Just found this is it that long since I posted it, some good names in there, Bolton Roadways (not transport) would be the firm with the green cabs. I was brought up virtually next to Hipwood and Grundy`s yard (On Barton St) and just up the road from Smedleys Foods. I can remember “Hippies” as a huge concern, Stan Bannister when I was in my teens drove an old AEC 8 Wheeler for them it was a BSD (Balloch Alexandria Scotland) on contract from hippies he used to bring it in the street and load all his chains in the toolbox he kept in the front garden, then dissapear up scotland for a few days, always set off about 9pm I remember will all use kids standing round the motor smelling the diesel man fumes !
Blimey just reading through this thread has brought back lots, and lots of memories of all those companies most long since gone. My old fella used to do some work for Roofcraft who had a yard rear of Burtons shop on Market St, Farnworth, they had a huge 8 leg Foden they used to carry slates on, and a couple of tippers, another unusual company was Bolton Gate Company they had a few rigids we repainted for them, all fitted with HIABs for lifting the gates on and off, they used to run on the continent a lot (you know exports like) one of the drivers whose name now escapes me (long forgotton) was a dead ringer for Brian Ferry out of Roxy music he used always be good for cheap ■■■■ and booze brought back in the landing leg of the HIAB ! Happy happy days !
Heyup Yonmon
I lived in farnworth for 22 years and I have been living over here in Wakefield for about the same length of time. I can remember all those old Bolton Hauliers you spoke about. I once went for a job with Allans at Watermeetings in Bolton and he pointed out the motor I would be driving, it was stood against a wall in a bloody great lake of water I didnt bother with the job. I remeber Fred Snaylam advertising for drivers for his Atkis saying “all our vehicles are fitted with a radio” They were but you counldn’t hear the bloody thing. I remember Hipwood a Grundys lads on the black oil job. One of the drivers lived near me in New Bury, his wife had a hairdressing business. I went to Farnworth to see the kids a few weeks ago and Charltons have shifted all that old sh**t out of there yards. I remember Mellings, you could smell the bread baking all over farnworth but it tasted crap, everbody ate warbys at that time. Do you know Alan Burns from plodder lane? he has been involved with the motor trade all his life. I drove for Coronation Plant Hire on the low loader and then I went driving for MAT on Trafford Park. I retire in June and we are selling the house and moving back to Farnworth.
Cliff
Great to hear all them old names from the past.In the seventies Dad worked for Hipwoods.Holidays would be spent going to London and getting digs at Monicas on Rays rd.Hipwoods depot was at Montague rd,along with the office at Tilbury.He got one of the new Mandators that came on a Kreg,but ill never forget the impression the 110 scanias made on a 12 yr old cab rat? Other names I remember from Hipwoods are Tony Ashurst,Stuart Shepley (garage),Dennis and Bernard(garage),Gerry Bannister,Ray Bostock,Sid Watkins,Clive Grundy,Jim Mathieson,Rob Blackshaw,Bob Taylor,Nick Hooton,Scotch Les,Liam Barnes,Billy Richards,Joe Singleton,Roy Nolan,Gordon Johnson,Vinny Platt,Roy Thompson and the list goes on.Hippies had a reputation as a decent firm and were perhaps one of the biggest around in the 70s.I myself worked for Nuttalls at Clifton and Jays of Atherton in the eighties.I also did a bit of casual for Kenny Harvey and Allens.In the nineties whilst working for H&G,we subbed a load of Kenny to Holland(Alkmaar, I think) and I remember Kennys lads putting me right on the Immingham boat 
I made some good friends over the years from the Farnworth area,especially in the time that a lot of Bolton and local firms were doing the continent(Foxy and Frank Walmsley to name a few).They say that your childhood is the happiest time of your life,well a lot of mine was spent in a Hipwoods lorry riding shotgun with my Dad,and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.Im now in my 30th year of this job,the last 5 as an owner driver.The job has changed immensly;But I would not swap my wagon for a Hipwoods octopus■■?
