Chris Webb:
Nice photos Bubbs.I particularly like the photo of the two Leyland Beavers of John Summers,owners of the steelworks at Shotton Deeside. There was also a company called Deeside Transport in there that maybe belonged to them? I have loaded crude benzene out of there more times than I can remember,for Bitmac Scunthorpe and Llanwern.
Hello Chris ,Summers also went under the name of Sealand Transport ,also at sandycroft nr Queensferry their was MTR who did tar and bitumen ,thank you Trevor
Hi Trevor.Yes another name I remember and still had that name on some of the vehicles early 70s.I vaguely recall MTR,what did it stand for? I would occasionally see them in BSC Chemicals Orgreave Sheffield.
You didn’t want to be overloaded at Shotton,it were a long hike back to by-products to get some benzene off.I had to chuck all my hoses,tools,jack,wheelbrace etc to get under the 32t limit one Saturday afternoon. I think the bridge closed at 1600 on a Saturday and they were glad to get rid of me.
Chris Webb:
Nice photos Bubbs.I particularly like the photo of the two Leyland Beavers of John Summers,owners of the steelworks at Shotton Deeside. There was also a company called Deeside Transport in there that maybe belonged to them? I have loaded crude benzene out of there more times than I can remember,for Bitmac Scunthorpe and Llanwern.
Hello Chris ,Summers also went under the name of Sealand Transport ,also at sandycroft nr Queensferry their was MTR who did tar and bitumen ,thank you Trevor
Hi Trevor.Yes another name I remember and still had that name on some of the vehicles early 70s.I vaguely recall MTR,what did it stand for? I would occasionally see them in BSC Chemicals Orgreave Sheffield.
You didn’t want to be overloaded at Shotton,it were a long hike back to by-products to get some benzene off.I had to chuck all my hoses,tools,jack,wheelbrace etc to get under the 32t limit one Saturday afternoon. I think the bridge closed at 1600 on a Saturday and they were glad to get rid of me.
That’s very naughty Chris… wouldn’t dream of doing that these days… might stand out of sight of the weighbridge and lift up under a front mudguard… that can gain enough to make you legal.
Chris Webb:
Nice photos Bubbs.I particularly like the photo of the two Leyland Beavers of John Summers,owners of the steelworks at Shotton Deeside. There was also a company called Deeside Transport in there that maybe belonged to them? I have loaded crude benzene out of there more times than I can remember,for Bitmac Scunthorpe and Llanwern.
Hello Chris ,Summers also went under the name of Sealand Transport ,also at sandycroft nr Queensferry their was MTR who did tar and bitumen ,thank you Trevor
Hi Trevor.Yes another name I remember and still had that name on some of the vehicles early 70s.I vaguely recall MTR,what did it stand for? I would occasionally see them in BSC Chemicals Orgreave Sheffield.
You didn’t want to be overloaded at Shotton,it were a long hike back to by-products to get some benzene off.I had to chuck all my hoses,tools,jack,wheelbrace etc to get under the 32t limit one Saturday afternoon. I think the bridge closed at 1600 on a Saturday and they were glad to get rid of me.
That’s very naughty Chris… wouldn’t dream of doing that these days… might stand out of sight of the weighbridge and lift up under a front mudguard… that can gain enough to make you legal. [/quote
Aye Graham,very naughty and crude benzene was classed as a pet spirit and under bond even though it was unrefined.And I remember loading acetone one saturday at BP Hull.they were very strict on weights there and I pulled on bridge not long before it were due to close.I just forget how many cwt/kilos I was over,but a pull up on front bumber of my Mandator sorted the problem. a lot of people don’t believe how much weight you could reduce by doing that. The problem with crude benzene was the sulphur content and Shotton crude was heavier than say Appleby Frodingham or Stanton and Staveley.
