Hi pauylycats
There are a few threads with Lythgoe references and pictures on this site. Just type Lythgoe lime into the search box and hit enter.
I have been in all the quarries you mention over the years. We used to have two or three tippers running every day out of Hargreaves quarry at Urpeth above the Team Valley. Did any of yours get in there ■■
tyneside:
Hi pauylycatsThere are a few threads with Lythgoe references and pictures on this site. Just type Lythgoe lime into the search box and hit enter.
I have been in all the quarries you mention over the years. We used to have two or three tippers running every day out of Hargreaves quarry at Urpeth above the Team Valley. Did any of yours get in there ■■
Yes mate we did. Our Ron was talking about Urpeth the other day and remembers a lad called (Billy?) Meldrum, an owner/driver from Hebburn ran for Hargreaves. He bought a brand new Albion Reiver (before ergo cab model) 6 wheeler and took it to Urpeth.
Loaded up and away (eventually) Took him 3 attempts to conquer the bank out!! As me dad used to say “It could’nt pull your cap off”!!
We are fairly sure he got rid of it soon after.
Thanks for the Lythgoe link. Ron said he thought they used the sand as fertilizer.
Hi paulycats
We had a lad called Jackie Fletcher drove for us for a number of years who led out of Urpeth most days. He left us and went to drive for Billy Meldrum, who IIRC had bought a new ERF 8 wheeler, that would have been about 67/68.
I have attached a copy of a letter from Hargreaves confirming a quote. Not sure exactly what the job was but Pockerley is further up the hill from Urpeth ( on the edge of Beamish Museum) Don’t know if sand was being extracted or tipped up there.
After Hargreaves closed Urpeth we spent as much time leading spoil in as we had taking sand out !
tyneside:
Hi paulycats
We had a lad called Jackie Fletcher drove for us for a number of years who led out of Urpeth most days. He left us and went to drive for Billy Meldrum, who IIRC had bought a new ERF 8 wheeler, that would have been about 67/68.I have attached a copy of a letter from Hargreaves confirming a quote. Not sure exactly what the job was but Pockerley is further up the hill from Urpeth ( on the edge of Beamish Museum) Don’t know if sand was being extracted or tipped up there.
After Hargreaves closed Urpeth we spent as much time leading spoil in as we had taking sand out !
I’ll have a word with Ron and ask him about Billy’s change of vehicle but it sounds about the time he might have changed his Albion?. I can certainly remember Peacock’s (Eighton Banks) running out of Hawthorn quarry (green livery) but that’s a bit later. I’ll also ask if he knew Mr Wilkinson(as signed on your contract) We used to get a phone call every teatime to tell us how many wagons we had to send to which quarry from the Hetton office.
Punchy Dan:
01
Great photos Dan, My son Nigel still works for J R A, He been there 15 years now, Thanks for posting them, Regards Larry.
pete smith:
Hi Larry,
I think you have posted this picture of McPhees Atki before but it needs another showing!
Hi "pete, It certainly does, McPhees photos are allways welcome IMO, Another great Newcastle firm sadly long gone, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
pete smith:
Hi Larry,
I think you have posted this picture of McPhees Atki before but it needs another showing!Hi "pete, It certainly does, McPhees photos are allways welcome IMO, Another great Newcastle firm sadly long gone, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
0Lawrence Dunbar:
pete smith:
Hi Larry,
I think you have posted this picture of McPhees Atki before but it needs another showing!Hi "pete, It certainly does, McPhees photos are allways welcome IMO, Another great Newcastle firm sadly long gone, Regards Larry.
There is not many of Mc Phee’s photo’s around Larry, but it is the era I’m most interested in, as you say most of the Companies sadly gone,Cheer’s Pete
paulycats:
“Expensive fish and chips these like”!
Hi Pauycats interesting story, my Father used to have 3 Canadian Fords ex WD lime spreaders with Atkinson bodies on contract to Adam Lythgoe spreading in the borders. The feeder vehicles were GMC 6x6 sided flats the load transfer was by shovel I still have a couple of aluminium ones left over for the snow they must be 65 years old. The National Benzol tanker used to deliver petrol every day of the week in those days always remember the driver was Billy Coxon his brother ran trucks out of Burnhopefield.It was probably a Friday lunchtime. Bro’ had just bought his “fish lot” in Pittington and was heading UP to Sherburn Hill quarry to have his dinner in the quarry. “193 PT” was nearing her destination and lunch break, when coming DOWN the hill was a BMC commercial tipper owned by Adam Lithgoe (Scotland?,cream in colour) and (maybe) struggling to brake it’s speed? straying over to the offside of the road?
“193 PT” moves nearside to offer extra room, but this road has no kerb and cambers away to grass verge and 6 foot drop to farmers field.
“193 PT” gets caught in inevitable “left hand pull” and bro’ tries to rescue his fish dinner from far side of cab(understandable when hungry) with left hand. One hand (right) is never going to keep “193 PT” on the straight and narrow (no power steering) so she takes on “tractor mode” and ploughs a lonely furrow in the farmers field (on her near side) and takes out a telegraph pole too!!
Bro’ was very lucky to be alive really but we can laugh at it now!
The engine was still running when bro’ gathered his thoughts, so lifted the central hatch and stopped it at the pump.Anyone know about these Lithgoe tippers? We think they might have taken the yellow sand up to Scotland on return journey’s (border’s?)
transporter man:
paulycats:
“Expensive fish and chips these like”!
