Ray Smyth:
These 2 pictures are scenes from the TV Series “Juliet Bravo” which ran from 1980 to about 1985/6.
I remember seeing Chris Metcalf lorries quite often, particularly if I was in the Keighley and Bradford
areas. I believe Tenneco were involved in the Motor Parts trade, and had an operation in Burnley.
Perhaps the Volvo F12 was an owner driver.
Ray Smyth.
Hi Ray
I had to load up at Chris Metcalf yard at Keighley early 1970s with heavy woollen products gathered from various mills, they asked me to call into Smith Brothers and Fosters Keighley and a mill in Bingley, to take their groupage to our depots at North and southern Ireland. Problem was when loaded and my AEC Mandator with no power assisted steering and felt as though my wheel rims were touching the ground. To cut a long story short I made my way to the nearest weigh bridge and my 32 ton gross load grossed off at 36 tons. Phoned our depot at Manchester and one of Chris Metcalf drivers met me near the weighbridge and transhipped about 5 tons on to his vehicle total time taken was less than an hour. The driver gave me an envelope from his office with £10 quid and a note sorry for the trouble and hope I catch the ferry at Stranraer on time.
£10 was a lot of money for roughly an hours delay. Was it about 1974 or 5 the union hourly rate went to a £1 an hour?
Anyway made the ferry on time but wonder if I did not would they want the tenner back?
Cheers Kev
Juliet Bravo was filmed around the Bacup/Burnley/Todmorden area . The old Bacup police station was used for the filming of indoor shots and the actors and crew were often seen having lunch in the pub on Burnley Road (forget name now) during breaks from filming.The pub is now in the process of being converted into an house.
Remember the pub now The Deerplay
A few pictures taken during the building and opening of the Mancunion Way Manchester in 1966 and 1967.
R.T.S., Runcorn Transport Services from Runcorn, Cheshire.
Picture by Edward Beazley.
Ray Smyth:
R.T.S., Runcorn Transport Services from Runcorn in Cheshire.
Picture from Bootle Times Forum.
That photo was taken by the late Edward Beazley, who was an excellent photographer, and I have the loan of some of his photos, including this one, but I’m reluctant to post then on TN because of potential copyright issues. Edward Beazley took his photographs in and around London and the location of the RTS Leyland Marathon is Archway, London, with the former psychiatric hospital in the background.
gingerfold:
Ray Smyth:
R.T.S., Runcorn Transport Services from Runcorn in Cheshire.
Picture from Bootle Times Forum.
That photo was taken by the late Edward Beazley, who was an excellent photographer, and I have the loan of some of his photos, including this one, but I’m reluctant to post then on TN because of potential copyright issues. Edward Beazley took his photographs in and around London and the location of the RTS Leyland Marathon is Archway, London, with the former psychiatric hospital in the background.
You can just see the Leathers Chemicals tanker in front , another long gone company
Found Leathers Chemicals delivery notes submitted on the net from 1913 and 1922. Attached. Looking at notes Leathers Chemicals were established in Bradford 1850
A mate of mine worked for Leathers chemicals St Helens as a Tanker Driver and was hospitalised for 10 months after an Acid spill.
House of Commons Report Hansard 1976
St. Helens (Chemicals Plant)
HC Deb 04 August 1976 vol 916 c862W
862W
§
23. Mr. Spriggs asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department received the St. Helens Borough Council decision to recommend the closing down of Leathers Chemicals Ltd., of Sutton, St. Helens; what steps he has taken to ensure the safety of the public and employees of the firm; and if he will make a statement about the recent accident which took place at the plant in which workers were injured, one fatally.
§
Mr. John Silkin I hope my hon. Friend will convey my sympathy to those who suffered in the recent accident and their relatives. The council’s order discontinuing the use of the plant was received in May 1975 and my decision on it will take account of all the issues raised at the public inquiry last January. The safety of operations at the plant is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment.
