No mistaking the sea front at Scarborough with the ERF travelling along
Spardo:
Chris Webb:
Bartons always looked a bit posher than Trent Motor Traction. I also remember the Midland Red express service from Birmingham to Nottingham,route number X99,I agree with you Chris, Bartons always looked a cut above, more flash, all the others including Trent were bland to my young eyes. And I do remember the X99 though it wouldnât have come past our house. I remember Midland Red being built for speed, possibly because I saw them so often on the motorways later.
Just did a bit of googling and see that Barton Transport was sold in 1989, presumably to Trent, and after that became a property company. A sad end to a famous company.
I used to travel to school on Bartons buses. They had a depot at Ilkeston where the Kirk Hallam buses were based. Sad that I am I even remember the bus noâs 52, 53, 57 and the Kirk Hallam to Nottingham service was 59. I got to know most of the conductors and I never paid more than a shilling to Nottingham. Other journeys were 2d and eventually 3d to Ilkeston from Kirk Hallam. How could they justify a 50% increase? The good old days eh!
Buzzer:
Buzzer
The red Kenworth is Lewingtons, once the largest stock Carterâs in the country. Albury based outfit worked throughout Victoria and NSW, venturing into Queensland and SA. They went bankrupt about twenty-five years ago and were bought by Ron Finnemore, a major name in transport.
Spardo:
2 comments from me.Firstly to Pete, Windrush, is that âRâ (
) in Matlock? Just a wild, half educated, guess you understand.
Secondly the last picture. That body truck looks fresh out of the Hall of Fame for the photo and I have always suspected, because I think it was the last of Buntineâs B61 body trucks, it was the one I drove with my friend George, one of my 2 âtrainersâ when I first started there, the other being Kevin. I say âdroveâ, because George, buoyd up by medicines of various kinds which produced long silences and a fixed expression, much preferred to be behind the wheel himself, leaving me only relatively short spells. Kevin btw was the one who, possibly having a short nap, flipped his 3rd trailer over one early morning which prompted a lengthy recovery by the rest of us. You might think that such âteachersâ would been a bad influence on me but, on the contrary, it laid out plain and simple a valuable lesson in what to avoid.
I hope no-one thinks I am doing old friends down with this post, I am not, all the above has been in the public domain for at least 12 years in my book, now long out of print, which in part covered my time there. My admiration for such drivers remains undiminished.
You wrote a book, David? I would be most interested in reading that. Title and ISBN please.
yorkpensioner:
No mistaking the sea front at Scarborough with the ERF travelling along
I worked it out by the shadow on the bench and the hill in the background. I guessed it was a seaside place by the amusement arcades and the shadow on the bench indicated that the sun was high and directly facing the people sitting on it so it had to be south facing and around mid-day/early afternoon. Originally I thought it was somewhere on the south coast but I couldnât place anywhere with a hill in the background. The ERF has a Leeds reg no which narrowed it down further. A quick search on Google maps showed a south facing promontory in Scarborough which lay at the bottom of a hill.
Dennis Javelin:
yorkpensioner:
No mistaking the sea front at Scarborough with the ERF travelling alongI worked it out by the shadow on the bench and the hill in the background. I guessed it was a seaside place by the amusement arcades and the shadow on the bench indicated that the sun was high and directly facing the people sitting on it so it had to be south facing and around mid-day/early afternoon. Originally I thought it was somewhere on the south coast but I couldnât place anywhere with a hill in the background. The ERF has a Leeds reg no which narrowed it down further. A quick search on Google maps showed a south facing promontory in Scarborough which lay at the bottom of a hill.
It was the hill in the background that fooled me though must admit only gave it a short glance. The bench facing away from the road I thought was angled towards the river, hence Matlock. 
@SDU Sorry mate, I think you might have missed this bit
now long out of print
I could check with the publishers Lulu.com, but someone else who was interested recently told me that. I think Mushroomman has a copy so he might lend it or I could copy you the relevant story which covered the NT. The book itself is a collection of all sorts of stuff, factual, fiction and poetry and was not vanity published, I didnât pay a penny except the cost of the copies I wanted, the system is that they publish but only print copies to order, direct from them. It is called âGrandfatherâs Clock And Other Talesâ. As far as I know there are only about a dozen in existence, all 1st editions so in 200 years time they will be worth a fortune.
Hoyleâs load of mesh brings memories of Econofreightâs frequent visits to BRC Stafford. I eventually discarded chains for the awkward job and got them to make me 8 strong âSâ hooks from rebar. Then I used good rope at the 8 points double or even triple dollied. Never moved. With chains a helper chain was needed at each point to get the mesh squashed enough for the main chain to be adequately tightened.
Last picture, the terrifying ski jump up to the Blanc, half unconscious from the steel workâs fumes. 
The old road became the downward lane but before the jump was built that was 2 way, only slightly less worrying than the new build. 
