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.
Hi Gordon and Eddie,
Yes it was Eddy Ramsey. It was a very sad day that Eddy Ramsey dropped down dead in the warehouse. He was so near retirement and Dad went straight off to break the news to his wife and son.
Eddy had only one son, and within a year he also had died leaving Mrs Ramsey to spend her short remaining life alone without Eddy or he son.
Probably, Eddie you weren’t there when Eddy died, but you will remember what a fine chap he was.
He did some remarkable work for us over the years and was always happy. His health must have been coming on for a while because he had become very moody, something that was not part of his character.
Dad used to joke that Eddie only packs up to his height, but he was an excellent packer and over the years loaded many massive removals where he had to use every cubic inch of space to get the load on. One day I had to give an after dinner speech about our business to a group of Business Men. I didn’t realise that Eddie had moved the brother of one of them to a new home high in the Alps in Switzerland. There was deep snow and VUP, the Seddon, Eddy was using was skidding. Off went Eddy and hired a set of chains and fitted them to the rear wheels and off up the mountain he went. When I came back and told Dad, he said that Eddy had never mentioned any problems. (It had happened a few years earlier). Dad went out into the warehouse and said to Eddy, ‘What is this I’ve heard that you had had to hire a set of chains and fit them to the rear wheels to deliver up in the Alps. You never mentioned it’? ‘Oh ‘replied Eddy ‘I didn’t bother because it was just part of the job’.
It’s funny because when I loaded the photo of him with that Bedford, I couldn’t help thinking that the van was troublesome but ‘Old Eddy’ would have managed with it and done the work just the same.
Eddy started working life at fifteen at Milburn and Ellis, Durham as an apprentice glass cutter. (Often handy for us when we needed windscreens cutting for the Marsdens). He then went on to work as a driver for Fred Johnson’s father at Fred Johnson and Son the Durham City Removal contractors. When we bought Fred jnr out Eddie came and for a while he drove the Morris Commercial with a very large luton body on it and continued to do so for several months for us, until dad got in the cab one day to move it. Eddy had in fact built the body himself after Fred Johnson had bought the chassis cab new from Barrett-Atkins at Turveys Sunderland. Dad said his hair stood up as there was no oil pressure at all and had to stand up to turn the steering as it was so stiff. It was loaded to go away and dad said to Eddy ‘How have you been managing with that’? Eddy replied that he had to ‘nurse it’ a bit but it would be OK. Dad was worried if it would make it there, never mind back, but true to his word back came Eddy as if he was driving a new van. It was then immediately parked up and sold to North of England School Furnishing at Darlington and Eddy was given a Bedford SB to use for a week or two until EUP488G arrived new from Marsdens.
Hi Carl…No I was not there when old ed died, but I was there when he arrived,yes he was a lovely bloke and knew his job, I keep calling him old Ed, because, before he came to WH’s I was the only Ed, then I bacame Young Ed and Eddy Ramsey was Old Ed, I well remember the old brown van that came with Old Ed,jeff Pye and I think Johnsons cousin John ? he was a moody lad and did not last long, not like Old Ed and Jeff, Carl I have posted a few Vans on Flickr and I am certain I am a member of the group you mentioned,I also ended up a member of the Ford A Series group and tipper wagon group, if I was a female I would be a GROUPIE 
Eddie
Talking about Fred Johnson and Son Removals Durham, brought my mind to Fred Elliott and Sons the other Durham removal contractors
When I was at school in Durham we often walked in lines past Fred’s vans in Elvet and it used to bring me back to reality as dad had had a working relationship with Fred over many years.
Where we gave Fred Johnson a lot of distance work, because he ran large vans, Fred was given up to a hundred local removals, when we couldn’t cope, because of too much work.(during sixties and seventies)
Fred remained a family friend up till he died and we always waved at him when we passed his house (Which he called ‘The White House’) on the left hand side as you went into Durham travelling from Shincliffe. We were later told that he spent his old age looking out of the window as traffic passed waiting for someone to wave.
