Thanks to pyewacket947v, coomsey and Buzzer for the pics 
and all the others for the craic
I seem to recollect Salvesens having a timber import yard at Grangemouth Docks.
On the buses we did worker shifts(overtime on top of your normal shift). These were for dock workers, local coal pits and one factory. Long round finished timber came in and was tar treated for telegraph poles, not sure if that was Salvesens.
The one factory was Nobels( explosives and stuff that went bang)
falkirkherald.co.uk/lifesty ⌠-1-2230422 canny scots humour from the grass cutting foreman 
Oily
pyewacket947v:
March 1983
Christian Salvesen Droitwich Spa Depot
OSF 947V, a MB 1619. A ex Blairgowrie Depot motor,one of several transferred to Droitwich to replace 16t 1617s
They had already been hard worked on UK and Euro haulage and some where a bit rough cabwise.
I was lucky with this one, whoever it had been allocated to had looked after it and the cab was clean and undamaged.
I developed a real soft spot for this old plodder and even now, all these years later, i still miss the clattering sound of the 190 Vee 6, the simple almost basic cab with its big Germanic steering wheel.
Yes there where times when it was embarrassingly slow, but then i had already learned, there where no medals for
charging about like a lunatic, Do it one day and they would want you to do it again, and again.
âPyewacketâ is seen here coupled up to a ex Comart Alcan Dorsey wide spread tandem with a big Thermo King fridge unit. They rode and followed nicely but they taxed the 1619s ability , even when empty.
When i was a kid âPyewacketâ i thought Christian Salvesen were the largest haulier around. They are the one company that i
remember the most for having alot of trucks. They seemed to have hundreds of these Merc artics back in the day. Out of intrest
do you know how big the fleet was ?
My second driving job was for a firm that made Gateaux Cakes and other similar products (very nice too but naughty!), Christian Salvesen Merc outfits would regularly turn up for loading or delivery, mainly from the Easton depot and I was always impressed with the cleanliness and smart appearance of their vehicles, I hadnât drove a Merc unit at this time, we had a 40ft Fridge trailer but no tractor unit so a hired unit would be used for deliveries, fortunately I would arrange the units to hire so often chose an F10 or Transcon. I did wonder how these Merc units performed but didnât find out until a few years later and sadly I wasnât impressed, although warm and comfortable they lacked the power of comparable motors of the period but I would definitely have kept my old C Reg twin steer unit than the pathetic FL7 newly released air suspended 2 axle tractor I got in its place, worst tractor unit I ever had the misfortune to operate. Franky.
DEANB:
pyewacket947v:
March 1983
Christian Salvesen Droitwich Spa Depot
OSF 947V, a MB 1619. A ex Blairgowrie Depot motor,one of several transferred to Droitwich to replace 16t 1617s
They had already been hard worked on UK and Euro haulage and some where a bit rough cabwise.
I was lucky with this one, whoever it had been allocated to had looked after it and the cab was clean and undamaged.
I developed a real soft spot for this old plodder and even now, all these years later, i still miss the clattering sound of the 190 Vee 6, the simple almost basic cab with its big Germanic steering wheel.
Yes there where times when it was embarrassingly slow, but then i had already learned, there where no medals for
charging about like a lunatic, Do it one day and they would want you to do it again, and again.
âPyewacketâ is seen here coupled up to a ex Comart Alcan Dorsey wide spread tandem with a big Thermo King fridge unit. They rode and followed nicely but they taxed the 1619s ability , even when empty.When i was a kid âPyewacketâ i thought Christian Salvesen were the largest haulier around. They are the one company that i
remember the most for having alot of trucks. They seemed to have hundreds of these Merc artics back in the day. Out of intrest
do you know how big the fleet was ?0
Vehicle numbers wise i have no idea⌠Salvesen was a large and widely spread fleet, having transport depots in Aberdeen,Blairgowrie,Hawick,Doncaster,Easton(Grantham),Droitwich Spa,Elstree, Lowestoft,Nuneaton as well as operating dedicated fleets for Supermarket chains from Atherstone,Rugby, etc, M+S transport was under the Salserve
banner⌠Salvesen also had divisions in House building, (Whelmar and Salvesen Homes) Salvesen Brick running 4 axle MANs ,They also ran operations in Holland,Belgium,Spain, I am sure i have left many locations and operations out.
