How about 20000tonnes of the breadcrumbs they put on birdseye fish fingers
carbon dyoxide ice in blocks the size of bricks, handball from fife to birtley, ropes and sheets covered in ice in the middle of summer,some funny looks in transit.
About twenty years ago I worked for Sovereign Distribution (part of United Carriers) at Southampton and one of the contracts was a daily collection from ‘Tambrands’ (aka Tampax) out of Leigh Park at Havant (Portsmouth). When talking about what I was carrying I always replied ‘manholecovers’ . . . . . true honest! 
I probably did a few over the years that would fit the bill, but one that comes to mind is not long after I started on my own and had progressed to a couple of Transits, a 1 ton box van and a 30 cwt pick up. The van must have been well loaded in it’s earlier life as the rear springs would bend past flat at any sign of weight, so to compensate for this I wired wooden blocks to the axle to keep her looking a bit more respectable. 
Anyway I had a call from a local farming family asking if I could load from one of their farms at about 4 o’clock in the morning and this was only a couple of days before Christmas, (in West Mids.) and run to a market in Manchester. I agreed and duly arrived to be shown into a shed full of plucked Turkeys! When I asked how they were to be loaded one of the brothers said “just chuck 'em on the floor”. I have to say here my usual line of work was mainly engineering goods or building products, and the only food stuff I had carried was cartons on a pallet. So the loading began and the Turkeys kept coming, the biggest birds I had ever seen! With no way of weighing out I set off, but I can tell you the body was well and truly on the wooden blocks and even the gradients on the motorway were making the old girl struggle. After some time searching the Market for the customer I was feeling very relieved to be tipping the load, but this was short lived for when I opened the rear doors the Butcher fairly shrieked in horror when he saw the size of the birds. Apparently he had bought them some months before, on the hoof so to speak and had been assured they would be of average size. To add to the problem the promised delivery time had past some two weeks prior, so the likelihood of selling so many giant Christmas dinners was very slim. I sat there for about an hour while frantic telephone calls were being made, agonizing in the thought of having to travel all the way back with them and thinking I couldn’t be so lucky with the old bill at that time of day! Eventually the butcher returned with a couple of lads and said they would take them off. Well, I tell ya, I couldn’t unload them fast enough and though I wondered what sort of deal they had struck, I didn’t hang about to ask. Some weeks after I had invoiced the farmer he rang up and haggled about the price!! 
A valuable lesson learned. 
Never carried a strange load myself but I had to look twice one day many years ago when nearing the railway bridge at Frome market. An old half cab double deck bus was coming the other way and when it was near enough I could see a Giraffe looking through the front upstairs window.
I suppose it had been converted for this purpose but I never saw it again.
Phil.
Apart from loads of bananas from Barry Island to Maidstone when there was a ship in (well I was working for Geest) the strangest load I ever carried was a rocket ship for Santa on the back of a Transit pick up when I worked for Blue Circle’s sportsground at Northfleet in the 70s and 80s.
Had to transport it from the carpenters shop in the cement works up to the old social club in the High Street.
Needless to say we went the long way round…
Not sure it qualifies for the strangest load but this was one I’ll remember. I was driving for Fergusons Transport at the time and the gaffer told me to go up the road to Waverley Wines who had a depot near our yard in Sunderland. I loaded a full 40ft tautliner with beer, wines and spirits, more than 22 pallets as some were double stacked and there was just about every type of drink you could think of. The trailer was loaded and I received my notes, I just glanced at the address and it was all bound for Sheffield.
Nothing more was said at Waverley and I jumped in the cab and rang the boss to see what the score was presuming the trailer would go back to the yard and the stuff stored in the warehouse. “Yeah ok, get yourself away with it but don’t park up anywhere mind”, didn’t need to be told twice so off I went. I can’t remember the exact address now but it was for the Civic Centre and Sheffield Council, never gave it much thought just wanted rid of it. Anyway got to the place no problem and there was a couple of Forklifts waiting and the guys were quite pleased to see me and friendly, they quickly unloaded the lot and I got the notes signed. I was intrigued by now and as there had been no indication of what all this alchohol was for I asked the guy who signed the notes.
“Oh Sheffield Council are having a memorial do for all the families of those that were killed in the Hillsborough Disaster (it had only happened a few weeks before) and all this drink has been supplied free” (no doubt the transport too although I never found that out). Now I understood why so little was said and why the load hadn’t been checked on or off, there wasn’t even anything on the notes as to what was what. I never thought at the time but I wondered later if maybe the gaffer thought I was trusting enough not to touch anything, I know plenty that would have been very tempted but I doubt if I could have even swallowed a can without feeling guilty once I knew the facts. Not so much a strange load but a strange ordeal altogether and nothing was said of it after that just carry on as usual, always remember it though. Franky.
I did some work for ‘Up Front’ - a concert staging company owned by U2, and despite their anti war stance I took a 40 foot flat loaded with stillages to an arms exhibition being set up at Aldershot.
