pbsummers:
Hi Carl, Eddie and Gordon.
Yes, I used to be at Marmaduke Street as much as I could. I enjoyed being part of business in those times even though I was not employed by W H Williams. I was quite happy to be accepted by all the drivers as an equal. I used to help tranship loads, do removals and help with deliveries also any fitting when required which helped me with my trade in later life. If I hadn’t become an engineer would I have worked for WHW? The answer to that is yes if you would have had me. I loved every minute I was there.
Eddie, correct me if I am wrong but i can recollect you returning back to Spennymoor in the best vehicle in the fleet (NPT 719D the J2)■■?!!! You started to lose oil. I don’t know how far you were from home but I think you used 44 pints of oil to get you back, pouring it in as you were driving. Had George Hardy been doing work on the sump before you left? Sorry George if you are reading this but you always had spares left when you assembled anything but you would always help anybody out. One thing I can say about NPT in it’s favour is you couldn’t go to sleep whilst driving it as the noise from the engine was horrendous. You had to fight the steering to keep it in a straight line and had to keep changing down on a motorway to keep It going. Eddie you know which Bedford I’m talking about: we have had it for 34 years (but it’s painted in the wrong livery should have been W H W). Just doing some framework repairs at the moment. You don’t know about the second vehicle though: I will put some pictures on later.
Gordon. It was my brother Barry that you met at the Coach and Horses: I’m the better looking one. I can remember you. We went on the same rally at Tatton Park. I had problems down there - got a hole in the radiator and had to remove it to do a temporary repair to get us home. You used to drive TPT19V. I think we should all get together to discuss old times before old times catch us up.
All the best to you all
Peter
Hi peter
We broke down as well coming back from Totton Park.
We had come along the M6 to Tebay and part of the way across what had been the old railway line we pulled over to have a meal in a hotel (I cannot remember the name).
If my memory serves me right by te time we came out it was dark, and I think Gordon and I got in the old Bedford to be followed by Susan with Christine in my red Mercedes. Going up the bank up towards Kirby Stephen the Bedford started to overheat. The fan belt had all but gone. I called in Kirby Stephen at that Garage that had old bikes and cars in, but they hadn’t got a fan belt to replace it and so we carried on and just through Kirby Stephen it went and there was a farm house just off the road at the left, so I asked them if they would let me park it there overnight. They were very helpful and said they would keep an eye on it and so we all got in the Mercedes and went home.
Next morning Kenny Armstrong went out with a fan belt and brought it back.
I think that was the only problem we ever had with the old 2 tonner, although the 30cwt did break down on the Beamish Ralley when Ken ny Armstrong was driving it. Me and Frank Morgan were behind and I pulled in to see what was the matter. Ken said it was only a little problem which he could cope with and was only about half an hour behind us when we got to Beamish
carl
edworth:
Hi Peter…Cannot wait for the photo’s, I have some pictures of the old bedford of yours the one in PIGFORDS colours (sorry about the spelling) I played around with them and put different liverys on it, don’t know if I dare publish them, probaly get sued 
Yes Peter you are right again about the J2 George had done some repairs the previus day and I was down Cambridge way when the oil light came on, I checked my oil and could see there was oil all over the engine, so I phoned harry and was told if it was not to bad keep topping it up, so I finished my delivery and headed home, I got so sick of stopping every time the oil light came on, I decided that the engine cover which was in the cab, I tied it back so the next time the oil light came on I would pour the oil straight into the engine without stopping, you have guess it, the backflow of wind from the fanblade plus the volume of air with the bonnet open was like weeing into the wind, I was covered in engine oil I had to pull in straight away as I could not see through the windscreen as it was covered in oil, what a hell of a mess I was in and the inside of the cab, but I got home and Harry had a good laugh, at least he got the van back without anybody having to be called out talking about weeing into the wind, when I was a wagon lad, I was on a journey somewhere with Harry Blatchford and I asked him to stop so I could relieve myself,being Harry he said “hang on or stick it out of the door” (remember we had sliding doors on the Marsdens) so knowing he would not stop I stuck it out the door, and just like the J2 oil thing, it all came flowing back into the cab and over me and Harry, he soon pulled in, then he had the cheek to blame me, those were the days …Also George could take ten components off a engine and put 11 back on and still be left with something■■? Eddie.
Hi Eddie and Peter,
Talking about the old J2 luton van NPT, brings back so many memories. I took it to and from Leicester and Nottingham area many times loaded with ATM yarn, and even more interesting with its steep hills Oldham, Manchester areas.
It might have only been little, but the trials and tribulations of driving it gave you the experience of a Scammell. Like Peter said, changing down to second gear on the A1. Did you read my account of it setting on fire with me, when it was young in Gateshead, and Uncle Jim climbing underneath to put it out? How, both dad and I hoped it had burnt out and been written off.
Yet for all that it did do about 114,000 miles, and they say ‘once bitten’ and what did we do? Buy a JU. But that was BL always assuring you that ‘They had learnt by their mistakes and got it right this time’
My grandfather used to say ‘there’s a fool born every minute, and one to keep him company’, and we must have been, but as an excuse, before the Transit was introduced what else could we have bought as a small diesel to build a luton van body on?
