Cheers. Eddie.
I realise it’s a bit of a long shot, but can anyone identify the location of the two wagons in this picture. Although they bear southern registrations, I suspect the photo was taken somewhere in the north west. Ellesmere Port would be a logical guess, but that’s all it would be, a guess. Maybe some of you old oilcan drivers out there may recognise the site. A definitive identification would put an end to a somewhat long running dispute.
Gulf DID use a terminal on North Road, Ellesmere Port
Hi, Eddie , Could it be the old lorry park by the hump bridge over the railway line by Westminster road E/port , ? Cheers Barry
Thanks for that lads, you’ve given me something to work off now. The fact that the photo came out cropped doesn’t help, as it doesn’t give the true extent of the wagon park. What you can’t see in this photo to the extreme left, is what appears to be a 40 ft. loaded, sheeted spreadaxle flat. Also, it’s difficult to make out, but there appears to be a Marks and Spencer’s store on the upper level. I’ll need to take a trip out to the Port to check it out. Thanks again for your help.
Cheers. Eddie.
Can’t help with the location, sorry, but is that a Gardner 240 badge on the left hand side Guy?
Very god picture of the big j s no idea where it is, however whoever was driving them were on better money than most general drivers also I have tinnitus in my right ear and I try to tell the hearing people that it is B.J EAR. now they will know what I am on about “the exhaust”, and how did we all put up with it .would stobarts like it.i doubt it…
Well Barry, I had a ride out to Ellesmere Port on the train this afternoon. I’m not familiar with the lorry park that you mentioned. Would it have been in Cromwell road, backing on to the railway line ? It looked promising at first, but now that Pete’s very kindly sorted out the photo, it’s obvious that there’s no railway line to be seen, but I recognise where you’re coming from as the lie of the land is very similar.
Also, you can now see, thanks to Pete, what appears to be an M&S store on the upper level, but again, it may not be. Now having spoken to a couple of long term residents, the concensus of opinion appears to be that Ellesmere Port never had an M&S until relatively recently, when they opened the one at Cheshire Oaks. This piece of information came as something of a blow. So the quest continues, if not Ellesmere Port, then where ? Still, I’ve spent a pleasant afternoon riding the rails.
With regard to the question about the Gardner engine, and I hope this isn’t a wind up, it’s impossible to say looking at this picture and unfortunately, I gave the original photo to a retired vicar at a car boot sale a couple of months ago. Yeah, I know, but I would hardly make that one up would I ?
The good news is, I have the gentleman’s e-mail address, so I’ll contact him shortly and if he hasn’t disposed of it, it may be possible to have it digitally enhanced and your question will be answered in due course.
In all honesty, I hope it turns out to be a bog standard 180, as I’m not sure I could handle the fame of being the man who found the holy grail. Can you imagine the adulation ?, not to mention the begging letters. That said, it isn’t a side view is it ?, so it wouldn’t count anyway would it ?
All the best lads.
Eddie.
I was riding my bike through St Helens town centre the other week DBP, when a bloke beckoned to me. At first, I thought he’d taken an interest in the bike, so I turned back. The first words out of his mouth were, " have you ever worked in a noisy environment ? ". As it happens, and fortunately, my hearing is perfect, but as soon as I said I’d spent forty odd years driving wagons, he completely lost interest. There must be a moral there somewhere.
Cheers.
Eddie.
There is no way that the K reg Big J would have had a 240LXB engine under the bonnet ! Period ! The first Atky’s and ERF’s only appeared with that K reg and the 8LXB and they couldn’t get enough of the 8LXB’s to satisfy the demand at the time of the engines launch. PLUS the greedy ■■■■■■■■ at Gulf Oil would have neither been willing to pay for the 8LXB nor would Guy Motors have been given a “sniff” at getting their hands on an 8LXB during the launch period in 1971.So sorry lads, good try but no Cigar !! Cheers Bewick.
Gardner 180 badge on the K-reg . 
-
Hi Eddie,
Coming back towards Chester on the M53, opposite what is now Cheshire Oaks I can remember a Cafe that stood a couple of blocks back off the motorway i wonder if that is your location? I only went in there a couple of times '87/88ish, cannot for the life of me remember what the parking looked like but it MAY of had CAFE written on the roof in white paint, sorry for being vague but it may trigger some one else’s memory, Cheer’s Pete
Bewick:
There is no way that the K reg Big J would have had a 240LXB engine under the bonnet ! Period ! The first Atky’s and ERF’s only appeared with that K reg and the 8LXB and they couldn’t get enough of the 8LXB’s to satisfy the demand at the time of the engines launch. PLUS the greedy [zb] at Gulf Oil would have neither been willing to pay for the 8LXB nor would Guy Motors have been given a “sniff” at getting their hands on an 8LXB during the launch period in 1971.So sorry lads, good try but no Cigar !! Cheers Bewick.
