Old North East haulage companies (Part 1)

[servo88]

[lawrence_dunbar]

servo88:
0

Great photo Servo88, Registered 1948 Durham CC. These O Model Bedfords were very popular in their Heyday, Keep them coming, Regards Larry.

[lawrence_dunbar]

Leyland600:
Hi Larry, thats the way fruit haulage was carried out in those days, do you remember the fat copper who lived on whisky supplied by the fruit warehouse owners and chased you out of St Andrews St the moment you were eventually tipped to park up somewhere on Newcastle’s streets then had to walk back to collect your signed delivery notes ages after every box or bag had been tallied up. ■■
Cheers, Leyland 600

Aye the good old days Eh, Heres an old one from the days I used to tip there, Regards Larry.

[macg]

Hi Larry, brings it all back. Loading at some Godforsaken farm around about Aberdeen 20t tatties ,(forklift ,I’ve got ne forklift son) Sheeting up in the pouring rain about nine o’clock at night. Mind they need to be in the market at Gateshead for 5 in the morning. Great looking back ,not so good at the time. Hope you’r keeping well Mac

[lawrence_dunbar]

macg:
Hi Larry, brings it all back. Loading at some Godforsaken farm around about Aberdeen 20t tatties ,(forklift ,I’ve got ne forklift son) Sheeting up in the pouring rain about nine o’clock at night. Mind they need to be in the market at Gateshead for 5 in the morning. Great looking back ,not so good at the time. Hope you’r keeping well Mac

Aye Im keeping OK Mac, Still doing half days twice a week It keeps me fit and pays for my Malts, Mind you I have to get up in the mornings, Cant stay in bed too long in fact I sometimes wake up at 3.00am and think ive slept in, Sad isn’t it Ha Ha, Well I live for today because as the old saying goes tomorrow nevers comes Eh, Regards Larry.

[lawrence_dunbar]

[bewick]

The “fruit and veg” job was bloody hard graft and you earned the extra rate it paid though,a regular job I did when I started in 1968 with my first motor was loading off Covent garden for A.E. Docker, Barrow-in-Furness which was as a “subbie” for J.& W. Watt of Carlisle.Barrow was no good for them,too far south and impossible for their night men who ran up the A1 and over Bowes.Only problem for me was I often did a mid-night “flyer” from Kendal to be down at Sainsbury’s in Stamford St. for 7/8a.m. tip with Libbys then I’d give Harold Dunkley a ring at Watts office at London Colney when I was tipped at 9 am and he would say "get on the “stones” and load for Dockers !! So I’d get parked up handy like then later morning the “barra” boys would start shouting “Dockers Barrow” !!,one after another would come with all kinds of stuff that the Dockers buyer had got,Flowers,Jersey tatties or Eygyptians,Oranges,apples and stuff I can’t remember now but I loaded it as tidy as I could with the hard gear on the outside and the soft fruit and flowers in the middle as especially in winter time the wind chill could ruin the soft stuff and the flowers.So when I would finally get finished loading in mid afternoon I’d have to call into Watts office at London Colney for a set of their notes then I’d get my head down for a few hours.I had to be parked outside Dockers warehouse in Barrow by 4 am next morning,which I always was,ropes off and ties loosened One consolation was as soon as I backed into the warehouse the staff unloaded it and I went into the office and Mr.“Albert”(Docker) used to bring a whicker basket covered in a tea towel and containing a FULL English and he’d brew up as well,I used to sit at his desk and polish off a fine breakfast !! All he used to say was,why can’t you bring us our Covent Garden load every week ! I never had any damages unlike Watts who’s Shunters would just throw it into a van,heavy on top of lights !!When I was tipped they always gave me a box of fruit and veg which my Mam appreciated ! Then they started getting me to take a part load back to their Kendal depot so it was later morning when I finally got home to Shap Rd. and got my head down !! Then sometimes at about 2 or 3 pm I’d get aroused from my kip “Libbys are on the phone can you go in and load for London straightaway” ! I’ve been in Libbys warehouse loading at times absolutely dead on my feet,plus the load was booked in down London for an early tip,bloody gruelling at times but I had it to do!Oh! the days of penciled log sheets !! Cheers Dennis.

[kevmac47]

Bewick:
The “fruit and veg” job was bloody hard graft and you earned the extra rate it paid though,a regular job I did when I started in 1968 with my first motor was loading off Covent garden for A.E. Docker, Barrow-in-Furness which was as a “subbie” for J.& W. Watt of Carlisle.Barrow was no good for them,too far south and impossible for their night men who ran up the A1 and over Bowes.Only problem for me was I often did a mid-night “flyer” from Kendal to be down at Sainsbury’s in Stamford St. for 7/8a.m. tip with Libbys then I’d give Harold Dunkley a ring at Watts office at London Colney when I was tipped at 9 am and he would say "get on the “stones” and load for Dockers !! So I’d get parked up handy like then later morning the “barra” boys would start shouting “Dockers Barrow” !!,one after another would come with all kinds of stuff that the Dockers buyer had got,Flowers,Jersey tatties or Eygyptians,Oranges,apples and stuff I can’t remember now but I loaded it as tidy as I could with the hard gear on the outside and the soft fruit and flowers in the middle as especially in winter time the wind chill could ruin the soft stuff and the flowers.So when I would finally get finished loading in mid afternoon I’d have to call into Watts office at London Colney for a set of their notes then I’d get my head down for a few hours.I had to be parked outside Dockers warehouse in Barrow by 4 am next morning,which I always was,ropes off and ties loosened One consolation was as soon as I backed into the warehouse the staff unloaded it and I went into the office and Mr.“Albert”(Docker) used to bring a whicker basket covered in a tea towel and containing a FULL English and he’d brew up as well,I used to sit at his desk and polish off a fine breakfast !! All he used to say was,why can’t you bring us our Covent Garden load every week ! I never had any damages unlike Watts who’s Shunters would just throw it into a van,heavy on top of lights !!When I was tipped they always gave me a box of fruit and veg which my Mam appreciated ! Then they started getting me to take a part load back to their Kendal depot so it was later morning when I finally got home to Shap Rd. and got my head down !! Then sometimes at about 2 or 3 pm I’d get aroused from my kip “Libbys are on the phone can you go in and load for London straightaway” ! I’ve been in Libbys warehouse loading at times absolutely dead on my feet,plus the load was booked in down London for an early tip,bloody gruelling at times but I had it to do!Oh! the days of penciled log sheets !! Cheers Dennis.

