A very tidy load on that 8 wheeler of Keetch’s Gazsa, all the ropes double hitched as well. Before chains and straps were available I had dozens like that which rode ok if you were careful. But beware the moonscaped parks of old time transport cafes though. My load out of Tilbury shifted within half an hour and, doubled up again I crept back to London and enlisted the help of a Pickford’s fork truck driver on the N. Circular to push it all straight again.
Do you reckon that drum on the front was a paying load, or more likely cheap base diesel? Handy for transfer to the fuel tank if so.
Regarding Watt’s, yes I remember them having those Scanias and their base on St. Annes Well Rd., I reckon they did crane hire too and maybe a bit of abnormal as well. Wasn’t BRS Nottingham in that area too? When I came back after a stint in Oz in around '65 I went to them for a job. The man asked me how I would get from here to Manchester and, after being away for some years, stopped to think for a minute. I resisted the temptation to say ‘I’d look at the map’, but still didn’t get the job. So I never needed to go out and buy a greatcoat and flat cap.
The drum could be has you say been used for extra fuel capacity giving a longer distance range
Watts had a bit of a reputation regarding maintenance and when plating and testing came in my mates Dad reckoned they had a set of MOT tyres which would be changed back after testing!!!
Going back to BRS Nottingham I can remember them being on Castle Meadow Road a bit before my time if they were on St Anne’s Wells Road
Thanks Gary
Thanks to coomsey, Ray Smyth, Buzzer, pyewacket947v, Frankydobo, gazsa401, ERF-NGC-European and vwvanman for the pics
A bit o chat going on about Nottingham, a fairly frequent run for myself would have been Cowley to Bournemouth tip Rootes at Hartwells then across to Soton Docks pick a load of Renaults for Leeds back at Cowley around midday fuel up and head for Nottingham and digs in London Road free parking across the river at the cattle market. Up town couple of pints Yate’s Wine Lodge or the Castle Pub seem to remember another pub where it was a bit creepy, poorly lit(intentional) cobwebs everywhere the Trip to Jerusalem I think it was called Gary will know, anyway always fish and chips on the way back to the digs, mind you at the digs there was always bedtime teapot and biscuits left out. Was that better overnighting than drivers have today, for me yes+ by a long chalk.
Oily
Frankydobo:
More likely the Mastiff from the Leyland Redline Bathgate models , I believe the Clydesdale was the four wheeler goods and drawbar chassis then. Franky.
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You may well be right Franky, but i do recall at least two Clydesdale tractors at Christian Salvesens Droitwich Spa depot, as well as a number of rigid fridge motors.
oiltreader:
Thanks to coomsey, Ray Smyth, Buzzer, pyewacket947v, Frankydobo, gazsa401, ERF-NGC-European and vwvanman for the pics
A bit o chat going on about Nottingham, a fairly frequent run for myself would have been Cowley to Bournemouth tip Rootes at Hartwells then across to Soton Docks pick a load of Renaults for Leeds back at Cowley around midday fuel up and head for Nottingham and digs in London Road free parking across the river at the cattle market. Up town couple of pints Yate’s Wine Lodge or the Castle Pub seem to remember another pub where it was a bit creepy, poorly lit(intentional) cobwebs everywhere the Trip to Jerusalem I think it was called Gary will know, anyway always fish and chips on the way back to the digs, mind you at the digs there was always bedtime teapot and biscuits left out. Was that better overnighting than drivers have today, for me yes+ by a long chalk.
Oily
The Trip to Jerusalem was built into the Castle rock, and in one room there was an animal horn on the wall (rock face) with a ring suspended from the roof (rock face). The idea, from the bar I think, was to swing it across and ring the horn. Could be a bit deadly when first walking in.
It claimed to be the oldest pub in England, no doubt there are others which dispute that.
Better? Only if you had good digs. Other digs were available.
Mercedes-Benz of BB Foodservice parked at the bus station in Wigan town centre.
Perhaps the driver was delivering food to the bus drivers staff canteen. 25/10/2021.
