Lawrence Dunbar:
0Well how about this old one of my late great uncle Isaac Smiles Ex BRS ERF 8 legger, Taken at his depot at Blucher, Regards Larry.
Lawrence that is a great old picture of an old workhorse.No bling in those days. 
intresting Jeremy good efforts with the sheeting
Yugo in the d series great stuff
Mike
thatâs the trailer with the hubs we mentioned ?
I was ok for roping as I was taught how to do it when ont farm int 50s,but loading and sheeting was a different kettle of fish.When I first started driving in civvie street 1967, I was never too afraid to ask how to load wagon if I wasnât sure.Being from Sheffield our firm did a lot of steel so no high loads to sheet.However I remember Iâd tipped at Rochester and rang the Reed Group for a backload who sent me to Sittingbourne to load paper reels for Heinz Wigan. I had plenty of sheets but was in doubt as to how to chock the back reels.I neednât have worried,one of their drivers gave me a chock the width of the Reiver body and also told me to put a rope over the first lift of 5 reels from back to front both sides so the reels on top didnât slide when they bit in.Incidentally the chock had âReturn to Reed Groupâ painted on it,but I canât remember if it was⌠
Loading bright bars was a regular job as well,a lot of drivers in Sheffield had at least one old greasy sheet which they folded up and put up to the headboard,loading the front lifts of bars up to the sheet which was like steel itself having been compressed so much in itâs time.They would do the same with the back lifts and use roped timbers front and back for the top lifts to box the bars in,then a really tight sheet over it.I never had a load of bright bar that had to be double stacked though and it was very often wrapped in thick paper.Some Shefffield drivers did nowt else but bright bar so knew how to handle it,I never did a lot.
The worst load I ever had was wire reinforcing mesh out of Firth Cleveland Middlesborough,two drops Birmingham.I was given some hooks to put in the first lift and rope onto them and the same with the top lift,looked like a spiderâs bloody web when Iâd done but looked fine.Iâd only got as far as Thirsk and it had moved to the nearside.I managed to get it back to Sheffield and one lift was transhipped onto another wagon for delivery.
I only ever lost one load and that was 7 two ton coils in Wakefield whilst on me way to Bingley.We loaded them into timbers that were spread and wired so they were just proud of the wagon floor.The banding holding one end of the timbers had split and the coils rolled through the sheet and off me Reiver onto the pavement,luckily nobody was hurt,only my pride.ÂŁ15 fine,insecure load,Wakefield Magistrates Court. 
I think that Ross Roadways in Sheffield was the only local firm that had well trailers for coil,were there any rigid wagons with a well at that time,late 60s?
Mike Ponsonby:
And ,come on, who said I had forgotten the craft of how to S&R proper like ? only took me half an hour 
Well an hour! as I had to strip Young Mr. Pâs effort down first then young Tommy and me soon had it looking proper like one of the old 'uns !
And I forgot to mentione we worked on a steep incline !
Punchy Dan:
0Denzl youâll have us belive you can do on your head next !
Aye OK you â â â â taking â â â â Danâl but if I sheeted and roped a load it could litrally be âturned upside downâ and it still wouldnât fall off which is more than could be said for a load held on with Bungee straps ! Not sure about a load Larry sheeted though ! Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
Aye OK you â â â â taking [zb] Danâl but if I sheeted and roped a load it could litrally be âturned upside downâ and it still wouldnât fall off which is more than could be said for a load held on with Bungee straps !
Nothing wrong with Larrys work Denzl ,have some respect for your elders ,in your own words the sheeting gets better the further north you go ⌠Get your map out
Punchy Dan:
Bewick:
Aye OK you â â â â taking [zb] Danâl but if I sheeted and roped a load it could litrally be âturned upside downâ and it still wouldnât fall off which is more than could be said for a load held on with Bungee straps !Nothing wrong with Larrys work Denzl ,have some respect for your elders
I hope you havenât decided all of a sudden, to have a âsense of humourâ blockage Danâl ! Do you honestly believe that I would seriously criticize 'owt my Mate Larry did and mean it ? 
Critisize you maybe but not Larry ! Cheers Denzâl
I thought that Dan was going to say that the sheeting looked better the further away from it you were standing, my mistake!
Pete.
windrush:
I thought that Dan was going to say that the sheeting looked better the further away from it you were standing, my mistake!Pete.
You could be right there Pete !! Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
windrush:
I thought that Dan was going to say that the sheeting looked better the further away from it you were standing, my mistake!Pete.
You could be right there Pete !!
Hmm
One that I sheeted and roped back in 1997!
Pete.
windrush:
One that I sheeted and roped back in 1997!Pete.
All done from the Drivers seat ! Anon 1.