Scania vabis & daf,s

Definitely Ackworth, they used to run for United Glass into Suttons Warehouse, St Helens.

it was storrys or something to that name at first,then it went to ackworth, then onward then onto onward bayliss, then boc, was a good place to work lovely ropeing and sheeting, plus a few tauts, worked at ackworth and whitwood depots mainly, cheers daz

If you go back far enough, you’ll find that the original name of the company (at least from the late 40s) was Onward Transport of Ackworth.

Chris Webb:
They didn’t hang about either - ERFs.Always knew when they were about to overtake on s/bound A1,they used to switch all lights off and a wave with just cab light showing as they drifted !! past.
A bit like Charlie Alexander with wet fish.

Now there’s a company that deserves a mention.

just seen charlie alexander mentioned,i remember them,i used to do a night trunk change over back in the late 80s from ackworth six nights at week at berwick upon tweed,i was with onward transport,every night i could be doing 65…70… and on the a1m somewhere between durham and scotch corner a charlie would come past in his man day cab with spare wheel on the back of the cab,nobody else but him could do it ,i was always second lol,i bet the younger drivers wished speed limiters hadnt been invented, royhebb

truckyboy:
i think they were called ackworth…green motors…split screen daf…2600
remember the firm well…i hope i`m right with the name though…if not …our excellent memory men will…

Anyone got pictures of those DAFs 2600?
I am currently restoring one.

Used to deliver to Ackworth trsp as i remember it in late 70s used to store quite a bit for ICI Mostly ERFs Although spit screen 2200` dafs seem to stir the grey cells

greek:
Used to deliver to Ackworth trsp as i remember it in late 70s used to store quite a bit for ICI Mostly ERFs Although spit screen 2200` dafs seem to stir the grey cells

dafdave

I remember ackworths doing a lot of work in and out of thames board mills at purfleet in the 70s

There were three companies in the Ackworth Group.
Ackworth Transport,Pontefract.
Onward Transport,Stockport.
Wheeler Road Transport.Catley Road,Darnall,Sheffield 9.
They were all in the same livery ,green .Wheeler Road did a lot of bagged sugar out of T & L Liverpool,and Ackworth did a lot of bottle work.Not sure what Onward did.

Chris Webb:
… Ackworth did a lot of bottle work.

Any idea who for? Beatson Clarks or Canning Town Glass at Swinton perhaps?

Towmaster Transport did a lot for Canning Town and they seemed to disappear when Canning Town shut down.

killsville:

Chris Webb:
… Ackworth did a lot of bottle work.

Any idea who for? Beatson Clarks or Canning Town Glass at Swinton perhaps?

Towmaster Transport did a lot for Canning Town and they seemed to disappear when Canning Town shut down.

Towmaster was a subsidiary of a larger group - was it Guinness? I remember them carving up the rates at Heinz at Kitt Green in the mid 80s, based on delivering the empty bottles in.

If memory serves me right Beatsnn Clark had their own transport.
Ackworth I think worked out of Redfearns at Monk Bretton(?) Barnsley and the one at Knottingley whose name escapes me.
I don’t remember them having Scania-Vabis but they had a rake of DAFs for sure and also either Buffaloes or Lynx.
Wheeler Road ran mostly Leyland - Lad cabbed Beavers and Ergo Beavers.
The tale was going round about 1969 about the Wheeler Road driver who was stopping in Arden house Sal. Army digs and told the junior school aged Bootle Mafia to p— off when asked for a couple of bob to,quote "look after yer lorry mister ".
Next morning he found every bottom bag of sugar had been knifed with nice little heaps of sugar round his trailer and bulging sheets-------------
Well there you are

240 Gardner:
Towmaster was a subsidiary of a larger group - was it Guinness?

Perhaps Canning Town was also part of Guiness which would explain why Towmaster shut down it’s local depot at Denaby Main after Canning Town went.

I remember Towmaster did a Scotch c/over in 80’s and somebody told me they belonged to Bell’s whisky.
Wonder if Bells was part of Guiness Group?

Chris Webb:
I remember Towmaster did a Scotch c/over in 80’s

They did! One of them would have been my mates dad - he was one of the night men!

They didn’t hang about either - ERFs.Always knew when they were about to overtake on s/bound A1,they used to switch all lights off and a wave with just cab light showing as they drifted !! past.
A bit like Charlie Alexander with wet fish.

Now there’s a company that deserves a mention.

Chris Webb:
They didn’t hang about either - ERFs.Always knew when they were about to overtake on s/bound A1,they used to switch all lights off and a wave with just cab light showing as they drifted !! past.
.

Now that’s a thing that doesn’t get much of a mention these days, the consideration that everyone had for each other not to dazzle you in your mirrors 'till you got level. I remember driving on the (in those days fairly empty) MI in the night by the moon if there was one, and even if there wasn’t switching the heads off completely for approaching wagons. Then followed an elaborate display of courtesy involving ‘thank you’ flashing sidelights back and forth as we passed . :laughing:

Another world, and a nicer one in many ways. :slight_smile:

And before tne days of brake lights being made compulsory,night trunkers used to turn their rear lights on and off when stopping - at traffic lights for instance.
I notice drivers don’t acknowledge being flashed in by turning rear lights on and off,they give one on t’left indicator and one on t’right nowadays.

Ah well…

Chris Webb:
I notice drivers don’t acknowledge being flashed in by turning rear lights on and off,they give one on t’left indicator and one on t’right nowadays.

Yes, a retrograde step IMO because it can lead to misunderstanding by other road users of an intention to pull out. I always flash the side and tails still and was amused, and pleased, to see that many of my French mates here accorded me the same privelege even though they themselves used more modern methods otherwise. :slight_smile:

i worked for onward trans for 30years out of selby depot when i look back at it i think they were the best times of my life well i managed to bring 3 kids up on the strengh of it.onward belonged to the storey family ackworth was the original company and they ran along side each for many years. at selby we worked out of bocm,sturge chemicals, rockware glass at knottingly.when they sold to boc.(only the wagons and drivers and contracts) they didnt have a clue and soon closed it all down.Istill keep in touch with some of the old drivers.It was a good company to work for and i ejoyed my time there.

in the 70s i was working for yiddel davies, we did a lot of work out of thames board at purfleet, i seem to recall onward had a depot at purfleet, and they had a shunter in the mill loading trailers.