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Mark ,check out there History on ARCHER COWLEY OXFORD .
marktaff:
Carl Williams:
Lawrence Dunbar:
oiltreader:
Gathered another one or two thanks to fellow flickrites.
OilyHi Oily, Thats a great shot of Luckings Albion a 1948 Tynemouth reg, Thanks for posting all these classic photos, Regards Larry.
Hi Larry,
I wonder if it had been new to Alfred Bell. They ran a lot of Albion removal vans as this article from Commercial Motor illustratesHow Alfred Bell dealt with removals in 1932. I don’t think we’ll ever see the like of that again!
INTERESTING FEATURES OF TRUNK-SERVICE OPERATION. I N addition to its normal removing business, which extends throughout the British Isles, Alfred Bell (Newcastle), Ltd., runs a trunk service, both night and day, between Newcastle and London. As the majority of vehicles employed on this long-distance work is limited to 20 m.p.h., the company has opened a depot and drivers’ hostel at Tuxford, so that changes of drivers can be made in order to comply with the Road Traffic Acts. There is accommodation at this depot for some 80 men.
At the London terminus at 24, Friern Park, North Finchley, the company has extensive covered garage accommodation and a hostel, where’ it can sleep and feed approximately 40 drivers. Vdhicles of a number of other concerns are also serviced at this terminus.
The company’s fleet is made up of Albion, Garner and Bedford vehicles, although the latest vehicle to be added to the fleet is a Thornycroft, this having been purchased mainly because of its large carrying capacity. (1,500. cubic fit.). During the past year the trunk-service vehicles covered Over 800,000 miles.
The vehicles are serviced from the head depository at Higham Place, Newcastle, which has accommodation for 3,000 loads, and every vehicle, upon completion of a journey from Newcastle to London and back, passes through the, hands of the mechanics, who check over the reports handed in by the drivers. As each vehicle is in the hands of five drivers after leaving Neweaet e until its return from London and every driver is instructed to report on his log sheet any defeats or trouble that may arise, it is passible for the’ mechanicsto maintain the fleet in first-class condition and practically to ensure an absence of breakdowns.
If it was its a pity it hadn’t been preserved in Alfred Bells red & Green livery, one of the best on the road during the 1950s
Carl
Hi Carl,
Hope you are keeping well !
This is a great article story you have posted once again about Alfred Bell.
The milage those trucks were clocking up doing 20mph from Newcastle to London and back…five driver turn around…i cant amagine doing what those guys did back then out in all weather…no comfort of a warm cab…that was some set up Alfred Bell had back then…1500cuft van then must have been something to boast about back then.
I don’t remember Alfred Bell doing furniture removals bit before my time I’m afraid…I just remember them mainly carrying Raleigh Bikes with the BMC Laird and Leyland Boxer box vans.
Great story once again Carl thanks for posting.
Hi Mark,
Alfred bell was until the late 50s probably the biggest Removal contractors in Northern England with their original Warehouses, workshop and offices in the centre of Newcastle, just adjacent to the High Level Bridge.
When I became chairman of the BAR northern region in 1978 Miss Lilly Wilcox was and had for many years secretary. She had been secretary to Mr Marks who was Managing director of Alfred Bell and worked for them almost 50 years until she retired. She still maintained her presence at BAR meeting as Alfred Bell representative even thought they had given up doing removals.
In those days people used companies nearish to their home, unlike today when many companies don’t even show what town they are based in. Alfred Bell had in the late 60s relocated in Wideopen on the outskirts of Newcatle and lilly had explained it was a case of out of sight out of mind as customers had shunned using them as they were no longer in ‘Newcatle’.
When we opened our Newcastle office (which had a very small warehouse) in the 70s it had to be in centre of Newcastle to get a 4 number tel no starting with 33 which showed we were right in the centre. Customers in those days were a bit snobbish & wouldn’t have used us if we had been in Gateshead for instance. We were well known because of our vans but still had to establish our credibility because many reasoned if you could afford a city centre office you were highly reputable. How times change.
With regard to 20 mph speed limit. It tended to be treated with little respect in the 40s & 50s. In those days vans had no stop lights, obviously there was no radar and I’m not sure of the distance exactly but to convict of speeding they had to follow you for about a third of a mile and record an average speed of over 20 mph to convict and drivers concentrated more looking their mirror (Yes one mirror as n/s mirrors hadn’t been thought of or were legal requirement) watching for police & slowing down rapidly with no stop lights indicating they were.
