NMP Reproduced with the kind permission of Robert Burridge.
A sunday afternoon shot of the old yard in Hop Pocket Lane Paddock Wood overlooking the railway line taken from Maidstone Road.
This yard and its buildings were rented from British Rail and show vehicles rammed in , these would have been loaded up sunday morning for wholesale market deliveries that night.
At this time we only had this yard a bit of land that backed onto the back of the Hops Marketing Boards warehouse B which was accessed from Transfesa road , when the majority of the fleet was back at the weekend we had an agreement with the Hops Marketing Board that from 3pm on a Friday we could park our vehicles in their main yard but all had to be out by 8am Monday , during the week Hop Pocket Lane would be used as additional Parking.
A few years later the old Scats site was purchased for additional parking and many years later the old concrete tower building was demolished and this all became our main parking area once the new offices were constructed on the back of the old Hops Marketing Board B warehouse which was also purchased and converted into a very large cold store.
The Atkinson in the picture was LKO 787P which was the last Atkinson Borderer purchased which was powered by a 240 Gardner engine.
NMP.
Another oldie thanks to Robert Burridge.
Aec Marshall EKJ 260K where the A26 Maidstone to Tonbridge road meets Seven Mile Lane long before the roundabout was built.
Another oldie thanks to Robert Burridge.
Aec Marshall EKJ 260K where the A26 Maidstone to Tonbridge road meets Seven Mile Lane long before the roundabout was built.
Another Robert Burridge photo.
A series TKJ 530N just about to go up Seven Mile Lane.
Here shows it has had a repaint , when originally new it would have been painted in the plain sun tan livery with the company address Spelmonden Goudhurst Kent.
Around about the time the first B series with full sleeper (YKM 287S) joined the fleet the cab roofs were to be painted white along with a white band round the cab and the Paddock Wood address sign written on the cab doors.
A series TKJ 530N just about to go up Seven Mile Lane.
Here shows it has had a repaint , when originally new it would have been painted in the plain sun tan livery with the company address Spelmonden Goudhurst Kent.
Around about the time the first B series with full sleeper (YKM 287S) joined the fleet the cab roofs were to be painted white along with a white band round the cab and the Paddock Wood address sign written on the cab doors.
Nmp one of Robert Burridges.
A Seddon Atkinson 400 daycab at the Seven Mile Lane junction.
The company ran 5 or 6 of these day cabs but didn’t last thanks to the old tin worm so the Erf B series was the chosen unit at the time over the SA 400.
NMP
A newly signwritten ERF E14 tractor unit coupled to a Boalloy Insuliner on a Pacton chassis.
This was D150 PKR powered by 320 ■■■■■■■■
This was the first that company put on the road in colours of Mack Multiples our main customer for many years.
This came about not through choice but by a newly appointed operations manager at Macks who demanded we put 12 vehicles in Mack livery and we also had to reduce our rates (I think it was either 6 or 8 % reduction) otherwise risk losing a major slice of the business.
throughout the companys history Mack were the biggest customer by far there was no contract it started off all on a handshake between Donald Mack and Jack Henley.
A newly signwritten ERF E14 tractor unit coupled to a Boalloy Insuliner on a Pacton chassis.
This was D150 PKR powered by 320 ■■■■■■■■
This was the first that company put on the road in colours of Mack Multiples our main customer for many years.
This came about not through choice but by a newly appointed operations manager at Macks who demanded we put 12 vehicles in Mack livery and we also had to reduce our rates (I think it was either 6 or 8 % reduction) otherwise risk losing a major slice of the business.
throughout the companys history Mack were the biggest customer by far there was no contract it started off all on a handshake between Donald Mack and Jack Henley.
One of the best Henley photos I have seen for a long time.
This shows exactly what the Henley family were famous for Hop growing and Transport.
This shows an Aec Mercury artic loaded with hops from the Henley farm Spelmonden Estate nr Goudhurst in Kent.
As they haven’t been sheeted chances are they are destined for the short journey down to the Hops Marketing Board in Paddock Wood.
This shows exactly what the Henley family were famous for Hop growing and Transport.
This shows an Aec Mercury artic loaded with hops from the Henley farm Spelmonden Estate nr Goudhurst in Kent.
As they haven’t been sheeted chances are they are destined for the short journey down to the Hops Marketing Board in Paddock Wood.
lawrence2765:
0EKJ 260K one of the last Aec Marshalls on the fleet.
