Hi Christian, could you please ask your dad has he got any old photos of his trucks and stick them on here. 
anyone rember a guy called bill batty he was a great fitter lived around greenside lane
droylsden worked for powell dufrin then wimpey waste in ardwick
What about droylsden haulage Seddon flat bed? Own by Paul a good friend of Tony smiths
Anyone remember Hamlets from Droylsden in the 60s they ran a couple of Seddon (i think) tippers, light blue livery, they had a yard behind the Cotton Tree pub which was on the corner of Ashton Road and Market Street.
Hi john, yep I remember hamlets haulage. Stan the owner lived near us and was a close family friend of my mates. His mum and dad ran the boys brigade (still do actually) and Stan used to supply us with trucks for the droylsden carnival and such like. He ran a lot of flat bed rigids back then aswell as box bodies too. He used to let you sit in the cabs if you asked nicely, he would just say ‘don’t touch anything!’ My mum used to make the float decorations, most memorably life size classic disney characters painted onto ply wood which Stan came round in a Bedford I think it was to collect.
I don’t remember his yard being near the cotton tree (great pub: better days back then though, everything gets ruined by ■■■■■■■■■ the shootings are now well documented and sadly the cotton tree is no more)…
Stands yard (when he moved?) was off manchester road, droylsden just before the junction with edge lane, I remember he used to cram quite a few lorries into that yard!
I think the business was kept going by stans family after Stan sadly passed away but I don’t think they are still going now.
Happy days,
Thanks, stew.
Hiya…any of you lads ever come across Jack Smith. he was a letter sign writer all his life. i know he worked in
the Audenshaw and Ashton area but never knew if he was free lance or employed.these lads did a good job in
there day.just a dying trade with these graphics on the scene. i worked at jennings of Sandbach they had about
10 sign writers and wood gainers. most of the lorries was hand painted in the late 60,s when i was there,i would think
theres not many letter and sign writers in the younger workforce.
John
Hi john, I haven’t heard of the signwriter you mention, he must’ve been in demand back then though, I don’t like the modern approach with peel off pre printed graphics either. I actually wanted to be a signwriter specialising in trucks when I was at school but even then, it was suggested to me that it was a bit of a dying trade sadly.
I remember my mums neighbour who was a painter and decorator buying a shiny new red van for his work. Few days later I stood in amazement as he just started to signwrite it by hand! It was really good too!
Cheers, stew.
Hello all, I posted some time ago about a small outfit from droylsden called ‘helmark’ and as yet still haven’t been able to find any pics of bruce’s trucks.I also remember a small fleet of really tidy f10’s and f12’s which were almost identical at the time to peter roff’s trucks, same blue and White paint jobs and like I say, tidy looking.the chap lived and ran the firm from the big gothic looking property which has now become the Fairfield arms pub/retaurant at the trough in audenshaw Manchester, does anyone remember them at all or have any info about this firm? I remember in the 80’s that at one time the helmark merc resided over the road from this fleet of volvo’s set in the grounds of this mansion and as a nine year old truck mad kid I loved stopping for a nosey. FInally I recall an owner driver just down the road from here who ran a lovely scania 141, think the truck carried the name of tony smith. People remember the likes of reyners from this area but there were also some smart little firms knocking about too like A Barry and sons in clayton, droylsden haulage, helmark, and to a lesser extent stan hamlet haulage too. If anyone has any pictures or info from this era that would be fantastic, thanks for Reading, all the best harryvr6
Hi harryvr6,
Helmark was owned and operated by Bruce Bates,the name being a derivative of Helen and Mark,both his children,he has retired now,so I am informed,but still resides in the area,according to a common aquaintance,John Roberts.
Take it easy,
Rgds,
David 
Hi David, thanks for the reply, helmark was and still is by far my favourite company. I actually went to school with bruce’s nephew Russell, we lost touch years ago but. Suspected Bruce still lived in brooklands drive littlemoss. Do you know what type of work Bruce did David? I remember seeing containers flying around behind the transcon he had, what a sight that was! By far the best livery I’ve seen, simple but class. My mate Scott worked as a fitter at reyners and he said a chap called john was responsible for the paint job, this wouldn’t be john Roberts would it? What I’m after is some photographs of the helmark trucks but I don’t think I’ll find any sadly, short of knocking on bruce’s door and asking which I don’t think would be right. About 4-5 years ago I saw a White scania 142 with helmark on the roof deflector, I nearly crashed my car as I thought they had called it a draw, but I never saw it again and I think they have gone now sadly.do you have any more info at all David? I’m not in the trade but I’d love one day to buy a tractor unit and do a helmark replica, but at the moment I’m making do with a scale model of a helmark merc which I hope to post pictures of onto truckmodelworld website when it’s done.thanks again for your help, all the best harryvr6.
Hi harryv6, am I thinking of another company called Helmark who ran out of the Manchester Container Base in Urmston in the eighties, their livery was black and gold and I think that they had a Fiat or a Merc 
.
Hi mushroomman, yes that’s them! Black with a gold band, they had a merc not sure which model, I think they had two at one point unless they just replaced the older one, but Bruce also had a transcon which as a kid I was mad about, used to park it up at lumb mill on lumb lane under the sharna ware bridge and I always used to get my dad to stop the car when we passed so I could have a look inside ! Wish I had some photos though now. Thanks for the reply all the best, harryvr6.
harryvr6:
Hi David, thanks for the reply, helmark was and still is by far my favourite company. I actually went to school with bruce’s nephew Russell, we lost touch years ago but. Suspected Bruce still lived in brooklands drive littlemoss. Do you know what type of work Bruce did David? I remember seeing containers flying around behind the transcon he had, what a sight that was! By far the best livery I’ve seen, simple but class. My mate Scott worked as a fitter at reyners and he said a chap called john was responsible for the paint job, this wouldn’t be john Roberts would it? What I’m after is some photographs of the helmark trucks but I don’t think I’ll find any sadly, short of knocking on bruce’s door and asking which I don’t think would be right. About 4-5 years ago I saw a White scania 142 with helmark on the roof deflector, I nearly crashed my car as I thought they had called it a draw, but I never saw it again and I think they have gone now sadly.do you have any more info at all David? I’m not in the trade but I’d love one day to buy a tractor unit and do a helmark replica, but at the moment I’m making do with a scale model of a helmark merc which I hope to post pictures of onto truckmodelworld website when it’s done.thanks again for your help, all the best harryvr6.
Hi Harryvr6,
I cannot imagine for 1 minute John Roberts sprayed Bruce’s motors,I think it must have been another John.
Apart from containers,I am unsure of any other traffic that Bruce used to carry,although something jolts the dim and distant past that Bruce did Saudi at one point,in the Merc,perhaps he drove with John,not sure so please dont quote me!
Take it easy,
Rgds,
David
Hi David thanks for the reply again, it’s funny with all the dare I say it recent upsurge in interest in the middle east scene to learn that a little outfit from your hometown went out there too! He certainly had the right trucks got the job! I’d be hard pressed as to which one I’d have taken but it probably wouldve been the merc, it always sounded sweet that, and like I’ve said they were the best looking trucks for me of that era with that black and gold paintjob. I remember there was an old Granada tv programme that Bruce featured in with his merc I think it was, but I can’t remember the name of it? Was hoping to find it on the web, next best thing to a photo of it! I’m going to try and crack on with my model helmark merc soon and will get some pics of it up, thanks again David, all the best harryvr6.