Tartan Arrow were very well known in those days running from London to Scotland and I remember one of our drivers from the early 50s, Tommy Stoddard saying he used to try to get behind a Tartan Arrow because they got through & never stopped but the problem was keeping up with them and that was in one of our 1953 Bedford SBs that would do 70 along the level (A bit over the legal limit of 20)
We had one job for a Company called Ramar Dresses from Crook Co.Durham where we had to collect a load of dresses (We had hanging rails which we fastened across the vans to the tie rails) at 3.30PM each afternoon for delivery the following morning into the West End. I remember when I was little going to bed with my dad at 7.00PM so he could get a bit sleep before midnight to leave Spennymoor to be in London (260 miles) for 7 in the morning. He went to Ramar’s London office first Kent House at the rear of Oxford Street to drop off a few ‘Model dresses’ & pick up a young lad employed to guide him to the various destinations around Oxford Street area. I’m sure he will have delivered to Carnaby Street often although it was not widely known in those pre Beetles 60’s. He said in those days the streets were full of people pushing & pully rails f dresses on casters round the various shops & warehouses
He told me on one occasion he was taking dresses up to the third floor & a chap gave him 10 shilling note (Quite a bit in about 1954) saying you deserve this for where you have managed to park that large pantechnicon, & when they looked down it had a car right up almost to his tailboard & another in front almost up to his front bumper, but those old SBs were quite manouverable without power assisted steering.
The petrol SBs had 26 gal tanks & got about 12mpg, and once out of London they had to refuel to get home to Spennymoor. I had an uncle Jim who was actually my Grandmothers brother (My dads uncle) and on one occasion Dad pulled in to refuel near Stevenage and the fuel attendant asking him if he’d forgotten something as he had just left. Dad said no that must have been one of my mates. (The vans as always painted as near to identical as possible) He got refuelled then off at 50mph watching for police when he saw on the horizon one of our ‘O model’ Bedfords & he realised it would be his uncle (Who obviously had filled with petrol just before him) My uncle had left for one drop Boreham wood Cellatape. One of our customers from Newton Aycliffe made tins for cellatape which must have been sold in tins in those days. My uncle had left the previous morning 1st thing & was on his way home the next day .My dad had left at midnight and at 10.00AM was on his way back hoping to be early enough to get loaded to leave again at Midnight. The speed limit was 20MPh and my uncle will have been travelling no faster than 19mph. As my dad overtook he waved & indicated they’d stop for a cup of tea at the next café. My dad pulled in got his tea & was just getting in his cab as he heard the Bedford O model horn blowing & shouting I thought you were going to have a cup of tea with me. Too late my dad said I have to get back.
The Ministry of transport mustn’t have been so thorough those days or they would question how our vans with one driver did such high mileage at 20 mph in their driving hours in those days
CARL
I hope I don’t bore people, but I must tell this tale my dad used to tell about himself and my Great uncle Jim.
I don’t know if they loaded the afternoon before but knowing my Grandfather he’ll have got help to load in the morning to get an early start.
This goes back to about 1936 when my dad was 15. Him and my uncle were taking a removal to London, my dad being porter.
The van was a Morris Commercial new about 1934 and remarkably for its age had about 1200 cu foot body with a large luton and as was the custom those days a tailboard load. They must have got down & unloaded by about midnight and were heading to stay at my uncle’s sister, my dad’s aunt’s house in St Albans overnight before returning to Spennymoor the next day. The van was a 3 tonner & the unladen weight below the limit so could legally travel at 30mph, meaning my uncle would have gone no faster than 29mph. (Driving my dad mad)
Like I said it was just after midnight when they came to a set of traffic lights on red. My uncle stopped & dad said he got sick of sitting in the cab so sat on a wall opposite. It was deadly still dark & no-one about when my uncle said it is round here where Jack the Ripper used to kill his victims. At that dad went & looked at the lights the opposite side & saw them on red, & realised they put all lights on red during the night. He said ‘I went over to him sitting in the cab & pulled him out of the driver’s seat, got in & told him to get in the passenger seat or I’d leave him to remember Jack the Ripper’ and off my 15 year old father drove the van back to St Albans.
Great tales Carl.
Dad had driven down to London during the war in one of his vans (not a Luton) and had picked up a lad to help him with the deliveries. It was late in the evening and German bombers came over. On the basis that there wasn’t much alternative, he carried on as the bombs fell. The lad he’d picked up said ‘It makes you feel just that bit safer having a roof over your head!’ Dad told me - ‘I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the roof was canvas!’
