alan
[/quote]
Tommy Johnson, still see him now and again in Aycliffe WMC.
[/quote]
i saw him at roly dodds funeral, looked well, but will certainly be getting on a bit now
alan
iamupforit:
alan
Tommy Johnson, still see him now and again in Aycliffe WMC.
[/quote]
i saw him at roly dodds funeral, looked well, but will certainly be getting on a bit now
alan
[/quote]
Yeah i would think around the 80 mark .Vic.
Just been reading about Owen Ethrington on Carl Williams site, having bowel cancer, Hope his treatment is going alright.I worked a good few years with him at Dents,and had many a good laugh,and many a good drink with him.I wonder if he was the driver referd to as yogi. Hope he gets well soon.
Ken.
did he ever work for ABC trucking, the barrie burton, tucker carr firm that pulled out of linkflow
at one time, i seem to know him from somewhere, and yes, lets hope he pulls through
alan
yes, the budget wasnt very kind to us pensioners but,
ITS NEARLY FIVE DAYS SINCE ANYONE POSTED ON HEAR, HELL,!!! 
alan
kennyjohnson:
Drivers strike about 61/62.Three drivers who started as blacklegs during the strike were kept on when it ended.One was called Twist from Quarrington Hill,one was Bill Troop from
kennyjohnson:
Drivers strike about 61/62.
After the strike ended three drivers who started as blacklegs were kept on.A lad from Quarrington Hill called Twist one called Bill Troop a ex cop who kept turkeys over Close House way,he later had the filling station between Rushyford and the motorway at Bradbury on the left near the Ferryhill Station turn, he used to rear chickens on the floor in the kiosk. The filling station was knocked down a long time ago.The other was Bill Rooker, he jackknifed PPT9D going down Crocksdale bank, young John Bell who was with him had his leg took off.John was a fork lift driver in the
yard.He later past his class 1. and was a owner driver.
kennyjohnson:
kennyjohnson:
Drivers strike about 61/62.After the strike ended three drivers who started as blacklegs were kept on.A lad from Quarrington Hill called Twist one called Bill Troop a ex cop who kept turkeys over Close House way,he later had the filling station between Rushyford and the motorway at Bradbury on the left near the Ferryhill Station turn, he used to rear chickens on the floor in the kiosk. The filling station was knocked down a long time ago.The other was Bill Rooker, he jackknifed PPT9D going down Crocksdale bank, young John Bell who was with him had his leg took off.John was a fork lift driver in the
yard.He later past his class 1. and was a owner driver.
Hi Kenny, you certainly have a good recollection of bygone days at Dent’s. I think the filling station was built without planning permission and had to be demolished. I can remember Bill Troupe arriving at Petfood’s with a calf tethered on the trailer and brought it back home in the cab. Young John Bell often came into the yard with his dad and was unfortunate to be in with Bill Rooker when he jacknifed. I often wondered what happened to him after the accident. How did you acquire all the old photographs? Keep up the good work, Ronnie.
Mysterron:
kennyjohnson:
kennyjohnson:
Drivers strike about 61/62.After the strike ended three drivers who started as blacklegs were kept on.A lad from Quarrington Hill called Twist one called Bill Troop a ex cop who kept turkeys over Close House way,he later had the filling station between Rushyford and the motorway at Bradbury on the left near the Ferryhill Station turn, he used to rear chickens on the floor in the kiosk. The filling station was knocked down a long time ago.The other was Bill Rooker, he jackknifed PPT9D going down Crocksdale bank, young John Bell who was with him had his leg took off.John was a fork lift driver in the
yard.He later past his class 1. and was a owner driver.Hi Kenny, you certainly have a good recollection of bygone days at Dent’s. I think the filling station was built without planning permission and had to be demolished. I can remember Bill Troupe arriving at Petfood’s with a calf tethered on the trailer and brought it back home in the cab. Young John Bell often came into the yard with his dad and was unfortunate to be in with Bill Rooker when he jacknifed. I often wondered what happened to him after the accident. How did you acquire all the old photographs? Keep up the good work, Ronnie.
Hi Ronnie, John Bell drove for Barry Burton when he had Thatcher Transport, Barry was also manager of Containerships at the time, loading mainly off the deep water dock at Hartlepool.John could jump up and down those loads of reels of paper with one leg.He later got his own motor a Daf.I saw Jonn at Taffy’s funeral a few year ago and he said he had a pub in Willington.
Regards Ken.
In the early seventys Anti used to be concert chairman at Middlestone Moor club, he lived in Micky Moor before moving to the Costa Del Tudhoe,he
used to wear a silver suit.Nearly every monday morning one or two microphones would be left in the fitting shops to have the wires soldered back in .Me and my brother John and our women used to go on a weekend, Harry the joiner was always in, Tony Crooks sometimes was in.
