I found a picture from an old Ford brochure that features a Glasgow District Council Ford Transcontinental. I’m looking for more pictures and information of these wagons as there seems to be very little about them. I’ve so far found out that they ran from Polmadie incinerator to the landfill sight on Balmore road. So far I’ve found out the first batch were double drive 3424s on P plates. There was a second batch of V reg 4428s. I’ve heard they were replaced by big Volvo F10 day cabs in the late 80s. I believe all the Transcontis were scrapped after the council finished with them, although I’m led to believe one went on to become a wrecker with Coffields of Cleland. If anyone has any stories, pics or information I’d love to hear from you.
Cheers
Davy
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i took a 1976 reg transconti to saudi and back a few times whilst they ran them and always wondered what the point of having a double drive model that only went about a 40 mile round trip on glasgow streets was compared to be taking a 4x2 away to asia and back.
the logic of that somewhat escaped me though they were constantly on the road.
good looking truck though,but absolute overkill for taking a 40 footer flat with bales of compressed crap to a local tip.
it was only public money the council were wasting,so no big deal… 
That’s it dieseldog, nae doubt the sales men at the Ford dealership told of how wonderful the double drive was and that the council couldn’t live without it. Like you say it’s the council so almost an endless budget. Unless they thought they might use them for plant transport or heavy stuff as well.
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Thanks @Casual Observer this is fantastic info. The lorry in the brochures reg is MDS 459P and looks to have either 3603 or 3605 as its fleet number. I’ve tried searching MDS…P regs on Flikr and google but it doesn’t turn anything up sadly. Hopefully someone out there has some more pics
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Were they not double drive spec due to the landfill part of the work .
Today, a lot of landfill work is still using double drive .
I believe they also had Volvo FLs double drive & the current Daf CFs are double drive
Casual Observer:
Were they not double drive spec due to the landfill part of the work .
Today, a lot of landfill work is still using double drive .
I believe they also had Volvo FLs double drive & the current Daf CFs are double drive
I was just about to post the same. I used to rent tractor units to them in the early 80’s when I was at BRS. We didn’t have any tri-axle units so could only supply 4x2’s. The tyres never lasted any longer than a month.
The double drive would likely have provided greater traction on the landfill sights for sure.
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remember they were council workers,so there wouldnt have been a lot of driver input or initiative required.
id reckon they would need a double drive setup as mush as the tesco plobbers need the plastic shovel they all get issued with.
most likely someone in the council got a nice backhander from wylies commercials. 
I remember these well as I lived not far from what we called ‘The Coup’! I remember some of the Fords were green as well. Glasgow Corporation were Ford users so whoever ordered them probably didn’t look past Croft’s dealership in the Gallowgate who supplied the Council.
Perhaps ‘Brown Envelopes’ were involved, perhaps not?
If I recollect correctly, the trailers were not 40 foot, some being 30 foot others 36 foot. They ran from Polmadie, Dawsholm, Govan and a depot near the Round Toll to the landfill which today is empty and unused. Methane being the problem, I heard.
They were replaced By Wendy House Volvo’s with Day Cabs and one of these went in a convoy to Romania when it was fashionable to do Aid Runs.
Interesting to see one of them ended up at Cleland, I often drove from Newhouse Roundabout to Newmains and could see what I though was a Berliet/Renault wrecker sitting behind a house on the right before the bridge at Cleland, that was yellow too
Today they use DAF’s which some drivers can’t seem to keep on their wheels, that’s been a problem for years which happens when you get dustmen to drive and promote them beyond their ability and who have never heard of gravity! Being the Council, it’s a wonder they don’t fit stabilisers to the side of the trailers for H & S compliance!
Hope this is all useful.
Alex
@alexsaville I had wondered if they ran from Dawsholm as well, nice easy run that down to Balmore Road. The site still seems to be owned by the council, although what they use it for I’m not sure. There is a sign up that says Summerston Landfill Site. Where was the clenny in Govan before it moved to Shieldhall?
