bubbleman:
.
Hyia this maggi must have been on local work or did 30 mpg, looking a the diesel tank it looks like it only holds
about 20 gallon, perhaps it has a main tank on the other side
John
3300John:
bubbleman:
.
Hyia this maggi must have been on local work or did 30 mpg, looking a the diesel tank it looks like it only holds
about 20 gallon, perhaps it has a main tank on the other side
John
I think they did about 30mpg John 
, haven’t seen one of those since the 60’s !
We had some Mastiffs with 26gall. tanks you often filled up twice a day!
Paul John:
altitude:
harry_gill:
bubbleman:
Hi again,Phil’s come up trumps with the SMASHing pictures
hiya,
Marc remember this little C&D motor but never got a go in it.
thanks harry long retired.I drove one just like that for a man in Swindon years ago, It went well I loved it at the time.
Hi John, is it just me that thinks the Dodge grill makes it look the most unhappy of the lad cabs. It looks as if it is frowning, must of been a she I reckon.!
Does anyone refer to their motors by he/she these days, or good old bus etc?Marc, thanks for the great black and whites.
Regards to all Paul
Sorry Paul I missed that one, never really thought about that but your right, It does look a bit unhappy. Yeah I still refer to motors as he or she, my cars have always been she’s and lorries he’s.
cheers
John.
Chris Webb:
240 Gardner:
bubbleman:
Hi Chris,keeping the Bowker name going,there was a Peter Bowker from Bridgnorth Salop,any relation to the Lancs lads? They ran those little awful underpowered Swedish 81s at one time,a dark blue colour IIRC.
Hello Chris,
No, they had no connection, all both worked for Beecham Proprietaries at one time, which caused some confusion on occasion!
Following on from the Bowker theme, I had a look around the museum at Leyland where there was a Bowker Mk1 Atki, the guy in there told me that the driver, who had it from new, was given it on his retirement, and he loaned it to the museum…or was he having me on 
■■
robroy:
Following on from the Bowker theme, I had a look around the museum at Leyland where there was a Bowker Mk1 Atki, the guy in there told me that the driver, who had it from new, was given it on his retirement, and he loaned it to the museum…or was he having me on
hiya,
As a former Bowker driver when that motor was present and working the facts you were given are fact i actually drove the motor for a few days when the driver was in hospital for tests but Chris 240 will give you all the details i’m sure.
thanks harry long retired.
Hi,heres todays offering 
ALP61S is an ex White Trux motor,I think someone has saved her for preservation
Cheers Bubbs, 
robroy:
Following on from the Bowker theme, I had a look around the museum at Leyland where there was a Bowker Mk1 Atki, the guy in there told me that the driver, who had it from new, was given it on his retirement, and he loaned it to the museum…or was he having me on
Nearly right - I was the person who first put it in the museum, by the way!
When the driver, John Hemelryk, retired at the end of 1980, he’d driven that lorry for almost 14 years. He’d refused to have newer ones, and the result was that, not only had his Mk.1 outlived all of the others, but also all of the Mk.2s and Borderers as well! His retirement date of 31 December 1980 was significant too: that was the final deadline for fitting tachographs to even the oldest motors. He was already a year or two past 65 in any case, and had first joined the firm around 1938.
When he retired, he was given the lorry to take home to Paddington and look after. It was taxed as a private vehicle, and insured and tested for him to potter about with. He then returned to work at the end of January 1983, doing yard and shunting duties at Blackburn. He brought the Atki up with him - in fact, he picked up an empty Tautliner at the depot in Bermondsey and dropped it at Heinz at Kitt Green on his way up!
John finally retired at the end of 1985 but, this time, he left the lorry behind for good. During 1986, we had the cab fully rebuilt, for the first time in its life. There was a story behind that too… Anyway, it was finished in time for the 1987 London-Brighton Run, and I was able to collect him from Paddington early on the Sunday morning so that he could join us for the run.
