This was Jim Grays wagon, just out of the spray shop having had the Leyland blue/white changed to Unipart. See the ramps at the back show him down outside the show bay at Cowley, probably loading cars for another Motor Show somewhere, could have been the UK, but could have been anywhere in Europe, those old Buffalo’s went everywhere.
This Roadtrain came on demo/loan from Leyland Trucks in Lancs, we were only supposed to have her for a few weeks but she ended up staying at Cowley for about a year, usually driven by Mick Hooper.
adr:
Keith was always polishing & painting this one! It was Pete Hawkins who had the snack bar on the Banbury road, I think he lived at Deddington.
Yes you are right, Pete did live in Deddington on the main rd. I would often see his van in the garden. Did you remember a buffalo that had “old thunder” written on the front, a smashing old chap named Tony drove it, I can’t remember all the names now but they were a good crew. The buffalo I drove HBW 118S for BRS was in Unipart colours similar to the one posted.
Some great pics. there adr, kept them quiet for a bit didn’t ya ! 
Thanks for posting them, Magic. 
Muckaway:
Witney Goods Yard with a James Marriott lorry loading in the background. When the line shut completely in 1970, Marriotts leased the goods yard as their main office.
Charringtons (to the left of the Goods office) took over Bernard T Frost in the '60s.
This is going slightly off the Oxford firms thread but British Leyland in Cowley shows the sort of vehicles that the uk truck driver was expected to drive. Anyone who has driven a Roadtrain solo for any distance and got out without a bad back was very lucky,
so it’s hardly surprising that Leyland trucks failed to stand on their own when you compare their offerings to the other manufacturers such as Volvo, Scania or Mercedes and if it had’nt been for the takeover by Daf they would have folded completely and more uk manufacturing jobs would have been lost.
Unfortunately as in most cases of uk truck manufacturing in the 70’s and early 80’s the designers were stuck in the mould of the 40’s and 50’s, power steering in the seventies was a luxury even in some 8 wheelers, most ERF, Atkinson and Foden tractor units were without it, a sleeper cab was a narrow bench behind the seats, there was a big non turboed engine hump in the middle and a night heater was unheard of. Only the Ford transcon represented a comparable vehicle to the european trucks with its roomy and sprung cab, a good engine and transmission which instead of being upgraded to keep up with europe was left to the shortsightedness of the uk bosses to be replaced with the heap of crap which was the Cargo, very good as a 7.5 tonner or 17ton but completely useless as an artic unit.
This may upset some people that love their ERFs,Fodens etc but how many made their way into europe compared to the foreign manufacturers who sold trucks in the uk.
Chazzer
. THANKS CHRIS , for the pictures of the Brs roadtrain and theleyland transport pictures , that roadtrain you drove was driven by Tony Smith ( smithy " , by the time you had it he had just gone on the Atlet contract , I know that because he allways had his curtains pulled round tha rear windows and had top spot lights on the cab spoiler . Also even though the sunstrip says " ■■■■■■■ powered " it was powered by a rolls 265 . Tony kept this roadtrain imaculate .
You say you drove a638 sou the day before , this was the late Jock Fultons truck , fleet number Tag 171 .
Thanks Chris .
Also message for Chris H , I started in the workshops at 16 in Brs oxford and at that time Oxford only had one Buffalo left on the road and that was driven by Fred holiday from Dorchester on Thames , the rest work in the truck grave at the top of the yard .
Fred use to do 2 trips a day to longbridge , and one day whilst on the start to his second trip he came in saying the engine was breathing more then normal, we investigated it and reported to him it was going to be scrapped , he was in tears saying it was a good truck and he did not want a new Roadtrain.
Fred use to give me a apple if I helped wash his truck .
Great days .
Some other Brs Cowley drivers were , Albert hall , Scratcher , Pete Betteridge, kenny organ , Reg skinner , Ron willmott ,Ray timms Gordon cullimore ( yard man ),
I could even tell you what they drove if I wanted too 
.
I was only 16 so lisatening to there stories about the road was great , most are dead now but not all of them , .
ADR ( CHRIS) WASNT THERE A CHAP CALLED "DIDDY " , he did have a cruiser and had curtains around the rear glass of the cab even though it was a day cab and it never went on the road , also the chap who use to drive a very early day cabbed cruiser ( w reg) with hydraulic 5th wheel parked it by the part whats now not there coming from rosehill by the slip road to cowley . Also Dens roadtrain was allways clean . (true trucker )
[attachment=0]BRS MARTON.jpg[/attachment , found this picture of a tidy Brs maraton , think it was a Swindon wagon ,
Hi ADR , do you remember the “greek” worked on BL transport ? , wasnt he a bit firey?
The disused silo at Kidlington (or the eyesore to many people)
Has anybody ever worked in or out of here when it was operating? My father in Law did some repairs to it during the 70s (must’ve been near closure by then as I don’t remember it being open). He said there was a claustrophobic lift that could just hold one man and a gas bottle/torch-he worked on the chutes/conveyors. Does anyone know who operated this place? I know it was built by Italian POWs for the Ministry of Food during WW2 and that Seeneys Pet Foods were based here until they moved to Weston on the Green.
Muckaway:
The disused silo at Kidlington (or the eyesore to many people)
Has anybody ever worked in or out of here when it was operating? My father in Law did some repairs to it during the 70s (must’ve been near closure by then as I don’t remember it being open). He said there was a claustrophobic lift that could just hold one man and a gas bottle/torch-he worked on the chutes/conveyors. Does anyone know who operated this place? I know it was built by Italian POWs for the Ministry of Food during WW2 and that Seeneys Pet Foods were based here until they moved to Weston on the Green.
I have to lay claim on working out of here ,–early 50s on BRS taking grain in sacks (2 cwts i think) to various docks for export .i believe it was called a food ministry buffer depot there were quite a few around Oxford -there was one at Long Handborough as well and another at Worminghall
Toshboy
There was another buffer food store with it’s own siding at South Leigh- I bet George remembers it. Locals knew it as the “biscuit store”
martin.loader.btinternet.co. … Branch.htm
Muckaway:
The disused silo at Kidlington (or the eyesore to many people)
Has anybody ever worked in or out of here when it was operating? My father in Law did some repairs to it during the 70s (must’ve been near closure by then as I don’t remember it being open). He said there was a claustrophobic lift that could just hold one man and a gas bottle/torch-he worked on the chutes/conveyors. Does anyone know who operated this place? I know it was built by Italian POWs for the Ministry of Food during WW2 and that Seeneys Pet Foods were based here until they moved to Weston on the Green.
Yeah got to put my hands up to that, I tipped one load there years ago ( I was very young at the time 
) I remember there being 2 men working there, and they were good lads even made me a brew. I didn’t get messed about like was the normal in those days, in places like Avonmouth, Cardiff, Barry, Tewkesbury, Liverpool, where all they wanted to do as soon as they saw a lorry, was mess you about and keep you there as long as they could, then wonder why they got abuse and closed down. 
Remember these Jakey, drove this for 2 days, 1st day load up to Norwich, 2nd day 2 drops in the Midlands, easy life!