Leathers Chemicals became Hays Chemicals who in turn became Albion Chemicals who are now Brentag still operating.
Ray Smyth:
R.T.S., Runcorn Transport Services from Runcorn, Cheshire.
Picture by Edward Beazley.
A few more details, Edward Beazley always recorded his work. The photo was taken on 1st July 1975. All of his photos that I have are of the highest quality technically, but he did choose his photography days carefully for good weather. He used Kodak Ektachrome transparency (slides) film and obviously an expensive camera. A professional photographer once told me that Ektachrome wasn’t the easiest film to use, especially if the subject was moving.
Thanks John for info on Leathers Chemicals.
Looking at Rays photo and info from Ramone and gingerfold about Edward Beazley. I worked for MAT Transport at MIFT Trafford Park mid 1970s. Gilbraith’s Accrington had two tractor units and drivers on short term contract to pull MAT containers and TILTS.
One of the drivers I am certain his name was Trevor and a fanatical photographer and had taken thousands of stills and miles of footage on cine film of Lorries. On his holidays he would drive his car to docks he had not visited for years and film outside the gates.
He booked in transport digs so it was like a busmans holiday without the pay.
I had also seen him a few years before at Stranraer port about 1972 filming.
Just wonder if any of his photos ended on the internet.
The other Gilbraiths driver was small had a bad curvature of the spine I believe through years of handball and not sure if he said he delivered bricks from Altham brickworks Accrington in his younger days.
Both drivers would have been near retiring age in the mid 1970s.
Regards Kev
Ray Smyth:
These 2 pictures are scenes from the TV Series “Juliet Bravo” which ran from 1980 to about 1985/6.
I remember seeing Chris Metcalf lorries quite often, particularly if I was in the Keighley and Bradford
areas. I believe Tenneco were involved in the Motor Parts trade, and had an operation in Burnley.
Perhaps the Volvo F12 was an owner driver.
Ray Smyth.
The Volvo pulling the Tenneco trailer is interesting. Tenneco were a paper chemical manufacturer on White birk in Blackburn and Western Transport had the distribution and mainly tanker contract, along with a similar operation IIRC at Avonmouth. I’m not sure who’s the Volvo was though, possibly a local outfit as they did use firms nearer to them for other work.
Stanfield:
Leathers Chemicals became Hays Chemicals who in turn became Albion Chemicals who are now Brentag still operating.
I never knew that John I thought they had closed down , and I didn`t know Hays became Brentag either thanks for the info
gingerfold:
toxic gas man:
I think the DODGE might be one of Grenfell Haulage they were in Albert rd in Widnes and did work for Bushes ,later Albright and Wilson.Ted.
I’ve enlarged the photo, the DODGE was C. Fewston & Sons of Widnes. The sheeted van AEC Mercury in the background was Chris Metcalfe of Keighley, and I think the location might have been the slip road from the Mancunian Way that joins the A6 London Road where the Mcdonald Hotel is nowadays. Now to find a photo of an Albion Reiver, Dodge, and Leyland Comet together so we can pick the bones out of design differences of the LAD cab. 
This frontal view of a Dodge D308 shows the panel styling of the cab.
As the Dodge 308 six-wheeler caused a bit of interest on here I was delighted to find one at Gaydon, and a lovely motor it is. Boys third axle, Leyland 0.375 engine, Albion 5-speed 'box, and Eaton 2-speed drive axle. Air-hydraulic brakes and I was surprised to find that it has power assisted steering. Unladen weight on the chassis of a shade under 5 tons, so I reckon that it would have had a legal payload of 11 tons in service. I wanted to bring it home with me!
By my calculation “GF” it only makes that fine Dodge circa 16 ton gvw. I recall that single drive Albion Reivers with the same engine had a gvw of 18 tons. What might be the difference between the two ? Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
By my calculation “GF” it only makes that fine Dodge circa 16 ton gvw. I recall that single drive Albion Reivers with the same engine had a gvw of 18 tons. What might be the difference between the two ? Cheers Dennis.