Carlc:
Heyup Yonmon
I lived in farnworth for 22 years and I have been living over here in Wakefield for about the same length of time. I can remember all those old Bolton Hauliers you spoke about. I once went for a job with Allans at Watermeetings in Bolton and he pointed out the motor I would be driving, it was stood against a wall in a bloody great lake of water I didnt bother with the job. I remeber Fred Snaylam advertising for drivers for his Atkis saying “all our vehicles are fitted with a radio” They were but you counldn’t hear the bloody thing. I remember Hipwood a Grundys lads on the black oil job. One of the drivers lived near me in New Bury, his wife had a hairdressing business. I went to Farnworth to see the kids a few weeks ago and Charltons have shifted all that old sh**t out of there yards. I remember Mellings, you could smell the bread baking all over farnworth but it tasted crap, everbody ate warbys at that time. Do you know Alan Burns from plodder lane? he has been involved with the motor trade all his life. I drove for Coronation Plant Hire from Walkden on low loader work and then I went driving for MAT on Trafford Park. I retire in June and we are selling the house and moving back to Farnworth.
Cliff
Snaylem Atkinson by tex99, on Flickr
Carlc:
Heyup Yonmon
I I retire in June and we are selling the house and moving back to Farnworth.
Cliff
Was in Farnworth weekend just gone Cliff, its gone down hill a bit. I was up there for funeral of a mate himself a trucker but cant remember the firm he worked for last, was over at Middleton. I used to work at Mellings Bakery as a driver when I was about 17, didnt have a regular round but just drove bulk deliveries (as was) early start, not an early finish, I used to alternate starts from 5am one week to 6 the next. One day off a week (Sunday) and often had to take a van on sunday to another bakery to collect bread/cakes if they had a breakdown in the plant. They were good days with a good set of lads, didnt do it long though, about a year. We all used to fill our log book in on a Thursday for the week, and go and hand the sheet in for exhange of your brown paper wage packet.
Charltons shifted all the crap some time ago, It had all been there since I was a kid, I think I saw in the BEN online that planning permission was being sought for a supermarket or something. My old fella used to go in the Clock Face Pub just over the road from Hippies was Eddie the landlord ? I remember he used to say some days you couldnt get to the bar for all the roping and sheeting going on. (he meant the Hippies drivers talking shop)
Ronnie Butterworth used to share the yard with my old fella, he was an ex hippies driver, think he got some conpen when a lorry overturned and he bought and AEC Mercury 4 wheeler, flat. He used to do containerway work out of Preston, then he hit the Pools, won 47k, a lot of money in them days and bought a Scania Unit, and I think an Atkinson Unit, kept them at the yard in Farnworth, nice Motors, the Scania ended up being sold to Hippies. HIs businesss hit bad times and he finished up running a 4 wheeler (commer) for Fletchers Paper Mill, Stoneclough. Ron is still alive, but getting on a bit lives in Little Hulton now.
I remember seeing Ronnie Butterworths lorry being parked on the end of Longcauseway on a regular basis.I think he had a Mandator for a time ,a white one if my memories right.
The company at Tonge Moor near the cricket field was Bolton Transport and Trading, owned by Stanley Smith. Most of his vehicles and trailers were cobbled together in his yard in the days before annual testing and plating and all the vehicles seemed to have the same registration number. Albion tractor units were powered by Gardner 4LWs or 5LWs, and if you got behind one of them on a road such as Blackstone Edge or Woodhead then you certainly had to sit there for the duration. A driver I knew was John Cairns who served his time at Smithy’s later worked for Joe Fletcher at Little Lever, then Raymond Holden. Other drivers I recall from Holdens, and HKR Transport were Albert Hayes, Gordon Axon, Ray Beard, Harry Jones, Albert Jones, Roy Booth (the best roper and sheeter I ever saw), Billy Humphreys, Winston Beard (HKR’s fitter) Tommy Hollander.
sammy1960:
I remember seeing Ronnie Butterworths lorry being parked on the end of Longcauseway on a regular basis.I think he had a Mandator for a time ,a white one if my memories right.
Yes he lived on Longcauseway for many years, he parked his motor on the garage on Edith Street, just off Albert Road, (nearly at the side of the old fire station overnight, he shared that place with my old fella which they rented off the council. He had an AEC Mandator Unit, and a AEC Mercury flat four wheeler, part regs BTF, and LTF !! only bit I can remember I have asked Ron if he had any pics of the old motors but not a one survives unfortunately.
