Hi all, I am a newby as from today but I have never forgotten my past in GY. My name is BRIAN TAYLOR and I drove for John Fairweather back in the mid 70’s he taught me to drive artics on “L” Plates pulling Norfolk Line trailers. I drove his Red F88 with the chrome grill he bought as a shunter(as if) it went down the road for a few years and then he used it for shunting. I was then given the F86 and I did Italy for a few years not bad at 21 years old. I first moved to GY when I was 17 from Glossop Derbyshire at the bottom of the woodhead pass, I live here now and I am still very active in transport as I will explain as we go along. I first started working in Burgh Castle GY at the Opel garage on Beccles and living on Blue Sky caravan park in Burgh castle (Haddy will know this place) then I worked for Bullans on the conge as a tyre fitter it is now National Tyes, from there I went to Fullers Tyres just past what is now MDF garages and Speedy hire on the left it was an old fish house and is now closed I think. From there I went to Hudsons Freight on the Hudsons Eurocentre estate driving a transit on hotshots to Abberdeen and Inverness and Europe I remember Vince Dale and Ray Hodgeson. I left them and started for Bobby Grimmer from Chobham driving his 7.5 Bedford flat painted in Frans Maas colours and now only 20 and it was booming in GY with all the new ferries and the Oil. Well from there I was pally with Ray & Bob Warterton and crew and Ray got a new F89 he drove it himself after working his F88 290 to death. I was still doing Italy for John and Ray give me a job driving his F89 I was only 23 and was king of the road. I was also best of freinds with Trevor Matthews, Paddy George, Ronny Huddy, Geof Pane (GOPTAM) F89 I used to see him on woodhead from time to time. I have all sorts of pictures from the past ( I will upload them when I get chance) I could carry on for days on this site, I ended up buying a F88 from Ray Warterton and staring on my own, such happy days. I will go and find some more pics in the attic and scan them for you all.
Many Thanks for you notes and it is nice to find you all again.
You must of known Denis & his brother Norman, &Sparky? How about Bernie? They were all great characters & mates with Ray.
I seem to remember Norfolk Line expanding in a big way about 85 / 86ish. I was at Westerns from Avonmouth and they put a few motors on traction, mainly doing veg I think (remember seeing, well smelling loads and loads of onions) and one of the transport operators at the time got himself a (IIRC F12 Dave Lansbury) Volvo and he went on for them for a while
Hi Harry.
I remember the Manning Brothers Dennis and Norman used to drink with us at weekends, Paddy George, Sooty,Sparky,Ronny Hudson, Geof Pane, Trever Matthews,Fuller Porter, Ray Hodgeson this list go’s on and on…
regards
Brian Taylor.
Sooty changed to Bernie on Breda,did a month in a Moroccan jail for a crime he didn’t do. The last time I saw Norman he was v.lucky. It was South of Salerno & I had parked overnight on the services behind a GB reg.I was driving a Eurotrans Italian reg.In the morning it was Norman with a flat battery on a Transcon from Alex the Scotchman.I gave him a jump start & never saw him again.Sparky retired in Swiss. What happened to Ray & Dennis?All good blokes.
Just a few pics for you lads to look at. The Red F88 going down the Mont Blanc with the Highlandline trailer on is John Faiweather’s, I was at the back in my F86 also owned by John Fairweather. The other pic is Paddy George’s F12, Trever’s F12 and F89. Notice the cars on the car park outside Norfolk Lines office, the Volvo estate is John Fairweathers.
Regards for now Brian Taylor.
A few more pics of the old yarmouth trucks, Bobby Bates outside the Vet bays in ASOTA and some of John Fairweathers F89’s parked outside his yard on the Quay side. Now the question is which one was the F88 John bought as a Left hand drive F88 and he the put the big F89 grill on it. happy days.
Brian Taylor.
A few more pics in Milan Italy. The F89 was Trever Matthews that Bobby Bates drove but had to have the name SJ Hall to run on the permits, (remember permits)
Brian.
mushroomman:
I.I.R.C. didn’t Norfolk Line have a depot in Heywood near Manchester in the 70’s/ 80’s.
I believe that Norfolk Line was a wholly owned subsiduary of Unilever.Cheers Bewick.
Hello Brian, this is a pair of Scanias bought by Ray and Bob. Ray had one I think but who had the other one? Dougie Smith maybe! Cheers Haddy.
PS. I never did move away from the GY area, you probably got me muddled up with Chris Webb he lives at Douglas IOM.
Hi Haddy.
I thank you again for such great info, I remember Dougie very well and had some great nights out with him smashing guy. He did have the new Scania 111 but he also had the Ford Transcon for a while remember that truck. Ray had the other 111 and he gave me the F89 for Italy.
I have attached some old pictures of my fleet of trucks based in Glossop were I live now, I have also put one of John Fairweathers trucks an F86 I drove and the F88 that he sent to the middle east once and it rolled over. I think that driver was called Barry a welsh guy and he is in an earlyer picture I put on at AOSTA Italy.
I hope you find my pictures interesting in bringing back some of the old days.
Kind regards
Brian.
LB76:
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Just checked with my big brother, who was on with Superior International both employed and as an owner driver for years, that picture of the Mandator appears to have been taken at their Offord Cluny depot near St Neots. David, (Haddy) has already mentioned the Yarmouth connection between the two firms. And what a cracking motor that AEC is!
Bernard
Hi
I am interested in the history of Norfolk line.
I have found this :
Does anyone have any old pictures?
I would also like to know where the old berth was at Yarmouth.
I am sure a few of the old hands used to use this service
Can’t help i’m afraid, but just for information, NFL have moved from Humber Sea Terminal at Killingholme, they are now out of DFDS Nordic (Riverside terminal).
been goin a long long time… i remember seein subbies on for them back in the 70s
use to operate Continental Freeze and Interland
The company was founded in 1961 when Dutch entrepreneur Mr. Reemus founded Norfolk Lijn N.V. The first appearance of the company in the ferry business was made possible when the roll-on/roll-off vessel Duke of Holland was acquired in 1969. Mr. Reemus sold Norfolk Lijn N.V. to Unilever in 1973 and the company was renamed Norfolk Line in 1974.
Used to pull Norfolk line trailers out of Yarmouth in the early 70s as i remember you crossed a bridge and turned right keeping the river on your right and there berth was down there all the goods we took back to our yard on the Isle of Dogs for braekdown and redistribution it was a nice little number but we were doing it in Ford d 1000s and they used to struggle a bit on the old a 12 especially coming out of Ipswich.The company i worked for was called Durable Freight the transport managers name was Charlie he would sack you for something and as you were going out the gate he would ask you where you were going when youtold him he had sacked you he would say he did,nt .
Coming back from nights out in Yarmouth with my dad in the late 70’s early 80’s, he would be ‘killing time’, i.e. dawdling and the Norfolk Line boys would come roaring past at the first opportunity!!
Remember Birds Eye having lots of Transcons out of Yarmouth at the time too.
Other vivid memories are going to ‘Pam’s Place’ cafe at Terrington St Clement on the old A17 just before Kings Lynn eastbound (it had an outside Karzi!!). As soon as the A17 was improved all Fine Fares drivers went to the Farm Cafe instead - you usually bumped into one or two other FF wagon’s on arrival, to and from Yarmouth.