Whats hapend to all the tales. Ken
.
there was always a little rivalry between rooker and robertshaw, both early starters and both similar motors at the time, rooker on wwg 314/5 and robertshaw on 684/5 mpt or something similar.
one night they were both in the yard changing over when rooker said to robertshaw," i am going to the same drop as you tomorrow, what time should we leave" i think we should get away for 5.30 says
robertshaw as we are going to bristol, ok said rooker but dont buggar off early and we will run down together, as if i would, says robertshaw,
to get one over the other man, rooker came into the yard at quarter to five, ha ha ha
ROBERTSHAW HAD ALREADY GONE AT FOUR O CLOCK
ALAN
Hello Boys, Old Bill is back after a fortnight in Tenerife celebrating our Golden Wedding, and looking forward to some good posts.
Bill
hello bill
good holiday i hope, nicely tanned and not too much to drink
alan
One day must have been holiday time, Jim asked me and George Gittings to go to Glasgow and load loco engines and generators at BR works in London Road. He told us to put 6 on.We got loaded and i was roping up on the road outside,a old women passing said to me “thats the best colour in the world son” i asked her what she ment, she said it was the light blue rope i was using.Just before we left Bill Rooker came in for a load. We soon found out we were realy overloaded, we came down the 74 across the 69, Team Valley ( no western bipass), Birtley and home.When i went in the yard the next morning Jim asked me to take the Matador to pull Rooker up Ridding Mill he been stuck there all night.He should have had more sence, We knew we were lucky to get ouer motors home the way we came.
Ken
Here’s a picture of Dad’s 401. It’s parked up for the night off the A38 in the layby at Bassetts Pole, Warwickshire along from the pub. (The pub’s still there although its a modern “chain” pub now). Its loaded with tea from Avonmouth for Tetleys at Eaglescliffe. That was in the days when the M42 wasn’t fully open and to get to/from the west country you had to use the A38/A442 and others (depending on how much of the M42 was open). The photo was taken in late 1983. The motor was new that year and Longfield Road Motors had it on their stand at the Great Yorkshire Show. Dad was on holiday when Dents took delivery of it and it was kept in the garage for him until he came back to work.
Alan - did you get the next one that came (B???MEF) or did Gerry Kenny get it? I remember Gerry having the blow out with it when he took 1/2mile of crash barrier out southbound on the M1 just north of Woodall services.
I also remember you and Dad holding up the main road through Wilnecote when you both stopped for a natter cab-to-cab, you coming from, Dad going to Tilcon’s brickworks on Hedging Lane for Metrocentre bricks. 
. Wish i had a penny for every brick Dents brought up from there!!! The manageress at the works had an aerial photo of the Metrocentre up on her office wall.
Darren
hi there
yes darren, i did get the next 401, reg no b239 mef.
it really had a knockabout life that motor, a load of metro bricks came hurtling up the trailer when
i had to slam on the brakes coming home on the a38 at burton on trent, breaking the headboard on
the trailer and doing extensive damage to the back of the cab, those using the a38 at the time, following
me would not be happy as the road was closed for a couple of hours
after i left dents gerry then got the motor and as you say he then wiped out a couple of hundred yards
of crash barrier on the south bound m1, on that occasion i was not a happy bunny as i was sat in the traffic
waiting for that mishap to clear 
happy days
alan
Bassets Pole a regular haunt of Armstrong`s running between the South West & Durham as alan says happy days
Alan, did Muffin call you a Bulls Knacker when you got back after the bricks hit the back of the cab.
I once backed under a trailer thinking it was No 13 as I was looking in the mirror, 3 hours down the road I discovered that I had backed under Trailer 31. He had a few choice words for me when I got back to the yard, seemed a simple mistake to make but he did not think so.
P.S. Going back to Norbury Wharf in July.
Bill
To much of a hurry you Dent`s what with you & your Bricks Alan & magic with his Melinate them heaboards must have got some stick
Tea job got a mention Elddis out of Tetley`s now closing Aycliffe & Norbert Dentresangle got the job now distribution from Trafford Park. All these big boys got the job knackered 24/7 & all that,
yes he did bill, and a few other words to go with them
muffin and george gittins came down to the A38 to help with the prang, lots of bricks to be hand balled
back onto the trailer, he wasnt very happy, although he did pay for all the teas at atkins cafe
greek,
i think we were all guilty of going too fast those days, although better then than now, imho
will there be any job losses at eldis with the loss of the tetley work 
alan