Has anyone got any photos to post on here ? Pete smith must be in the know,does anyone remember the names like Hawian five o ,wuthering heights,Mississippi ,three steps to heaven ,can’t think of the other names .
Hi Dan,did have a few pics of Mervyns trucks but they got binned with pics of my own trucks when i got divorced!! If i remember right the first missisippi showboat was a 141 dark/light blue and 2nd was a 142 C555JON driven when new by Barry[aussie] then by Paul Merrick.I can remember few of the drivers Harry Sankey,John Darby[RIP],Billy Darby aka Billy Bean,Ron Gilbert?,Billy Fallon.Then there where a few subbies Porky well known ERF E14 god knows what he had that blown up to!,Ray Baker ERF E10 used to park on Pensnett Trading est,Paul Capper star wars themed roadtrain followed by one of the first super space DAF 95’s and Kevin Fullard ERF B series.Also Mervyn ran ex Maguires of Cheltenham 142,reg no BHA 142Y,Mervyn Appleby passed away couple of years ago,RIP mate you always made a truck mad youth welcome round your yard and taught me how to swear properly!!!
The south wales lads might have some pics,after all most of the fleet was there twice a day from the midlands,scrap down,coal and coke back,are there any pics of Appleby’s ERF B series 8 leggers? had some of the first to be fitted with 290 rollers,just remembered couple of other lads who drove for him Alan Jones [RIP] and Robin Hargreaves [RIP] the latter also drove for Horace Kendrick
I remember them coming in to coopers metals pete loading in the top yard ,I think they had Wilcox step frames well before anyone else on scrap did,the back doors were set in to the body a bit like weightlifter ones ,Applebys written on the trailer chassis and the Mississippi on the cab ,was one called sweet sixteen ?
Coopers top yard,was that when weighbridge halfway down yard and that static electric crane with the sliding counter balance? Dan i can’t think of any names at minute but it was back of cabs there where a few names and pictures one that springs to mind was andy cap bending flo over 
and another had Billy Beans knocking shop on back window!
Do remember them loading at Fergy Wild’s near Scunthorpe with ilmenite type sand (can’t remember proper name) for Dudley, v8 scannies if I remember with stepframe bulkers.
That’s them ,I don’t remember them having anything but step frames / wilcox s / seadyke bodies all painted white until the last ones were left aly and the units were dark blue or plain white 4 series .
Evening all, now then, in between the sileage, (and repairing some unmentionable German kit, that should never , no never ever, have been sold to any farmer), and having on going computer problems…(we will be with you in 72 hours)…good job they are not in the lorry business…
Appleby…dear old Mervyn…(and I am truly sad if he has gone to those pearly gates)…“where do you want this tipped brov”!
First meeting, in his semi detached , along Blackhalve Lane Wednesfield, around 1970…(despite dire warnings from my “management”), to avoid Mervyn like the plague…me the Buckaneer, found myself drinking tea in his front room, overlooking “Brindleys Fields”, (the ancestors of the present Brindley Motor Group). …What were we discussing…the acquisition of a new Atkinson Defender / Wilcox bodied bulker 8x4…(mainly because Fodens would not supply Mervyn with 8x4s due to demand)!
“Please Mervyn, if I get it for you…will you promise to pay for it”■■..that sort of (pleading), question may seem odd to the modern “professional” Truck Salesman…but that is the way it was back in the 60s and 70s…“.but I need finance”…a few phone calls, (his telephone)…then more tea…sandwiches…and around 2.00pm the “victim”… a rep from Forward Trust arrrived…take Mervyn through the documentation…then the signatures…on his…and my docs…and away around five…(you cannot believe the disbelief from my bosses…but e ordered the chassis from Walton Le Dale)>
6 Weeks later…Mervyn , in full eloquent flight is berating me…(why me)…about the inadequacies of the Atkinson Lancastrian rear spring set up…(and he of course was right…for no Atkinson 8x4 was ever the equal of its Foden rival)…for that poor Defender was supposed to come up the Heads of the Valleys just as quick as his Fodens…and those of you who know , realise what an impossible task that was…Horace Kendrick knew well the set up for that “Rally Course”, and it was Foden…no other!!!
But I had taken Mervyn`s “shilling”, …(Forward Trusts pound)!!! So I was to get it in the neck…and I only lived around the corner…
Long time before both Pete, and Dan are refring to…but I liked Mervyn…both through his ups and downs…and he had a few trailers off me…
But please Mervyn was never ever Wolverhampton…his yard was Bloxwich, right on the border of New Invention and Bloxwich, right by the “new” M6…
Gentlemen, you have given this “old man” cheerfull memories…you should have heard what he called me!!!