Several years ago Paul, my son, and I went deep into Southern Ireland to the ‘Removal van museum’ to look at the exhibits. It is well worth a visit with about 40 to 50 vans that have been carefully preserved. I was hoping to see some old WHW, but there was none there, but there was one that particularly interested me Fred Elliotts Durham. Not in the green livery that I so well remembered from my youth but the blue livery adapted by his sons.
Eddie …We must have been fit to jump into them SBs & nowt to hit the knees on, a pleasure to drive i liked the air rushing in too especially after a few bevvies the night before.Those wagons went forever, Harry (WHW) had the right idea once the engine was knackered whip it out & a quick change one of Dave Brannan’s well engineered engines back in no time at all.
edworth:
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 [zb] clotted me with a snowball got a direct hit on the side of my head (never been the same) .
Eddie
Carl …Mentioning Ireland our Belfast freind Dennis Gough ( Pea & Ham) mentioned some years ago a removal van from the North of England was seen in a N, Ireland paper burning in the Falls Road, yes it was W H Williams Spennymoor one of our vans after we closed.
Carl Williams:
Talking about Fred Johnson and Son Removals Durham, brought my mind to Fred Elliott and Sons the other Durham removal contractors
When I was at school in Durham we often walked in lines past Fred’s vans in Elvet and it used to bring me back to reality as dad had had a working relationship with Fred over many years.
Where we gave Fred Johnson a lot of distance work, because he ran large vans, Fred was given up to a hundred local removals, when we couldn’t cope, because of too much work.(during sixties and seventies)
Fred remained a family friend up till he died and we always waved at him when we passed his house (Which he called ‘The White House’) on the left hand side as you went into Durham travelling from Shincliffe. We were later told that he spent his old age looking out of the window as traffic passed waiting for someone to wave.
Several years ago Paul, my son, and I went deep into Southern Ireland to the ‘Removal van museum’ to look at the exhibits. It is well worth a visit with about 40 to 50 vans that have been carefully preserved. I was hoping to see some old WHW, but there was none there, but there was one that particularly interested me Fred Elliotts Durham. Not in the green livery that I so well remembered from my youth but the blue livery adapted by his sons.
Carl…Think Fred Elliott’s sons or grandkids are still going.
Eddie
Talking of the Removal Van museum in Southern Ireland it is well worth a visit.
I do not want to say too much about the owner, who runs it as he is, a real nice bloke, and might decide to read this thread, but he is an eccentric. The ‘museum base’ is a beautiful site with parking for over 100 vehicles. He also has a garage which accommodates about ten large vans, with plenty of space to work on them.
He appears to be a ‘hermit ‘type that lives in a bungalow with office accommodation on the site along with his dogs, and dogs, and dogs. Their feeding costs alone must be more than an average family food bill, and yet there are no admission fees. He has bought lots of vans from mainland GB and the cost of shipping over to Ireland must be considerable as he usually has them brought on low loaders.
Once the vans arrive he touches up and repairs damage areas. His paint stores are considerable as he tries to mix to the exact colours himself, including re signwriting damaged areas. His first priority is to make them watertight, ensuring the roof has no leaks and doors and tailboard are OK. In one case he showed me he had replaced the rear frame and made new doors and tailboard and was in the process of painting to match the rest of the vehicle.
The next step I found odd and would appreciate any thoughts. He drains the engine oil and refills with diesel, as he says it protects the inside of the engine from deterioration. He then spays underneath with diesel to ‘protect the chassis’. It would be a shame if anything happened to him and anyone goes along to try to start up any of them with diesel in the sump instead of engine oil.
Personally I think it is wonderful that someone has decided to keep these vehicles (In such a quantity) and probably he has an excellent investment as they seem to be appreciating in value, but when I asked him if he got many visitors to his ‘museum’ he admitted there were only few. I hope he still is well and not run out of money, as he was adding to his collection at a rate of at least one vehicle per month.