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@Casual Observer a friend of mine has helped with some digging today and he has discovered the registrations of the 4 P plates they were MDS 457/8/9 and 60P. Next is a list of their short lives
457P was delicensed 2/6/85
458P was 30/9/85
459P doesn’t pull so likely died very young
460P was 31/12/85
1V was 30/10/88
2V was 27/4/89
3V was 31/5/91 and is listed as beige
4V is 30/6/86 and is listed blue
5V is 21/5/87
6V is 31/10/88
7V is 26/7/87 and is listed beige
8V is 30/3/89 and is listed beige
TGA 840W is 30/4/96 and pulls as red.
CSU 688X is 31/1/90
LGA 556Y is 11/3/90
It would appear 4 transferred over to Strathclyde Regional council.
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The one that became the wrecker TGA 840 W was never red, remained yellow until scrapped, the remains of the round logo on drivers door was still visible .
@Casual Observer true, perhaps they had written to DVLA to notify them before they did anything with it. There is red on the wrecker body so perhaps the plan was to carry the red on to the cab.
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230turbo:
@alexsaville I had wondered if they ran from Dawsholm as well, nice easy run that down to Balmore Road. The site still seems to be owned by the council, although what they use it for I’m not sure. There is a sign up that says Summerston Landfill Site. Where was the clenny in Govan before it moved to Shieldhall?
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It was where the ASDA store now is.
britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/SPW020574
230turbo
The site has been closed for years and is unused, rumour says it’s because of decaying refuse and that, apparently, is causing the methane. Coup on London Road at Carmyle area and Paterson’s tip is unused for same reason.
Dennis, you’re right! entrance was off Craigton Road in those days.
Alex
alexsaville:
230turbo
The site has been closed for years and is unused, rumour says it’s because of decaying refuse and that, apparently, is causing the methane. Coup on London Road at Carmyle area and Paterson’s tip is unused for same reason.
Dennis, you’re right! entrance was off Craigton Road in those days.
Alex
Is Cathkin still used or has that been filled as well?
Amazing all those years I never realised that’s what stood where Asda is now. I can remember the new clenny at sheildhall being built but, as a kid I wasn’t along the other end of Edmonton Road much so I don’t remember before Asda. As for the landfill at Balmore road, I don’t know what goes on here but when I worked in Balmuildy Road up until about a year ago I passed the site daily and there was definitely activity at there. There is a shed where it appears plant is maintained. Other than that theres not much more to see. Possibly research teams trying to figure out how to decontaminate the land.
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Casual Observer:
Were they not double drive spec due to the landfill part of the work .
Today, a lot of landfill work is still using double drive .
I believe they also had Volvo FLs double drive & the current Daf CFs are double drive
Ironically we used 4x2 16t Clydesdale rigids for our in house bulk waste landfill work while most of it was contracted out to AJ Bull using …8x4 Fodens.Their drivers just laughed at us when they weren’t pulling us out of the zb.I’d doubt if the salesmen did anything more than take the order over the phone from a transport department that knew what it was doing and didn’t mind paying for the right kit.
Dennis
I haven’t been round by Cathkin in years, as far as I know, all the landfill in and around the city has been filled and closed for years. Last I heard was that the waste goes to somewhere in West Lothian where, apparently, it attracts gulls that cause problems for Edinburgh Airport.
230turbo
Everytime I pass there, which is regularly, I’ve never noticed any activity on the Balmore Road site. Maybe you are right and they are looking to stabilise the ground.
At the Morrison supermarket at Cambuslang, there are tubes going up a fair height with what we ‘oldies’ used to call ‘grannies’ on top to allow the wind to disperse any methane fumes coming from the pipes.
At that site, maybe it’s a minor problem. At the City Council, under both Labour or the SNP, they know the price of everything and the value of nothing, if they thought they could sell that ground they would do so, the fact they haven’t tends to make me think that it is a long term problem. A hundred years maybe?
Alex