does any of you know Ged Eyett then?
Sorry, don’t know the name.
Just pinched these from “scrapbook memories” courtesy of Bubbleman. Does anyone else have any old Machin’s pics ?
MandatorV8:
They had a Machins reunion sometime Sept/Oct in Spalding. Have heard that there might be an article about Machins and the reunion in the next issue of Classic Commercial magazine (due out in approx 10 days I think). There is a chap called Richard Baker who does the rounds of truck shows etc sleeing photos who is also selling a DVD of Machins pics for about £3.00. Great value and excellent pics.
Just bought this months Heritage Commercials ! The article you referred to has finally been published. 
Jed, he has his own trucks last time i heard, i think the reunion was organised by Harry Orme he worked for Machins for years he worked out of the Surfleet depot then moved to the Spalding depot when Smedley hp moved out …Bless him he is still around !
market man
My girlfriend lives next to Machins old yard at Surfleet, which is now used by a flower company. In at least one of the outer sheds is an old wooder headboard with Machins logo on it. It looks in a bad way and is begging for a clean and lick of paint 
Anyway the CD that has been mentioned actually cost £2 and has 170 odd photos of machins wagons (including those run in Geest & Smedleys liveries) as well as the Seas End depot, news paper clippings of the infamous crash on the old Gossy bank level crossing with an express train as well as PR shots of “new” AEC tractors and trailers. Also shown are some of Machins last tractors which were unvieled in a new plain blue livery with a red double arrow livery.
Machins last livery. Truckfest 1988
Scania P113. One of 6, some of the first in the country
Merc 1628. One of two. After Machins went pop Bronco’s Haulage bought this at auction
One of 6 Merc 2035’s at Spalding Christmas Eve 1998. This livery was an earlier version, in the
original Machins blue like the FL10’s next door and unlike the previous two pics. The other 5 2035’s
had red mudguards. There were also 5 Iveco’s i don’t have pics of. Hargrave International
operated the Iveco’s for a while once they were returned by Machins
Two more pics from Christmas 1988. The only time ever all these vehicles were standing together.
I have a few more too.
Goaty:
My Dad is to blame for me becoming a driver
hi goaty,
just like yourself,my father was a driver and 45 years later i am still truck mad.i have a photo in a volvo brochure of one of machins’ f88’s,you may have seen it before? i will dig it out and post it if you like?
regards andrew
Please post whatever you have, they’re much appreciated! 
Here’s one or two for you goaty.
JOHN
Goaty a few more here taken from Heritage Commercial march 2009.
JOHN
This is the only picture I can dig up of Dad’s S reg, B series. I’m holding my little sister on the passenger seat.
didnt turners buy them out 
Turners didn’t buy them out, they went under in a massive way. The reason is often talked about with local competition from several parties as well as management being blamed. The actual reason has been lost in history.
I was one of the original drivers who started the Yard up in Ipswich, there was six of us all ware local from what i remember.
There was Charles Garn, his wife was/ is Lisa ( i think) then there was Ron boroughs, noddy Clark, peter baker, Stuart Harris Me and one other who at this moment i cant recall… i remember there was a subby who use to come from the wast country he use to live in his VW camper van all week at Christmas time he would inport trees in a 40ft tilt and sell them in the yard.
The main contract was “pulp Nuts” from the sugar beats which we would deliver mainly in the south and wast. on the first day we all traveled to Peterborough to collect our brand new ERF trial blazers, my reg was CJL 277V the cabs inside ware either black or like mine Blue, everything was brand new… trailers / sheets the lot.
I / we had many happy times driving for Machins plus my wife and kids did many, many miles tramping the pulp nuts around the country …
RoVic:
There was Charles Garn, his wife was/ is Lisa ( i think)
Charles Garn is now MD of Seven Lincs (formerly H J Calver) at Felixstowe, and his wife, Julie, is a sales rep for a rail freight company.
Do you have any more pics RoVic?
My memories of Machins at Whersted road are vague, as I was only a nipper but iirc there were 4 B series ERF’s, 2 Volvo F7’s and an F86 shunter driven by a bloke called Eddie. I also seem to remember one of the ERF drivers was a chap called Norman, an F7 driver by the name of Duncan and obviously a much younger Ted Sparrow in the office!
I didn’t realise Ron Burrows was there as well! If it’s the same bloke, I used to work with him on DFDS at West Bank.
Keep the photo’s comming!
Hello Goaty,
when machins very first got their first yard in Ipswich it was like i said all rolling stock was brand “new” in the beginning they had six ERF’s which all come from a dealer in Peterborough.
the chap you know as Norman was probably known to us as “Noddy” Clark, and you jerked my memory when you said the name Duncan he was the sixth driver that started.
the others like Ted sparrow used to give Charles some tilt work which want up to Scotland, Sparrow didn’t start in the office for some time. Eddie was indeed a shunter, he did the shunting in the sugar beat like loading the trailers through the night ready for the drivers in the early hours.
I worked for Charles for about two years, was sacked for refusing to drive the old army crane from holbeach back to Ipswich in the hours of darkness in the middle of winter, it was well past 21.00 hours. was told to either bring it back or collect my cards so after one or two unsavory words he sacked me, i made my own way home and arrived some time
after 02.00am !!! I was back down Felixtowe dock by 09.00 and was back in work with Mathew Cornish Transport where i spent many happy years but thats another long story !!
As for Ron Burrows he was known for being very untidy in his cab !! Ron and me ware traveling down to Southampton one day when to my shock one of his rear Unit wheels came off and made its own way to Southampton !!!
Machines got to be very well known in the Ipswich area, we even used to use the units for our own use, like to take the wife shopping and such like !, at Christmas time we would do the cabs up with a small Christmas tree with lights and some trimmings.
Despite Charles sacking me to this day don’t have any hard feelings with him … apart from Ron Borrows the rest of us ware all in our 20’s so this would have been Charles’s first position as manager… and at times we all know it !!
I had many pictures of the fleet, the drivers and the yard but over time, well over 30 years ! they’ve gone missing… if i do find any i Will gladly post them to the forum.