Eire is a big place Carl, travelled the four corners, but never came across the Museum, I’d like to visit it sometime on my many visits, has he any of yours there. What town is it in. Cheers, Beano
beano111:
Eire is a big place Carl, travelled the four corners, but never came across the Museum, I’d like to visit it sometime on my many visits, has he any of yours there. What town is it in. Cheers, Beano
Hi Beano,
Unfortunatly, at the moment I cannot find the address or the telephone number, but when I find it I will give you it. It is located well down south on the east coast, on the main road, if my memory is correct, athough we were using a Satnav
Best wishes
Carl
Hi Gordon, Eddie, Peter etc
I have just had contact with Tony Aspinall’s son, and suggested that he and his dad join TrucknetUK and write their memories and thoughts. Should make interesting reading!
goggietara:
Carl …Mentioning Ireland our Belfast freind Dennis Gough ( Pea & Ham) mentioned some years ago a removal van from the North of England was seen in a N, Ireland paper burning in the Falls Road, yes it was W H Williams Spennymoor one of our vans after we closed.
Carl Williams:
Talking about Fred Johnson and Son Removals Durham, brought my mind to Fred Elliott and Sons the other Durham removal contractors
When I was at school in Durham we often walked in lines past Fred’s vans in Elvet and it used to bring me back to reality as dad had had a working relationship with Fred over many years.
Where we gave Fred Johnson a lot of distance work, because he ran large vans, Fred was given up to a hundred local removals, when we couldn’t cope, because of too much work.(during sixties and seventies)
Fred remained a family friend up till he died and we always waved at him when we passed his house (Which he called ‘The White House’) on the left hand side as you went into Durham travelling from Shincliffe. We were later told that he spent his old age looking out of the window as traffic passed waiting for someone to wave.
Several years ago Paul, my son, and I went deep into Southern Ireland to the ‘Removal van museum’ to look at the exhibits. It is well worth a visit with about 40 to 50 vans that have been carefully preserved. I was hoping to see some old WHW, but there was none there, but there was one that particularly interested me Fred Elliotts Durham. Not in the green livery that I so well remembered from my youth but the blue livery adapted by his sons.
Hi Gordon,
Do you ever hear from Dennis Gough?
Is he still living in Ireland?
If ever you hear frm him, please ask him what paper it was in and I’ll try to get a copy of the photo from them
Car
edworth:
Carl…Think Fred Elliott’s sons or grandkids are still going.
Eddie
Hi Eddie,
I think they are, and they have been wonderful to keep there business running all these years. When I look on the internet for all the old removal businesses I can remember, they nearly al have gone.
Times have changed. There is no longer many of the ‘big’ removals that we used to do. No doubt you will remember, if we moved a three bedroomed house there were on average 6 wardrobes with more that often thee having to be stripped apart. Ikea and the likes have put pay to that. Also wen you started in 1963 all removals were done by us and the other removal contractors like Elliott and Johnson in Durham. Today, so many hire a rent a van and do there own. In those days there were no rent a vans, and even if there had been the smallest of removals woud have had too much heavy furniture. Then there was the coal. It is hard to imagine today but you will remember when we had competed loading they would have had their coal bagged up in the coal house wanting it put on the back and taking to their new home.
Best wishes
Carl
KNM706G Ford D Series, for those who can remember this van had a fixed deck making it a double decker. It orriginally started life as a luton van and the top deck was the same height as the luton.
It was in an accident and the luton was badly damaged so we made it into a boxvan. Does anyone recognise the driver standing next to it.
Hi carl…To be honest, some of the younger ones today would have a heart attack if they were confronted with some of the old furniture we had to move and dismantle, some people needed a coal wagon not a removal van to move there coal, I ended up restricting them to ten bags maximum, when you think of it, the state you were in with coal dust, it should not have been allowed on the same vehicle as furniture, I think the days of the big movers are gone with the likes of MFI and Ikea and like you said, hire vans etc…That photo of KNM706G Ford D Series was it the one your dad bought from Thorns, the double Decker it had two long narrow doors at the rear and a taillift it also had a Eaton twin speed axle (button on gear stick) if it is that one I was the first to take it away, I had it a while was not a bad wagon, cab was comfortable to sleep in but the back was not as it was all alloy and freezing in bad weather, I think it was this wagon I took on the Driving Championship that was held by the Ministry and we were examined by Police officers sat in the cab, it was held at Newton Aycliffe on a Sunday, i won the Torrington Cup and it was in the Northern Echo (I never got paid for that sunday) only joking. also this same wagon nearly killed me, it had been loaded by the lads at the factory and it had some cookers on the top deck at the back and they had not put the tie across, I was in Liverpool at a delivery and it was a back street and on a incline, as I had entered from the bottom of the street I was facing upover, on unlocking the right hand side door it and the other door flew open and two tricity President cookers fell on me, they put four stitches in my head at hospital and someone booked me into Ardenhouse (Salvation Army Hostel) I got no sleep for watching my gear as it must have had all the dregs of Liverpool there, I think your dad sent Billy Robinson down as a passenger in another van and he drove me and the van back home.
