Buzzer,
Thor question been answered by saviem on Comart thread very well, not much more to say really, nice looking fleet with some true charachters driving for them from what I know. I know the drivers used to have to go to Catchems Corner pub for there wages, which is still there at Meir, on the side of the A50.
Regards
Ant
One of the most popular watering holes for the Thor drivers was the White ■■■■ public house on Uttoxeter road.The guy that owned the pub was called Ron i think if im right that when the lads were home they would go after work .I used to go with my dad there and met some great guys such as ,Alan Dale,Paul Elkin, Dave Prichard, Jimmy Mc Fail, Little George Hardman. Carl Cornes,Dave Stephenson,Dave Jackson ,Barry Dericot just to mention a few.Thanks to these guys they took me with them when loading and tipping in the uk so i got the transport bug .i hav some great memories of these times up at the Thor yard at Cavrswall Lane.Just to mention aswell the mechanics that worked there we neva seem to here about them.Kevin Jones,Ian Jackson.Geof Machin .and anoher guy named Paul who came from Mountfords sorry cant remember his last name May be some off these names might bring a smile to your faces because they hav stuck in my mind for the last 30 years.
NICK BASFORD:
One of the most popular watering holes for the Thor drivers was the White ■■■■ public house on Uttoxeter road.The guy that owned the pub was called Ron i think if im right that when the lads were home they would go after work .I used to go with my dad there and met some great guys such as ,Alan Dale,Paul Elkin, Dave Prichard, Jimmy Mc Fail, Little George Hardman. Carl Cornes,Dave Stephenson,Dave Jackson ,Barry Dericot just to mention a few.Thanks to these guys they took me with them when loading and tipping in the uk so i got the transport bug .i hav some great memories of these times up at the Thor yard at Cavrswall Lane.Just to mention aswell the mechanics that worked there we neva seem to here about them.Kevin Jones,Ian Jackson.Geof Machin .and anoher guy named Paul who came from Mountfords sorry cant remember his last name May be some off these names might bring a smile to your faces because they hav stuck in my mind for the last 30 years.
Nick,
Kev, Ian and Geoff went to work for Comarts after Thor, Kev now has his own business (Heavy Truck Services) Ian’s at Shirleys, don’t know where Geoff went.
Regards
Ant
Hi ant havent seen ian for a while,when i had my own truck i filled up at aurthers and had a chat with ian, but since i sold up i dont call .saw a shirleys driver at flamstead and he was telling me that ian had not been to well and also that ray gold had hung them up as well.im back doing a bit for lee at the moment on uk work so will try catch up with you down at west pennine regards Nick Basford
If its the same guy, Paul Elkin ended up working for the co-op out of Talke
PaulNowak:
If its the same guy, Paul Elkin ended up working for the co-op out of Talke
yes mate paul worked for the coop at talke not seen anything of him for a while but im sure nine stone will not hav changed very much
Proper decent bloke, Paul
NICK BASFORD:
PaulNowak:
If its the same guy, Paul Elkin ended up working for the co-op out of Talkeyes mate paul worked for the coop at talke not seen anything of him for a while but im sure nine stone will not hav changed very much
hi i am sorry to inform you Paul passed away some time ago (the bis c)
Hiya …bit of sad news . Andy Thompson a owner driver from Leekbrook died last week, Andy was only 62.
Andy was a close relation of JL Cooper. Andy worked as a sales man for Malcom Harrison at one time before
he bought a ex Albert Dale B series ERF left ■■■■■■.he was still running a Scania 4 wheeler and drag until
he passed on.
John
Hi ,FOLKS ,Any one no iff Critchlose had a Leyland Beaver lad cab ,fitted with a Gardener 6 lw Engine i think they may have converted it them selfs ,Cheers Barry
drew1955:
NICK BASFORD:
PaulNowak:
If its the same guy, Paul Elkin ended up working for the co-op out of Talkeyes mate paul worked for the coop at talke not seen anything of him for a while but im sure nine stone will not hav changed very much
hi i am sorry to inform you Paul passed away some time ago (the bis c)
Really really sorry to hear that 
As a spotty faced youth in the 1960s I was an apprentice mechanic for a ERF dealer in Edinburgh and well remember some very nice fleets from the Stoke on Trent area having repairs carried out in the workshops , H V Smiths AEC ridgid 6 wheelers , J W Wass 4 wheeler ERF fitted with slatted sides to carry baths , sinks , and toilets etc ,in later years I can recall seeing Critchlows Atkinson Borders loaded with pallets of firebricks from GR Steins brickworks nr Linlithgow returning back to Stoke passing through the central belt of Scotland . Only recently I had contact with Tideswells of Stoke as they called at the RDC where I worked , I believe none of these companies above are still in business .
the flying foden:
a few pics sent to me by bunchy from breezey’s collection . enjoy
that was me dad’s f10 on moorlock Andy Bates
diggerjones:
0 this is bassets wrecker from stoke, i saw a pic of it in this thread somewhere. this is from today resting near my home.
