pollystag:
Where was there yard in London? I remember my uncle shunting for these.
Steve.
As far as I remember they had a shared yard in Barking and mainly for low loader work as they had a contract with an engineering company but remember but cannot think of the name and this was the 1960s. I left Smiths about 1971,long before they got the fleet of TILTS and Tautliners.
We used to call into Stratford near to rail freight yard, later called Stratford London International freight Terminal (LIFT). Early 1970s remember some of the Smiths of Eccles drivers London ended up working for Felgate Transport Barking, Brains Haulage and Russel Davies.
Regards KEV
Just found this info from commercial Motor Archive 1962 archive.commercialmotor.com/arti … -of-eccles
READS. Keywords : Transport Development Group, Lancashire, Mountfield, Semi-trailer Truck, Business / Finance
THE Transport Development Group I has bought the old-established Lancashire haulage concern, Smith’s of Eccles Ltd., Urmston, and its two subsidiary companies, thus adding about 200 vehicles to those controlled by T.D.G,
Smith’s operate principally in south Lancashire, London and the Midlands, but have a sizeable Continental business. The subsidiary companies, wholly owned by Smith’s, are Mountfield Contracts Ltd. and its associated engineering and haulage company, Mountfield Transport and Engineering Co. Ltd., of Barking, Essex. Many of the 200 vehicles, run by the Smith’s companies are designed for special traffics and include a. wide range of tankers (some of them pressure vessels) and low-loading semi-trailers. Much of their Continental work, which is operated through Tilbury, is in machinery and other heavy loads requiring special trailers, and they also carry abnormal and indivisible loads in this country. They have a sizeable long distance smalls traffic, mostly serving the Midlands.
Smith’s run a contract hire fleet as well. . A total of £379,853 was involved in the transaction; £120,796 was paid in cash, there was an allotment of 186,288 Li T.D.G. 6.per cent second preference shares, 'and 104,787 T.D.G. 5s. ordinary shares. The entire issued share capital of Smith’s of Eccles has been acquired. The present managing director of Smith’s, Mr. R. W. Rouse, will continue to direct the company, and the Transport Development Group states that its intention is to maintain the service and traditions of the existing companies
My dad worked there In the 60s early 70s before moving onto Shell
I lenrnt to rope and sheet in that yard aged about 6
Some of the lorries I remember going in are a Sedon Commer lots of ERFs one I remember was a Akinson 6x4 tractor also I also remember a hippo with a red cab and a green tanker barrel
Also seem to remember a yard at Tipton
Dad used park his truck in Knutsford
Hi. Anyone out there could help me to find out who was the founder of SMITH OF ECCLES and when?. I have been looking into my maternal family name of Smith and found connections with both Eccles and Urmston .What bit of research I have done has yielded very little apart from family rumour. Any help would be of great interest. John
timbobbin:
Hi. Anyone out there could help me to find out who was the founder of SMITH OF ECCLES and when?. I have been looking into my maternal family name of Smith and found connections with both Eccles and Urmston .What bit of research I have done has yielded very little apart from family rumour. Any help would be of great interest. John
Hi
The man you started Smiths and sold it to TDG was called Rouse. Their was never a Smith involved - sorry
The present managing director of Smith’s, Mr. R. W. Rouse, will continue to direct the company, and the Transport Development Group states that its intention is to maintain the service and traditions of the existing cornpanies .This was in the motor transport in 1962 when TDG took them over
old 67:
I used to go into their yard in Taylor Road in Urmston in the late 60s and early 70s. I think your photo looks like it was taken in Salford Docks ?
These old photos of well used working lorries bring back so many memories. This one especially as I spent a lot of my driving days around Manchester, much of it in the Trafford Park area.
I like your photo so much, I thought it deserved " a bit of a tidy-up ". I hope you don’t mind.
0
Regards John.
Hi John, I worked for Smiths for eight years, late 70s to mid 80s. I took this photo at one of the Liverpool docks, can’t remember which one though. It was when I first started with them and I had the Clydesdale. Then went on to do continental for six years - in firstly an “A” series, then a “B” series ERF.
old 67:
I used to go into their yard in Taylor Road in Urmston in the late 60s and early 70s. I think your photo looks like it was taken in Salford Docks ?
These old photos of well used working lorries bring back so many memories. This one especially as I spent a lot of my driving days around Manchester, much of it in the Trafford Park area.
I like your photo so much, I thought it deserved " a bit of a tidy-up ". I hope you don’t mind.
0
Regards John.
Hi John, I worked for Smiths for eight years, late 70s to mid 80s. I took this photo at one of the Liverpool docks, can’t remember which one though. It was when I first started with them and I had the Clydesdale. Then went on to do continental for six years - in firstly an “A” series, then a “B” series ERF.
Welcome to the forum.
Thanks for the reply and the additional info, always liked their fleet.
old 67:
I used to go into their yard in Taylor Road in Urmston in the late 60s and early 70s. I think your photo looks like it was taken in Salford Docks ?
These old photos of well used working lorries bring back so many memories. This one especially as I spent a lot of my driving days around Manchester, much of it in the Trafford Park area.
I like your photo so much, I thought it deserved " a bit of a tidy-up ". I hope you don’t mind.
0
Regards John.
Hi I worked for Smiths in the seventies and 426 was my motor 427 was a lad called Dave and also 425 another big j was Dereks I also had 444 when Roy got the F88 on continental. and I used to have 489 it had a pod on the back of the cab but that is not me with the abnormal load it might be Mike who got it when I came off continental
