Past Present and in Between in Pictures (Part 1)

[kempston]

Eddie Heaton:
Used to trunk to Hams Hall for Argos who had a depot there.

Speaking of Argos . I ran those swap bodies of theirs backwards and forwards between their depot on Lockett road at Bryn ( M6 J25 ) and their ( at that time ) relatively new distribution place alongside the M6 at Stafford for a while .

This was agency work as well by the way .

I also , rather stupidly in retrospect , allowed myself to be coerced into doing the home deliveries for a period …“ We’ll pay you class one rate “ is what I was told . Bloody hell , if they’d paid double what they did , I would have almost been nudging minimum wage .

And God Almighty , what a poxy job that turned out to be . A dozen or more a.m. deliveries followed almost immediately by an equal amount , if not more , of p.m. deliveries to the self same area , delivering trash such as Chinese made exercise machines to old codgers who couldn’t even muster the energy to assemble the bloody things , leaving me to do it for them .

And don’t even get me started on the items of Jerry built furniture that Argos flog .

We always carried a box of tools in the cab as we ( myself and my co-pilot that is ) often had to remove doors , and even windows on occasions would you believe, in order to cram the garbage into their council houses . And if it was a bed or a mattress for instance , we would frequently be expected to drag the ■■■■ thing up into the bedroom … I kid you not .

Thinking back , and I suspect I’m not on my own in this respect , but I haven’t half had some crappy jobs over a period of 45 years . Still , being philosophical, it’s all been a part of life’s rich tapestry I suppose .
[/quote]
Yes I’ve trunked to the Stafford distribution depot a few times, I enjoyed the wagon and drag as there was usually a few of you going to the same place so used to have a good crack but they also got me to do the home delivery on one occasion, 47 drops around Watford and north west London, told them straight I wouldn’t be doing it for a second time! Slave labour, delivering a washing machine up three flights of stairs to a flat but I think the heaviest thing that day was a sofa bed, never again. The wagon and drag was really easy just long days. The money was also very good. They then changed the shift patterns meaning weekend working and starting later and working into the night so a lot of drivers left on mass.

[buzzer]

Buzzer

[spardo]

Kempston:
delivering a washing machine up three flights of stairs to a flat

I had a similar experience here with the supermarket company Super U. I bought an automatic machine from them, and you know how heavy those are with a great lump of rock or something inside, and the price included delivery to the point of installation.

I was amazed when the young fellow arrived with a ■■■■■■ van, no lifting gear or transporting equipment, in fact all they had given him was a pair of gloves. The route from our gate to the house was on an incline over gravel and rock and then up 3 large steps plus another 3, 2 up one down, to where we wanted it.

Fortunately I have a rather decrepit sack barrow and, between the 2 of us we managed to manhandle it into position. Asked how they thought he should do it he replied ‘pick it up and carry it I suppose’.

They never asked me about our situation, I assumed 2 men and at least a tail lift and a robust barrow of some sort, because this is a very rural area and we are by no means exceptional in the difficulty of our entry. I hope that, if he survived without serious inhury, he told them where to shove their job, but being rural it is not a high employment area. I remember when I applied to Gauthier for a job all those years ago, he, knowing where I came from, said ‘you do realise that we only pay the SMIC (minimum wage) don’t you?’ Having no mortgage to pay and entirely debt free after my redundancy payment I was very happy to sign on, but how the blokes with families coped I have no idea. I doubt the tax man ever troubled them though, even I never paid any income tax and one year even got a rebate.

[erf-ngc-european]

Buzzer:
Buzzer

Looks like Nick Bull’s Scania on the Saudi border at Haditha, rather than Spain; though I am prepared to stand corrected.

[essexpete]

The ERF on skip duties was a bit premium back in that era. When did the skip as we know it today really kick off?

[geordielad]

Essexpete wrote;
The ERF on skip duties was a bit premium back in that era. When did the skip as we know it today really kick off?
Type First Skip Wagons into the search box and there is a thread on the subject, if I recall around the late 50’s was the date. Franky.