Be careful what our saying Dennis!! You’ll have the modern day “steering wheel attendant’s” setting fire to their keyboards in there haste to blame you for all the problems in the industry today. IE. wages, conditions, lack of respect from bosses AND VOSA, ( or the ministry man as we called him)
I know most of us on General did “do a naughty” now and again , but I do think we were happier in our work than the “modern moaners”. Ps I think we were better at that also, eh■■? Regards Kev.

[lawrence_dunbar]

kevmac47:

Bewick:
The “fruit and veg” job was bloody hard graft and you earned the extra rate it paid though,a regular job I did when I started in 1968 with my first motor was loading off Covent garden for A.E. Docker, Barrow-in-Furness which was as a “subbie” for J.& W. Watt of Carlisle.Barrow was no good for them,too far south and impossible for their night men who ran up the A1 and over Bowes.Only problem for me was I often did a mid-night “flyer” from Kendal to be down at Sainsbury’s in Stamford St. for 7/8a.m. tip with Libbys then I’d give Harold Dunkley a ring at Watts office at London Colney when I was tipped at 9 am and he would say "get on the “stones” and load for Dockers !! So I’d get parked up handy like then later morning the “barra” boys would start shouting “Dockers Barrow” !!,one after another would come with all kinds of stuff that the Dockers buyer had got,Flowers,Jersey tatties or Eygyptians,Oranges,apples and stuff I can’t remember now but I loaded it as tidy as I could with the hard gear on the outside and the soft fruit and flowers in the middle as especially in winter time the wind chill could ruin the soft stuff and the flowers.So when I would finally get finished loading in mid afternoon I’d have to call into Watts office at London Colney for a set of their notes then I’d get my head down for a few hours.I had to be parked outside Dockers warehouse in Barrow by 4 am next morning,which I always was,ropes off and ties loosened One consolation was as soon as I backed into the warehouse the staff unloaded it and I went into the office and Mr.“Albert”(Docker) used to bring a whicker basket covered in a tea towel and containing a FULL English and he’d brew up as well,I used to sit at his desk and polish off a fine breakfast !! All he used to say was,why can’t you bring us our Covent Garden load every week ! I never had any damages unlike Watts who’s Shunters would just throw it into a van,heavy on top of lights !!When I was tipped they always gave me a box of fruit and veg which my Mam appreciated ! Then they started getting me to take a part load back to their Kendal depot so it was later morning when I finally got home to Shap Rd. and got my head down !! Then sometimes at about 2 or 3 pm I’d get aroused from my kip “Libbys are on the phone can you go in and load for London straightaway” ! I’ve been in Libbys warehouse loading at times absolutely dead on my feet,plus the load was booked in down London for an early tip,bloody gruelling at times but I had it to do!Oh! the days of penciled log sheets !! Cheers Dennis.

Be careful what our saying Dennis!! You’ll have the modern day “steering wheel attendant’s” setting fire to their keyboards in there haste to blame you for all the problems in the industry today. IE. wages, conditions, lack of respect from bosses AND VOSA, ( or the ministry man as we called him)
I know most of us on General did “do a naughty” now and again , but I do think we were happier in our work than the “modern moaners”. Ps I think we were better at that also, eh■■? Regards Kev.

Well said KEV, But my mentor old Parkie Denholm allways said to me if there was money to be made running dodgey just do it We have done a good days or nights work before these buggers get our of bed, So I took his good advice & did what I had to do & bent the rules & made a few bob & luckley never got caught by the ministry geezas who had a job for life & made things difficult for drivers & their employers by writing down what they saw, The god old days long gone now as you well know but I enjoyed every minute of it as Im sure you did, Regards Larry.

[rigsby]

hard work , but good mostly enjoyable days . my late uncle told me right from the start " lorries are mechanical devices for making old men out of young ones " . he was right , but i enjoyed the job anyway . cheers , dave

[3300john]

Lawrence Dunbar:
0

Leyland600:
Hi Larry, thats the way fruit haulage was carried out in those days, do you remember the fat copper who lived on whisky supplied by the fruit warehouse owners and chased you out of St Andrews St the moment you were eventually tipped to park up somewhere on Newcastle’s streets then had to walk back to collect your signed delivery notes ages after every box or bag had been tallied up. ■■
Cheers, Leyland 600

Aye the good old days Eh, Heres an old one from the days I used to tip there, Regards Larry.

looks like they didn’t put yellow lines on cobbles…he he…nice to see no cars blocking every where up

[lawrence_dunbar]

Another busy day in St.Andrews Street, Regards Larry.

[servo88]

[servo88]

[servo88]

[servo88]

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[the_heed]

got this from chronical seen it loads of time do not know who owns it. it was carrying waste from pulp mill

[servo88]

[lawrence_dunbar]

[lawrence_dunbar]

Remamber H.G.Martin they had a depot at the top of Byker Bank (Shields Road end), The ran a lot of Albions hauling timber in the 50/60s era, Regards Larry.