Eddie
Hi.
I can remember a removal that Eddie and I went on. It was down at Tudhoe (Front Street) at a house at the end of the row. We pulled up in the Luton Transit AUP 241F and went to the front door where we were greeted by an irate gentleman (I am loosely using that word because he was anything but). He was shouting, swearing and waving his arms about like someone possessed. He wasn’t happy with the size of the van saying that he wanted a big one. Eddie calmly explained to him that small vans were used for local removals and it didn’t matter how many trips we did that the cost was still the same but if he had asked for a big van when he had booked the removal one would have been supplied (this was a midweek local removal so all big vans would be out on distance work anyway). We decided to look at the furniture to see where to start. Everything was big, solid, old fashioned and very heavy. Not a problem for us as it was a job and had to be done and it would also go into the van no problem. Mr …gentleman■■? was having none of this. He was still shouting and screaming and said he could do better with a horse and cart. Eddie calmly walked back to the van, lifted the tailboard, pulled down the shutter and said “then do better with a horse and cart” and we both jumped in the cab and drove off. We returned to marmaduke street and told Harry what had happened. He told us to forget about it and that he would have done the same thing and gave us another job to do. Later in the afternoon, I think it was Taffy Davis came into the garage, and said he had just come through Tudhoe and seen someone doing a removal with a horse and cart. Eddie, I know you know who it is and I still see him walking down the street and smile to myself at him using a horse and cart, but that furniture did look very heavy. I will sort photos of Bedford and Foden as soon as possible.
Best wishes Peter
Ps, Kevin: We will see you on the TTRUN. It’s the Bedford’s 30th run with me at the wheel,
Hello Carl.
Still enjoying yours stories and hope you are ok.
Here’s a rather poor pic.,of a Thorn Electricals Luton van from the 50’s.
I know its not a W.H.W.vehicle but thought you might like to see,hope it fits in.
Best Regards Mike.
thelongdrag:
Hello Carl.
Still enjoying yours stories and hope you are ok.
Here’s a rather poor pic.,of a Thorn Electricals Luton van from the 50’s.
I know its not a W.H.W.vehicle but thought you might like to see,hope it fits in.
Best Regards Mike.
0
Hi Mike,
Never seen A Bedford SB belonging to Ferguson (Thorn) before.
In the fifties and early sixties Thames and later Thames Trader with large van bodies (Fine sets these Fergusons) used to go into Spennymoor for return loads. Very interesting photo-Thanks
Carl
edworth:
Hi carl…To be honest, some of the younger ones today would have a heart attack if they were confronted with some of the old furniture we had to move and dismantle, some people needed a coal wagon not a removal van to move there coal, I ended up restricting them to ten bags maximum, when you think of it, the state you were in with coal dust, it should not have been allowed on the same vehicle as furniture, I think the days of the big movers are gone with the likes of MFI and Ikea and like you said, hire vans etc…That photo of KNM706G Ford D Series was it the one your dad bought from Thorns, the double Decker it had two long narrow doors at the rear and a taillift it also had a Eaton twin speed axle (button on gear stick) if it is that one I was the first to take it away, I had it a while was not a bad wagon, cab was comfortable to sleep in but the back was not as it was all alloy and freezing in bad weather, I think it was this wagon I took on the Driving Championship that was held by the Ministry and we were examined by Police officers sat in the cab, it was held at Newton Aycliffe on a Sunday, i won the Torrington Cup and it was in the Northern Echo (I never got paid for that sunday) only joking. also this same wagon nearly killed me, it had been loaded by the lads at the factory and it had some cookers on the top deck at the back and they had not put the tie across, I was in Liverpool at a delivery and it was a back street and on a incline, as I had entered from the bottom of the street I was facing upover, on unlocking the right hand side door it and the other door flew open and two tricity President cookers fell on me, they put four stitches in my head at hospital and someone booked me into Ardenhouse (Salvation Army Hostel) I got no sleep for watching my gear as it must have had all the dregs of Liverpool there, I think your dad sent Billy Robinson down as a passenger in another van and he drove me and the van back home.
