Wheel Nut:
It is such a shame that Gerald Broadbent isn’t still around and that Boalloy had carried on as they were before Stobart bought them. We wouldnt be having this ridiculous thing that DVSA and Plod can open trailers and tell a driver how to do his job. Gerald designed these trailers for a purpose and they worked well! If you let the French or Chinese build a similar product, it will be inferior.
Fascinating history there, Malc, much I didn’t know of the story. Haven’t had much connection with curtainsiders over the past 25 years or so, so can you explain a little more your remarks re ‘DVSA and Plod’ please?
Ray Smyth:
Hi Dennis, Thank you for your post above. I knew that the trailer in the picture wasn’t a Boalloy product.
Me and thee can distinguish a Tautliner from an ordinary curtainsider at 1000 yards. It was about 1978 when
Robert Baillie bought new Crane Fruehauf 40 footers with " Tautliner " curtainsided bodywork from Boalloy.
Around the same time, Baillies sent many of their CF flat 40 footers to Congleton for conversion to their
top quality Tautliner spec. From about 1979, Robert Baillie`s Wigan depot was converted into a commercial
paintshop, and started painting mechanically refurbished flat trailers for Boalloy prior to them being built
into a Tautliner. Around that time, I did a few runs to and from Boalloy at Congleton, delivering a freshly
painted trailer chassis, and bringing a shotblasted one back to Wigan for repaint. Its the signwriting on the
trailer in the picture that confuses me, Baillies only got curtainsided trailers in 1978, but they had left
Portsmouth 8 years before and moved up the road to Horndean. I have been amused many times when I have
heard someone referring to a curtainsider as a Tall-liner, or a Talkliner, or a Torqueliner. Not all curtainsiders
are " Tautliners ", and similarly, not all vacuum cleaners are Hoovers.
Regards, Ray.
I regularly attend premises next door to the Boalloy site. Have to say that, like so many old firms, they are a shadow of their former selves. Such a shame when we consider just how much good work was done there in the past.
It is such a shame that Gerald Broadbent isn’t still around and that Boalloy had carried on as they were before Stobart bought them. We wouldnt be having this ridiculous thing that DVSA and Plod can open trailers and tell a driver how to do his job. Gerald designed these trailers for a purpose and they worked well! If you let the French or Chinese build a similar product, it will be inferior.
bubbleman:
Hello again,Thanks to Ray and Dennis for their input on curtainsiders,heres another few clippings,Cheers Bubbs,
Re: The 8-wheeler Thorny- does anyone know who built those later cabs? I always thought that they looked the business back in their day, with such great engineering underneath as well.
We had two 8 wheel Thornys at Hargreaves in the early 60’s, grand machines. One had Thornys own engine (the best of the two), the other had a Gardner, how the Gardner came about I don’t know. Single drive back end , 4000 gallon tank on. They were a joy to use, I only rarely got the chance, at the time drivers had dedicated motors but when holidays or sick days came round I was front of the queue asking for the Thorny engined motor.
I only had direct experience of the little Sturdy models from the late 1940s/early 50s but always had a hankering for an 8-wheeler- NOT with a Gardner, of course!
A mate of mine was given the Gardner/Thorny one day and he wasn’t very happy about it So he loaded it, got mounted, and revved the ball ■■■■■ off the Gardner, #1 gear. and dropped the clutch in. Now seeing as they were single drive back end it’s reasonable to think such treatment would snap a half shaft, not a bit of it, it shattered a rear spring…every leaf.
Unfortunately (for my mate) the traffic manager had witnessed the ‘performance’…3 days suspension.
I worked at a potatoe merchant in the 60’s and remember a AEC delivering paper bags and the pull cable to stop the engine had broken so the driver put it in top gear and let the clutch up to kill it that way. A battle royal thus then ensued, I don’t remember what engine it was but it fought to the last cylinder. The wagon started shaking and trying to do the twist, even at a tick-over the driver had to keep his foot on the brake to keep her from moving.
It was a terrible thing for a young lorry enthusiast to witness.
remy:
I worked at a potatoe merchant in the 60’s and remember a AEC delivering paper bags and the pull cable to stop the engine had broken so the driver put it in top gear and let the clutch up to kill it that way. A battle royal thus then ensued, I don’t remember what engine it was but it fought to the last cylinder. The wagon started shaking and trying to do the twist, even at a tick-over the driver had to keep his foot on the brake to keep her from moving.
It was a terrible thing for a young lorry enthusiast to witness.
Those of us “of a certain age” will remember that some lorry manufacturers specified that the way to stop a diesel engine was to stall it in top gear. Seems unbelievable these days! At around the same time some makers made an arrangement whereby you lifted the throttle pedal to stop the engine. The “turn the key to off” method was reserved for those vehicles with petrol engines.
I do remember seeing those AEC halfcabs that Ham River ran as they has some pits around the Reading area where I lived. Later they became part of Hall & Co, and later again part of RMC I think?
windrush:
I do remember seeing those AEC halfcabs that Ham River ran as they has some pits around the Reading area where I lived. Later they became part of Hall & Co, and later again part of RMC I think?
Pete.
Hi Windrush, I used to pull out of Halls Bramshill and Eversley and yes, taken over by RMC (Thames Valley ) who sold out to Cemex – the Mexican Company eventually.
windrush:
I do remember seeing those AEC halfcabs that Ham River ran as they has some pits around the Reading area where I lived. Later they became part of Hall & Co, and later again part of RMC I think?
Pete.
Hi Windrush, I used to pull out of Halls Bramshill and Eversley and yes, taken over by RMC (Thames Valley ) who sold out to Cemex – the Mexican Company eventually.
Toshboy
Hi Toshboy, they (Ham River) also had a pit on the road between Charvil and Lands End near the rail bridge plus one on Tippings Lane, Woodley, as well. The Woodley one became a ‘tip’ and I think it is now a park and the Charvil one appears to be farmland now.
bubbleman:
Hi again,a few more cuttings…Cheers Bubbs,
Hello bubbleman ,lovely picture of Lloyds Ludlow on Ludford bridge before the bypass ,just beyond the bridge but out of view is the old Temeside garage where Tony LLoyds father first started up ,before going to bigger premises down Corvedale street .
May i also say thank you for the Swains of Stetton Scania ,bubbleman back on the Scania 111 thread ! Trevor
Hi Trevor ,who was it that took over Temeside garage ,when Lloyds left ,they had AECs and albions and they hauled out of Bulmers .
Can always remember a Joint Motorways Seddon that had broken down on ludford bridge ,and caused complete chaos ,regards Keith
Not sure if I’ve posted this before so apologies in advance.A cutting out of a local Barking paper,A E Evans was on Ripple Road Barking when I started in 1969 and moved to Cricket Inn Road Sheffield from Queens Road in 1970.I remember when ringing Barking depot on reverse charge the phone number was DOM (Dominion) 0285,before STD codes came out.
The AEC Mandator MGY 127D was ex Mobiloil and second photo was taken at SWTT Dagenham Dock I think.
So he loaded it, got mounted, and revved the ball ■■■■■ off the Gardner, 
Now seeing as they were single drive back end it’s reasonable to think such treatment would snap a half shaft, not a bit of it, it shattered a rear spring…every leaf.