Spardo:
Dennis Javelin:
yorkpensioner:
No mistaking the sea front at Scarborough with the ERF travelling alongI worked it out by the shadow on the bench and the hill in the background. I guessed it was a seaside place by the amusement arcades and the shadow on the bench indicated that the sun was high and directly facing the people sitting on it so it had to be south facing and around mid-day/early afternoon. Originally I thought it was somewhere on the south coast but I couldnât place anywhere with a hill in the background. The ERF has a Leeds reg no which narrowed it down further. A quick search on Google maps showed a south facing promontory in Scarborough which lay at the bottom of a hill.
It was the hill in the background that fooled me though must admit only gave it a short glance. The bench facing away from the road I thought was angled towards the river, hence Matlock.
@SDU Sorry mate, I think you might have missed this bit
now long out of print
I could check with the publishers Lulu.com, but someone else who was interested recently told me that. I think Mushroomman has a copy so he might lend it or I could copy you the relevant story which covered the NT. The book itself is a collection of all sorts of stuff, factual, fiction and poetry and was not vanity published, I didnât pay a penny except the cost of the copies I wanted, the system is that they publish but only print copies to order, direct from them. It is called âGrandfatherâs Clock And Other Talesâ. As far as I know there are only about a dozen in existence, all 1st editions so in 200 years time they will be worth a fortune.
Thatâs what Iâm after, David, a long term investment.
I didnât miss the bit about it being out of print. As much as I detest Amazon, itâs a great source of out of print books. Thatâs where Iâd intended trying, however, with such an exclusive run, that may be a challenge.
Thanks to Buzzer, DIG, Star down under and lurpak for the photos also Star down under and essexpete for the links Youâre playing a blinder Buzzer
Quite a bit of chat about Bartons so a nice photo thanks to Andy Breeden.
Oily
Star down under.:
Spardo:
Dennis Javelin:
yorkpensioner:
No mistaking the sea front at Scarborough with the ERF travelling alongI worked it out by the shadow on the bench and the hill in the background. I guessed it was a seaside place by the amusement arcades and the shadow on the bench indicated that the sun was high and directly facing the people sitting on it so it had to be south facing and around mid-day/early afternoon. Originally I thought it was somewhere on the south coast but I couldnât place anywhere with a hill in the background. The ERF has a Leeds reg no which narrowed it down further. A quick search on Google maps showed a south facing promontory in Scarborough which lay at the bottom of a hill.
It was the hill in the background that fooled me though must admit only gave it a short glance. The bench facing away from the road I thought was angled towards the river, hence Matlock.
@SDU Sorry mate, I think you might have missed this bit
now long out of print
I could check with the publishers Lulu.com, but someone else who was interested recently told me that. I think Mushroomman has a copy so he might lend it or I could copy you the relevant story which covered the NT. The book itself is a collection of all sorts of stuff, factual, fiction and poetry and was not vanity published, I didnât pay a penny except the cost of the copies I wanted, the system is that they publish but only print copies to order, direct from them. It is called âGrandfatherâs Clock And Other Talesâ. As far as I know there are only about a dozen in existence, all 1st editions so in 200 years time they will be worth a fortune.Thatâs what Iâm after, David, a long term investment.
I didnât miss the bit about it being out of print. As much as I detest Amazon, itâs a great source of out of print books. Thatâs where Iâd intended trying, however, with such an exclusive run, that may be a challenge.
amazon.co.uk/Grandfathers-C ⌠B00587GROI
An elusive exclusive which is disappointing.
Oily
Spardo:
Hoyleâs load of mesh brings memories of Econofreightâs frequent visits to BRC Stafford. I eventually discarded chains for the awkward job and got them to make me 8 strong âSâ hooks from rebar. Then I used good rope at the 8 points double or even triple dollied. Never moved. With chains a helper chain was needed at each point to get the mesh squashed enough for the main chain to be adequately tightened.Last picture, the terrifying ski jump up to the Blanc, half unconscious from the steel workâs fumes.
David I once got stopped halfway up that ski slope at night, blowing a hooley and snowing like fury. The Gendarmes told us to go to bed and would wake us when the snow ploughs had cleared the path, donât think anyone did get in the bunk and you could feel that structure slightly swaying not a relaxing time for sure. Much preferred going over Mt Cenis in the Summer but that also required concentration, lovely to get to the top and cool air away from the mosquitoes loaded & on the way home, Buzzer
oiltreader:
amazon.co.uk/Grandfathers-C ⌠B00587GROI
An elusive exclusive which is disappointing.
Oily
Well Iâm blowed, however did they get hold of that, without knowing the publisher? 
There is no ISBN but in small print on the back cover it says ID:2614497 lulu.com
Perhaps they no longer exist? 
oiltreader:
amazon.co.uk/Grandfathers-C ⌠B00587GROI
An elusive exclusive which is disappointing.
Oily
Bugger, no book, given away my source and gained a new competitor in Oily.