Best wishes
Carl
Hi Carl …another driver to add to your list is James Sproull, he used to drive for you at marmaduke street garage and drove the JU. JUP 653H. I think he is Colin Watsons cousin. Peter…
pbsummers:
Hi Carl …another driver to add to your list is James Sproull, he used to drive for you at marmaduke street garage and drove the JU. JUP 653H. I think he is Colin Watsons cousin. Peter…
Hello Peter, (and Barry) nice to see your input on here. Hope to see you both later in the year at the Tyne Tees Run. Regards Kevmac47.
pbsummers:
Hi Carl …another driver to add to your list is James Sproull, he used to drive for you at marmaduke street garage and drove the JU. JUP 653H. I think he is Colin Watsons cousin. Peter…
Hi Peter
I have added James Sproull to the list, and hopefully shortly Colin Watson might make contact as I am sure he has so much to add.
I also had also missed the JU JUP653H off the list of vehicles. How coud i forget such a wonderful fete of British engineering.
many thanks
carl
I have managed to contact John Chapman and have told him of this site, and an at the present moment getting contact details for Les Warnet, so hopefully we might get somemore stories from different sources.
edworth:
Hi Beano11…Dickie Porter was the lad for Gardiner engines, he came to WH’s from Dents who had a lot of Atkinson’s (Good Wagon) like you said, it is horses for courses, the Bedford was good for its job and vice versa.
Eddie
We got wonderful fuel consumption, and cheap operating costs out of the three Guy Otters with 4 cyinder Gardner engines we operated. After having terrible problems with Leyland Lynx and Dodge tractor units we never really came across a suitable 20-26 to tractor unit (which was al we required) apart from AEC Mercuries (but these suffered bad cab rot) We bought a second hand Guy BJ and Atkinson Borderer, with Gardner 180 and these were both good, with less running costs than any 2ton GVW. That is why we bought a number of new ERF with Gardner and 3 second hand ERF with Gardner. It was worth paying the extra unladen weight in taxation costs as we achieved such good fuel consumption and exceptional reliability. The ERFs all had Jennings Sleeper cab conversions and the cabs were Fibreglass, which meant no rot problems.
Carl
Talking about the BMC JU I found one identical on Flickr
flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/5418224327/
Anyone who is interested viewing removal vans can look and hopefully join a new group I’ve set up on Flickr flickr.com/groups/1922873@N21/pool/
Marsden Coachbuilders and Vanplan Specialist bodies.
There are many photos of vans (not just ours) including hopefully shortly one of Peter’s (I have invited it)
I’m sure some of thesewill bring back many memories
Come on Peter, I have put some on, Carl what about my Tipper
Eddie
edworth:
Come on Peter, I have put some on, Carl what about my Tipper
Eddie
Hi Eddy
I have put your Seddon on the marsden vanplan group and if you have good photo of SGS in your livey it can be added
What tipper?
Best wishes
Carl
Carl Williams:
edworth:
Come on Peter, I have put some on, Carl what about my Tipper
Eddie
Hi Eddy
I have put your Seddon on the marsden vanplan group and if you have good photo of SGS in your livey it can be added
What tipper?
Best wishes
Carl
Hi Eddie
I have accepted you as a member of the group on Flickr, but ts the blind leding the blind
if yu click on the invitation on each vehicle that were invited they will be added
For those that are interested there are now a lot of Marsden and Vanplan photos on the Marsden Coachbuilders and Van Plan specialist body group on Flickr from all over the country.
I cannot copy these to put on trucknet so please go on to view and fee free to join as members. The more the better
carl
Carl the tipper bit was supposed to be on Flickr■■? Some of the lads that worked for you would know the driver…Ted Jones from Shildon he was a great bloke, he was pulled in and was overwieght on the second steer axle by about a ton, so he got into the back with a shovel and started shifting the coal he then pulled the asma spray out and pretended he could not breath, so the policeman got up into the back and give him a hand to move it, the officer involved use to flash at Ted when he saw him between wetherby and ferrybridge.
Eddie
The Volvo vanplan double V. We had this as a demonstator for 1 month. I cannot remember who drove it. Vanplan had built it on Volvo coach chassis and it was a joint venture with Volvo.
Fuel consumption was no where near as good as our Bedfords and our drivers were not impessed with the driving performance, saying it wasn’t up to Bedfords. We had the opportunity to buy it at a cheap price but decided to not bother.
BUP675G was a Bedford KG fitted with the ill-fated Bedford 380 cu in engine. The luton body was by Northern Assemblies of Blackhill, Consett, and although no Marsden it had a very good strong convencial body with high cubic capacity.
The engine was troublesome and after fitting a new short motor, that had a short life dad announced he was fitting a 330 into it.
As anyone who knows me will know I never have had any mechanical aspirations, leaving the mechanical side to dad but I did tell him I thought the 330 would be perhaps underpowered and it was not a wise decision. I was told that the 330 engine had always done well for us and to look at how many we were running successfully at the time.