Cheerio for now.
pete smith:
The south wales lads might have some pics,after all most of the fleet was there twice a day from the midlands,scrap down,coal and coke back,are there any pics of Appleby’s ERF B series 8 leggers? had some of the first to be fitted with 290 rollers,just remembered couple of other lads who drove for him Alan Jones [RIP] and Robin Hargreaves [RIP] the latter also drove for Horace Kendrick
Yes they were a regular site on the M50 , Passing Cloud , was a Scania i can remember . regards Keith .
I’ve got the magazine with Paul Capper and the yellow Daf ,Canadian pacific in,I forgot about passing cloud .
Dan Punchard:
I’ve got the magazine with Paul Capper and the yellow Daf ,Canadian pacific in,I forgot about passing cloud .
And was not there Shenandoah, as well . regards Keith
Saviem:
Evening all, now then, in between the sileage, (and repairing some unmentionable German kit, that should never , no never ever, have been sold to any farmer), and having on going computer problems…(we will be with you in 72 hours)…good job they are not in the lorry business…Appleby…dear old Mervyn…(and I am truly sad if he has gone to those pearly gates)…“where do you want this tipped brov”!
First meeting, in his semi detached , along Blackhalve Lane Wednesfield, around 1970…(despite dire warnings from my “management”), to avoid Mervyn like the plague…me the Buckaneer, found myself drinking tea in his front room, overlooking “Brindleys Fields”, (the ancestors of the present Brindley Motor Group). …What were we discussing…the acquisition of a new Atkinson Defender / Wilcox bodied bulker 8x4…(mainly because Fodens would not supply Mervyn with 8x4s due to demand)!
“Please Mervyn, if I get it for you…will you promise to pay for it”■■..that sort of (pleading), question may seem odd to the modern “professional” Truck Salesman…but that is the way it was back in the 60s and 70s…“.but I need finance”…a few phone calls, (his telephone)…then more tea…sandwiches…and around 2.00pm the “victim”… a rep from Forward Trust arrrived…take Mervyn through the documentation…then the signatures…on his…and my docs…and away around five…(you cannot believe the disbelief from my bosses…but e ordered the chassis from Walton Le Dale)>
6 Weeks later…Mervyn , in full eloquent flight is berating me…(why me)…about the inadequacies of the Atkinson Lancastrian rear spring set up…(and he of course was right…for no Atkinson 8x4 was ever the equal of its Foden rival)…for that poor Defender was supposed to come up the Heads of the Valleys just as quick as his Fodens…and those of you who know , realise what an impossible task that was…Horace Kendrick knew well the set up for that “Rally Course”, and it was Foden…no other!!!
But I had taken Mervyn`s “shilling”, …(Forward Trusts pound)!!! So I was to get it in the neck…and I only lived around the corner…
Long time before both Pete, and Dan are refring to…but I liked Mervyn…both through his ups and downs…and he had a few trailers off me…
But please Mervyn was never ever Wolverhampton…his yard was Bloxwich, right on the border of New Invention and Bloxwich, right by the “new” M6…
Gentlemen, you have given this “old man” cheerfull memories…you should have heard what he called me!!!
Cheerio for now.
Hi,Saviem,Mervyn did rent the yard what is now John Allmans,other side Sneyd pool from Craddocks yard,then he moved to back of dog track at monmore green this would have been early 1980’s and was called Impex Stone,think his last name he went by was Appleby’s of Wolverhampton,ta,Pete
He did have Applebys of Wolverhampton on the trailer chassis .
Evening all, …just proves that I am well out of touch!!!
More than likely I was intent on “tilling the soil”, and had really lost interest in lorries!
I wonder, are there any real “characters” left in the job today?? When was Mervyn at the back of Monmore Green? Was he renting off Bren Richardson? But he was still living down Blackhalve Lane…(judging by the length of the Mercedes sticking out of his drive)!
Cheerio for now.
Ah I remember those trucks, didn’t know who owned them though! The penny finally drops… 
Pete.
Pete ,you may remember Applebys queuing at middlepeak or the mine ,sometimes they’d be racing down through wirksworth with Clarkes and Sutcliffe s .
I drove the e14 after porky sold her, was a bit thirsty but would out pull most trucks at the time, I think she was up around 480 bhp.merfyn’s nickname amongst the drivers was dibble.
Is this the Porky E14 you referred to? It had a Fuller 13-speed g’box I believe! Robert 
robert1952:
Is this the Porky E14 you referred to? It had a Fuller 13-speed g’box I believe! Robert0
Is that the 1 that was running about last year with 1 of BJ Waters trailers on? Seen it in Bardon quarry a few times.