[kempston]

Geordielad:
Essexpete wrote;
The ERF on skip duties was a bit premium back in that era. When did the skip as we know it today really kick off?
Type First Skip Wagons into the search box and there is a thread on the subject, if I recall around the late 50’s was the date. Franky.

Earlier than that I believe, around the 1940 era I understand by this company.

[oiltreader]

Geordielad:
Essexpete wrote;
The ERF on skip duties was a bit premium back in that era. When did the skip as we know it today really kick off?
Type First Skip Wagons into the search box and there is a thread on the subject, if I recall around the late 50’s was the date. Franky.

This one Franky,
trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=124216
Oily

[robthedog]

ERF-NGC-European:

Buzzer:
Buzzer

Looks like Nick Bull’s Scania on the Saudi border at Haditha, rather than Spain; though I am prepared to stand corrected.

0

Spot on RO

[buzzer]

Buzzer

[star_down_under]

DIG:

Star down under.:
0
It’s hard to believe half the state and parts of NSW are under water with people evacuating their homes.

Hope your home and family isn’t affected by the floods we have gone back to nice low 20 days and cold nights with the fire burning again ,most unusual.
Dig

Thanks Dig, I’m home safe and on the road to recovery. I’ll have to “lose” my log-book and get a new one, it was a quick trip back. A new car followed me home.

[robthedog]

Conventional GUY ?

[star_down_under]

Franglais:

Buzzer:
Buzzer

Scania with the exteeended cab?
Cant tilt the whole cab can you? So, if the front cab still tilts, but the sleeper stays put? Still walk through from driving seat to sleeper? And if front half is still on springs and the back half isnt? Lots of squeaks, rattles, and even water/dust leaks?

How does it all work in the real world?

Only the day cab tilted, there was no access to or from the cab to the sleeper.
After its interstate career with Summerland it went to Victor Bray, as a drag car transporter.

google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJ … UTF-8#ip=1

[oiltreader]

Thanks to Buzzer, Kempston and robthedog for the photos
Oily.
Back in the day when grub was local produced and air miles were clocked up by warplanes.

[oiltreader]

robthedog:
Conventional GUY ?

Looks like that was in Germany Rob, the car an Opel Rekord? and the Beetle.
Oily

[star_down_under]

oiltreader:

robthedog:
Conventional GUY ?

Looks like that was in Germany Rob, the cars an Opel Rekord? and the Beetle.
Oily

Opal or Skoda Octavia?

[franglais]

Star down under.:

Franglais:

Buzzer:
Buzzer

Scania with the exteeended cab?
Cant tilt the whole cab can you? So, if the front cab still tilts, but the sleeper stays put? Still walk through from driving seat to sleeper? And if front half is still on springs and the back half isnt? Lots of squeaks, rattles, and even water/dust leaks?

How does it all work in the real world?

Only the day cab tilted, there was no access to or from the cab to the sleeper.
After its interstate career with Summerland it went to Victor Bray, as a drag car transporter.

google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJ … UTF-8#ip=1

Thanks for that.
Stops me getting splinters in my fingers, as I scratch my head.

[ray_smyth]

I recently spent a week at Mojacar in Almeria Province, South East Spain.
This young lady waitress in the tapas bar had a picture of a Guinness
Leyland tanker on her shirt, she said it was OK to take a picture. Cheers, Ray.

[erf-ngc-european]

robthedog:
Conventional GUY ?

It’s an export Guy, Rob: a LHD normal control Invincible run by a Belgian operator.

Another Belgian operator ran this LHD Invincible, with a sleeper cab!

Let’s face it, in those days the Continentals knew how to convert our dreary underpowered day-cabbed domestic lorries into powerful ocean-going long-haulers with sleeper cabs!

[oiltreader]

Star down under.:

oiltreader:

robthedog:
Conventional GUY ?

Looks like that was in Germany Rob, the cars an Opel Rekord? and the Beetle.
Oily

Opal or Skoda Octavia?

Yes sdu Skoda Octavia good shout.
Oily