Mercedes where a big part of Salvesens fleets, though not exclusively. I had a 1617,a 1619, a1621 and a 1726, as well as Leyland Clydedales and a ERF E10⌠People remember Salvesen vehicles almost certainly due to the blue and white livery and the Salvesen flag. Put simpley, they looked good, they stood out⌠Like a great many high profile fleets they are sadly no more, XPLO which can be seen on the roads today is the sad tail end of what was a great company.
remy:
pyewacket947v:
1st April 1983.(April Fools Day)
Bedminster, Bristol.
BUD 506V
Another hired unit, this time a Volvo F7, with a Salvesen fridge trailerâŚ
this was another likeable motor. i expect my MB 1619 was being serviced.
Seen at the back of Sainsburys Bedminster store.
Some time later, in the 21st Century i delivered to the same store, only then it had become a Somerfield.Iâm sure i heard that Christian Salvesen had opened a terminal in the USA, Mobile Alabama comes to mind but my research has turned up nothing.
Hi Remy.
Yes you are right, Christian Salvesen did dip its toes into the US scene some years ago when it took over a company called,(if i recall correctly) Merchants Refrigeration, I am fairly sure they had depots right across the US. I seem to recall one in New Jersey, and there was certainly one in Modesto .California. I think it was a fairly short lived venture. I have added a pic of a US Salvesen Kenworth con, though this is not my picture,
A very good friend of mine, Bernie Jamieson, was manager at Salvesonâs, Grantham. Strangely we met initially through the petanque world, he and his brother were amongst the top players in the country and one day at a competition we got chatting and discovered we were both transport managers.
I canât remember now if it was one of my Mercs or a Volvo, but one day in the yard it locked itself while the driver was out of the cab. At first the driver was blamed by the agents but, knowing Bernie had the same model I phoned him and asked. He said that they had had the same trouble with this model in the past and so the agents accepted the cost of getting the thing back open again. I donât remember how, but it was certainly not by scattering glass all over the yard. 
On that point, I never, ever, leave a vehicle with the keys in the ignition, unless at least one window is open. I have had the same trouble with my Berlingo in the past. It is a very ominous sound, that little âclickâ as you walk away from the vehicle. 
I also have a model of a Salveson Merc and trailer. If I remember rightly I was invited on a tour of some underground store of theirs in the Peak District, and this was a giveaway at the end of it. 
pyewacket947v:
DEANB:
pyewacket947v:
March 1983
Christian Salvesen Droitwich Spa Depot
OSF 947V, a MB 1619. A ex Blairgowrie Depot motor,one of several transferred to Droitwich to replace 16t 1617s
They had already been hard worked on UK and Euro haulage and some where a bit rough cabwise.
I was lucky with this one, whoever it had been allocated to had looked after it and the cab was clean and undamaged.
I developed a real soft spot for this old plodder and even now, all these years later, i still miss the clattering sound of the 190 Vee 6, the simple almost basic cab with its big Germanic steering wheel.
Yes there where times when it was embarrassingly slow, but then i had already learned, there where no medals for
charging about like a lunatic, Do it one day and they would want you to do it again, and again.
âPyewacketâ is seen here coupled up to a ex Comart Alcan Dorsey wide spread tandem with a big Thermo King fridge unit. They rode and followed nicely but they taxed the 1619s ability , even when empty.When i was a kid âPyewacketâ i thought Christian Salvesen were the largest haulier around. They are the one company that i
remember the most for having alot of trucks. They seemed to have hundreds of these Merc artics back in the day. Out of intrest
do you know how big the fleet was ?0
not forgetting they amalgated with Swifts as well , adding a pallet network ,depots in northampton/wakefield/middlesbrough/glasgow/manchester/bâham/gloucester/rochester/southampton plus taking over a distribution company in france and another in spain. i still have my salvo gortex coat actually by my desk , i still use it , its better than what they supply here .
tonyVehicle numbers wise i have no idea⌠Salvesen was a large and widely spread fleet, having transport depots in Aberdeen,Blairgowrie,Hawick,Doncaster,Easton(Grantham),Droitwich Spa,Elstree, Lowestoft,Nuneaton as well as operating dedicated fleets for Supermarket chains from Atherstone,Rugby, etc, M+S transport was under the Salserve
banner⌠Salvesen also had divisions in House building, (Whelmar and Salvesen Homes) Salvesen Brick running 4 axle MANs ,They also ran operations in Holland,Belgium,Spain, I am sure i have left many locations and operations out.
