Buzzer
gerbil sb152:
Hi Deanb, i believe it was on 30/33 berth in through dock gate 4 and turn left follow road to the end but i could be wrong.
Yep that’s where TT Sailed from the old love boat on a Sunday night
DEANB:
Bewick:
“DEANB”Spec sheet for the Guy Light 8 Dennis, not the fastest motor in the world although i suppose it would have been on a par with other trucks of the period.
Compliments of the season to you and yours Dean ! Thanks for the info on the Guy Light 8 and as far as 8 wheelers went the Guy Light 8 was really built to a lightweight spec as well as having an extremely keen price. The trailing axle was produced and fitted by Primrose Engineering of Blackburn and the completed chassis were marketed through their sister company TGB Motors then Guy Distributors of Clitheroe on behalf of Guy Motors . Cheers Dennis.
Happy New Year Dennis.
You probably know but they also did a light 6 wheeler as well. Primrose certainly did alot of conversions adding axles and
steer axles. Never knew about TGB thats intresting.0
Hiya Dean,
Well I was surprised when I was informed that all the Light 8 conversions were done by Primrose Engineering of Blackburn and were not built on the production line at Guy Motors but I was assured that this was the case until Guy’s ceased trading and were subsequently bought by Jaguar cars. I’m not just sure if the Primrose deal continued after the takeover as of course the Big J appeared not long after the takeover.
I wonder if anyone on TN could enlighten us ! Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
Hiya Dean,
Well I was surprised when I was informed that all the Light 8 conversions were done by Primrose Engineering of Blackburn and were not built on the production line at Guy Motors but I was assured that this was the case until Guy’s ceased trading and were subsequently bought by Jaguar cars. I’m not just sure if the Primrose deal continued after the takeover as of course the Big J appeared not long after the takeover.
I wonder if anyone on TN could enlighten us ! Cheers Dennis.
Will pop something on the PaulGee thread as this one is about Southampton.
Laingfreight Atkinson.
gerbil sb152:
Hi Deanb, i believe it was on 30/33 berth in through dock gate 4 and turn left follow road to the end but i could be wrong.
Thanks,thats just a bit further along than i thought, although well before my time.
TT ( and Normandy Ferries) sailed from Dock Gate 1, Canute Road. Entrance was early on thru that gate, that was then closed and it was in thru Dock gate 2, turn left and down to what is now Ocean Village Marina.
With TT you could book in, wander across to The Marsh public house on Canute Road, have a few beers and wait for the Freight Office to call you back to load. It was too far to walk from Normandy Ferries so you were stuck with the terminal.
What about the Graveyard where un accompanied trailers were dropped, so tight no room for a ■■■ paper in between dropped too high or too low, not many tractor units back then on air so you would have to get a tuggy to pull it out for you. Also did a lot of Mack pack’s out of that freight area too, Buzzer
DEANB:
Bewick:
Dean,Laingfreight Atkinson.
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Laingfreight we’re based in Andover they took over Hunts from Millbrook then moved all into their depot
I expect Roolechat will give us more info
Jeremy
Tribsa,
Hoping you have a successful & Happy New year for you and the real boss, saw one of your big Swedes in Hazel Road last week. Very subtle sign writing unlike that big Daf of yours.
Come on, start posting more of your extensive Archive pics you have spread around your office etc.
DEANB:
Buzzer , where did Townsend Thoresen ferries actually dock. Was it where the car park is on the town quay where the Red Jet ferry goes
to the Isle of Wight ?1967 advert.
Thoresen Car Ferries operated from 7 Berth Eastern Docks - Viking 3 stern onto linkspan.
Viking 1 or 2 entering the Outer Dock ready to berth. The British Transport Docks Board built the outward Customs hall & Passenger Terminal.Cars on the left are queing for the ticket check in followed by customs checks.Cars on the right are awaiting embarkation.Road Freight was not an important consideration as initially Thoresens targetted the Coach & car/caravan holiday market.Any freight had to park in front of the terminal & the lorry driver had to take his passport to the customs hall.
Once disembakation completed,the laundry run brought clean laundry onboard & removed the dirty laundry. Thoresen quickly found it was necessary to purchase a 4 x 4 Land Rover to cover the steep linkspan angles due to the tidal variances.