You could be correct at 18 tons gvw Dennis, I should have asked Mr Howard. My reasoning for 16 tons was its 8 stud wheels on all axles. As a four-wheeler it would have been 12 tons gvw (4 tons front axle, 8 tons rear axle). remember seeing Reivers at 18 tons gvw that had 10 stud front axles and 8 stud back axles, which I thought at the time wasn’t ideal as you needed two spare wheels in the days when we carried such things and changed wheels ourselves. Anyway, this Dodge would have been a very useful work horse in its day and a profitable lorry to run.
gingerfold:
Bewick:
By my calculation “GF” it only makes that fine Dodge circa 16 ton gvw. I recall that single drive Albion Reivers with the same engine had a gvw of 18 tons. What might be the difference between the two ? Cheers Dennis.
You could be correct at 18 tons gvw Dennis, I should have asked Mr Howard. My reasoning for 16 tons was its 8 stud wheels on all axles. As a four-wheeler it would have been 12 tons gvw (4 tons front axle, 8 tons rear axle). remember seeing Reivers at 18 tons gvw that had 10 stud front axles and 8 stud back axles, which I thought at the time wasn’t ideal as you needed two spare wheels in the days when we carried such things and changed wheels ourselves. Anyway, this Dodge would have been a very useful work horse in its day and a profitable lorry to run.
Morning Graham,
Millers ran an Albion Reiver ( it was new in 1961) and from new it had 8 stud hubs all round and was plated for 18 ton gross, my Dad changed the front hubs to 10 stud and it could then be plated for 20 ton gross, I think if 10 stud hubs all round 22 ton. Off topic we also had a K reg Bison, that would only plate to 22 gross as it had the narrow AEC front axle, 5 ton? and an 18 ton back bogie that kept snapping the main trunion/pivot but that may have been the overloading!
Not my pic, and apologies for not being North West either! Just to add to this ‘Dodge’ thread this is my last (and best) ‘gaffer’ Eric Gough with his new Dodge that he ran from The Big Hole, Wirksworth. Looks like it was on eight stud wheels, it was single drive, I will have to ask him what it grossed at.
Pete.
pete smith:
gingerfold:
Bewick:
By my calculation “GF” it only makes that fine Dodge circa 16 ton gvw. I recall that single drive Albion Reivers with the same engine had a gvw of 18 tons. What might be the difference between the two ? Cheers Dennis.
You could be correct at 18 tons gvw Dennis, I should have asked Mr Howard. My reasoning for 16 tons was its 8 stud wheels on all axles. As a four-wheeler it would have been 12 tons gvw (4 tons front axle, 8 tons rear axle). remember seeing Reivers at 18 tons gvw that had 10 stud front axles and 8 stud back axles, which I thought at the time wasn’t ideal as you needed two spare wheels in the days when we carried such things and changed wheels ourselves. Anyway, this Dodge would have been a very useful work horse in its day and a profitable lorry to run.
Morning Graham,
Millers ran an Albion Reiver ( it was new in 1961) and from new it had 8 stud hubs all round and was plated for 18 ton gross, my Dad changed the front hubs to 10 stud and it could then be plated for 20 ton gross, I think if 10 stud hubs all round 22 ton. Off topic we also had a K reg Bison, that would only plate to 22 gross as it had the narrow AEC front axle, 5 ton? and an 18 ton back bogie that kept snapping the main trunion/pivot but that may have been the overloading!
Morning Pete
the AEC front axle used on the Mercury and Marshal was a 6 ton axle, and with power steering it was a ‘wide’ axle. The ‘narrow axle’ was used on non-power steering Mandators and that was a 5 ton axle, so if one of those was on a Bison then it was an oddity. From 1972 the Marshal was available as either a 22 or 24 ton gross 6-wheeler. The Marshal Major I had was 24 tons gvw.