Mercedes where a big part of Salvesens fleets, though not exclusively. I had a 1617,a 1619, a1621 and a 1726, as well as Leyland Clydedales and a ERF E10⌠People remember Salvesen vehicles almost certainly due to the blue and white livery and the Salvesen flag. Put simpley, they looked good, they stood out⌠Like a great many high profile fleets they are sadly no more, XPLO which can be seen on the roads today is the sad tail end of what was a great company.
The Salvesen flag is a stylised version of the Norwegian flag, the country from which the foundersâ fishing family came from.
Thanks to DEANB, pyeacket947v and Buzzer for the pics and the welcome craic
Couple more Salvesen.
Oily
Spardo:
A very good friend of mine, Bernie Jamieson, was manager at Salvesonâs, Grantham. Strangely we met initially through the petanque world, he and his brother were amongst the top players in the country and one day at a competition we got chatting and discovered we were both transport managers.I canât remember now if it was one of my Mercs or a Volvo, but one day in the yard it locked itself while the driver was out of the cab. At first the driver was blamed by the agents but, knowing Bernie had the same model I phoned him and asked. He said that they had had the same trouble with this model in the past and so the agents accepted the cost of getting the thing back open again. I donât remember how, but it was certainly not by scattering glass all over the yard.
On that point, I never, ever, leave a vehicle with the keys in the ignition, unless at least one window is open. I have had the same trouble with my Berlingo in the past. It is a very ominous sound, that little âclickâ as you walk away from the vehicle.
I also have a model of a Salveson Merc and trailer. If I remember rightly I was invited on a tour of some underground store of theirs in the Peak District, and this was a giveaway at the end of it.
There was a frozen product store near Tideswell just off the A623 Chesterfield - Stockport road,it could have been that David?
When Wincanton started the MBF contract at Maltby in 1994 they kindly donated four Merc units - G764 -G767 KYB.Iâ not sure what models they were but they were an embarrasment loaded or empty on Woodhead. Drivers shuddered when given keys for one,sooner having an ERF E10 and playing a tune on a four over four.Glad I were shunting full time. Photos taken by me early 1995âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚwould that be a 1617 ?
Was the store Holdsworths holdsworthfoods.co.uk/ Chris? They are still trading near Tideswell.
Pete.
windrush:
Was the store Holdsworths holdsworthfoods.co.uk/ Chris? They are still trading near Tideswell.Pete.
Yes,thatâs them Pete,I wonder if Salvesen ran it at one time?
Chris Webb:
Spardo:
A very good friend of mine, Bernie Jamieson, was manager at Salvesonâs, Grantham. Strangely we met initially through the petanque world, he and his brother were amongst the top players in the country and one day at a competition we got chatting and discovered we were both transport managers.I canât remember now if it was one of my Mercs or a Volvo, but one day in the yard it locked itself while the driver was out of the cab. At first the driver was blamed by the agents but, knowing Bernie had the same model I phoned him and asked. He said that they had had the same trouble with this model in the past and so the agents accepted the cost of getting the thing back open again. I donât remember how, but it was certainly not by scattering glass all over the yard.
On that point, I never, ever, leave a vehicle with the keys in the ignition, unless at least one window is open. I have had the same trouble with my Berlingo in the past. It is a very ominous sound, that little âclickâ as you walk away from the vehicle.
I also have a model of a Salveson Merc and trailer. If I remember rightly I was invited on a tour of some underground store of theirs in the Peak District, and this was a giveaway at the end of it.
There was a frozen product store near Tideswell just off the A623 Chesterfield - Stockport road,it could have been that David?