John.
John West:
Great tales Carl.Dad had driven down to London during the war in one of his vans (not a Luton) and had picked up a lad to help him with the deliveries. It was late in the evening and German bombers came over. On the basis that there wasn’t much alternative, he carried on as the bombs fell. The lad he’d picked up said ‘It makes you feel just that bit safer having a roof over your head!’ Dad told me - ‘I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the roof was canvas!’
John.
Thanks John.
Drivers today haven’t a clue what it was like in our younger days & even less what it was like in our Father’s or even Gradfather’s
John West:
Great tales Carl.Dad had driven down to London during the war in one of his vans (not a Luton) and had picked up a lad to help him with the deliveries. It was late in the evening and German bombers came over. On the basis that there wasn’t much alternative, he carried on as the bombs fell. The lad he’d picked up said ‘It makes you feel just that bit safer having a roof over your head!’ Dad told me - ‘I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the roof was canvas!’
John.
Thanks John.
Drivers today haven’t a clue what it was like in our younger days & even less what it was like in our Father’s or even Gradfather’s
marktaff:
smallcoal:
Hi mark,found this pic taken in station rd port talbot Pickford on one side w Jones on the otherHi John,
That’s a cracking find that pic here…rivals meeting in Station Road…Pickfords on Jones’s patch…how dare they…great pic John…how’s things mate !
Hi lads, not to bad old man home but now my mother not talking to me and Helen so family problems we see what happens,the Jones pic notice the passengers arm signalling to turn left going back up forge rd to glyndwr st the stripe is small on that van ,wonder if pick fords waved 
,Steve bet a few cobwebs been blown of that van glad to see he is happy driving it some nice pics been put on here
Carl and John ,brilliant info and stories you putting on nice knowing about the old days keep them coming
This old girl was only pensioned off in very recent years, according to his family he did a colossal mileage in it but whenever I drove past his house on Boythorpe Road it was always parked on his drive! Not my pic, lifted from facebook.
Pete.
smallcoal:
Carl and John ,brilliant info and stories you putting on nice knowing about the old days keep them coming
+1 
windrush:
This old girl was only pensioned off in very recent years, according to his family he did a colossal mileage in it but whenever I drove past his house on Boythorpe Road it was always parked on his drive! Not my pic, lifted from facebook.Pete.
“Always parked on his drive” Thats a cracker Pete !
Clark & Rose Seddon Atkinson from 1993.
JAKEY:
Good morning Mark,Henry is doing well driving his grandads Motor ,he loves it and it gets a lot of attention!! He does a lot of box collections and being doing the student drop offs also he drive to job help a crew load then going and meet another crew to help them load or load ,its all about keeping contact via there phones though .
Its going in for the bumpers to be repainted on Wednesday due to paint damage whilst in the warehouse etc.
He has asked that NO one else drives it though !!!
Hi Steve,
Lovely to hear young Henry getting attached to is grandads van…sounds great you are able to bounce him around helping crews and other bits of work.
Archer & Cowley looked a very prestigious company in there day…will take a closer look at the history of the company.
Steve this is a great pic you have posted here of Maxteds from Manchester.
I remember them very well…they were the main contractor for the Transport and Distribution of fiberglass insulation for Gyproc insulation in Runcorn Cheshire…it’s was a brand new factory in the late 70s and Maxteds handled every load out of there…and I had many a load out of there for South Wales…Happy Days but Maxteds had the same livery as on the commer here to the end…but sadly are no more.
smallcoal:
marktaff:
smallcoal:
Hi mark,found this pic taken in station rd port talbot Pickford on one side w Jones on the otherHi John,
That’s a cracking find that pic here…rivals meeting in Station Road…Pickfords on Jones’s patch…how dare they…great pic John…how’s things mate !Hi lads, not to bad old man home but now my mother not talking to me and Helen so family problems we see what happens,the Jones pic notice the passengers arm signalling to turn left going back up forge rd to glyndwr st the stripe is small on that van ,wonder if pick fords waved
Hi John,
Glad to hear your dad is home from hospital mate…what’s the saying “You can pick your freinds but not your family” lol hopefully they will come round mate.
I didn’t notice the arm out of the window on the Jones’s van mate.
Hello John ,
Sorry i for got your dad was unwell , just say what Mark had said , sorry ,glad he is home though.
Are you busy mate ~? how about you Mark ?