Thanks for your posting about Elfed Bartley, Caerwys welshknight.
Does anyone have any photos of his wagons to share with us?
Cheers - RR
Here’s an old preserved Flintshire workhorse, a Sentinel S4 Steam Waggon. (Sentinel insisted on this spelling with the two 'g’s). She was back on home soil in Buckley in August 2006 en route to the County of Salop Steam Rally in Shrewsbury the town in which Sentinels were built. This fine example was new in 1937 and used as the works demonstrator by Sentinel before being sold to Castle Firebrick who had works in Northop , Buckley. Caernarvon and Buttington Nr Welshpool.
Castle also ran at least another two S4 Sentinels - BEV466 + BEV467 - which were new in 1934 to Brown & Co Timber Merchants of Chelmsford Essex - before Castle acquired them. These two can also been seen on the steam rally circuit although not in Castle’s colours. Drivers of old say that the Sentinel S4’s were very speedy compared to early oil engined wagons which would often get left standing as the Sentinels steamed off ahead at speed. Castle’s S4’s were often used with a drag trailer (dangler).
Interestingly Castle Firebrick was bought from the Alletson family, who founded Castle in 1865, by John Summers & Sons of Shotton Steelworks in 1916 in order to obtain Castle’s total output of silica bricks for their new number 2 steelworks which was then under construction.
Has any else got anything to share with us on Castle Firebrick or any of the other Flintshire Hauliers? I’m trying to compile a history of the old Flintshire haulage operators and any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks for your interest in reading this.
Cheers - RR
How could you forget MORGANS, they used to do Euro work, plus I seem to remember them with Hotpoint trailers on, they were based near Mostyn Docks.
You mentioned Websters of Flint Mountain, I presume you mean Roy Webster, I drove for him for a while, started with a Daf 2100, moved onto a Daf 2800 and finished with a Seddon Atki 401, had to do 2 loads of timber a day from Mostyn to (Usually) Pallet makers all over the North West, Roy loaded the trailers at Mostyn, and i usually took a loaded trailer home to Northop hall with me ready for the next day…
Before I worked for Websters I was at ATS in Ewloe, we did a lot of the haulage firms plus the Quarries, i remember (Though the name eludes me) a firm in Sandycroft, old tankers. Always a dirty place to go to.
Cowburn and Cowper used to deliver acid to Courtaulds.
Then there were f course all the WIMPY tippers, plus the owner drivers who were contracted to the Quarries, one of whom was based in the garage at Northop Traffic lights (On the old A55)
I did some traction work for McCarthys (Frank?) in Wrexham, that was mainly light loads in 16’ curtainsiders, plastic drinks bottles etc.
Oh yes, who could forget the wagons that pulled out of Sandycroft…
Country Produce…
Motors stank of Chicken crap, as it was the live birds they carted in for slaughter and processing…
Cheers for you posting Cody.
Morgans of Mostyn had slipped my mind, I’ll add them to my list. Country Produce at Sandycroft too!
Re Webster of Flint Mountain, this is one I’ve been told about by an old driver, apparently they carried Insulation boards from Cape Universal in Pentre , return loads were mostly cement, does this sound like the Webster you are referring to?
Thanks for mentioning WH Cowburn & Cowpar, they were based in Trafford Park Manchester, I can well remember WHC&C’s Scammell artic chemical tankers delivering to Courtauld’s works in Flint and Greenfield when I was a kid in school in the '60’s, I think they also had some later Fodens too - but it was the Scammells I remember vividly with their maroon paintwork and white roofed cabs with “WHC&C” proudly proclaimed on the headboard and on a roundel on the cab door - as a kid, I used to think Trafford Park was some exotic far off location!
After an early drop-off at Courtaulds Greenfield Works, Cowburn drivers would sometimes call in at the Crosville (bus) Garage at Flint for a hearty breakfast for which the ladies in the depot were famous for!
There was another (unfortunate) connection concerning WHC&C and Crosville when a WHC&C Scammell skidded and collided with the rear of a Crosville 'decker on the 'Quay Hill outside the Swan pub and demolished the rear platform of the bus just a few seconds after the conductor went to collect a fare at the front of the bus from a passenger who had just boarded and doing so, the conductor avoided certain death. Lucky miss for that guy!
I have seen at least one Cowburn Scammell on the rally scene (although not for some time).
Cheers - RR
A couple of my mates drive for Sunhill Transport from Deeside
I worked for Morgan Freight (1990-3) on the european side.
Here’s a couple of motors I drove for them.
Viking:
I worked for Morgan Freight (1990-3) on the european side.
Here’s a couple of motors I drove for them.
There used to be some clever buggers about,drove two motors at the same time 
- wouldnt get away with that nowadays !!
Thank you for your recent interesting postings nianaimh, Viking and Suedehead, keep them coming guys!
Here’s another oldie of Castle Firebrick - a Commer (QX type I think?) followed by a Bedford S Type which are carrying a load of happy looking Buckley kids in the Jubilee procession in the early 60’s.