Whilst I am on, how about Jim Obertelli JO Transport, he we a good mate of my old fellas, and used to take me fishing up in the lakes as a kid did Jim, I remember him setting up he had a yellow dodge flat back he bought off Parkers of bolton, and from then on he just seemed to take off, my old fella did a lot of body work for him including building flat bodies on some of his new Dodges, There is an interesting picture on his web site of his AEC, and Leyland Ergomatic cab motors, with containers on the back, as always he was carrying for Mansels on Mansel Way at Horwich, (renamed many times) I had a few mates who worked for Jim, and I know he was a hard task master (suppose its how these guys got to the top) He used to do things like give you an extra fiver if you risked life and limb changing a wheel instead of turning someone out. Business is owned by his sons I believe these days, and Jim was living up on the Isle of Arran, alive last I heard (from one of his drivers) but that was a few years ago, I always liked the man, but aint seen him for a thousand years, I used to call round to his depot on Stopes Road, Little Lever and have a brew with him, and his lad John that was his transport manager. Passed the place the other week, plenty of activity, I did see one of his artics down near Portsmouth a few months ago, which brought a smile to my face and prompted me to search for his web site, I emailed them saying who I was and asking if Jim was okay but never got a reply sign of the times a suppose ! 
I had a mate who lived in Farnwoth ( Jimmy Parkinson RIP) he used to do general and his lad took the business over and ran his old F7 into the ground. Jimmy had driven for Parkers and bought his motor from them and ran it as wagon and drag.
Does anyone remember Arthur Lee`s Transport Cafe on Albert Road, Farnworth it where the Coop Funeral Service is now. It was run by Arthur and his Mrs, Martha. Proper greasy spoon, used to get a bacon butty there every morning “to take out” He also used to sell me his old records of his juke box ! I was probably about 15/16 at the time, and working for my old fella at the garage. Lots of truckers and garage owners used it. Probably would be condemmed by todays standards !
Can anyone remember the name of the furnature removal company from Farnworth that had passages from the bible on the front of the luton body?
Carlc:
Can anyone remember the name of the furnature removal company from Farnworth that had passages from the bible on the front of the luton body?
I remember Bentley’s Removals. Was it them?
Thanks Gingerfold but thta name does not ring a bell.
Cliff
gingerfold:
Carlc:
Can anyone remember the name of the furnature removal company from Farnworth that had passages from the bible on the front of the luton body?I remember Bentley’s Removals. Was it them?
THe name of the removal firm from Farnwoth ,with a quote from the bible on the luton body was Harold Lomas Transport
Carlc:
Can anyone remember the name of the furnature removal company from Farnworth that had passages from the bible on the front of the luton body?
1159jrh:
THe name of the removal firm from Farnwoth ,with a quote from the bible on the luton body was Harold Lomas Transport
Edit postReport this postReply with quote by mushroomman » Mon Nov 10, 2008 4:13 pm
Wheel Nut wrote:
I think it was a motorcycle courier firm.
“you could hear the roar of triumph as Moses crossed the land”
God Wheel Nut, you have go me thinking now
Can anybody remember in the early 70s, a company from up North or the Midlands called J. Lomas or J. Lomax who ran a fleet of red luton vans ?.
I remember seeing them very often going up and down th M1.
Above the cab on the front of the van it was written in large letters,
( " AND THE LORD SAID " ) and then in smaller letters there was I think a quote from the bible ( or was it a joke ). When ever I spotted one of their vans coming towards me , by the time that I had started trying to read the next line it was to late.
Can anybody shine any devine light on this company.
Thanks Carlc and 1159jrh after three and a half years I knew that the truth was out there somewhere .
Well done that man. My memory is s—t. I supose they are long gone now but it was quite strange having something like that on the front of the motor. Cliff
1159jrh:
THe name of the removal firm from Farnwoth ,with a quote from the bible on the luton body was Harold Lomas Transport
Harold Lomas(x) ? yes, werent they down Peel St (off Market St) My old fella used to do work for him. He also did work for NMU (Northern Motor Utilities) up at Clifton Junction, they had trucks painted up in Rowntree Mackintosh Colours, and Thorn Electrical lighting which were very high vans on Bedford TK`s, due to them carrying Tubelighting which had to be stood on end.
They were indeed happy days, strange you know I cam across a copy of Motorway which was a programme done by Yorkshire Television about the GMP Motorway Group when the M62 was closed in the 70`s. What struck me was that every truck that was travelling on the motorway was UK Manufactured, just the odd DAF in sight. No wonder this country is up the creek bowt a paddle all that manufacturing, and jobs gone to waste. These days I think you would struggle to spot a UK manufactured truck. All gone into the sands of history
Can anyone remember a yard around the Bolton area that looked (and might well have been) a scrap yard.I vaugely remember it just through a set of lights with an old Scammell Crusader and quite a few old trailers in there, its a long shot and quite a few years back now