from the sixties onwards most of our vans had underslung tailboards so tailboard loads as such were out of the question, also as they wee maximum legal length. there were legal questions, although there was a loophole, I think, as the tailboard was not taken as part of the vehicle length. However on several occasions the tailboards were fastened tight up against pretruding loads wit the chains, the shutters were left open and we gaied about a couple of feet by roping and sheeting the back of the vehicle.
In the previous photo the although the van had a drop well it had straight through floor in the front where as we had wheelboxes whih reduced the step up height from the drop well and gave us extra height of about 9 inches and of course bigger cubic capacity, as shown in this photo, of one of ours.
from the sixties onwards most of our vans had underslung tailboards so tailboard loads as such were out of the question, also as they wee maximum legal length. there were legal questions, although there was a loophole, I think, as the tailboard was not taken as part of the vehicle length. However on several occasions the tailboards were fastened tight up against pretruding loads wit the chains, the shutters were left open and we gaied about a couple of feet by roping and sheeting the back of the vehicle.
In the previous photo the although the van had a drop well it had straight through floor in the front where as we had wheelboxes whih reduced the step up height from the drop well and gave us extra height of about 9 inches and of course bigger cubic capacity, as shown in this photo, of one of ours.
Presume that wasnt a dedicated removal van.Looks like a distinct lack of blankets and webbing
That pick sent a shiver down my spine!!, just how I remember things. … and yes, no webs, no blankets neatly folded and squared away, no sack barrow (if you were lucky!). Looking at that I cant imagine how I used to fill them full to the back doors, nicely squared in tiers! Wouldn’t want to do that now, especially with a 2000 cube body on it!
Nowadays, it seems a lot of companies use wooden storage containers (we used to call them lift vans for some reason!) and side loading doors with ramps across the pavement. Also, take away the luton space as some of the trucks have the bigger haulage cabs on them and it makes the job a bit more awkward.
Do I miss the craic, the travelling around Europe actually getting into and seeing the different cities, towns and villages?..Yes I Do!!
Do miss ■■■■■■■ wardrobes and pianos up flights of stairs (Paris!), long walks with just the two of you (not the romantic type of walk! ), ■■■■■■■ furniture in general and dealing with stroppy customers?..(zb) NO!!
paris… there used to be a custom office in paris just off ring road pulled in there with a 2000 cube van with 3 houses on went in office the bloke held 3 fingers up I couldn’t speek French went back in 3 hr he started shouting at me another drive told me he means 3 days loads of fun
bullitt:
That pick sent a shiver down my spine!!, just how I remember things. … and yes, no webs, no blankets neatly folded and squared away, no sack barrow (if you were lucky!). Looking at that I cant imagine how I used to fill them full to the back doors, nicely squared in tiers! Wouldn’t want to do that now, especially with a 2000 cube body on it!
Nowadays, it seems a lot of companies use wooden storage containers (we used to call them lift vans for some reason!) and side loading doors with ramps across the pavement. Also, take away the luton space as some of the trucks have the bigger haulage cabs on them and it makes the job a bit more awkward.
Do I miss the craic, the travelling around Europe actually getting into and seeing the different cities, towns and villages?..Yes I Do!! Do miss ■■■■■■■ wardrobes and pianos up flights of stairs (Paris!), long walks with just the two of you (not the romantic type of walk! ), ■■■■■■■ furniture in general and dealing with stroppy customers?..(zb) NO!!
Hi Suedehead and Bullit,
How right you were LPT 865J was when built originally and at the time of the photo painted in Courtaulds Livery. It was the second pair of similar identical vans built with one of each Courtaulds livery and our livery, and I suspect at the time of the photo was waiting for repaint in our livery following the closure of the Spennymoor plant.
We did about 60 loads of Courtelle yarn per week to clothing manufacturers throughout the UK and Northern Ireland. They were packed in 2ft by 2ft by 1ft 6in high boxes, ideal for vans like that with a full load being about 5 ton and loads were on average eight drops, but none of our vans were exclusive use and LPT865J will have done its fair share of household removals as return loads. Blankets boxes etc. would have been pushed onto the back of the van from our warehouse stock on occasions of such use.
The person on the back of the van was Eddie Ramsey. Eddy by this time will have worked for us about 20 years, having worked for F Johnson & Sons removals of Durham City for over 20 years when we bought that business out. Eddy’s biggest job whilst at Johnsons was delivering 30 van loads of the new organ for Coventry cathedral, following the destruction when it was bombed in Second World War. The biggest church organ to be built probably in 20th century.
Whilst with us Eddie did mostly long distance and continental removals, and with his experience he was very good at his job. During a massive number we never had a complaint or any damage reported. By the time this photo was taken Eddy had found he wanted an easier life at the age of 64 and had been made warehouse manager of our removal warehouse, where the van is situated is outside the warehouse and obviously Eddie is waiting of assistance to help him load, with most probably the driver who is taking the van away. No doubt blankets will be on a pallet in the warehouse waiting to be forklifted onto the tailboard. Unfortunatly a few months after this photo, on a Christmas Eve about lunchtime, weeks before his 65th birthday, Eddy collapsed and died in our warehouse, next to the drivers side of the van in the picture
The van will be loaded with a removal out of store and filled up with part loads to drop off en route making sure the van arrives at the final destination at the booked time. With regard to ties I can assure you that when eddy loaded the van it would be packed full ,and tight with no chance of any movement or need to tie anything, apart from across the back of the load to make sure nothing could fall back onto the roller shutter, above the tailboard.