IIRC this was Alec Watson’s lorry, rated at 24 tons gross following the 1972 increase in plated weights, all the other Marshalls were 22 ton vehicles. This particular vehicle was prone to the bogie shackles going over centre with one xale trying to jump over the other.
lawrence2765:
0OKK 160F the first V8 Mandator of 3.
Jimmy Hopkins ride from new.
Someone has popped up on Facebook today with photos of an Atkinson rigid he has just bought: it’s a Kent-registered Mk.2 4-wheeler, and all he knows is that it was used in Kent on produce haulage. Registration is SKL 802H - does that ring any bells with you?
Not a Henley vehicle. Most Henley registrations ended in 10, 20 etc. H reg would not be a mark 2 (Large cab) either AFAIK. Is this equipped to tow a trailer? Check MOT on Govt site comes up with MOT expired in 1970. Original paint colour might help.
240 Gardner:
lawrence2765:
0OKK 160F the first V8 Mandator of 3.
Jimmy Hopkins ride from new.Someone has popped up on Facebook today with photos of an Atkinson rigid he has just bought: it’s a Kent-registered Mk.2 4-wheeler, and all he knows is that it was used in Kent on produce haulage. Registration is SKL 802H - does that ring any bells with you?
Would that have been one of Firmins old lorries?
240 Gardner:
lawrence2765:
0OKK 160F the first V8 Mandator of 3.
Jimmy Hopkins ride from new.Someone has popped up on Facebook today with photos of an Atkinson rigid he has just bought: it’s a Kent-registered Mk.2 4-wheeler, and all he knows is that it was used in Kent on produce haulage. Registration is SKL 802H - does that ring any bells with you?
Any photos of it at all ?
its not Henley but I might have an idea
thanks in advance Chris
Does anyone know who owned F40CKR E14 as I’ve just watched it on YouTube arriving at the BP truck stop by crick in 1997 pulling a semi low trailer looking very tidy ,fast forward a few yrs and it’s on ebay looking a bit rough on a farm nr Nottingham,in between times I may of seen it pulling a curtain sider ,I know who has it now but wondered why it was sold ? Thanks Dan
lawrence2765:
240 Gardner:
lawrence2765:
0OKK 160F the first V8 Mandator of 3.
Jimmy Hopkins ride from new.Someone has popped up on Facebook today with photos of an Atkinson rigid he has just bought: it’s a Kent-registered Mk.2 4-wheeler, and all he knows is that it was used in Kent on produce haulage. Registration is SKL 802H - does that ring any bells with you?
Any photos of it at all ?
its not Henley but I might have an idea
thanks in advance Chris
I have seen a photo taken at the Kent Show with this vehicle with the name HOPKINS on it. I can’t find the picture at the moment though.
That makes sense. I has been wondering about Jimmy Hopkins. I saw a drawbar outfit, just the once, going past the Loose trolleybus terminus many moons ago which I think was in similar colours to Comber Transport from Uckfield, which at the time I had taken for J&E, but whether I was right or not I don’t know.
tyreman:
lawrence2765:
240 Gardner:
lawrence2765:
OKK 160F the first V8 Mandator of 3.
Jimmy Hopkins ride from new.Someone has popped up on Facebook today with photos of an Atkinson rigid he has just bought: it’s a Kent-registered Mk.2 4-wheeler, and all he knows is that it was used in Kent on produce haulage. Registration is SKL 802H - does that ring any bells with you?
Any photos of it at all ?
its not Henley but I might have an idea
thanks in advance ChrisI have seen a photo taken at the Kent Show with this vehicle with the name HOPKINS on it. I can’t find the picture at the moment though.
Thank you for all the replies
Here’s the photo posted on Facebook:
It was built new as a solo rigid, but apparently later returned to Atkinson to be converted for drawbar use
If the radiator grille badge is correct and it does (or did) have a 6LW20 then it won’t have carried much weight as a drawbar outfit - bruce boxes, Dutch trays etc. 14 Pallets of apples was around 10.5 tons. H reg is after Plating came in so its GCW is unlikely to have been more than about 20 or 22 tons, by the time the trailer’s unladen weight is added there’s not much left.
cav551:
If the radiator grille badge is correct and it does (or did) have a 6LW20 then it won’t have carried much weight as a drawbar outfit - bruce boxes, Dutch trays etc. 14 Pallets of apples was around 10.5 tons. H reg is after Plating came in so its GCW is unlikely to have been more than about 20 or 22 tons, by the time the trailer’s unladen weight is added there’s not much left.
According to the Facebook post, it’s plated for 24T GTW, so that must have been before the implementation of the 6 bhp/ton in April 1973, as 24T would require 144 bhp