This Jan 1963 registered Thames Trader appears to be the only freight item on this sailing, Thornycroft’s Woolston shipyard crane is visible in the background across the river
As volumes of wheeled traffic increased,wing decks were used to increase vessel capacity & an elevating link was built at 7 Berth
After disembarkation,it was necessaary to turn left into 7 shed for customs checks. When vehicle queues built up,not so easy with an artic
At least for local hauliers,once 7 shed exitted,the trlr could be dropped with no waiting for customs clearance.
Following on from Thoresen’s success & the rapidly developing international road transport market, BTDB filled in the Inner dock & built The Princess Alexanda Terminal which opened in 1967. On the left, 3 berth,Swedish Lloyd’s ‘Patricia’ (Spanish service to Bilbao) In the middle on 2 Berth,Normandy Ferries ‘Dragon’(Le Havre service) & on the right, No 2 North berth.TCF’s Viking 1V (freight only Le Havre service)
In the foreground Viking1 on 7 berth linkspan & Viking 3 laid up on 6 berth.
DISPATCHER:
Ferry terminal being weight tested when it was built
These pictures show Berths 2 & 3 undergoing testing at The Princess Alexandra Terminal. IIRC,there was an MOD subsidy if strategic port linkspans could take certain gross weights & point loadings- presumably a battle tank on its transporter !
In the aerial shot: The Marsh PH is in the middle right edge of the shot, opposite is dock gate 1. Further up the road on the bend is Dock Gate 2 which then served both the main berths and freed up land and manpower.
“roolechat” Thanks for the post and pics about the ferries, intresting.
LTS Freight Volvo heading in the direction of Poole.
DEANB:
“roolechat” Thanks for the post and pics about the ferries, intresting.LTS Freight Volvo heading in the direction of Poole.
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That’s Sally at the wheel
Jeremy
DEANB:
Laingfreight Atkinson.
LaingFreight’s SA400 on A33 Millbrook roundabout’ probably en route to it’s Millbrook base (the old Hunts depot)Thomas Hunt was a coal merchant & carter based in Northam.With the introduction of the 1930 Traffic Act,he,like many others,obtained their first licences. His business grew during the 30’s & 40’s & nationalisation saw him lose his A licenced vehicles,restricting him to just B licences (within 30 mile radius of So’ton Civic Centre). In 1954 he was able to buy 2 ex BRS Bedford 6 tonners with Special A Licences & 2 more in Jan 1955 enabling him to operate services to/from London,Birmingham & Bristol. In 1960 when the Northam area was redeveloped,T Hunt & Sons Ltd - Coal,Coke Merchants & haulage contractors - moved into a new warehouse & depot on First Avenue,Millbrook Trading Estate.
By 1964,the fleet comprised of at least 15 vehicles ( 8 on A licences,3 on B licences & 4 on Contract A to Pirelli Southampton) The transport,storage & distribution of Plywood & hardboard was an important traffic for the largely green liveried Bedford TK’s & later,KM’s.In 1965,some LAD cabbed Comets were purchased.John Laing & Sons operated a 10 acre Concrete production factory on Andover’s Walworth Ind Est producing sectional concrete buildings & structures (John Laing Concrete Ltd)
Many local hauliers were used by Laings to deliver in(eg stone from Somerset quarries) or transport out (finished concrete sections to construction sites).
In 1976, Laing’s set up LaingFreight to not only undertake all the John Laing Concrete requirements but to “develop general haulage on a contractual basis with prompt & dependable deliveries”. 20 SA 400’s were ordered with" a further 20 to come in 1977" in a claimed £1 million investment & a lurid purple livery was chosen.
Apart from Laing Concrete work,LaingFreight sought work in the Southampton,Poole areas but being Andover based, the empty mileage wasn’t profitable & only operating artics restricted their ability to economically carry part loads.
In 1977,LaingFreight acquired T Hunt & Sons & their Millbrook fleet of mainly Bedford rigids. SA 200’s soon replaced a number of the Hunt Bedfords
With the economic downturn particularly affecting Laing Concrete’s Andover & Heywood factories,LaingFreight struggled to profitably establish themselves in a competitive market place & within 5 years LaingFreight had come & gone.
Meacher’s acquired the 10 vehicle ‘Hunt Distribution’ operation in March 1982.
roolechat:
Thomas Hunt was a coal merchant & carter based in Northam.
In 1977,LaingFreight acquired T Hunt & Sons & their Millbrook fleet of mainly Bedford rigids. SA 200’s soon replaced a number of the Hunt Bedfords
Good post and those pics look familiar.
I know Meachers are still going and heres one of there old Scammell Handymans.
LaingFreight had at least 1 F10/12 in the fleet.
