Hello chaps,good cuttings Lawrence, marcus22 and those from Pat, A.M.Garage was from Birmingham also this lot below if I’m not mistaken
Cheers Bubbs, 
Open your eyes Marc,it says they were from Brum in the bottom corner 
bubbleman:
Hello chaps,good cuttings Lawrence, marcus22 and those from Pat, A.M.Garage was from Birmingham also this lot below if I’m not mistaken
Cheers Bubbs,
Open your eyes Marc,it says they were from Brum in the bottom corner
Chambers + Cook are still operating from Erdington B’ham. Don’t know about A M Garages haven’t seen those for a while now.
Hi again,heres another advert from the 1970 ABC guide. 
Cheers Bubbs,
bubbleman:
Hi again,heres another advert from the 1970 ABC guide.
Cheers Bubbs,
Wow, this thread is all about memories, and what memories that picture brings back.
After a spell in the Merchant Navy in '64/64 I returned to the road and got a job with H.(Headley) Shaw Haulage Limited of Stapleford, Nottingham. Headley himself was gone by then, he had set fire to himself squirting paraffin at the wood stove in the shack we called a messroom and during an extended stay in hospital decided to sell out to C.E. (Charlie) Dormer of Leytonstone. Charlie had also recently bought a share in Coopers of Wednesbury and as small fry more or less handed us over to Reg. Cooper to run as part of his operation.
We ran a Stockton trunk for him from our place. Night man up and back and shunter to Wednesbury. I don’t remember doing the Stockton but I do remember frequently doing the Wednesbury. An old style tyrant Reg thought that every driver was ‘caffee shappingeet’ (coffee shopping it), I never heard him use the term transport cafe, but that’s what he meant. No matter how prompt you were he was convinced you’d been hanging the job out. During the day from his depot I dragged his great long trailers all round Birmingham loading little bundles of short and medium lengths of steel, often shiny oiled bars which made a right mess of the sheets, then back for his Scotch night trunk, before picking up my own loaded trailer to take back to Nottingham for the night man.
I heard later that BOC, who had taken over Dormers, then transformed Reg’s depot into their own. Don’t know what became of Reg, or his son Graham who was a rather quieter model, after that.
Spardo:
bubbleman:
Hi again,heres another advert from the 1970 ABC guide.
Cheers Bubbs,
Wow, this thread is all about memories, and what memories that picture brings back.
After a spell in the Merchant Navy in '64/64 I returned to the road and got a job with H.(Headley) Shaw Haulage Limited of Stapleford, Nottingham. Headley himself was gone by then, he had set fire to himself squirting paraffin at the wood stove in the shack we called a messroom and during an extended stay in hospital decided to sell out to C.E. (Charlie) Dormer of Leytonstone. Charlie had also recently bought a share in Coopers of Wednesbury and as small fry more or less handed us over to Reg. Cooper to run as part of his operation.
We ran a Stockton trunk for him from our place. Night man up and back and shunter to Wednesbury. I don’t remember doing the Stockton but I do remember frequently doing the Wednesbury. An old style tyrant Reg thought that every driver was ‘caffee shappingeet’ (coffee shopping it), I never heard him use the term transport cafe, but that’s what he meant. No matter how prompt you were he was convinced you’d been hanging the job out. During the day from his depot I dragged his great long trailers all round Birmingham loading little bundles of short and medium lengths of steel, often shiny oiled bars which made a right mess of the sheets, then back for his Scotch night trunk, before picking up my own loaded trailer to take back to Nottingham for the night man.
I heard later that BOC, who had taken over Dormers, then transformed Reg’s depot into their own. Don’t know what became of Reg, or his son Graham who was a rather quieter model, after that.
An old style tyrant was the right term for him ! He was well known for sacking drivers and going round their house a couple of hours later asking them to go back! Of course jobs were 2 a penny then and not many went back but almost every driver you spoke to in the Midlands had worked for Reg at one time or another .
Hi jimstott.
I remember taking earthmover tyres from Kennings Tyres at Dunston down to the Bandag factory at Gonnerby Hill Foot at Grantham for repairs and retreading. Gorrills Tyres (who later became NTS) also dealt with them if i recall.
Mick.
Trev_H:
An old style tyrant was the right term for him ! He was well known for sacking drivers and going round their house a couple of hours later asking them to go back! Of course jobs were 2 a penny then and not many went back but almost every driver you spoke to in the Midlands had worked for Reg at one time or another .
I always had the impression that he was using 60’ trailers for his night trunk because he couldn’t stack ‘em high. Maybe he was, I wouldn’t put it past him but thinking back maybe it was just me. The trailers certainly looked like long caterpillars with their low sheeted loads but as I was used to a 28’ 4-in-line perhaps all the tight places I had to shunt them into made them just seem longer.
Do you know what became of him and Graham Trev, and what became of the site? Is it still BOC?
I don’t know what happened to either of them, The old yard and offices are still there, last time I went past it was a ring and ride bus depot !