Chemistry lesson over.I am currently in the Sefton Express Hotel at Isle of Man Airport,the only hotel open here.We are on ferry to Heysham in morning and onwards to Thirsk where we have bought a house. Furniture will be weeks behind though………Manx drivers can’t take wagon across as they would have to isolate for 14 days on return and removals are apparently not a priority.An English company from Preston were to crew the wagon off the ferry but not now.
DEANB:
Thats another nice working shot of the Scammell Bubbs !
Heres one of your favourite companies,sorry about the quality.
0
Not being that handy with a camera till later in life, most of my Scrapbook Memories are in this thread, and here’s another. 5 nights a week from Boot’s at Nottingham for Stirland’s to Western Transport. First to somewhere off the M 32 east of Bristol and then when they moved, to Avonmouth.
A real doddle of a job. Start at 9pm, collect the trailer then down through Birmingham, no motorways till we hit the M5 at J.4 I think, then into the first services (can’t remember the name) for a cup and a laugh with all the trunkers on their way south from the NW, quick swap at WT Avonmouth and back for a sandwich and one out of the flask at Strensham before dropping at Boot’s, wash the tractor, refuel and home in bed by 5 ish. 10 hours pay and more on Fridays I seem to recall. Did that for a year and only left to go on my own, and Jeff Stanley did ask me back more than once, each time I did a casual shift for them, and this was when there was a waiting list at Stirland’s.
I was in my element. A Mk 1 Atki, King of the Road. Only 2 discordant notes. Once when my motor wasn’t available I went out in a Scania 80. The next night I refused it, it was freezing, the heater was bad enough in the Atki, but this was non-existent. The 2nd time was when they asked me to switch to Glasgow with an Albion. Now they had several return trunks to Stainmore but this Albion went all the way to Glasgow, a day in digs while the trailer was tipped and re-loaded, then back down the next night. I didn’t actually refuse, but I asked to be relieved of it. The reason? My mate Rob Parks was an undertaker and I had an irregular job ferrying sad people to the crems and back, and was booked for the next day.
A really happy time, thanks for the accidental memory, Deano.
Chris Webb:
Nice photos Bubbs.I particularly like the photo of the two Leyland Beavers of John Summers,owners of the steelworks at Shotton Deeside. There was also a company called Deeside Transport in there that maybe belonged to them? I have loaded crude benzene out of there more times than I can remember,for Bitmac Scunthorpe and Llanwern.
Hello Chris ,Summers also went under the name of Sealand Transport ,also at sandycroft nr Queensferry their was MTR who did tar and bitumen ,thank you Trevor
Hi Trevor.Yes another name I remember and still had that name on some of the vehicles early 70s.I vaguely recall MTR,what did it stand for? I would occasionally see them in BSC Chemicals Orgreave Sheffield.
You didn’t want to be overloaded at Shotton,it were a long hike back to by-products to get some benzene off.I had to chuck all my hoses,tools,jack,wheelbrace etc to get under the 32t limit one Saturday afternoon. I think the bridge closed at 1600 on a Saturday and they were glad to get rid of me.
Hello Chris ,im actually wrong it was MTR which stood for Midland Tar Distillers ,they had a tank farm at Sandycroft and thier main hauliers were Eccles Transport based nearby ,thank you Trevor
DEANB:
Thats another nice working shot of the Scammell Bubbs !
Heres one of your favourite companies,sorry about the quality.
0
I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall at meetings of the various MD 's of TDG companies, especially when Mike Timms of Western Transport tried to justify the purchase of Scania 80’s to the Great late Tom Riding !! having had first hand involvement of with the two Companies I will let you guess which one was head and shoulders over the other ! Cheers Bewick.
DEANB:
Thats another nice working shot of the Scammell Bubbs !
Heres one of your favourite companies,sorry about the quality.
0
I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall at meetings of the various MD 's of TDG companies, especially when Mike Timms of Western Transport tried to justify the purchase of Scania 80’s to the Great late Tom Riding !! having had first hand involvement of with the two Companies I will let you guess which one was head and shoulders over the other ! Cheers Bewick.
