Anyone have any pics of the old aec wrecker out of Wooten basset?
Sorry 1994 not 2004
Does anyone on here remember John Budden Ron Margetson Charlie Facenda from the 1960 1975 era they all ran out of wood lane along with me and my father although we drove Wincanton vehicles we were actually employed by United Dairies Ldn Ltd
dougie n…is that Newcombe
jimcab:
dougie n…is that Newcombe
Certainly is. Gave up chauffeur job, did knowledge drove a Fairway then TX2 then retired
Hello Doug…im still out…6 hours a night…but im still only 60…ha
jimcab:
Hello Doug…im still out…6 hours a night…but im still only 60…ha
I still go out very occasionally but day time only It took me a long time to fall in but nights are for sleeping when you get to 70
Worked for MMB early 70s for 4yrs has a mechanic and I must say it was one of the best jobs I ever had.Hope you dont mind me adding these photos
Nice photos …what depot was you at ?
I was based at the Chadderton depot in Cobden Street which was a sub depot for Wilmslow.1973 to when they closed.Harry Lawson was the manager for both depots and he was based at wilmslow he was later replaced by a chap called Convoy.Chadderton was mainly churn collection(D series Fords F G H & J reg) and then they just started tank collection(with 3 K & M reg tankers) about 12month before closure. We were offered transfers to either Wilmslow or Clitheroe depots but no one took them up with it because has you may remember at the time you could walk out of one job straight into another and the redundancy came in handy 
That was too far north for us London blokes …we we used to reload out of a few MMB depots…Westoning (flitwick)…Dorking and portslade (brighton )…farm tanks pump directly in our trunkers
Sweeptec:
jimcab:
Farm collection tanker.Good to see an old Bedford KM, Many a busted spring I’ve changed on Sunday afternoon so it was ready for early doors Monday Morning
I suspect I broke many of the buggers! I was based in Mayfield n a bit heavy footed those days, Job n knock so hours could be carved if you pushed hard enough!
jimcab:
clydesdale farm tanker
I drove RYA886V out of Mayfield for a couple of years, basic but nippy enough! At least according to some of the farmers who “offered me advice” on my speed into their drives, I was in my early 20’s didn’t have an ounce of common sense!
jimcab:
i ran out of unigate dairy in london, most of our milk came from the west country. we ran into chard junction,wellington,evercreech and the reload centre at wincanton. we also had 4 loads a day off the isle of wight. and at least 6 loads came out of wooton bassett(27000 gallons). . . we didnt do litres in those days.
Short story about the Aldermeads(Wincanton) reload centre.When the B cab ERFs were coming in Wood Lane had one and two trailers daily for collection.There was some sort of recall from ERF which meant that the ERF would have to come down to Wincanton Garages,when it duly arrived we had arranged a Big J Guy to go back with the loaded trailer.The Wood Lane driver refused to take this got into his mates cab and went back to London leaving 4500 gallons which as the Aldermeads manager John Cook pointed out would now have to go to Chard out of harms way
fryingpan:
Which milk brands did Wincanton deal with? I recall Express Dairies, United Dairies, Jobs, Unigate, St Ivel. What were the runs, London, but where else? Chard Junction, Seaton Junction, Ilminster?
In 1976 the daily run out from Wincantons Aldermeads reload depot:1000 hrs the first Wood Lane followed by the 1030 Vauxhall,these carried on through the day.A 3600 gallon empty for Lostwithiel,several trips a few miles up the A303 to Bourton usually taken up by Bert Downton with the twin steer Scammel,one of the shunters took a loaded trailer to Kington Magna which would return later as concentrated separated milk,night drivers from the previious .Aldermeads wasnight would if they choose take loads to Chard and occasionally to Watercombe(Yeovil)Creemary.In the afternoon Guildford would appear(3600 gallons)for their Ramsgate load and Headcorns load would be taken up the road as far as Andover for changeover with Headcorn driver usually using hired Frank Tucker ERF(180 Gardener) or the last Mandatetor Tenacious
As the day moved on more trailers were filled up,more Wood Lanes,Vauxhall,Ilford,Co-op Manor House,Hove,Eastbourne and Sheffield Park and the second of two trips for Southampton would be leaving while the loaded ex Lostwithiel CI for Vauxhall would be arriving and the three compartment load for Mitcham Co-op(a special on Friday nights as it came back loaded with bread and cakes for sale in the office.
There might also be concentrated cider from Attleborough via Wood Lane for onward delivery to Showerings at Shepton Mallet.Not a bulk delivery but unusual was covering Barbers Transport for a fortnight while their cheese farmers sent their milk for the liquid market and only a few drivers knew where these farms were/around Christmas backloading skim from Cliffords of Bracknel/surplus from County Dairies Kidlington/Newport IOW/Chichester I should have written this down
jimcab:
0GYC 511N. . ■■■■■■■ powered Guy, these units were the mainstay of the fleet in the 70’s . .i remember driving this one “Flyer”
I think this is a Wood Lane based Guy as their trailers were tandem axle whereas Aldermeads were tri-axles
jimcab:
I remember that depot in Mayfield, we used to deliver to a few dairies in sussex and kent . I was actually employed by unigate but drove wincanton vehicles.
Mayfield churn lorries all ran to Headcorn and the tankers ran to Hove,Eastbourne Hastings,Peacehaven,then diversions MMB Portslade,Margate,Sevenoaks,HeadcornMaidstone,Southwick Hill,Brighton Co-op
Mayfield had a long history in the milk business the workshops being part of an old Express site and before that South Eastern Farmers
jimcab:
bedford km a popular choice for farm collection.
Mayfield depot had severall but the old Albion Clydesdale with the ergonomic cab were much nicer for a days work running around the Sussex lanes
jimcab:
Unigate foods. . AEC Mercury farm tank
Unigate had a no pump fitted four wheeler which regularly appeared on a Wood Lane to Birds Eye Eastbourne run,this may be the one as the(at that time)electric pump was usually mounted between the fuel tank and rear axle the large alkali batteries mounted on the drivers side
cattle wagon man:
I purchased this photograph at a Truck Show a couple of years ago.
There was no name on the reverse, so I am unable to credit the Copyright owner.For the
olderdrivers , the photo location might look familiar. It is of Skelsmergh , onthe A 6, looking south towards Kendal.
I reckon the date would be in the mid-1960s, and the B.M.C. probably belongs to Barnes & Nelson. Their haulage depot was situated a mile further down the road , and the milk would be on its way to the Milk Marketing Board dairy, on the northern edge of Kendal. Just a change to see the earliercollection` driver at work , and no doubt a risky place to stop, - prior to the M 6 motorway opening.On the right-hand side of the road , is the entrance to Longsleddale valley. This valley was to be origin for the "Postman Pat " children`s stories, written by John Cunliffe. A bit of added information, useful or useless .
BTW, the milk stand is still there, - and intact !! Ahhh,…nostalga…it ain`t what it used to be.
Cheers, cattle wagon man.
I started driving on churns although they were nearly finished the old stands can still be spotted and there are two near me still waiting for their last pickup as they have some old steels bolted on them they are at Preston Bisset,Bucks and Chastleton near Moreton in Marsh Glos