I knew this wrecker in 74 75 very good tool for the job then . If i remember rightly it had a cooker behind the cab in the crew compartment, Great truck.
tetragaz:
HI GUYSANYONE REMEMBER TURNOCKS TRANSPORT FROM BRICK KILN LANE ETRURIA, USED TO RUN ERF’S WITH FLAT TRAILERS.
CHEERS
GAZ
HI GAZ I worked there we took clay from pot-clays next door and mixed work
3300John:
wild thing:
Hi John
I also worked for Harrisons from 84 till 92, had some great fun with some cracking lads and also great gaffers. I drove a sedac in the colours of J & R hill of meir which was Blue & not the regular green , got done on the A1 for doing 78 mph in her !!!.Believe it or not I am a driver trainer now . How times have changed. I have loades of photo’s of local companies I have worked for including Mountfords,Daveys,& of course harrisons I also have a model truck collection of lots more local companies like Shirleys. Croxden Gravel , Kettle’s & lots more.When I get time I have to get some pics posted up when I sus how to do it
Cheers
Hiya…yes i remember the blue sedak…i left harrisons when john royle started never liked him that much
it was a great job at harrisons its a pitty the place fell apart…i was in cheddleton 2 weeks ago and saw ronnie pearson
we had a chat for 10 mins he looks well…
John
Hi John have you ever come a cross my old mate Paul Dulson
relluf:
John Maunders:
Joined this site yesterday, having seen a few bits about Turners from Bucknall.
Turner Brothers as it was initially called was started by my Grandad, Albert Turner and his brother and was based at Foundry Garage, Bucknall. My Dad, “Big” Geoff Maunders owned/ran Turners in the 70’s and 80’s with my Uncle “Little” Geoff Hodgkiss. The firm was then called Turner Roadways Limited. Dad and Geoff Hodgkiss married the Turner twins; Rosemary, my Mum and Yvonne my Aunty.
My Dad grew up in Bucknall and Phil Bunch was a good childhood friend. I can vaguely remember Phil visiting in between driving to, what seemed at the time, the other side of the world. He always had this huge smile on his face, a proper ‘cheeky chap’, and quick witted to boot.
My Uncle, Len Dale, who drove for them ( as did most of the Dales) used to take me to Fort Dunlop as a kid, to collect scrap tyres in a rack sider. We would then go to a big tip out towards Tissington, where they were dropped into a disused quarry. These were some of the happiest times i ever had. I believe this quarry caught fire some years later and burned for weeks.
I remember some of the blokes who worked there; a big bloke from Wales worked in the office. He was named Howell i think. Micker Matthews was a general handyman and always used to knock screws in with an hammer when no one was looking whilst repairing flatbeds!!. Kenny Platt was a mechanic there, as was Don Allman,Gary Parsons and Paul Oliver who has supplied some pictures earlier in the thread. There were two Pauls who were mechanics if i remember rightly; one was an apprentice so to speak. One day a lorry made its own way down the yard onto Dividy Road where it ended up on its side; Paul ‘the apprentice’ jumped into the cab and trapped his hand on something; i remember thinking how much it must have hurt.
The site consisted of an office, next to the garage. Opposite was the body shop and uphill on the left was the top shed. There was a big crane in the yard, that i dont ever think i saw move once.
The business moved to a site in Fenton, the land being sold for housing, before moving to Chemical Lane in Longport. In the early 1990’s it was bought by Ellis Fellows from West Bromwich who was part of the Keltruck empire. Dad when to work with Ellis as his transport manager until he retired five or six years ago.
I do hope this rings some bells for someone on here. If anyone is still in touch with Phil Bunch remind my Dad to him; if he wants any contact details please get back to me.Hello John,welcome to nostalgia fest.I met your dad and your Uncle while I worked for Beresford in the eighties.I remember Bunchie from the same time period but I THINK he was working for Moorlock or Moorcap at the time.Enjoy this site,your Dad and Uncle were well known and respected in Stoke haulage.
I was a driver at turners so I know both goeffs I was there when the quarry went up in smoke at hartington i lived near the yard and one i was down the road and the wind shut the door as my wife was putting clothes on the line she was locked out so she ran to the yard they sent the smallest lad and ladder he got in the window that was open up stairs and saved the day
Hi all
A couple more from Stuart Harding’s collection.
Gillbert’s F88 and Sammy Costa’s Fiat returning home with a burn out.
melandmel:
Hi all
A couple more from Stuart Harding’s collection.
Gillbert’s F88 and Sammy Costa’s Fiat returning home with a burn out.
Hi Boys
melandmel thanks for posting the photos, what’s the story with the burnt out? was it one of C and B’s?
Regards Keith
Snapped yesterday - silver liveried Shirleys DAF XF