Eddie
Hi Eddie
Hi Eddie,
That van was also very high to accommodate the two decks.
When they built it the cookers were packed with the eyetop grill in place which meant you couldn’t pack anything on top. If you remember when we got a load of cookers it was just a single deck of about 50 cookers.
They soon designed the drill to fold down and stronger boxes so they could be stacked. However Thorn didn’t like the idea of their customers seeing drivers lowering them down onto the floor. Their idea was the jo-loader system. (Crackers) Four cookers were put onto a board then four on top and then about four men lifted the board with the jo-loaders and pushed like hell to get them to the front of the van. How the idiots expected drivers to do the reverse on their own co they could get the batch back to use the tailift to lower them down, no one knew.
With Marsden we designed a moveable deck which meant the cookers could be put in by wheel barrow and once the bottom row was loaded the deck could be put virtually on top and then the top row loaded by wheel barrow and reverse for unloading. This worked well and kept the vehicle height as norm and not as high as that Ford D Series as with the fixed deck it had to be high enough t get underneath.
We built the Seddon YUP as an example (at considerable additional cost), However Thorn said it took to long to load, even though it provided perfect conditions to transport the cookers. I think the deck was only used a hand full of times.
Time went on and John Dee came up with ‘The answer’ 16 ton Curtainsiders, with tailifts on the back. We bought 6 Mercedes. The argument was that these could be loaded from the side with clamp trucks. They did not answer the problem of unloading without the driver having to lower the cookers from on top of each other. They were more expensive to operate and then came the final problem, security. The side curtains could be cut and thieves had no difficulty unloading without tail lift .
Infact the best way of transporting was our conventional vans with wheel boxes and drop wells so yu could easily wheel barrow off onto either the floor or a loading dock, and no tailifts to go wrong.
But that was just too simple.
Carl
Carl Williams:
edworth:
Hi carl…To be honest, some of the younger ones today would have a heart attack if they were confronted with some of the old furniture we had to move and dismantle, some people needed a coal wagon not a removal van to move there coal, I ended up restricting them to ten bags maximum, when you think of it, the state you were in with coal dust, it should not have been allowed on the same vehicle as furniture, I think the days of the big movers are gone with the likes of MFI and Ikea and like you said, hire vans etc…That photo of KNM706G Ford D Series was it the one your dad bought from Thorns, the double Decker it had two long narrow doors at the rear and a taillift it also had a Eaton twin speed axle (button on gear stick) if it is that one I was the first to take it away, I had it a while was not a bad wagon, cab was comfortable to sleep in but the back was not as it was all alloy and freezing in bad weather, I think it was this wagon I took on the Driving Championship that was held by the Ministry and we were examined by Police officers sat in the cab, it was held at Newton Aycliffe on a Sunday, i won the Torrington Cup and it was in the Northern Echo (I never got paid for that sunday) only joking. also this same wagon nearly killed me, it had been loaded by the lads at the factory and it had some cookers on the top deck at the back and they had not put the tie across, I was in Liverpool at a delivery and it was a back street and on a incline, as I had entered from the bottom of the street I was facing upover, on unlocking the right hand side door it and the other door flew open and two tricity President cookers fell on me, they put four stitches in my head at hospital and someone booked me into Ardenhouse (Salvation Army Hostel) I got no sleep for watching my gear as it must have had all the dregs of Liverpool there, I think your dad sent Billy Robinson down as a passenger in another van and he drove me and the van back home.
