Buzzer Monday
Buzzer:
Buzzer
Is that a Vanden Plas top front on that car transporter ? Bet all the cars were rusty before they got to the showroom
Lovely car the Volvo 164, Dad got one brand new in 1971 / 72 from the long gone Robson & Everard in Gosforth.
Reg no was CJR 164K.
Tyneside
Buzzer:
Building the M4, Buzzer
Is the last pic Heston services ?
Some of the tippers on the M4 construction past Reading were buried under the bridge on the Burghfield Road when the job was nearing the end. We had two Asian lads come into our garage with a newish Guy J4 tipper, they wanted some bolts for the tipper hinges and removed all the old ones before fitting any new ones. The body slid off of the chassis and bent the rams. 
Pete.
Catterall’s pigeon wagons were a common sight around the north west in the sixties and seventies, but with what appears to me at least to be a decline in the popularity of pigeon racing , I don’t recall seeing any of their motors around in years . Have they moved on ? ….or have they merely ceased to exist ?
My own father was something of a devotee of pigeon racing back in the day, and I have a photograph of him here , posing beside a pigeon trailer that he constructed back in 1980.
I understand that a pair of careworn corduroy strides were considered to be “ de rigueur “ back then.
God bless him , the poor lad did his best .
And following on , here’s a shot of the remainder of the motley crew , every last one of them under the sod now , sad to say .
I have memories of taking pigeon baskets down to the railway station during their training period and also of taking them on the back of my pushbike to Bold power station and releasing them on their first training flights , followed several years later by taking baskets of pigeons on the back of the wagon down to junction 12 of the M6 and releasing them at Gailey , on my way down to Barry docks.
Eddie Heaton:
Catterall’s pigeon wagons were a common sight around the north west in the sixties and seventies, but with what appears to me at least to be a decline in the popularity of pigeon racing , I don’t recall seeing any of their motors around in years . Have they moved on ? ….or have they merely ceased to exist ?My own father was something of a devotee of pigeon racing back in the day, and I have a photograph of him here , posing beside a pigeon trailer that he constructed back in 1980.
I understand that a pair of careworn corduroy strides were considered to be “ de rigueur “ back then.
God bless him , the poor lad did his best .
And following on , here’s a shot of the remainder of the motley crew , every last one of them under the sod now , sad to say .
I have memories of taking pigeon baskets down to the railway station during their training period and also of taking them on the back of my pushbike to Bold power station and releasing them on their first training flights , followed several years later by taking baskets of pigeons on the back of the wagon down to junction 12 of the M6 and releasing them at Gailey , on my way down to Barry docks.
This info regarding Racing Pigeons from Eddie Heaton, and his Dad and fellow Pigeon Fanciers brought back many memories from the
late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. My Dad kept approx 12 racing pigeons in a small homemade pigeon loft in the back garden.
During the racing season, I can remember quite clearly going with Dad to Edge Hill railway station in Liverpool on a Friday evening to
send 2 of his birds to the Letting Point by train. A numbered rubber race ring was attached to a leg of the birds and put into a very
large pannier type basket, Once the baskets were loaded on to the train, they set off south. In the early part of the season the birds
were liberated around lunchtime on the Saturday at Craven Arms in Shropshire. As the season went on, the points of liberation were
Worcester, Gloucester, and Dorchester. The next liberation points were Rennes and Nantes in Northern France, which meant we had
to send them by train on a Thursday. Moving on to the Catteralls Bedford VAL 6 wheeler pigeon carrier, this actual vehicle would be
seen, usually on a Friday parked beside the Norley Hall pub at the top of the street loading dozens of racing pigeons from a large
number of local pigeon fanciers. The birds now went by road because British Railways stopped carrying livestick.
Ray Smyth.
Racing Pigeons; some of our quarry workers had racing pigeons and occasionally would ask us drivers to take them to the west midlands area and release them. Jim Banks (rip) did three daily run to Bisons at Lichfield so would take some, one day he nipped out early without sheeting his load and chucked the basket on top. Arrived at Bisons, backed up to the hopper and tipped in his load of 10mm limestone…then remembered the pigeon! 
Plenty of digging out ensued before it went up the elevator and all seemed well thank goodness. However its owner did remark that it seemed rather dusty when it landed back in its loft! 
Pete.
Buzzer:
Buzzer
My dad and brother both had one of those Buzzer Volvo 164s , not many around now especially the later ones
A lot of memories ■■■■■■■ in that page from Headlight(?) of days long gone. 
And what about that Mk1 Atki with a tri-axle trailer, somewhat unusual for the time I think.