When Wincanton started the MBF contract at Maltby in 1994 they kindly donated four Merc units - G764 -G767 KYB.Iâ not sure what models they were but they were an embarrasment loaded or empty on Woodhead. Drivers shuddered when given keys for one,sooner having an ERF E10 and playing a tune on a four over four.Glad I were shunting full time.
I remember years since delivering to an underground place in the Peak District. It was called Harpur Hill just outside Buxton and it had been an ammo dump or something
oiltreader:
Thanks to DEANB, pyeacket947v and Buzzer for the pics
Couple more Salvesen.
Oily
Both Blairgowrie based motors i think OilyâŚ
One of the wagon and drag outfits was driven by a guy named Bert.
His truck was labled â Black Knightâ, Berts driving exploits are the stuff of legends .
Lonewolf Yorks:
Chris Webb:
Spardo:
A very good friend of mine, Bernie Jamieson, was manager at Salvesonâs, Grantham. Strangely we met initially through the petanque world, he and his brother were amongst the top players in the country and one day at a competition we got chatting and discovered we were both transport managers.I canât remember now if it was one of my Mercs or a Volvo, but one day in the yard it locked itself while the driver was out of the cab. At first the driver was blamed by the agents but, knowing Bernie had the same model I phoned him and asked. He said that they had had the same trouble with this model in the past and so the agents accepted the cost of getting the thing back open again. I donât remember how, but it was certainly not by scattering glass all over the yard.
On that point, I never, ever, leave a vehicle with the keys in the ignition, unless at least one window is open. I have had the same trouble with my Berlingo in the past. It is a very ominous sound, that little âclickâ as you walk away from the vehicle.
I also have a model of a Salveson Merc and trailer. If I remember rightly I was invited on a tour of some underground store of theirs in the Peak District, and this was a giveaway at the end of it.
There was a frozen product store near Tideswell just off the A623 Chesterfield - Stockport road,it could have been that David?
When Wincanton started the MBF contract at Maltby in 1994 they kindly donated four Merc units - G764 -G767 KYB.Iâ not sure what models they were but they were an embarrasment loaded or empty on Woodhead. Drivers shuddered when given keys for one,sooner having an ERF E10 and playing a tune on a four over four.Glad I were shunting full time.
I remember years since delivering to an underground place in the Peak District. It was called Harpur Hill just outside Buxton and it had been an ammo dump or something
They grew mushrooms at Harpur Hill
6 July 1983
Christian Salvesen depot .Droitwich Spa,.
Another hired outfit for the day.
This time a BRS Rental ERFâŚâ â â 565Y
my notes from the time show no negative comments so i guess it did what
it was hired to do⌠It would have certainly been the first ERF i had driven.
A Droitwich based 1619 is stood alongside,
Chris Webb:
Spardo:
A very good friend of mine, Bernie Jamieson, was manager at Salvesonâs, Grantham. Strangely we met initially through the petanque world, he and his brother were amongst the top players in the country and one day at a competition we got chatting and discovered we were both transport managers.I canât remember now if it was one of my Mercs or a Volvo, but one day in the yard it locked itself while the driver was out of the cab. At first the driver was blamed by the agents but, knowing Bernie had the same model I phoned him and asked. He said that they had had the same trouble with this model in the past and so the agents accepted the cost of getting the thing back open again. I donât remember how, but it was certainly not by scattering glass all over the yard.
On that point, I never, ever, leave a vehicle with the keys in the ignition, unless at least one window is open. I have had the same trouble with my Berlingo in the past. It is a very ominous sound, that little âclickâ as you walk away from the vehicle.
I also have a model of a Salveson Merc and trailer. If I remember rightly I was invited on a tour of some underground store of theirs in the Peak District, and this was a giveaway at the end of it.
There was a frozen product store near Tideswell just off the A623 Chesterfield - Stockport road,it could have been that David?
When Wincanton started the MBF contract at Maltby in 1994 they kindly donated four Merc units - G764 -G767 KYB.Iâ not sure what models they were but they were an embarrasment loaded or empty on Woodhead. Drivers shuddered when given keys for one,sooner having an ERF E10 and playing a tune on a four over four.Glad I were shunting full time.
The MB is a SK cab and a G reg most likely a 1726,.