CNV 130X. finished up being exported to Malta.
One that did not finish up overseas was CNV 120X which was bought by Mark Schofield from Huddersfield who converted it into a gritter and used it on contract with the local council in West Yorkshire until 1997.
Mark recalls…
“This ERF was my second gritting dream machine, I scoured the country looking for a Gardner 230 6LXCT 230 turbo tractor to build a short wagon with superb lock, suitable for my gritting route, like my previous Foden only more power.
This had a splitter box aswell, not a patch on the 12 speed Foden, but better than the hit and miss Eaton 2 speed axle set up on most of our ERFs”.
ERF ‘C’ Series 4x2 tractor unit Reg No CNV 115X, powered by a Gardner 6LXCT 230 turbo engine, was registered new to Lowfields in January 1982.
With driver Derek Johnson at the wheel this was a publicity picture taken in 1983 on the A672 next to Boothwood Reservoir Rishworth West Yorkshire.
’E’ Series ERF tractor unit Reg No H266 JVS was powered by a ■■■■■■■ 325 engine.
I took this picture at the Sainsbury’s store at Whitley Bay when it was only a few days old on the 29th of June 1991.
ERF publicity shots of the ‘E’ Series cab interior just as i remember it back in 1991.
I can still remember that great new vehicle smell in the cab when i got it brand new out of the box.
If only they could replicate that in an air freshener, i believe they have tried but they just cant get it right.
In 1987 Sainsburys sent one of their double decker trailers and tractor units up from Basingstoke for a months trial at to see if they could be utilised at Middleton depot.
It was a real pain as we had no proper loading facilities to load the top deck and the roll cages they used at the time for the low height upper deck were only half size ones of which none were used in the North West as the only ones that were available were about 30 which had been sent along with the trailer.
Needless to say it did not work and only went out on a delivery twice before it was sent back to Basingstoke after being parked up in the depot for three weeks.
Mark recalls…
’E’ Series ERF tractor unit Reg No H266 JVS was powered by a ■■■■■■■ 325 engine.
