marky:
I don’t know if it’s still there, but around Atherton somewhere there’s a Finney DAF 2800 parked up in front of a house. (Apparently, it’s on the high loads route according to someone who knows)
I went past it a few times and was wondering why it was there. Someone later told me it was parked outside the house of one of the Finney family - who had rejected several offers to buy it.
It was a couple of years ago (at least) since I saw it and it was rough then - does anyone know anymore?
Yes house was the family home, now one of the sons.
Their yard was at the side where the new houses are.
[quote=" I have a recollection too that one of the older shunt drivers on the ERFs was one of the Finneys, although I’m open to correction on that.[/quote]
WIm not sure about the old shunt driver being a member of the finney family but you are right about the regs. they all finished in 500.]/quote
Think the guy you are referring to was “old man Finney”, as we affectionately called him, think his name was Charlie, but not certain.
He did like to keep his hand in by doing sheeting and shunting.
Because of the prevalent chemical industry Widnes and Runcorn had loads of haulage contracters,some are still going,maybe under a different name.Some were/are one man bands.I am going to name the ones I remember and apologise to the ones I forget.
AJ Adams
T & L Haulage
Jones Transport Services
Crow Carrying Co
WH&C Cowburn and Cowpar
Bert Jones and Sons
Jones Brothers
Fred Prescott and Sons (AHC)
David Pinnington
Cyril Twist
J. Cook and Son
Suttons
Grenfell Haulage
Harold Wood
Ernest Swift
J Ducker and Son
F Topping and Sons
Boyle Brothers
Frederick Craig and Son
CW&MA Evans
Kingsway Haulage
J Bamber and Sons
Thomas Fleet and Sons
Davies Brothers
JH DAvies
British Road Services (Widnes)
Stuart Cameron
Runcorn Transport Services
BRS (Runcorn)
Potts■■?
J Tickle and Son
W L Burroughs
Helsby and Longden
I am certain there are many more but sadly they are mostly gone.
marky:
I don’t know if it’s still there, but around Atherton somewhere there’s a Finney DAF 2800 parked up in front of a house. (Apparently, it’s on the high loads route according to someone who knows)
I went past it a few times and was wondering why it was there. Someone later told me it was parked outside the house of one of the Finney family - who had rejected several offers to buy it.
It was a couple of years ago (at least) since I saw it and it was rough then - does anyone know anymore?
Yes house was the family home, now one of the sons.
Their yard was at the side where the new houses are.
PS Whats a high loads route?
Finneys had a big yard at Tyldsley I did my class one with one of their mechanics,It was set back off the bend as you come up Mossley Common Road from The East Lancs Rd.
bigpeter53:
Because of the prevalent chemical industry Widnes and Runcorn had loads of haulage contracters,some are still going,maybe under a different name.Some were/are one man bands.I am going to name the ones I remember and apologise to the ones I forget.
AJ Adams
T & L Haulage
Jones Transport Services
Crow Carrying Co
WH&C Cowburn and Cowpar - Became Sadlers iirc
Bert Jones and Sons
Jones Brothers
Fred Prescott and Sons
David Pinnington
Cyril Twist
J. Cook and Son
Suttons
Grenfell Haulage
Harold Wood - Tankfreight - Exel - DHL
Ernest Swift
J Ducker and Son
F Topping and Sons
Boyle Brothers
Frederick Craig and Son
CW&MA Evans
Kingsway Haulage
J Bamber and Sons
Thomas Fleet and Sons
Davies Brothers
JH DAvies
British Road Services (Widnes)
Stuart Cameron
Runcorn Transport Services - TDG - Linkman
BRS (Runcorn)
Potts■■?
J Tickle and Son
Burroughs
Helsby and Longden
I am certain there are many more but sadly they are mostly gone.
Some good old names there Malc.I remember a lot of them - I knew some of the Crow Carrying drivers when nighting out in Barking,and I’d forgotten all about Helsby and Longden - used to see them in Stanlow a lot.W H C & C with their Scammells permanently coupled to frameless tanks,no fancy address just Trafford Park,Manchester 17 on t’cab side.
Like you say a lot of 'em gone now.
Slightly off the Widnes/Runcorn area do you remember Buckleys in Warrington and Leathers Chemicals based in Bradford?
Chris Webb:
Some good old names there Malc.I remember a lot of them - I knew some of the Crow Carrying drivers when nighting out in Barking,and I’d forgotten all about Helsby and Longden - used to see them in Stanlow a lot.W H C & C with their Scammells permanently coupled to frameless tanks,no fancy address just Trafford Park,Manchester 17 on t’cab side.
