Hello you all,hope you are all well 
Meritor,the B/W photos are great.We’ve driven some of 'em but I don’t remember that “home made” Dodge.I wonder what the point was,it would have done the job as it was.
The Dodge and Leyland Comet cabs were atrocious 
though for any driver who wasn’t a member of Snow White’s family and the designer should have done a couple of years journey work in them - a modified version would have been rushed through the factory P.D.Q.! Any way,keep the thread going and there might be some more photos coming if I can get hold of them.Regards to all, 900X20. 
Meritor, the photo of the Dodge shewn was not used at Bow Common lane. We only had half a dozen and I have a photo of one with one of our old drivers Arthur Shorthouse. The reg is dfferent and ours were concurrent as you will see when I eventually get the picture entry sorted, Arthurs was XLO921 and they did not have indicators. Bill S.
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Got my pictures here but cant seem to upload them got mr copseys ERF some of the scanias in the workshops when were stripping them teh guy big js some CP ships Atkis
wally myself raymond and the fiat and a white atki with johnson line on■■? this seem so hard to post
Meritor, I misread the numberplate on my photo, it is 971 actually the same unit that you have put on. Up to the time that we were moved into Yabsley street when we took over the BRS yard, no conversions were needed or done to the BCL tractors, which were sold off at Yabsley street and we had all artics plus a few rigids that came from Lambeth depot. Of course Cooper then had the idea to do continental and the first six men had to have a medical at County Hall plus an interview with John Cooper in which we had to state where different countries were on a map of Europe. He also said that we would be going to NZ and the like, but that didn’t materialize. I also remember an event which made Reg Revell and me a cut above ordinary pedal pushers, but thats for another time. Bill. S.
Hi Bill,I remember the medical,but mine was at harley st,it must have been later,They said that I had a start of a kidney disease,I had to go to my own doctor he said not to eat any fried food,alcohol,so Ucc would accept me,I took no notice,nearly 40 years later I have had my latest hgv medical no sign of a kidney problem,must be that stuff ■■■■■■ working. Terry
chris wilson and me in kuwait
me
chris and me in the goldern beach hotel kuwait
Hello All,
The cab on the Leyland in question,I don’t think I’ve had neck ache like it on arrival in Liverpool.365 was the fleet number of one of them and on the motorway they were as embarassing as some of the old ERF’s.In my early days,I drove a Bedford “S” type tipper @ six tons with the same engine installed and it did the job. When you get a Comet artic at 24 tons gross with the same engine-you can imagine that the MPH was not great and on the M1 they were always a slow lane job.I would still like to meet the man who placed the wipers at the top of the screen which invariably used to gradually drop down into the view from the cab.O.K.,they did the job but sometimes I wonder what the fuel consumption was and I bet the man who designed them never drove one of them. When the Big “J” arrived–it was a miracle: it pulled well,had a heater that worked and was (for it’s day)comfortable as against the older fleet.All in the past now,I still think it was one of the best jobs I’ve had and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.Regards to you all from 900X20.
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Meritor, we only took two trailers on the tilbury run and we recorded 5mph. I dont recall anyone ever being stopped so it must have been within the law at that time. Anyway we never had more than 3 or 4 yard men to act as mates and they were always busy transferring loads and parking trailers etc. However if we went on a run to Southampton or the like, we had trailer mates. But that was rare. Did you know that our old Fowler/ Union units were mostly ballasted with fuel tanks and when I joined some were sent down into Kent to completely fill up as there was a fuel shortage, and they would come back to BCL and keep our storage tanks topped up.I forget the managers name before Cooper, but he bought an old steam tractor and it was stripped and worked on in our workshop but failed a certificate as the boiler was too weak. Bill.
Meritor:
This Sentinel steamer had a belting heater!! George Davies & Son of Liverpool before Vestey’s took over!!
Cheers, Meritor
hi,thats a great photo crap rope and sheeting though. not many photos of geo.davies lorries about heres one of mine on the a4 about 1987
cheers steve.
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Hello,I found this clipping…hiring out 110s,never knew that 
Cheers Bubbs. 
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pollystag:
Meritor:
This Sentinel steamer had a belting heater!! George Davies & Son of Liverpool before Vestey’s took over!!
Cheers, Meritorhi,thats a great photo crap rope and sheeting though. not many photos of geo.davies lorries about heres one of mine on the a4 about 1987
cheers steve.
Not impressed with the drivers sheeting skills!!!
Hi Meritor, the picture of the breakdown truck was taken in Bow Common Lane depot. the houses behind were in Thomas St. The truck was always parked in what was called Abbots yard at the rear of the depot and I never saw it move whilst I worked there. In an earlier thread I recounted how a lamb was thrown over that wall into what we thought was Arthur Shorthouse’s garden . but it obviously went into the wrong one, for it was not seen again. Bill. S.
That lamb,was it a prime d or a scragge yl,I soon got to know from the old drivers the diffence.Also Bill ,the old man who made up the old lorrys,I was told by my dad to go and see this old union man,he lived on the corner of the highway at shadwell,in the big flats,he made up for me a sentinal steamer kneller and chander who operated out of brick lane reg no an6630,I still have it,It is about 2 feet long I cant find the trailer, it is chain driven with the coal on the roof,it says LONDON to BIRMINGHAM LONDON to BRISTOL weekly service,he made one for my dad which was a maudsley and trailer,bought out by aec i think,my dad drove it during the war ,the company was called firclough out of a steet off commercial rd but nationlised during the war.He also made me 551 tractor and trailer with oxo beef in brief on the side which I still have,he was a loverly man with a photographic memory,he went on to pickfords 100 tonners which he making in his bedroom,when I saw it it coverd halve of the room,how when finished he got it out of there I dont know,the last time I saw him was about 39 years ago,it proves that there was talent on ucc apart from Bill and the yank,lol.The maudsley and trailer,my brother in law has it in his kitching.