To say they were a little unorthodox would be an understatement, the guy who seemed to be the manager put a crate of Moet & Chandon in the footwell on the passenger side and told me to drop it off at the Officers Mess.
Whe n I did I was told to go to the exhibition area and take the straps off. Just after I’d finished, four brand new JCB Loadalls turned up, driven by soldiers and I had the quickest tip ever.
The unit was a tatty old F12 and the manager guy asked me to go and fill it up, I asked him where the fuel card was and he just gave me a big wad of £20 notes, saying that should cover it. I filled it up and had about £80 left, but he’d gone out when I returned.
When I gave him the change and receipt the next day he’d forgotten all about it.
He asked me if I wanted a full time job, adding that I could be away on tour for up to 6 months at a time with big rock bands, but my lad was only a few months old, and I didn’t fancy putting up and pulling down stages all night, so I said no. I often wonder how it might have turned out…
2 white tigers from Orange in the south of France to shepperton studios for use in the film 101 dalmatians moved lots of strange stuff when i worked for a entertainments outfit
Russian Mig Jet fighter from north Wales to the Arms proving ground at Shouburyness in Essex.
STRAIGHT EIGHT:
Russian Mig Jet fighter from north Wales to the Arms proving ground at Shouburyness in Essex.
Hiya straight eight…was that mig from that quite narrow lane near the huge airbus building at broughton.■■?
i saw them come to Liverpool in the 70,s and stood on the dock for ages.
things went quiet then about 5 years ago i saw 2 along with a electric lightining parked as above.just wanting to keep a log on them HA HA.
i think someone else started to mention them a few months ago on TN saying they had seen them on the liverpool dock.
if i remember a chap bought them and was going to do displays. but when they arrived most of the dials or control switches was missing.
someone will know more out there.
John
STRAIGHT EIGHT:
Russian Mig Jet fighter from north Wales to the Arms proving ground at Shouburyness in Essex.
Hiya straight eight…was that mig from that quite narrow lane near the huge airbus building at broughton.■■?
i saw them come to Liverpool in the 70,s and stood on the dock for ages.
things went quiet then about 5 years ago i saw 2 along with a electric lightining parked as above.just wanting to keep a log on them HA HA.
i think someone else started to mention them a few months ago on TN saying they had seen them on the liverpool dock.
if i remember a chap bought them and was going to do displays. but when they arrived most of the dials or control switches was missing.
someone will know more out there.
John
Chris Webb:
Still waiting for “load of dogs for Barking,wheels for Barrow,arrows for Bow and glider engines” etc
used to load dog biscuits from Barking
I occasionally loaded missiles out of Ferranti in Oldham for Great Oakley i think it was called ,near Harwich,they weren`t live though
a BOMB not a real bomb a big metal ball collected from a foundry in wolsingham and delivered to millom quarry when they get a piece of granite too big for the crusher they lift the bomb up with the digger bucket and drop it on to the stone to break it
Have taken a “small” package to Hatton Gardens to be delivered to a shop there
hodgeturbo:
a BOMB not a real bomb a big metal ball collected from a foundry in wolsingham and delivered to millom quarry when they get a piece of granite too big for the crusher they lift the bomb up with the digger bucket and drop it on to the stone to break it
That dosen’t look so safe if its come all the way from Wolsingham to Millom in the back of a tipper! Bewick.
Bewick:
hodgeturbo:
a BOMB not a real bomb a big metal ball collected from a foundry in wolsingham and delivered to millom quarry when they get a piece of granite too big for the crusher they lift the bomb up with the digger bucket and drop it on to the stone to break itThat dosen’t look so safe if its come all the way from Wolsingham to Millom in the back of a tipper! Bewick.
oh its alright dennis us maryport lads like an adventure now and again!!!
Chris Webb:
mushroomman:
Wheel Nut:
Chris Webb:
mushroomman:
Chris Webb:
A chain from Cradley Heath to Grimsby Docks.Don’t tell Wheelnut about the size of the low loaders that carried the cistern and the toilet seat Chris, let him try and imagine it for himself
.
I’m waiting for the reply Steve…
How’s things down under?Hmm, something Fishy here
Hi Chris, all’s well down under, still not made me fortune yet but there is always next week
. Did Wheelnut make it over to your place for the T.T ?.
Nothing fishy going on Malc unless it’s something to do with Harry mentioning about his rod.
Does twelve ton of Yorky Bars from Trafford Park Cold Storage to Leicester in a box van in the middle of summer count as a strange load
Regards Steve.
Wheelnut is coming next year Steve,he’s saving up to buy my beer in the Queens
The load of Yorkie Bars would only count as a strange load if it was liquid when it got to Leicester.You could have had half a load of nitrobenzene for Teesside and top up with Yorkie Bars for Leicester.
I thought you were buying the beer, as you are the local lord of the manor.
Flight booked for 1st June until the 9th, staying somewhere on Head Road. I just have to smuggle in some Yorkshire Tea for Guy Martin, truck repairer from Kirmington and bit of a star on two wheels.
Another strange load, was loading dried sand off the beach in Hartlepool and tipping it in Colgate to make toothpaste abrasive 