I remember the grumbles by some at Midland Storage because they had been told they couldn’t have Scan motors because of a TDG ban while Stirland’s had bought those Scania 80s. If the one I drove at Stirland’s later was typical (not saying it was) they shouldn’t have worried. I was perfectly happy with my Atki at MS and also later at Stirland’s.
The Charringtons 8 wheel Thorny…wonderful machines, as I’ve said before, we had 2 of 'em at Charrington-Hargreaves, one with Thornys own engine, the other with a Gardner.
grumpy old man:
The Charringtons 8 wheel Thorny…wonderful machines, as I’ve said before, we had 2 of 'em at Charrington-Hargreaves, one with Thornys own engine, the other with a Gardner.
DEANB:
Thats another nice working shot of the Scammell Bubbs !
Heres one of your favourite companies,sorry about the quality.
0
I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall at meetings of the various MD 's of TDG companies, especially when Mike Timms of Western Transport tried to justify the purchase of Scania 80’s to the Great late Tom Riding !! having had first hand involvement of with the two Companies I will let you guess which one was head and shoulders over the other ! Cheers Bewick.
I remember the grumbles by some at Midland Storage because they had been told they couldn’t have Scan motors because of a TDG ban while Stirland’s had bought those Scania 80s. If the one I drove at Stirland’s later was typical (not saying it was) they shouldn’t have worried. I was perfectly happy with my Atki at MS and also later at Stirland’s.
I can remember my Dad telling me about the Scania 80s Jack Stirland said that’s the last time any Swedish lorries past through my gates
The Scanias that Stirlands ran were part of the fleet when TDG took over Dakins Removals and Storage and merged them with Stirlands
For a short time the company ran as Stirlands and Dakin
bubbleman:
Hi again,thanks Dean for the Western Transport Scania 80,heres another pic of her from the front,Cheers Bubbs,
Never seen a Scania 80 in France; was it a model specific to the UK? Other question: is the truck on Pic 3 (Wyl 929) a Thornycroft?
Thanks!
Hey Froggy, the scanias were popular in holland and belgium as well, but in LB version as rigids and in L version as tippers only. They were rare as units.
DEANB:
Thats another nice working shot of the Scammell Bubbs !
Heres one of your favourite companies,sorry about the quality.
0
I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall at meetings of the various MD 's of TDG companies, especially when Mike Timms of Western Transport tried to justify the purchase of Scania 80’s to the Great late Tom Riding !! having had first hand involvement of with the two Companies I will let you guess which one was head and shoulders over the other ! Cheers Bewick.
I remember the grumbles by some at Midland Storage because they had been told they couldn’t have Scan motors because of a TDG ban while Stirland’s had bought those Scania 80s. If the one I drove at Stirland’s later was typical (not saying it was) they shouldn’t have worried. I was perfectly happy with my Atki at MS and also later at Stirland’s.
I can remember my Dad telling me about the Scania 80s Jack Stirland said that’s the last time any Swedish lorries past through my gates
The Scanias that Stirlands ran were part of the fleet when TDG took over Dakins Removals and Storage and merged them with Stirlands
For a short time the company ran as Stirlands and Dakin
Mention of Dakins reminds me of another incident. My parents had to move house and his employers (Civil Service) were paying so Dad had to get independent quotes for the storage and final delivery. As my brother and I did removals as part of our haulage business, we were quite legitimately asked to quote. My Dad was scrupulous in his honesty and gave no hint of the other quotes to us. We won the delivery job and turned up at Dakins, who had the storage and were obviously confident of the delivery, to collect all the furniture. They were furious, accusing us of dirty dealings and at first refused to release the goods. Finally they did so but with a warning that they would report us, and Dad, to the CS. But all really was above board and nothing more was heard of it.
I wasn’t aware of the Dakin connection when I was asked to do a 2nd night in one of those heaps though.
Jack Bell was my grandfather, I have photos from the war of his wagons in City Road yard plus an article from the commercial Motor Magazine from 1943 if any one is interested
