Hi, Johnny 51, Do you remember iff Critchlow, had a Layland beaver with the Lad cab with a Gardener 6lw in it ,Cheers Barry
Hiya one of critchlows big J’s is half restored in moss and lovatts garage.david edwards (moss and lovatt)
run one for a while then he started to restore her(to a verey high standard)when she was half done david passed
away suddenly. the firm packed up, a pal of mine was the mechanic at moss and lovatt(he owns the A series ERF)
was finishing the guy in his spare time but things went pear shaped and the gates was closed. don’t know if the guy
will ever get finished. the cab is like new, i think the sleeper has been taken off, or maybe its a new cab.
John
3300John:
Hiya one of critchlows big J’s is half restored in moss and lovatts garage.david edwards (moss and lovatt)
run one for a while then he started to restore her(to a verey high standard)when she was half done david passed
away suddenly. the firm packed up, a pal of mine was the mechanic at moss and lovatt(he owns the A series ERF)
was finishing the guy in his spare time but things went pear shaped and the gates was closed. don’t know if the guy
will ever get finished. the cab is like new, i think the sleeper has been taken off, or maybe its a new cab.
John
Thats a right “■■■■■■■ then John,lets hope someone can get hold of the the Guy and finish it,great old firm Critchlows ! I wonder where Jack will be watching from ? From “upstairs” or “down below” ■■ Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
3300John:
Hiya one of critchlows big J’s is half restored in moss and lovatts garage.david edwards (moss and lovatt)
run one for a while then he started to restore her(to a verey high standard)when she was half done david passed
away suddenly. the firm packed up, a pal of mine was the mechanic at moss and lovatt(he owns the A series ERF)
was finishing the guy in his spare time but things went pear shaped and the gates was closed. don’t know if the guy
will ever get finished. the cab is like new, i think the sleeper has been taken off, or maybe its a new cab.
JohnThats a right “■■■■■■■ then John,lets hope someone can get hold of the the Guy and finish it,great old firm Critchlows ! I wonder where Jack will be watching from ? From “upstairs” or “down below” ■■ Cheers Dennis.
jack is still with us as far as i am aware
Through the glen go critchlows men in their atki ■■■■■■■■ only two were in their time the rest were a load of chances, up over brough they do their stuff with the bengore lancers but jack keeps sayin, I wish they wouldn’t call my wagons ■■■■■■■ bum bum {
It rimes with hankers ffs
Evening all, the talk about Moss and Lovatt intregues me. Has Geoff Lovatt still an interest in the business? Surely if that Guy is still there he would wish to see it completed.
D`ont take the “mick” out of Jack Critchlow, he ran a tidy operation, (as anyone would on that site of “Methodism”), Mow Cop!! Aproper haulage man!
Cheerio for now.
Amen
b.waddy:
Hi, Johnny 51, Do you remember iff Critchlow, had a Layland beaver with the Lad cab with a Gardener 6lw in it ,Cheers Barry
Hi Barry, sorry cant help on that question.
John
wild thing:
johnny51:
Hi, I worked at W&J Wass Ltd as an apprentice mechanic (actually errand boy!) in 1966-67. Are there any former drivers out there ?
Does anyone remember Gordon’s Transport in Bridgewood Street, just around the corner from Wass’s ?
Their fleet of immaculate Ford’s was a sight to behold !
JohnHi john
Alan Gordon now works on Sainsburys & has been there for about 9 yrs . He gave me some great pics & has a lot more besides. When he came for his first interview he bought along loades of photos , so we went through them & interview over & he has been there eversince. I remember AH Thorley from Shelton also, my Dad drove for them in the 60s he had a brand new Austin FFK . The transport managers name was Les McCann & one of the Drivers was Howard who still works for Barry Procter & was a very good friend of my Dad
Cheers
Duls
Hi Duls, great that someone remembers Thorley’s !
They parked lot’s of their trucks on the rough ground behind Shelton Junior School, so I was in my element being able to nosy round them !
It was the Commer TS3’s that really fascinated me; hearing an artic climbing up College Road fully loaded was really something !
I’d really love to get some old photo’s of their fleet, any idea’s ?
John
johnny51:
wild thing:
johnny51:
Hi, I worked at W&J Wass Ltd as an apprentice mechanic (actually errand boy!) in 1966-67. Are there any former drivers out there ?
Does anyone remember Gordon’s Transport in Bridgewood Street, just around the corner from Wass’s ?
Their fleet of immaculate Ford’s was a sight to behold !
JohnHi john
Alan Gordon now works on Sainsburys & has been there for about 9 yrs . He gave me some great pics & has a lot more besides. When he came for his first interview he bought along loades of photos , so we went through them & interview over & he has been there eversince. I remember AH Thorley from Shelton also, my Dad drove for them in the 60s he had a brand new Austin FFK . The transport managers name was Les McCann & one of the Drivers was Howard who still works for Barry Procter & was a very good friend of my Dad
Cheers
DulsHi Duls, great that someone remembers Thorley’s !
