In the early 70s Haydons went predominantly to ERFs - between 10 to a dozen and in 1979 purchased the first of several B-Series tractor units, branching out to delivering coal to power stations in Rugeley and tankers.
The pride of the fleet in the mid 70s was ELG 13F An ERF 6 wheeler with Gardner 180 pulling a drawbar with steering front axle - this was a real PIG to reverse unless you were used to it!
A lovely set of photos Gardner 120, it’s great to see the old cattle trucks again. Thanks very much for taking the time to post them. I hope you find some more.
BB
Hiya…gardner 120…have you got the photo,s of the old albions to post, plus some more cattle trucks.
you ve got a photo of the 1920,s albion opening the biddulph bypass i would think.
John
Thanks - you’re more than welcome, I was amazed to see the old Mear’s Atki on here. There are plenty more but as I’m a newbie I’ve been sat here for hours in excitement and my eyes are starting to rebel!
Oh alright, a couple more to be going on with 
The ERF SMA 13H had been in a light prang and so was updated with a later grille.
Hi John - unfortunately no, I haven’t got that photo - I come from and live in Coventry and on one of my recent visits to Biddulph I borrowed my Uncle Fred’s album and scanned a lot of these black & white photos but no pic of the by-pass opening. I imagine it was the 1926 Leyland but he’s also got a 1939 Albion and there’s another old Albion I think.
Lovely to see the photo of the new Albion cattle truck, there’s something different about a new cattle body isn’t there, you can almost smell the paint on it looking at the photo. I had a few nice photos of cattle trucks we had over the years but they were all destroyed. I look forward to seeing some more when you have time to post them.
BB
great to see the old j haydon photos gardner 120. i can remember them at shrewsbury late 50s early 60s with names on the side of the body. i had a few visits to banbury early 70s with j h thorne livestock body at banbury and haydons were there doing longmans work i think
here is the albion super
another j haydon at banbury, this time an erf six wheeler again thornes bodywork
Well I’ll go to the foot of our stairs!!! Super shot which obviously I’ve never seen before - so it was a D reg? I always thought it was an E reg - before my time you see, I started to get to know the wagons in 1974/75 and it was all ERFs by then although they did buy a brand new Mercedez Benz 2419 6 Wheeler in August 1975 on a P reg.
My Uncle Fred always said that the Albion Super was underpowered (“wouldn’t pull your hat off”) and I have a feeling it was in a shunt one day going through some roadworks a bloke in a digger hit it broadside with the bucket and bent the box out so much the other side, cows dropped from it.
All the same, absolute cracker of a photo, thank you very much Anymore will be very much appreciated!
The ERF my new best ever friend is “6 Legs” - Gardner 180, David Brown gearbox, Eaton two speed axle, Kirkstall front steer axle with a trailing non driven Eaton rearmost axle. It usually towed a drawbar with a steering front axle (which was a PIG to reverse). It was bought from Woodwards (Macclesfield?) as were a lot of the other ERFs usually when 2 or 3 years old and they all had 13 in the registration which was a quirke of Woodwards I think.
Here are some shots of the poor old lady in 1986 - she’s been stripped and close to the scrappy 
LMB 413G - A lovely wagon that out lasted all the others from my day. It was last registered in 1992 I believe but back in 1977 it had a silver box, lovely gold sign writing and a Gardner 120.
Here, c 1988 it has had a complete facelift - engine (now a 150) green box and newer cab.
This was long time driver Joe Boon’s wagon in the 70s and he kept it very clean inside. Good old stick was Joe, drove for Haydons for donkey’s years.
Lovely old pictures. I remember seeing the Albion KEH 517D at Newcastle one monday evening when it was newish, very smart in green with yellow lining and sign writing. Mentioned this to the driver and his mate, remember the comment was something about it being to heavy. ERF LMB 413G was still in the fleet when Ian Phillips took over he ran it for a while then I think it was scrapped at Cottons garage Silverdale. Now whose going to ask at Mears and Ron Marsh’s for some more old photo’s.
jonto:
Lovely old pictures. I remember seeing the Albion KEH 517D at Newcastle one monday evening when it was newish, very smart in green with yellow lining and sign writing. Mentioned this to the driver and his mate, remember the comment was something about it being to heavy. ERF LMB 413G was still in the fleet when Ian Phillips took over he ran it for a while then I think it was scrapped at Cottons garage Silverdale. Now whose going to ask at Mears and Ron Marsh’s for some more old photo’s.
Hiya… i went past Mears last weekend they had about6 motors in there yard, i,ll be going past on sunday i,ll
get a photo or two.
John
Nice one John! I was going up to Carlisle 2 weeks ago M6 Northbound and I saw a Mears cattle truck heading South - I couldn’t believe that they were still going - good for them!!!
atkinson searcher drawbar of e&c mear at shrewsbury market
dennis maxim artic of alf arrowsmith at honeybourne sheep sale 1967?
anybody remember this motor?
Two more crackers 143Topline although doesn’t the Atki look down at heel. That lorry is firmly fixed in my mind as having a roof canopy box and I guess I’m wrong - oh well …
Typical Wharf Rd yard scene probably 1975 or '76. That will be either SMA 13H or LMB 413G on the wash (silver boxes) and probably NMB 513G bottom left.
The colour photo I took from the bedroom of Albion House with my first Kodak Instamatic & flash cube (wish I’d gone outside) SMA 13H on the wash and a natty blue & red ERF LV that had come to tow away an old B reg ERF scrapper that had sat up on bricks for years in the corner (it can be seen on one of my previous b&w pics with 6 Legs & a Commer). This was Spring 1977. I used to sit and drive that old scrapper as the steering wheel went all the way round but too many spiders in the cab
Beyond the wall in the middle of the yard and a good drop down was Eric Armitt’s yard. He was my 2nd cousin on my Grandad’s side and a well known haulier in Biddulph.
143topline:
atkinson searcher drawbar of e&c mear at shrewsbury market
Hiya…I think Adrian Medley drove that Atki for Mears before going round the corner to Shirleys.
he works at Snyed hill now for ■■?.
John
3300John:
143topline:
atkinson searcher drawbar of e&c mear at shrewsbury marketHiya…I think Adrian Medley drove that Atki for Mears before going round the corner to Shirleys.
he works at Snyed hill now for ■■?.
John
he works for Gary Lofthouse now around the wigan area
the flying foden:
3300John:
143topline:
atkinson searcher drawbar of e&c mear at shrewsbury marketHiya…I think Adrian Medley drove that Atki for Mears before going round the corner to Shirleys.
he works for Gary Lofthouse now around the wigan area
Hiya …Geoff is ada living that way or is he driving again. I thought he had gone to the desk now.
Geoff is that ERF 4 wheeler with a jennings sleeper still in your yard.i was up there last week and forgot to look. someone on TN wanted
a photo of the inside of one.I saw Claytons new toy quite nice…I was looking for Frithy ( not seen him for 30 years)or Carl…I saw Ian Massey
last weekend not seen him for 30 years.I asked about carol and his lad .he said that lad is 49 now GULP!!!.
I,ll be over that way this weekend all been well…still sorting the AEC.
John
![albion1_am463a_gbd560[gc].jpg](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/business20/uploads/trucknetuk/original/3X/9/b/9bbe4cdcc3c51129f18e6e25c113e159bf8229c2.jpeg)