Thanks Trev, 
Evening all, happy new year to one and all. Ah, dear “uncle” Reg Cooper, now there was an operator! Perhaps I could add a personal anecdote to those of Trev, and Spardo. Reg was one of those old time “ferocious” customers, that due to their fleet size, and established credit lines no Black Country lorry salesman could ignore, (even if he wanted to)! Any sales negotiation, or delivery would entail at least a minor volcanic eruption, or violent verbal exchange. But all in all he was no worse than many to deal with, and was without doubt a good negotiator in his own right. Local RHA Chairman at one time. Having “got” him into F86 Volvos, and Reg was a big Guy operator, the first hurdle was price, not the actual figure, but that we sold on a nett basis, no discount.(was it Crossroads who were the first to discount Volvo, or was it Taits, I cannot remember, but it was a stupid strategy to follow, and like most things connected to lorries reduced the profit margin for no good reason). Anyway on delivery to Wednesbury, wet, cold, Reg started on about the price. Remember that big traffic/admin office upstairs? well I was getting a verbal beating, and had enough, another late night, so turned , down to the chassis, into her, and out of that b… place. Took her out to Shropshire, drew a cheque, and a lift back, no problem, and a nice cup of tea to boot! Of course back at base all hell had broken out, fueled by the fact that I had sold "uncle Regs" lorry. So he had to have one from the next allocation, not a happy bunny, but we at least understood each other, and to be fair we did have one or two further deals. Scottish was his speciality, who did he do the changeovers with? John Bryce comes to mind, or am I confusing with Tony Kays, Coopers (Coven Heath) Yes Graham was a gentler character, (similar relationship to Sam Anderson, and his son Graham) Coopers had a strong relationship with BOC, they handled distribution for Quasi Arc at Bilston, and their parent Murex, 28ft York Van trailers. Spardo, Trevs right about Ring and Ride, but the rest is a firm doing Swedish Truck parts. Sad when you see the site, as so many are now just a collection of units. AM Garage, Arthur Mousley, (real gentleman), had an imposing site next to the southbound M5, just down from Chris`s site just off the West Bromwich turn. Went down the O/D route late 70s, then I think closed, Nice rear shot of a proper trailer, Highway, real quality! As has been said this thread does get the memories going! Cheerio for now.
marcus 22:
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I think Europa Express became part of Ferrymasters or some other P&O operator (it was a while back!)
Thanks for that interesting post Saviem, I’m pleased this old memory isn’t faulty on one thing at least. He was a bit of a bully. 
But tell me just to put me further at ease did you see him with any abnormal length trailers? Of course if you were selling him F 86s I may have been before your time. He had big Js when I was there but I reckon Invincibles too. It would be mid 60s.
Morning folks, Spardo I was thinking about the long trailers this wet morning, yes Coopers had quite a few, 50&60ft. and yes they were occasionaly used on general traffic, (if a long beam, or tubes were due to “come down”, then the trailer would “go up” with whatever was going up,plus a bit more! Oh happy days! Yes, Reg ran a lot of Guys. Invincibles, then Big Js, but selling Atkinsons for many years prior to Volvo, I managed to avoid him! Had more “fun” down the road with Dickie Hampton, at the Patent Shaft, and the droves of family firms around the area. You know the 60s were really vibrant , great people, great industry, great area. Sadly its all gone. You would break your heart if you saw it now. Youve picked a nice bit of France to live in, Happy new Year, Cheerio for now.
Thanks for that clearing of my memory Saviem, I didn’t think it was just down to old age.
Perhaps I didn’t have to drag them everywhere though, maybe I took a 40’ round for all the collections and they were transferred later in that big shed to the long 'uns. I bet in making full use of the justifiable 60 footer northbound they were well overweight with all those little bundles down the full length.
Yes, it’s just the job down here, and when I arrived was almost immediately offered a job with the haulier down the road, only 2 kms away. How lucky was that, because I had applied for jobs much further afield?
Hiya …i popped into rush green 2 days after christmas did’nt have a camera but i’am going back in Feb
heres a nice little gem its a pitty its in a bad way
ex london brick aec on full air suspension i’ve posted this on the aec site but thought maybe you don’t go onto that site
Now heres a lump good for restoration the cabs good and theres a massive recovery gear under the canopy
cheers John
3300John:
Hiya …i popped into rush green 2 days after christmas did’nt have a camera but i’am going back in Feb
heres a nice little gem its a pitty its in a bad way
More memories for me on this site. Metal Box Sutton and Mansfield were regular haunts for me when I worked for Rodney G. Closs, he ran a small mixed fleet painted in good looking turquoise colours which derived from a mentor in the NE, David somebody or other.
Rod was a mate from earlier days as a driver at Midlands Storage, West Hallam, and it was a good job. However, Elfin Safety wasn’t around in those days and we teetered on top of those great big trembling loads of empty cans to spread giant sheets. 
Even the roping wasn’t without risk, you could put a shoulder out throwing a coil all that way. 
Backloads of tinplate from S. Wales were a welcome relief.
Sorry I must be getting the shakes, Regards Larry.
Does anyone know the location of this view of an Adams Butter AEC Mk V photographed by Roger Kenney