Hi Pauycats interesting story, my Father used to have 3 Canadian Fords ex WD lime spreaders with Atkinson bodies on contract to Adam Lythgoe spreading in the borders. The feeder vehicles were GMC 6x6 sided flats the load transfer was by shovel I still have a couple of aluminium ones left over for the snow they must be 65 years old. The National Benzol tanker used to deliver petrol every day of the week in those days always remember the driver was Billy Coxon his brother ran trucks out of Burnhopefield.It was probably a Friday lunchtime. Bro’ had just bought his “fish lot” in Pittington and was heading UP to Sherburn Hill quarry to have his dinner in the quarry. “193 PT” was nearing her destination and lunch break, when coming DOWN the hill was a BMC commercial tipper owned by Adam Lithgoe (Scotland?,cream in colour) and (maybe) struggling to brake it’s speed? straying over to the offside of the road?
“193 PT” moves nearside to offer extra room, but this road has no kerb and cambers away to grass verge and 6 foot drop to farmers field.
“193 PT” gets caught in inevitable “left hand pull” and bro’ tries to rescue his fish dinner from far side of cab(understandable when hungry) with left hand. One hand (right) is never going to keep “193 PT” on the straight and narrow (no power steering) so she takes on “tractor mode” and ploughs a lonely furrow in the farmers field (on her near side) and takes out a telegraph pole too!!
Bro’ was very lucky to be alive really but we can laugh at it now!
The engine was still running when bro’ gathered his thoughts, so lifted the central hatch and stopped it at the pump.Anyone know about these Lithgoe tippers? We think they might have taken the yellow sand up to Scotland on return journey’s (border’s?)
An old friend of mine The late Wilson Handyside from Seaton Burn had a contact licence to haul lime for A/L In the 50s he had some Canadian Dodges, He went on to a B Licence & did coal & other tipper work anyone remember him I wonder ?, Regards Larry.
What ever happend to Walton Haulage from East Headley Hope i recall them having blue and white F7 Unit/s then seemed to have all sorts of wagons off Barry Emery.i have never seen them for years think the last wagon i saw at the yard was a Volvo FH but thaw would be around 2006 or maybe eariier,
There were 2 quarries at Sherburn. Hargreaves owned the yellow(building) sand quarry on the Sherburn to Haswell road.(still there now but a lot bigger!) The second quarry was known as Shadforth quarry. This was directly behind and below(to the South West of) the Hargreaves quarry in the village of (yes you guessed it) Shadforth. This was off the Sherburn Hill crossroads and South down the hill, through Shadforth to Haswell Plough.
Anyone who knows geology might have an explanation as to why the building sand was found at the higher level to the limestone.(compression,time and all that no doubt?)
The Shadforth quarry was obviously owned(at this time) by Adam Lythgoe, a fact i have now learned from this forum and the limestone used as fertiliser. Led down to Seaham and shipped up to Scotland as well as other places a roundabout.
I can remember during dinner breaks( i would be about 8/9yrs old) climbing up behind the weighbridge in the sand quarry and peering over the edge into Shadforth quarry below (a long way down) curiosity and all that!!
Back to “Trader” 193 PT.
Long wheelbase,wooden body,(4 wheel) ex coal haulage tipper.(i can remember the 2 or 3 chains running across inside(the width of) the body.
This was Ron’s first wagon(he would be 21) and he liked it a lot! even the lack of power steering and enormous steering wheel that turned not only the front wheels, but the steering column too, did’nt blunt his enthusiasm! A bit like stirring a a BIG cake mix! Muscles like Popeye would follow!
Coming back to the quarry one day (empty) she gave a big and very noticeable" jump" in the air from the back end, on a relatively smooth piece of road.Arriving back at quarry, an inspection underneath revealed an oil leak (from pinion oil seal?) and not much else. But with the help of one of the shovel driver’s, they found the prop shaft (at the carrier bearing between gearbox and diff)was seized and could’nt “telescope” with the up and down movement of the axle.It was also found when it was stripped down, that the rear springs(offset on this model?) had been fitted wrong way round!
Repairs made, she was fine afterwards…well for a while anyway’s! 
I worked for Adam Lythgoe during 1963/4 as plant fitter at the Shadforth Quarry chasing big money, 7 days 12 hour shifts. The quarry was owned by one man, I forget his name, and Lythgoe only had an agreement to take off overburden and sandstone to expose the magnesium limestone which was excavated, crushed and then pulverised into powder form. Apart from loads which went local, the finished product was stockpiled for movement to Seaham Docks for onward shipment to Scotland. The principle haulier was John Long from Haswell who had 5 or 6 daily, and a transport outfit from Westerhope, mainly Bedfords painted cream with orange wings. Lythgoe never had any of their own vehicles operating out of Shadforth whilst I was there.
The Westerhope outfit was probably Hewitsons, Larry Dunbar would know for definite, but that was their colours. Old Mr Hewitson’s son was running a Volvo eight wheeler but packed in probably about 4/5 years ago.
My wife’s mother and her six brothers and sisters all originate from Shadforth. One of her sisters (my wife’s aunty) and her husband lived in the council houses in Shadforth in front of the quarry and she worked in the quarry office in the 70/80’s, her husband was the milkman around Sherburn Hill and Shadforth.
tyneside:
The Westerhope outfit was probably Hewitsons, Larry Dunbar would know for definite, but that was their colours. Old Mr Hewitson’s son was running a Volvo eight wheeler but packed in probably about 4/5 years ago.
My wife’s mother and her six brothers and sisters all originate from Shadforth. One of her sisters (my wife’s aunty) and her husband lived in the council houses in Shadforth in front of the quarry and she worked in the quarry office in the 70/80’s, her husband was the milkman around Sherburn Hill and Shadforth.
Hi “Tyneside”, You are right It was E.Hewiston, Their son Graeme ran solo for a long time & still did a bit of Lime to the spreaders Regards Larry.