Buzzer:
Spardo:
Hoyleâs load of mesh brings memories of Econofreightâs frequent visits to BRC Stafford. I eventually discarded chains for the awkward job and got them to make me 8 strong âSâ hooks from rebar. Then I used good rope at the 8 points double or even triple dollied. Never moved. With chains a helper chain was needed at each point to get the mesh squashed enough for the main chain to be adequately tightened.Last picture, the terrifying ski jump up to the Blanc, half unconscious from the steel workâs fumes.
David I once got stopped halfway up that ski slope at night, blowing a hooley and snowing like fury. The Gendarmes told us to go to bed and would wake us when the snow ploughs had cleared the path, donât think anyone did get in the bunk and you could feel that structure slightly swaying not a relaxing time for sure. Much preferred going over Mt Cenis in the Summer but that also required concentration, lovely to get to the top and cool air away from the mosquitoes loaded & on the way home, Buzzer
I hated it, even in good weather, and I agree, Mont Cenis for preference. Only problem was I often had a stepframe tilt and the underrun bar used to drag on the road on those sharp bends.
As regards the Blanc and gendarmes, I was once stopped at the police post. They saw that I had paint on board and wanted to see it, but the paint was in a 20 foot container inside the step, and sealed, so they made me go back to the garage to buy an orange square, an extinguisher and a flashing light. Non of which were in stock so I returned with an ordinary lantern which had a flasher on it, a square that the bloke made up for me out of a cardboard box and an aerosol extinguisher. Oh, and I also conned the bloke into giving me the fine money on my credit card, not often accepted in those days for cash but I rang my mate in England (Micky White would have been on the golf course) and told him to say âouiâ to every question and hey presto there it was. Back at the post, the gendarme looked sadly at all my shopping, slowly shook his head, took the money, and said the French equivalent of âgo on, bugger offâ. (Vas-y fous le camp)
Star down under.:
oiltreader:
amazon.co.uk/Grandfathers-C ⌠B00587GROI
An elusive exclusive which is disappointing.
OilyBugger, no book, given away my source and gained a new competitor in Oily.
Try this, it is still there in both hardback and paperback and wonder of wonder download form as well.
Spardo:
Hoyleâs load of mesh brings memories of Econofreightâs frequent visits to BRC Stafford. I eventually discarded chains for the awkward job and got them to make me 8 strong âSâ hooks from rebar. Then I used good rope at the 8 points double or even triple dollied. Never moved. With chains a helper chain was needed at each point to get the mesh squashed enough for the main chain to be adequately tightened.Last picture, the terrifying ski jump up to the Blanc, half unconscious from the steel workâs fumes.
Especially if you were tip-toeing out of the hole on the French side in Winter to be greeted by a wall of blizzard
Spardo:
Buzzer:
Spardo:
Hoyleâs load of mesh brings memories of Econofreightâs frequent visits to BRC Stafford. I eventually discarded chains for the awkward job and got them to make me 8 strong âSâ hooks from rebar. Then I used good rope at the 8 points double or even triple dollied. Never moved. With chains a helper chain was needed at each point to get the mesh squashed enough for the main chain to be adequately tightened.Last picture, the terrifying ski jump up to the Blanc, half unconscious from the steel workâs fumes.
David I once got stopped halfway up that ski slope at night, blowing a hooley and snowing like fury. The Gendarmes told us to go to bed and would wake us when the snow ploughs had cleared the path, donât think anyone did get in the bunk and you could feel that structure slightly swaying not a relaxing time for sure. Much preferred going over Mt Cenis in the Summer but that also required concentration, lovely to get to the top and cool air away from the mosquitoes loaded & on the way home, Buzzer
I hated it, even in good weather, and I agree, Mont Cenis for preference. Only problem was I often had a stepframe tilt and the underrun bar used to drag on the road on those sharp bends.
As regards the Blanc and gendarmes, I was once stopped at the police post. They saw that I had paint on board and wanted to see it, but the paint was in a 20 foot container inside the step, and sealed, so they made me go back to the garage to buy an orange square, an extinguisher and a flashing light. Non of which were in stock so I returned with an ordinary lantern which had a flasher on it, a square that the bloke made up for me out of a cardboard box and an aerosol extinguisher.
Fancy you mentioned the garage, once a UK driver I came across at the tunnel had been told the same as he had Dura glit in a groupage load after remonstrating with the Gendarme to try and set it alight which failed, he was despatched to the garage where the coppers brother as it turned out owned was only too pleased to supply the necessary equipment, but he still got the fine, Buzzer
Who mentioned The Ski Slope and a blizzard, I shall be having nightmares again tonight. 
David, is there no way that you can copy and paste your Buntine experience and put it on S.D.U.'s Trucks, Tracks and Tall Tales Around The World thread.
Spardo:
Star down under.:
oiltreader:
amazon.co.uk/Grandfathers-C ⌠B00587GROI
An elusive exclusive which is disappointing.
OilyBugger, no book, given away my source and gained a new competitor in Oily.
Try this, it is still there in both hardback and paperback and wonder of wonder download form as well.
Thanks for the link, as unintuitive as it is. Or is it me?