Like you say a lot of 'em gone now.
Slightly off the Widnes/Runcorn area do you remember Buckleys in Warrington and Leathers Chemicals based in Bradford?
Did Buckleys join the TDG group as well?
Would it have been Leathers Chemicals that later became Hays Chemicals?
Chris Webb:
Some good old names there Malc.I remember a lot of them - I knew some of the Crow Carrying drivers when nighting out in Barking,and I’d forgotten all about Helsby and Longden - used to see them in Stanlow a lot.W H C & C with their Scammells permanently coupled to frameless tanks,no fancy address just Trafford Park,Manchester 17 on t’cab side.
Like you say a lot of 'em gone now.
Slightly off the Widnes/Runcorn area do you remember Buckleys in Warrington and Leathers Chemicals based in Bradford?
Did Buckleys join the TDG group as well?
Would it have been Leathers Chemicals that later became Hays Chemicals?
I used to fill up at Buckleys in the 70s when I was on for A.E.Evans but lost touch with the tanker game when I changed jobs in 1979.I remember the gaffer buying an ex Leathers MK5 Mandator when I was in Sheffield market in 1969,AKU 384B it was (yes,bloody sad aren’t I).Only had it a week and it blew up on the A38 opposite the Oakamoor.
hiya,
just had a thorough look at this thread spotted tankerman is that russell who used to come onto the footpath outside bowkers blackburn depot to try and get me when i was on my way to pick my motor up at bowkers yard must have been late 60s to very early 70s anyway you didn’t get me i’m still knocking about the lad i knew was on for gilbraiths tankers and he used to have the occasional drink at the pub not far from the depot forgot what it was called now been left darwen 37 years now but you’ll remember some of the lads jack leach , don smith , nobby clark , thanks harry long retired .
Hi Come On You Northern Lads Show Your AGE…
I Do Not See The Name Of…FRED…ROSE ■■? Basted In CHORLEY…Also Had A Yard And A Shed At J9 M1 st Albans Side Of M1. Red and Black Veichles…Some One Must Rember Them?..I Do And I Am Still Here??
webby alpine:
Hi Come On You Northern Lads Show Your AGE…
I Do Not See The Name Of…FRED…ROSE ■■? Basted In CHORLEY…Also Had A Yard And A Shed At J9 M1 st Albans Side Of M1. Red and Black Veichles…Some One Must Rember Them?..I Do And I Am Still Here??
Aye i remember them they were based on the a6.In fact if you go along the a6 heading thro adlington towards chorley on the l/h/side were he used to be you can still see his name very faintly painted on the roof.
hiya,
oliver hart bulk tipper haulage, was the original oliver hart a speedway rider teamed with belle vue manchester in the 40s early 50s .
thanks harry long retired.
just what it says - a (ever dwindling ) network of routes around the UK which are suitable for abnormal loads higher than the usual 16’3" limit - councils are supposed to keep them up by not allowing new bridges etc to be built below that limit, cables will be at 20’ above the road or more etc, and in theory they should not have silly traffic calming, pedestrian refuges and other street furniture put on them, as most high loads will also usually be wide and/or long too
harry_gill:
hiya,
just had a thorough look at this thread spotted tankerman is that russell who used to come onto the footpath outside bowkers blackburn depot to try and get me when i was on my way to pick my motor up at bowkers yard must have been late 60s to very early 70s anyway you didn’t get me i’m still knocking about the lad i knew was on for gilbraiths tankers and he used to have the occasional drink at the pub not far from the depot forgot what it was called now been left darwen 37 years now but you’ll remember some of the lads jack leach , don smith , nobby clark , thanks harry long retired .
Hiya Harry Gill,
wasn’t there a Bowkers on Hollin Bridge Street Blackburn which had a pub on the corner called The Alma, or was it The Haverlock ?.
Somebody mentioned a Jag Joe a few weeks back and I can remember that Bowkers in the 80’s also had a Jag Joe who did Italy. This one worked for Bradley’s at Accrington at one time and used to drive an International, he also owned a Jaguar and I think he said he had put a diesel engine in it .
Could this be the same one Malc ?, if it is he must be nearly 70 by now.
