midgeteler:
Hi Dd6, just missed you at Dino’s then, I left mid 76–but must have met you at A/Cars–loaded out of Ryton many times with exports for Sheerness usually on a Friday night for Saturday tip.
Can’t picture Barry Washbourne but name ring’s a bell, but the Taggs yes, I consider Kevin to be the best roper and sheeter I 've worked with-- he used to put me to shame. It was always a pleasure to tip a trailer that Kev had loaded.
I’me afraid I 've exhausted my stock of Dines pics on the last post - but have a few ■■■■■■ ones. You may well be right 'bout the 220/250 ■■■■■■■ question-it just didn’t feel that pokey.
What happened to the old staff when they packed up? Did any go it alone, what about Ray,Ginger, Brian and JP ? Did he get hitched to the blonde bombshell (Christine?) in Cowley traffic?
Enjoy these…
Not sure what happened to the staff as I left 6 months before they packed up and I moved back to Coventry, I think Ray Court had a couple painted pink for awhile, but can’t be sure, I must get in touch with Kevin again I’m sure he’ll have some photo’s. not sure if JP did get married, someone else made a comment on here about him if you read through.
I started with Autocar late 88 ended up on a 2500 daf with the notorious Walker tri deckers, what a load of crap they were, then went to Cartansport (BRS) when they took the contract in 1990 then Lawsons, had a break then came back on Autocarriers until 2004. By all means put on, as many ■■■■■■ pics as you can.
If I get in touch with Kevin, who shall I say I’ve been talking to.?
Hi midgeteler, I was at Dines from about 74 to 75 after which I left and bought my own truck to do european and middle east work so I may well know you from those days. I also worked for Williams F1 on and off over the years back in the 90’s and early 2000’s firstly for a small company doing Williams showcar promotions all over europe then on the test team when T N was team manager driving the motorhome and lastly as a contract truckie on the test team.
John Plester married my brother in laws mother back in the early nineties after he had run off with Gingers wife (Ginger said it was the best days work he had ever done) and was working for Audi uk in milton keynes but I think he is retired now.
Last time I saw Ray Court he had an office cleaning company in banbury. As far as I know John Beasley may still be working for Timbmet but I have’nt seen him for a long time, and I remember taking a Big J non sleeper with one of Dales bulk tippers to Belgium tipping near Brussels and reloading near Dieppe in France. I was double manned with Les (?) from Bicester (who with a friend also bought his own truck to do M/E) as a trial run to see if the job could be done profitably or not. I remember we had to get a hotel in Dieppe that night as by the time we had loaded and cleared customs the next ferry was in the morning. Unfortunately Dines had too many eggs in one basket being tied to the car industry and would probably have benefited more from investing in more proper sleeper cabs enabling drivers to engage in a bigger diversity of work.
Regards
Chazzer
Hi midgeteler, I was at Dines from about 74 to 75 after which I left and bought my own truck to do european and middle east work so I may well know you
Hi Chazzer…Yes we will definitly be connected with that portfolio! You must have been with Mike Miles then, sad about John Mawditt wasn’t it, he did some show car runs for me, got on well with him, see pic. T N is now factory based after he was TT AND Race team manager–Dickie is now back as Race Team manager.
You may also have driven for “Cheesey”, his lot are now(or were) doing all the race truck driving-the “truckies” don’t !!
Was Paul Edwards running the Motorhme then? He is in the Carribean now!
After Autocar went pop (17 yrs with them) I went on my own doing the Renault (Paris) engine run for Willies with a brand new Espace, which I also used as a taxi ! and things just grew as they say ending up with 3 Sprinter vans and F1 trailers.
Thanks for Dines update --I agree with your conclusion–if they had more Euro work I would probably have stayed with them, but living where I did, close to Milton T/E ,it was obviuos that I was on the “S” shed run for life !!
