I knew an elderly coach driver here in ■■■■■■■ who had originally been a conductor on Newcastle Corporation trolleybuses and in conversation with him one day while awaiting our respective groups returning he told tales of working on the trolleys one trick they got up at remote terminus late at night was the conductor to get in the cab with the driver and pull the handbrake on as hard as possible while the driver put his foot down as far as possible on the controller then letting the handbrake go sharply resulting in the 4 wheeler models leaping forward doing a wheelie. I suppose the six wheelers tandem back bogie would prevent this activity to a certain extent. Another dangerous activity was the conductor leaning out off the platform while changing the side destination blind to see what he was putting up as the bus veered nearer to the kerb and bordering trees particularly on the Great North Road in the Gosforth area where there was a danger of him hitting a tree trunk with dire results. I remember those 1950s Fodens in your recent photo postings.
Aye there could be some good fun on the buses.
Cheers Leyland 600.
Cheers Leyland 600.
or at the blue lamp at top of westgate hill where the pionts were for the wires and they forgot to change and the bus went in one direction and the poles when in a other direction and became detached and cause problems until conductor got out and put poles into proper wires
Taken to-day at Swalwell, Very smart, Driven by Tommy Dodds who allways has a well kept motor, Regards Larry.
Some (if not all) of the four wheel Sunbeam trolleybuses ended their days in the scrapyard of Clockmill Auto Dismantlers at Dunston. I still have a destination screen blind that I bought from one of them (an impulse buy in my younger days !) It came complete with some genuine Scrapyard Alsation Guard Dog S**t smeared on it—Yuk!
Cheers, Eric.F.
Hi Freed, the guy I was mentioning actually started as a points boy on the trams and I believe the top of Westgate Hill was where he was stationed shanging the points for each tram that required to deviate from the main route.
Cheers Leyland 600
Hi Franky, I spent a lot of time loading Blue Cross animal feed here in bags for delivery over in ■■■■■■■ with my Mickey Mouse Foden in the 1960s, also after the disastrous Glasgow mill fire I hauled a lot of flour from Gateshead to Glasgow. My everlasting memory of the mill was one very windy day circa 1968/9 when after loading 14 tons of wheatfeed for Carrs Mills at Silloth I proceeded to spread my large sheet that would cover the complete load while my wagon was parked in the large open centre part of the mill facing the river. Having got the sheet spread fairly evenly I was letting myself back down to ground level holding the sheet strings when the wind suddenly got under the loose sheet lifting me complete with sheet and dropping me in the yard but quite near the riverside. It took four of us to fold the sheet and a fork lift to put it back on top of the load, I then reversed round into the loading alleyway much more sheltered and managed to sheet up without much trouble.
Cheers. Leyland 600.
Frankydobo:
A couple of nice photo’s of Ranks Fodens outside the Baltic Mill around the 1950’s, the Mill would have been quite new here as it opened in 1950. Franky.
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Two of these came to Crows after Ranks .Reg number DAN 905 AND CJD864 They had 5speed super low boxes.
Driven by Tommy Gray from Dunston and Lenny Stericker from Berwick. crowbar
Hi Crowbar, My guess is that the Fodens mentioned would have a superlow top speed of about 28 mph also unless I am mistaken. Will you be atthe Tyne Tees Run this Sunday ?
Cheers Leyland 600
crowbar:
Frankydobo:
A couple of nice photo’s of Ranks Fodens outside the Baltic Mill around the 1950’s, the Mill would have been quite new here as it opened in 1950. Franky.
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Two of these came to Crows after Ranks .Reg number DAN 905 AND CJD864 They had 5speed super low boxes.
Driven by Tommy Gray from Dunston and Lenny Stericker from Berwick. crowbar
These Fodens Ralph were registered in West Ham 1948/49, Can you remember another Gateshead firm who ran one The late Joe Dimmick used to drive it ?, He nearly killed himself when he broke down in London with gearbox trouble, While waiting for the fitter to come down He off loaded some of the load which was Neolith Slabs so he could lift the trapdoor in the floor, He then tried to drop the box down with a rope round the top of his shoulders, I it wasn’t for a passer by seeing his plite he would have been a gonner, Afterwards he just laughed about it, Some bloke was old Joe, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
crowbar:
Frankydobo:
A couple of nice photo’s of Ranks Fodens outside the Baltic Mill around the 1950’s, the Mill would have been quite new here as it opened in 1950. Franky.
1
0
Two of these came to Crows after Ranks .Reg number DAN 905 AND CJD864 They had 5speed super low boxes.
Driven by Tommy Gray from Dunston and Lenny Stericker from Berwick. crowbar
These Fodens Ralph were registered in West Ham 1948/49, Can you remember another Gateshead firm who ran one The late Joe Dimmick used to drive it ?, He nearly killed himself when he broke down in London with gearbox trouble, While waiting for the fitter to come down He off loaded some of the load which was Neolith Slabs so he could lift the trapdoor in the floor, He then tried to drop the box down with a rope round the top of his shoulders, I it wasn’t for a passer by seeing his plite he would have been a gonner, Afterwards he just laughed about it, Some bloke was old Joe, Regards Larry.
Ralph, It comes to mind that it may have been Jennings but not Tommy Jennings who had the red motors, What do you think ?, Regards Larry
He,s a few from Weardale, regards servo88
servo88:
42310
Great photos Servo88, The Lees Volvo, Not their usual livery, But still smart, Regards Larry.
Hi Larry, they,r normally all white, as you say it look,s the part. regards servo88
servo88:
54321
Sanray’s driver Stephen Thackwray ex Fergy’s??
Seen emerging from the former Huntingdon,s Garage site at South End, Wigton on Thursday morning after delivering to the new housing development there, Fergusons MAN curtainsider turned right then immediately left heading for Penrith or back to Carlisle. The driver was prohibited from turning left and going through the town centre due to the 6ft 6in ban. Many east European drivers reach this point looking for Innovia Films but “no speeka da Eenglish” and blithely carry on another half mile to the factory whereas UK drivers from the south follow the diversion signs adding another 10 miles to their journey by rejoining the A 595 to Thursby roundabout and returning via the A 596. Large tractors towing slurry tankers some as wide 9ft or more and some with cattle trailers up to 30ft long are ignored as they make their way to the new auction mart on Syke Rd.
Cheers Leyland 600.
A few more from Weardale, all leading out of Height;s Quarry. regards servo88