So a brand new 330 engine was fitted, supplied by Adams & Gibbon. (Anyone who knew dad would know he did not believe in fitting second hand parts, always saying it was important to him that our oldest vehicle was capable of travelling the longest distances as our youngest.
It ran OK round on a test drive, but when we sent it away with its first load the driver couldn’t get it out of fourth into fifth, and even then changing down to third and even second on the motorways. The van was fitted with a two speed gearbox which now was a complete waste of time.
Dads reckoning that Bedford had simply fitted the 380 instead of a 330 were wrong and the vehicle had been totally geared up for the 380 engine.
We put it up for sale with the 330 engine fitted and sold it.
Dad learnt a lesson so with VUP492F its identical sister he took a different course of actions.
In the photo below here is BUP675G with a familiar face standing next to it. By the way he had by then stopped long distance driving as he was approaching retirement and was warehouse manager so he never drove this van apart from round the yard.
Carl i would say driver far left our Old freind who died in warehouse was Little Eddie far right Tony Kirk, next to him could be Eric Richardson others not sure.
Gordon.
Carl Williams:
A Group of vans with drivers which would appear to have been a line up of what was available the day the photograph was taken. Given prior notice I’m sure we could have assembled a better row of vehicles. However it does illustrate a cross section of the type of vehicles we operated. Try as I may I have tried to identify the names of each driver next to the vehicles but I am unable to. Perhaps someone can at least one and I would value it if you could put on a reply.
I suppose it does illustrate that until the early 80’s we ran an entirely British fleet. I remember the DAF representative coming to see me over and over again asking why w would not consider one of their vehicles. The reply I gave as was the information I had been provided by our workshop was that we had not the facilities to maintain foreign built vehicles. ‘But our engine is a Leyland Engine that we bought the rights for and have turbocharged intercooled and reengineers’ came the reply. At this time all our Leyland vehicles with the exception of AEC were breaking down almost daily with engine products. Leyland were producing the silly fixed head in the Lynx for instance. With all the engines they had designed over the years it was unbelievable that they couldn’t make good engines and yet it seemed one good engine intellectual rights had been sold to DAF. Eventfully we did buy a second hand DAF 26 ton tractor which by all reports at the time was excellent.
Our first foreign vehicles were two second hand Mercedes 16 ton gross rigid curtainsiders (We were influences by our outstanding Mercedes Cars). We went on to buy a further 6 new Mercedes 16 ton gvw rigid curtainsiders and our final vehicle we purchased was a new 13 ton Mercedes with 26 foot box body built in Glassonite with conventional tie rails inside which was the prototype of what we expected would be the replacement of all our aging Bedfords. The only two other foreign vehicles were two 7,5 ton gross Magrius Deutz Luton vans that operated out of our Sheffield Depot that I had bought second hand in Birmingham that had ironically originally belonged to Durham Pine,
It is difficult to quantify to what extent using British made commercial vehicles contributed to our demise but it certainly was a significant factor.
Eddie is also in the photo where there is six drivers & vans he is far left.I remember when driving BUP 312F 330engine in the warm days i watched the teperature & not the speedo as mine used to boil up, i did also because the steel plate behind my seat (red hot) was close to the engine behind it.
Gordon.
Carl Williams:
BUP675G was a Bedford KG fitted with the ill-fated Bedford 380 cu in engine. The luton body was by Northern Assemblies of Blackhill, Consett, and although no Marsden it had a very good strong convencial body with high cubic capacity.
The engine was troublesome and after fitting a new short motor, that had a short life dad announced he was fitting a 330 into it.
As anyone who knows me will know I never have had any mechanical aspirations, leaving the mechanical side to dad but I did tell him I thought the 330 would be perhaps underpowered and it was not a wise decision. I was told that the 330 engine had always done well for us and to look at how many we were running successfully at the time.
So a brand new 330 engine was fitted, supplied by Adams & Gibbon. (Anyone who knew dad would know he did not believe in fitting second hand parts, always saying it was important to him that our oldest vehicle was capable of travelling the longest distances as our youngest.
It ran OK round on a test drive, but when we sent it away with its first load the driver couldn’t get it out of fourth into fifth, and even then changing down to third and even second on the motorways. The van was fitted with a two speed gearbox which now was a complete waste of time.
Dads reckoning that Bedford had simply fitted the 380 instead of a 330 were wrong and the vehicle had been totally geared up for the 380 engine.
We put it up for sale with the 330 engine fitted and sold it.
Dad learnt a lesson so with VUP492F its identical sister he took a different course of actions.
In the photo below here is BUP675G with a familiar face standing next to it. By the way he had by then stopped long distance driving as he was approaching retirement and was warehouse manager so he never drove this van apart from round the yard.
Gordon…Them old Marsdens with the sliding doors were great for the summer, once had my drivers door open on a sunny day in the winter(bit of irish) going along Durham road, and some ■■■■■■■■ clotted me with a snowball got a direct hit on the side of my head (never been the same) .
Eddie
YUP492F the other Bedford KG fitted with the Bedford 380 cu in engine was identical to its sister, with body by Northern Assemblies. Following the failure of te 330 engine in the other one dad fitted a 466 into this and it was OK.
Who is the driver posing next to it?