Enclosed are two of Bowkers going through France sometime in the 80’s, Joe had the flat trailer.
hiya,
yes mushroomman bowkers were at hollin bridge st blackburn i worked there in the 60s and very early 70s, twice i was there never did over the water work i could still get lost in the UK, thanks for reminding me about the Havelock i’ve wracked my brain trying to remember it’s name, got myself in some right old states in there but i lived by myself so it didn’t matter in those days, Jag Joe wasn’t at bowkers in my time but knew of him when he was at bradley’s used to have a cuppa with brads lads occasionally when returning to base used the same cafe’s, getting the odd half hour in as you do, never did hear from tankerman so don’t know if it was him who who used to try and bowl me over when walking to work along hollin bridge st,
thanks harry long retired
peterm:
What happened to LV Mays of Mitcham. I worked for them late 60’s I think it was.
i to worked for L V MAYS from about 1962 to 1970.i started off as a trailer boy on the low loaderwith a guy called stan woods. he left and i then worked with cyril. dennis duffy was in the office and lenny ran the depot at mitcham. i also remember the roffey brothers. i was lucky enough to get my licence with them.
Deesider: Wheel Nut,
Norseman Freight was bought out by Hammond Transport from Horley, near Gatwick Airport, and operated out of their North West branch at Appleton, nr. Warrington for a few years. This would be the mid 80s. I think it’s the same firm that is now known as ‘Hammond Logistics’.
Norseman ran a fleet of orange Mercs, and the firm that owned them (Robert Smiths) still own the Liverpool and North Wales Mercedes Truck franchise (called Road Range.)
Norseman were bought by Gobowen Transport from Rimrose Road in Bootle in around 1990.
I used to work across the road and I remember the motors coming across from Birkenhead and changing colour to white (mainly 2 series Scania if memory serves)
Norseman were not bought out by Gobowen. You may be getting confused by AV Crutchley from the same area of Bootle.
Norseman bought out Crutchleys and Robert Smith Group kept the firm on when they sold Norseman out to Hammond. Just prior to this sale they got rid of the MD Ronnie Parker. They then transfered the firm to Ronnie Parker and he is still running Crutchleys out of Ellesmere Port. Well it may be his son now but I still think he has a hand in it.
Norseman was a cracking firm to work for; best in the area, despite the small cab Mercs and 250 bhp pullin 38t up Windy Hill
just reading about Norseman Freight----Big Arthur who used to do continental for them was trunking for (GND)–Norberts out of Shell at Ellesmere Port, on nights, last time i saw him a few months ago. On days was a bloke called Ronnie Carroll, he used to run Morgans from Deeside, when they were doing a lot of work for Hotpoint washers.
I used to work for Gordon Plant, North Rode, and would load out of ICI pharmaceuticles at Macclesfield, and deliver in to AVC at Birkenhead, with stuff for export.
Deesider: Wheel Nut,
Norseman Freight was bought out by Hammond Transport from Horley, near Gatwick Airport, and operated out of their North West branch at Appleton, nr. Warrington for a few years. This would be the mid 80s. I think it’s the same firm that is now known as ‘Hammond Logistics’.
Norseman ran a fleet of orange Mercs, and the firm that owned them (Robert Smiths) still own the Liverpool and North Wales Mercedes Truck franchise (called Road Range.)
Norseman were bought by Gobowen Transport from Rimrose Road in Bootle in around 1990.
I used to work across the road and I remember the motors coming across from Birkenhead and changing colour to white (mainly 2 series Scania if memory serves)
Norseman were not bought out by Gobowen. You may be getting confused by AV Crutchley from the same area of Bootle.
Norseman bought out Crutchleys and Robert Smith Group kept the firm on when they sold Norseman out to Hammond. Just prior to this sale they got rid of the MD Ronnie Parker. They then transfered the firm to Ronnie Parker and he is still running Crutchleys out of Ellesmere Port. Well it may be his son now but I still think he has a hand in it.
Norseman was a cracking firm to work for; best in the area, despite the small cab Mercs and 250 bhp pullin 38t up Windy Hill
Hi Pete, was the Ronnie you mentioned the same guy who ran A.V.Crutchleys in the late eighties when they were across the road from Norseman ? there were two old dears in the office then Doreen and Peggy.
Was that Strand Road ? Birkenhead and did they turn that building into a maritime museum or something, I have a feeling that it was not far from the bus station. From there they moved next to the swing bridge on Bidston Dock Road, the opposite end to Falcongates. Or was Crutchleys Strand Road those old stables just off The Dock Road in Liverpool ?.
) network of routes around the UK which are suitable for abnormal loads higher than the usual 16’3" limit - councils are supposed to keep them up by not allowing new bridges etc to be built below that limit, cables will be at 20’ above the road or more etc, and in theory they should not have silly traffic calming, pedestrian refuges and other street furniture put on them, as most high loads will also usually be wide and/or long too
.
Wheel Nut,