A note to the transporter drivers; Building work’s started at the old Morris Cowley Station site on Garsington Road…I presume some of you must’ve run cars over the bridge?
midgeteller, hello john, we really should stop using these pseudonyms as nobody realises until after several replies who is who, anyway we do know each other very well, in fact I did a couple of jobs to Spain for you with the van and trailer.
One if you remember in early feb of I think 05 with the new Williams T car just after its launch at the factory down to Valencia when we nearly did’nt get through France because of all the snow and it only cleared when we got down to Toulouse.
I take it you mean John who worked for Mike Miles and lived in Spain (I did’nt know his last name) or what happened to him, I used to speak to Mike now and again but have’nt been able to for several years and assumed he had sold everything up and moved possibly to Spain himself as all his phone numbers were dead.
I did the last two years for ‘Cheesy’ on FOM,08 and 09 then upped sticks and shipped the family and pets to the USA, great gang of lads on FOM its the best job in F1 and we always had a good time on there even if you had to drive Bernie’s motorhome, if you damaged that you might as well chuck yourself off the nearest cliff.
Is your good lady Donna still race team secretary? I’m surprised Dickie went back to being race TM but then he’s done it for so long that he must have found it very difficult to be factory based.
I’ll drop you a pm with my email address,
all the best
Chazzer (Charlie Gethin)
D A Clayton Bicester trying to get up hill on A421 Milton Keynes to Buckingham.
22 December 2010, This road was solid ice.
The A3 behind him was also stuck and the que behind him must have been 5 mile long
with a few trucks strugling on the hills !
BigG-Unit:
Seeing the picture of the Smith & Sons of Bletchington Foden on Bubbleman’s thread reminded me of when I used to run up and down the old Banbury road in the 60’s. In the evenings there was always one of their motors parked on the side of the road, overnight, outside a cottage. I must have passed it for well over twenty years so obviously a long time servant of the company. Anyone remember it or know of the driver?
Hi George, was this the truck and driver you were thinking of?
Muckaway:
Not a truck but an old Oxford firm and taken in Oxford! [/quote
Nice one, COMS (City of Oxford Motor Services) I also have a photo of that bus 956 and drove it many times, 955 and 956 ran main road (old A34)Oxford to Abingdon, also Oxford via Boars Hill to Abingdon which included going along to the Bystander. the other route was Oxford ,Kennington,Radley Abingdon. The Abingdon terminus was in Ock St. opposite Walter’s Cafe. Happy days (1960).
oiltreader
BigG-Unit:
Seeing the picture of the Smith & Sons of Bletchington Foden on Bubbleman’s thread reminded me of when I used to run up and down the old Banbury road in the 60’s. In the evenings there was always one of their motors parked on the side of the road, overnight, outside a cottage. I must have passed it for well over twenty years so obviously a long time servant of the company. Anyone remember it or know of the driver?
Hi George, was this the truck and driver you were thinking of?
Never saw the driver Nathan as it was evening/night/early hours when I saw it, parked up outside the cottage/s where, I presumed the driver lived. The wagons changed over the long period of time I traveled that road, but were that type of Foden mostly, but think they were 6/8 legger bulkers & maybe the odd square cabbed one at some time. Long time ago now and the memory is fairly limited of detail these days! Lovely pic. though and could well have been the man & motor at some stage, so many thanks for posting it. I must go that way again sometime and see if I can remember the spot, if it is still the same today. Trouble is though, if I am with our young 'uns, they want to get everywhere yesterday, so it tends to be all motorway!!
Im going back a bit , yes BOOTY’S they ran car transporters as well out of morris motors. CURTIS of Botley were very much into Pressed Steel bodies to the Midlands. AMEYS transport were another dominant carrier for Sandford paper mill and Bewoid, timber for Timbet ■■■■■■■ Boniface tannery Abingdon,Didcot canning factory,etc(i used to work for them before i went to BRS Scotts at Mayfield rd Oxford)prior to the move to long lane depot next HARDINGS . WERRELS were mainly at Osberton radiators (morris motors) MILEHAMS at Kidlington ,TUCKWELLS mostly cement out of Cherwell works .wish i had photos of that era.