Like you say Bullit, I have loaded vans like that many times during my life, and looking onto that empty van, today, I would cry my eyes out at the thought of attempting it now. It’s like my dad used to say of people who thought they exercised by going to the Gym, ‘Give them a few big removals to do and then they would have known what exercise was’, particularly like he used to have to do, always in a hurry to get through more work.
Carl
We had some furniture delivered today. The delivery window was 0730 til 1100. I had left my mobile no with the supplier when ordering so we could have an idea when the “stuff” was to be delivered. I got a text last night at 1800 confirming we were first drop on the van roughly 0730 til 0830. Since I retired I’ve been getting used to not having to get up early so I set the alarm for 0700, (whinging about it) up with the larks I waited to hear from the driver, 0745 he’s on the phone, with you in 5mins!!! And he was!!! they were gone by 0800. Magic Well done NEXT. I was impressed. How times have changed, and in this case thank God for the mobile phone. REGARDS KEV.
kevmac47:
We had some furniture delivered today. The delivery window was 0730 til 1100. I had left my mobile no with the supplier when ordering so we could have an idea when the “stuff” was to be delivered. I got a text last night at 1800 confirming we were first drop on the van roughly 0730 til 0830. Since I retired I’ve been getting used to not having to get up early so I set the alarm for 0700, (whinging about it) up with the larks I waited to hear from the driver, 0745 he’s on the phone, with you in 5mins!!! And he was!!! they were gone by 0800. Magic Well done NEXT. I was impressed. How times have changed, and in this case thank God for the mobile phone. REGARDS KEV.
Hi Kev,
How times have changed. Today with mobile phones and Sat navs the lorry drivers life is so much easier. Even when we finished in 1986 there was none of these, but they did have A to Zs. But still more than half the homes still had no telephone. We sent out cards to tell them roughly the delivery times to arrive the morning of delivery, and couldn’t do any earlier because we were still expected to deliver within a day or two and often there was no one at home. It is difficult leaving a tree piece suite next door. They don’t know they are alive today
When I was first driving our small vans on mail order household furniture deliveries in 1964 we didn’t even have A to Zs and the country villages and small town were favourite as addresses were easier to find. With larger cities like Newcastle on Tyne we would find our first delivery and take your delivery notes inside and ask if they knew if any were near, and get directions from them if you were lucky
What a fantastic thread, didn’t fully read every page but did skim each one. This takes me back to my youth, I worked in the removals (& courier & parcel & storage) industry for over a decade in the 90’s. I remember my boys ■■■■■■■■ about our smaller 7.5t box vans, and their excitement when the new 17t side loading container trucks arrived (for loading wooden storage containers straight into without unpacking them).
From a mere telephonist I ended up doing telephone estimates, site estimates and running the depot, joining my lads on site when necessary and pitching in if needed. House moves are strange things, so personal to the people you’re moving but often quite weird to the outsider (walking round someones house doing an estimate always felt like an invasion of privacy to me) office moves were easier to estimate and in general seemed to go smoother (more profit!)
So many familiar names, Allots, GB Liners, Specialsed, Pickfords (of course!), Masons of Liverpool. It wasn’t cut throat though and I had great relationships with all my competition, even ended up BAR Secretary for my area for a while. Stressful work at times but a lot of great memories. I always remember one customer ringing me up saying ‘When your van arrived with an old man and a little boy I was sure this was going to be a disaster but they have been so wonderful, worked so hard and done such a good job I just had to ring you up to let you know!’ The old man was indeed our longest serving driver but still only in his 50’s then (albeit with a fully silver head and beard), the little boy was a very youthful looking 18 but a ■■■■ good worker.
We had some great jobs, some weird ones and even some scary ones. I think that’s the great thing about the industry; the sheer variety you can encounter in any one week.
Carl Williams:
I wonder if this was a photo from a BAR training course on van packing, where the instructor shows off his work?
I look at that and I think “matchsticks”, cos that’s all that’ll be left when they open the doors at the other end. Makes you wonder why they bothered with the blankets…
Carl Williams:
I wonder if this was a photo from a BAR training course on van packing, where the instructor shows off his work?
I look at that and I think “matchsticks”, cos that’s all that’ll be left when they open the doors at the other end. Makes you wonder why they bothered with the blankets…
Yes
I saw the photo on the internet, and was laughing at it. Over my life I have seen some dreadful packing, when we have been waiting to unload when idiots who hadn’t a clue were late emptying the house we were moving into. Also seeing efforts people make in carrying settees and wardrobes out of houses
Carl Williams:
I wonder if this was a photo from a BAR training course on van packing, where the instructor shows off his work?
I look at that and I think “matchsticks”, cos that’s all that’ll be left when they open the doors at the other end. Makes you wonder why they bothered with the blankets…
Yes
I saw the photo on the internet, and was laughing at it. Over my life I have seen some dreadful packing, when we have been waiting to unload when idiots who hadn’t a clue were late emptying the house we were moving into. Also seeing efforts people make in carrying settees and wardrobes out of houses
I don’t think we got too many idiots, but having to wait a bit while the mob moving the previous owners out finished off wasn’t uncommon. More often than not it wasn’t their fault but usually a problem with exchange of contracts. We’d usually shove off and get a cuppa somewhere but if they were still at it when we got back we would usually give them a hand for a bit just so we could tip and go home sooner.
… and yes, no webs, no blankets neatly folded and squared away, no sack barrow (if you were lucky!). Looking at that I cant imagine how I used to fill them full to the back doors, nicely squared in tiers! Wouldn’t want to do that now, especially with a 2000 cube body on it! 
), ■■■■■■■ furniture in general and dealing with stroppy customers?..(zb) NO!! 