Anything further postings on Castle Firebrick and the old Flintshire firms would be appreciated.
Enjoy the weekend folks - let’s home for some good weather.
Cheers - RR
I knew many of these hauliers very well - but from my school days. My very first job after leaving school was with a Buckley haulier called Malcolm Hutchinson. He ran two dark blue day cab Scania 111s which both pulled flat trailers out of Mostyn Docks. He also had a tipping trailer, which I think from memory, pulled coal. I saw Shone’s of Buckley mentioned too. I went to the primary school in the same the road - which incidentally faced the place I started work, Malcolm Hutchinson! I worked in the garage (if you could call it work at 16). I still remember one of the Shones (I think it might have been James Jnr (?) who came in looking for a hanger bracket for a Fruehauf trailer. They ran very smart wagons, mostly Volvo. They had a very tidy F88/F89, an F86, and from the depths of my memory, a Seddon Atkinson 401/411 with the ’Big Cam’ ■■■■■■■ 290. Most of the afore mentioned Shone lorries hauled steel from Shotton. They also ran a very nice 8x4 Volvo sleeper cabbed F7 brick carrier. In the very same road was another haulier at one time, Peter Willoughby. He ran dark and light green four wheel rigids out of ROR in Llay. I can remember a lot of AECs and a TS3-powered Commer. Peter moved out and the yard was bought my a mate of Malcolm Hutchinson! This was how he ended up operating from the same road as James Shone & Sons. Are you keeping up with this? Good! Sorry if this sounds like rubbish, but it comes from my youngest memories - and a time from aged 8 to 16. I’m now 41!
Tom
Cheers Tom great stuff! - Do you have any pictures of any of the old Flintshire firms? Do you remember Kelly’s of Buckley? I think then ran tippers.
Cheers again - R.
rapidgem:
Cheers for you posting Cody.Re Webster of Flint Mountain, this is one I’ve been told about by an old driver, apparently they carried Insulation boards from Cape Universal in Pentre , return loads were mostly cement, does this sound like the Webster you are referring to?quote]Dont really know what Roy Webster used to do, when I worked for him there were 2 tractor units, both old as were the trailers, and as for Roys works van that was mullered big time. We did for a while haul powder (Sodium perborate?) from Mostyn to R H Stevens in Maccalsfield. But mostly it was timber.
Roy was a gaunt grey haired man, fair and easy going, but everything was on a ‘budget’.
When I remember Morgans they were all Yellow and Black units…
Chris Manship is another name Ive remembered, he was an Owner Driver with a tipper, poss working from Halkyn/Rhosesmor
Another haulier from Mostyn was a guy who drove a rigid, belive his nickname was ‘Tommy the Rock’ ■■ Had a son who also drove, remember Tommy died at the wheel of his truck in Ellesmere Port somewhere. Dont know what his trading name was though.
Dave Hatswell is also a name I can remember from the past, poss ended up subbing for TNT? Think his son had a truck based at Hawarden as well…
My family and I are moving from Kent to Treuddyn in Oct as wife work is relocating, if poss I would love to meet up and have a glance through some of your pictures…
ey up coddy, fancy seeing you on ere 
yella:
ey up coddy, fancy seeing you on ere
Bleedin ell!! Yer stalkin me…
Elfed Bartley has infact at least 2 Daf 4 wheelers… Seen a 2nd one today with an all white cab.
His son I think ran/runs tippers on Flinthsire county council work… One was a converted ERF tractor unit and used to pull a Dromgoole Bobcat around… Used to see it on the A55 with a tipping trailer behind it somenights aswell.
Catherall Bros you mentioned?.. Mate I used to work with is driving for Catheralls in Treuddyn I’ll try and get some pics…
I remember Morgans in Black and Yellow… their yard seems quiet now. Used to go school with a lad whos dad did Euro for Morgans and he used to tell me loads of tales of him going with his dad in a Daf 95.
corbetts
graham wadsworth
i tried to get joe simon but he threatened to kill me
Cheers Yella - nice piccies and good to see the old names in Flintshire haulage still carrying on the family tradition.
Where does Wadsworth operate from in Bagillt? Is its the same yard used by Waddy’s Haulage in the old days - by the old Britannia Cafe - near the Boot End, just along from Corbetts?
he runs out of joe simons yard, between the new gym and corbetts, joe has been there for years, he used to live in a caravan but now hes built a nice house on the front.
I just thought I’d give this old thread an airing
Does anyone have any piccies of BSC (British Steel Corp) Shotton Works (John Summer & Sons), Guy Big J’s, I remember them well in the 70’s particularly on the A41 - Prees Heath - Tern Hill - Weston-under-Lizard stretch, although at the time I suppose their prescence was almost ubiquitous around the Deeside - Chester area.
Any help on this topic of the other Old Flintshire haulage firms from the early days upto the the early 1980’s would be appreciated.
Cheers - RR