Just a couple of pics to illustrate: the first shows John when he retired (the first time!) in 1980, and then another taken at his funeral at Kensal Green in January 1993:
And here are a couple of his previous lorries:
cheers bubbs for the bromilow merc. that truck was driven by Jeffrey Bromilow to Saudi in 1977,I was also on this trip driving a brand new Transcon owned by the late great John Robbins.My pic was taken in Bordeuax in 1981 when I was weekended with the Volvo of exonian european & the day cab sed ak complete with his wife!!!
Am I right in remembering reading an article that John lived on a canal boat and took the wagon home and did all his own servicing & minor repairs in his own time?
Is it only me thinking that the Kwikasair Crusader looks a bit too close coupled for comfort ?
Another photo of that “H” reg LHD Merc, must have been at least 15 years old when I saw it, but still looked tidy.
Anyone know more about the truck or the company.
Suedehead:
Is it only me thinking that the Kwikasair Crusader looks a bit too close coupled for comfort ?
It does look close but the unit is at a slight angle and the photo is taken at an angle as well so it is most likely an optical illusion.
cheers Johnnie
john57:
Another photo of that “H” reg LHD Merc, must have been at least 15 years old when I saw it, but still looked tidy.
Anyone know more about the truck or the company.
IIRC theres a few good pictures of their motors on Ferdys (Toprun) site.
Mix of trucks but they seem to favour Fodens.
BigG-Unit:
Am I right in remembering reading an article that John lived on a canal boat and took the wagon home and did all his own servicing & minor repairs in his own time?
You are absolutely right! When Bowker’s fleet was taken over by the RHE in 1949, John would have none of it, and he left to do other things. At some stage in the early 1950s, he acquired the m.b. Peacock, which had been built new by Fellows, Morton & Clayton in 1915. It was a 73’ narrowboat, fitted with a Bolinder engine, and he bought it to work.
He rejoined Bowker in 1955 as their first London-based driver of the post-BRS era, but kept the boat at Paddington Wharf, and continued to live on it for the rest of his life. Peacock was always kept in original, working condition, and never converted as a pleasure boat. John had always said that he was leaving it to the City of Birmingham Museum, as it had originally been registered in Birningham.
It’s now an exhibit at the Black Country Museum, though back in its original FM&C colours. I do wonder what became of the brass nameplate on the front of the cabin, and which John bought directly off the GWR loco, ‘Peacock’, in a scrapyard in the late 1940s.
The Historic Narrow Boat Owners’ Club still presents the John Hemelryk award every year: hnboc.org.uk/awards-and-trophies
And yes, he used to to do the routine servicing himself at Paddington, on the wharf at the side of the boat, and he would take his holidays at M.O.T. time, during which time he would sail the boat to Uxbridge to the dry dock, and where he would repaint its elm bottom.
Suedehead:
Is it only me thinking that the Kwikasair Crusader looks a bit too close coupled for comfort ?
The more i look at that pic, the closer it looks 
Mind you , probably a Carlsberg export moment
Btw, did Kwikasair go onto become Tnt?
Cheers Phil.
Hi again,Great stuff Phil,I’ve seen loads of your pics mate but theres always something new you find…well done
Heres todays bits from me.
I love 88s but the last one is a bloody shed 
Cheers Bubbs,
Chris Webb:
Hi Chris,keeping the Bowker name going,there was a Peter Bowker from Bridgnorth Salop,any relation to the Lancs lads? They ran those little awful underpowered Swedish 81s at one time,a dark blue colour IIRC.
Kate who posts on here is a relation of Peter Bowker and there is quite a bit posted about Peter Bowker by her plus some good photos.
There was also another company called Terbow Transport run by Peter Bowkers daughter.
KATE!!! Are you there?
hiya,
What have they done to the last one Marc it’s a bit of a horror they’ve actually made a mess of my dream motor, in your words a shed how can someone be so cruel someone should forcibly remove his hammer and nails and tie his hands behind his back.
thanks harry long retired.