They parked lot’s of their trucks on the rough ground behind Shelton Junior School, so I was in my element being able to nosy round them !
It was the Commer TS3’s that really fascinated me; hearing an artic climbing up College Road fully loaded was really something !
I’d really love to get some old photo’s of their fleet, any idea’s ?
John
Hi John
I am at the moment making a model of Thorleys Austin what Dad drove I will get a photo up when finished ( hope you have plenty time to wait ).
There is a photo of an LV ERF of Thorleys in Ros Unwin’s last book but I am not sure if I have seen any more, any takers ■■?
Cheers
Duls
hiya. David Edwards was the main director i belive.he had the intrest in restoration of the lorries
and tractor’s plus some old car’s. when the lorries was sold off their was no need for a mechanic.
Steve restored his ERF at m&l and garaged it their so in return did work on the bigJ with David.
this is where it stopped Steve was forced to move on…the garage is closed up…no lorries to repair.
the Guy big J has stopped been worked on.their’s more than one shareholder in the buisness now
and they want the yard sold to line their pockets, not spend money on a truck that know one needs.
or cares about.
John
Hi Duls, re Thorleys, is the book called North Staffordshire Hauliers (2011) ?
After the Shelton premises burnt down in the 1960’s, they moved to Milton (Tosca Mills ?).
The only truck I can recall from that period (1969) was a Commer TS3 Maxiload 6 wheel bulk carrier.
The livery was white, with black lettering, not a patch on the earlier light and dark blue plus sign writing ( bit of cost cutting perhaps !)
Have you got any details or memories on that move to Milton ?
Cheers John
Hiya i worked at harrisons of Milton in the 70’s as you know the door company was across the road from Thorley’s.
Harrisons was next to the door firm…was it called Garador■■? they made the up and over section industrial doors
with the oval windows in one section at eye level.
Thorleys… huge place 60 ft 50ton weigh bridge… with a fleet of pale blue a series ERF’s i’am certain.
John
Hi john i remember thorleys, wasnt the door company accross the road crawfords, I was at holden lane school in the seventies and truck mad , thorleys had a new a series erf 180 gardner rigid pulling a trailer back then , my old mate pete lawton drove for them for a short time.
chrisv:
Hi john i remember thorleys, wasnt the door company accross the road crawfords, I was at holden lane school in the seventies and truck mad , thorleys had a new a series erf 180 gardner rigid pulling a trailer back then , my old mate pete lawton drove for them for a short time.
Thanks for that info lads, very interesting !
After they moved away from Shelton, I just never saw their trucks again ( that I can remember) Perhaps it was the change of livery colour that made me not notice them . I remember one of their drivers, a few streets from us, use to take his Commer flatbed home at night, and I used to hear him start it up bang on 7am everday. Great wake up call !
How long were they at Milton ?
Is it the same company that’s now at based at Stone ?
Cheers John
johnny51:
chrisv:
Hi john i remember thorleys, wasnt the door company accross the road crawfords, I was at holden lane school in the seventies and truck mad , thorleys had a new a series erf 180 gardner rigid pulling a trailer back then , my old mate pete lawton drove for them for a short time.Thanks for that info lads, very interesting !
After they moved away from Shelton, I just never saw their trucks again ( that I can remember) Perhaps it was the change of livery colour that made me not notice them . I remember one of their drivers, a few streets from us, use to take his Commer flatbed home at night, and I used to hear him start it up bang on 7am everday. Great wake up call !How long were they at Milton ?
Is it the same company that’s now at based at Stone ?
Hi John
Thorleys moved all the trucks to the garage at Trent bridge Bucknall just after Dad left in the 60s, I think they needed bigger premesis + a garage as the fleet was growing quite quickly & a lot more artics were coming on the scene. They were there for a while still using the old mill in Shelton until the Milton premesis was built . As for the firm at Stone I think it was old man Thorley who started up with a couple of green wagons doing hay ,straw & woodwool.The garage at Bucknall is now M-Way Truck Rental,
Cheers
Duls
Cheers John
Hi Duls, fascinating stuff ! I always assumed they moved out of the Shelton premises due to the fire; just shows how much notice I took in them days !
Do you know what eventually happened to the business, did they go bust or something ?
Any idea when A.H Thorley at Stone started up !
I can recall seeing a green bulk carrier some time ago ( might have been a 6 or 8 wheeler, not sure of the make).
They dont appear to be in the phone book anymore, so I might have a drive over and see what’s what !
Sorry for all the questions, but you seem very knowledgeable on this company !
Cheers ! John
No problem John, I will try & get in touch with Howard who worked for them for years & get back to you .I think they did go bump & Delgetty Spillers took on Les McCann the x transport mgr & a couple of trucks witch were based in Mountford Bros’s yard in Bucknall till about 1980.
Cheers
Duls
Hi Duls, thanks very much ! Any info would be much appreciated !
Cheers John