Prototype? Demonstrator? Maybe… 
And John Ancliff had the Gulf Oil contract for many years but if they still had it in the 1970s I don’t know.
deckboypeggy:
Very god picture of the big j s no idea where it is, however whoever was driving them were on better money than most general drivers also I have tinnitus in my right ear and I try to tell the hearing people that it is B.J EAR. now they will know what I am on about “the exhaust”, and how did we all put up with it .would stobarts like it.i doubt it…
I was such a young saddo that I drove with the window open just so I could hear the ■■■■■■■ roaring. 
That I do agree on RETIRED OF ■■■■, why I do not know but loved it I just liked the noise of any engine it was like trying to make it talk ,he old BMCs not so good .I used to take as much time and care changing gear,as ironing your going ashore gear.
As years went by ,and being heavy going up massive climbs[European] FREJUS,OLD PAMPOLONA,ETC listening to the engine ,window down,gave me the confidence of when to do the last shift in to crawler knowing I should have started off in it.
deckboypeggy:
That I do agree on RETIRED OF ■■■■, why I do not know but loved it I just liked the noise of any engine it was like trying to make it talk ,he old BMCs not so good .I used to take as much time and care changing gear,as ironing your going ashore gear.As years went by ,and being heavy going up massive climbs[European] FREJUS,OLD PAMPOLONA,ETC listening to the engine ,window down,gave me the confidence of when to do the last shift in to crawler knowing I should have started off in it.
A perfect description of how we enjoyed our driving. I echo this! Robert 
Bewick:
There is no way that the K reg Big J would have had a 240LXB engine under the bonnet ! Period ! The first Atky’s and ERF’s only appeared with that K reg and the 8LXB and they couldn’t get enough of the 8LXB’s to satisfy the demand at the time of the engines launch. PLUS the greedy [zb] at Gulf Oil would have neither been willing to pay for the 8LXB nor would Guy Motors have been given a “sniff” at getting their hands on an 8LXB during the launch period in 1971.So sorry lads, good try but no Cigar !! Cheers Bewick.
I hate to admit it,but Dennis is correct…in this instance anyway,if this Guy had a 240 Percy in it,it would have had to benefit from the extended grille,like its neighbour in the picture.
David
If those two tanker drivers are on a dodgy, then we might need the help of a dodgy tanker driver from the Isle Of Man to solve this picture. 
Bewick:
There is no way that the K reg Big J would have had a 240LXB engine under the bonnet ! Period ! The first Atky’s and ERF’s only appeared with that K reg and the 8LXB and they couldn’t get enough of the 8LXB’s to satisfy the demand at the time of the engines launch. PLUS the greedy [zb] at Gulf Oil would have neither been willing to pay for the 8LXB nor would Guy Motors have been given a “sniff” at getting their hands on an 8LXB during the launch period in 1971.So sorry lads, good try but no Cigar !! Cheers Bewick.
Dennis I have to disagree with you as L.H. Mills of Sheffield had a ERF on a J plate with a 240 Gardner driver was Maltese Tony but I think it was a late J as he got it after I had the Atki on a J could have been an ex demo but definitely on a J
cheers Johnnie
P S there is a picture some where of it I will see if I can find it
sammyopisite:
Bewick:
There is no way that the K reg Big J would have had a 240LXB engine under the bonnet ! Period ! The first Atky’s and ERF’s only appeared with that K reg and the 8LXB and they couldn’t get enough of the 8LXB’s to satisfy the demand at the time of the engines launch. PLUS the greedy [zb] at Gulf Oil would have neither been willing to pay for the 8LXB nor would Guy Motors have been given a “sniff” at getting their hands on an 8LXB during the launch period in 1971.So sorry lads, good try but no Cigar !! Cheers Bewick.Dennis I have to disagree with you as L.H. Mills of Sheffield had a ERF on a J plate with a 240 Gardner driver was Maltese Tony but I think it was a late J as he got it after I had the Atki on a J could have been an ex demo but definitely on a J
cheers Johnnie
P S there is a picture some where of it I will see if I can find it
You may well be correct Jonnie but IIRC there is a shot of one of Kinneills of Edinburgh 8LXB A Series on the site somewhere and IIRC it was “K” reg and was claimed to have been the first “A” Series sold with the 8LXB.Cheers Dennis.