Peter Slater Ltd.+ Other Coalmen from the 50s/60s onwards

[tankerman]

That’s the one John, Beattie’s, that’s a cracking photo of a proper lorry.

Gilbraith made special bodies for the coal and coke job. They had three section drop sides with three more on top which folded over.
They would take the sides of and stack them against the headboard and load brick from NORI for South Wales and thenrebuild the body and bring coal or coke back. A rel pain in the bum trying to get the top sections in on your own. The bricklayers hadn’t time to help. I did many loads of brick to Barry power station when the were building the chimney.

I have enclosed a photo to give you some idea what a pain it was to build the body again, the only Reiver Ergo cab tipper we had is just behind the flat wagon and you can see the six sided body.

The flat wagon was one of Hopwoods which Gilbraith bought out for the A licence.

Yes I remember Bill Benson well enough, he was started along with Brian Taylor for the Scottish traffic job.
At one time we had about ten drivers based at Heysham on the black oil job out of Shell. basil was the foreman there but I think they wrapped it up in the 70’s.

[sammyopisite]

retriever:

Taken by Roger Kenney. I have a neg of a very similar vehicle operated by Sykes & Sons (Shipley) Limited. Were they linked in some way.
Quite a long body on this vehicle, obviously maximising load capacity. With coke the weight would be no problem but would a full load of coal push it towards its legal load capacity. Also the sloping bodywork at the rear - the same feature appears on the Sykes vehicle - what is the reason for this.

Regards

Retriever

retriever the Sykes family ran the "The Sykes Group of Company’s " which was made up of quite a few different names W.Shaw,Shaws Fuels, Sheaf Petroleum Sykes Bulk Liquids which evolved into Shawfleet they had depots in Huddersfield,Leeds,Shepley,Shaw,Ellesmere Port,Workington,Edinburgh,Sunderland, Sheffield, Nottingham, Cardiff,Birmingham and Purfleet and I think I have missed a couple but the head office was Huddersfield on the A629 at Fenny Bridge just out side Huddersfield.They also had a lube oils depot and a plastic factory I think in Scarborough.
Cheers Johnnie

[thelongdrag]

A Coalman from the early 50s in the South West

[lawrence_dunbar]

Coal hauliers Northumberland Area.

[lawrence_dunbar]

[lawrence_dunbar]

[lawrence_dunbar]

[stanfield]

A couple more to bring this thread back.Its 1958 and none of these 3 have indicators
Photos from transportphotos.com

[ray_leggy]

Stanfield:
One of R Hanson & Son Ltd 1964 B reg 8 wheeler Atkinsons from the 60s (photo Les(wakey)0

Hiya mate just enjoyed looking at the great pics of the coal men can you remember a firm from Bradford they had a fleet of tippers OGDENS livery was green with red mudguards and a sword like logo on the doors i remember them from when i used to go with Johnny ROWE in school hols i know they were still running in 1960 when i started at Myatts regards Ray Leggy

[thelongdrag]

Stanfield:
A couple more to bring this thread back.Its 1958 and none of these 3 have indicators

Hiya John.Yes they are great photo’s from the good days.St Mary’s Gate just below the spire always a popular place for a picture
in the past before the bypass arrived.Its a good thread this,there must be many drivers still around who worked the
Notts.,Derbys.,Lancs.and Yorks.,Pits but like myself never took many or any photo’s.,and have probably never heard of TruckNet.
As a lad in the 50’s living in Cromford and interested in transport the steady stream of coal lorries heading for the power station at Carrington and the many
other destinations in the Manchester area was magic.(or tragic ). I drove a Commer for Charlie Webster from Wirksworth for a while in the mid sixties
and that was on contract to Beatties.I Ran singles from either Mansfield or Moor Green to Bennet St depot and a depot in Belle Vue,thought that was Beatties
but can’t be sure.Also delivered account Beatties to the Carborundum Co. in Trafford Park.Here are a couple of a Derby’s Haulier from the past who
fitted the extensions when the Lime Spreading and Quarry work went quite in the winter and worked on coal.
That will do for now I’ve gone on a bit.
Mike.

[thelongdrag]

A Nottinghamshire coal haulier from the mid 50’s.
Mike.

[3300john]

Hiya …Harry evans that a blast from the past…i,ve a pal who had a leyland bear for harry years ago.
he lives in brassington , he runs his own volvo.
now a quicky… was websters and wirksworth haulage the same outfit.
John

[windrush]

3300John:
Hiya …Harry evans that a blast from the past…i,ve a pal who had a leyland bear for harry years ago.
he lives in brassington , he runs his own volvo.
now a quicky… was websters and wirksworth haulage the same outfit.
John

Wirksworth Road Transport and Charlie Webster were different outfits John. Both ran out of Ballidon, we had a couple of ex C Webster driver’s ( Cyril Abson and Mick Foxon) on Tilcon. I remember having to steam clean one of Wirksworth Road Transports Reivers when the doors wedged open on the tarmac plant and buried the lorry!

Pete.

[robinswh]

has anyone got any photos of coal haulage from the leicestershire coalfield ?

[thelongdrag]

Did this haulier do coal ? By the looks off the body and from Grange Moor,Wakefield
you would think so.Nice looking Seddon.
Mike.

[thelongdrag]

I’m sure if my memory is correct this Austin belonged to
Francis N Lowe who had a coal business in Middle Peak Wharf
Middleton Derby’s., and still trade at New Rd., Middleton as a Marble specialist.
Lorry on contract to Stephenson Clarke Ltd.,who were the largest coal supplier in the U.K.at one time.
In 1968 name changed to Stephenson Clarke Shipping Ltd., and have just recently gone in to liquidation ?
Traded since 1730, nearly 300 years and gone on our watch.

Mike.

[robinswh]

I pity the poor sod who had to drive this beast

[thelongdrag]

Hello Wayne.Yes you are probably right,but when you consider all the other lightweights
that were about at that time (1960) it was just one of the crowd,and as a four wheeler it was’nt to bad a lorry.
In this area Derbyshire stone had a fair sized fleet of them.Stick a third axle on and it probably was a different
proposition,can’t say because I never drove one.At that time if it was collecting best coal and not smalls it probably
spent more time in the pits getting loaded that out on the road delivering.
Here’s a 1961 Dodge,probably another on contract but no idea who the operator was.
As for your Leicester coalfield lorries pics.,must be some about but just have’nt come to light yet.
Mike.

[robinswh]

Thank you Mike for looking for leicestershire pictures.I remember that operators in the coalville area had nothing but bad luck with six wheel conversions.Parkin and Jones of coalville (also from the alfreton area) bought several six wheel commers I think with a promrose conversion they werent bad as far as power to weight ratio went but were really trecherous to drive on wet or snow covered roads they didnt keep them long this was around 1964 or so.Also I remember a six wheel morris owned by a northants company a coal tipper this used to come through ashby then on to coalville I was a school kid at the time one day I was hitch hiking home and this driver picked me up fully loaded with about 13 tons of coal…it was so noisy it was hard to have a conversation in the cab and it just made it up altons hill.There was a coal hauling company from glenfield called days who were exclusively bmc/morris/austin they had six wheel conversions and even a couple of chinese sixes thanks for your reply

[stanfield]

Hi Mike Were these lorries not owned by Stevy Clarke because they had an office Malvern House on Mapperley Rd Nottingham during the 60s