Eddie
Hi Eddie
Hi Eddie,
That van was also very high to accommodate the two decks.
When they built it the cookers were packed with the eyetop grill in place which meant you couldn’t pack anything on top. If you remember when we got a load of cookers it was just a single deck of about 50 cookers.
They soon designed the drill to fold down and stronger boxes so they could be stacked. However Thorn didn’t like the idea of their customers seeing drivers lowering them down onto the floor. Their idea was the jo-loader system. (Crackers) Four cookers were put onto a board then four on top and then about four men lifted the board with the jo-loaders and pushed like hell to get them to the front of the van. How the idiots expected drivers to do the reverse on their own co they could get the batch back to use the tailift to lower them down, no one knew.
With Marsden we designed a moveable deck which meant the cookers could be put in by wheel barrow and once the bottom row was loaded the deck could be put virtually on top and then the top row loaded by wheel barrow and reverse for unloading. This worked well and kept the vehicle height as norm and not as high as that Ford D Series as with the fixed deck it had to be high enough t get underneath.
We built the Seddon YUP as an example (at considerable additional cost), However Thorn said it took to long to load, even though it provided perfect conditions to transport the cookers. I think the deck was only used a hand full of times.
Time went on and John Dee came up with ‘The answer’ 16 ton Curtainsiders, with tailifts on the back. We bought 6 Mercedes. The argument was that these could be loaded from the side with clamp trucks. They did not answer the problem of unloading without the driver having to lower the cookers from on top of each other. They were more expensive to operate and then came the final problem, security. The side curtains could be cut and thieves had no difficulty unloading without tail lift .
Infact the best way of transporting was our conventional vans with wheel boxes and drop wells so yu could easily wheel barrow off onto either the floor or a loading dock, and no tailifts to go wrong.
But that was just too simple.
Carl
Hi Carl…Conventional vans with wheel boxes and drop wells were faster to load and unload, the other methods took to long messing about with handles and boards etc, if Thorns had seen how some of the cookers and fridges were manhandled think they would have had a heart attack, not just by the drivers, but by the recieving depots…Peter. I remember that Wolly at front street, Tudhoe his second name was Robinson no relation to Billy or Al King, he was a loony, did we not have a sideboard already on the van and took it back in the house.
Eddie
pbsummers:
Hi.
I can remember a removal that Eddie and I went on. It was down at Tudhoe (Front Street) at a house at the end of the row. We pulled up in the Luton Transit AUP 241F and went to the front door where we were greeted by an irate gentleman (I am loosely using that word because he was anything but). He was shouting, swearing and waving his arms about like someone possessed. He wasn’t happy with the size of the van saying that he wanted a big one. Eddie calmly explained to him that small vans were used for local removals and it didn’t matter how many trips we did that the cost was still the same but if he had asked for a big van when he had booked the removal one would have been supplied (this was a midweek local removal so all big vans would be out on distance work anyway). We decided to look at the furniture to see where to start. Everything was big, solid, old fashioned and very heavy. Not a problem for us as it was a job and had to be done and it would also go into the van no problem. Mr …gentleman■■? was having none of this. He was still shouting and screaming and said he could do better with a horse and cart. Eddie calmly walked back to the van, lifted the tailboard, pulled down the shutter and said “then do better with a horse and cart” and we both jumped in the cab and drove off. We returned to marmaduke street and told Harry what had happened. He told us to forget about it and that he would have done the same thing and gave us another job to do. Later in the afternoon, I think it was Taffy Davis came into the garage, and said he had just come through Tudhoe and seen someone doing a removal with a horse and cart. Eddie, I know you know who it is and I still see him walking down the street and smile to myself at him using a horse and cart, but that furniture did look very heavy. I will sort photos of Bedford and Foden as soon as possible.
Best wishes Peter
Ps, Kevin: We will see you on the TTRUN. It’s the Bedford’s 30th run with me at the wheel,
Hi Peter,
Never heard that one before. Thought , at first you were going to say he didn’t want the neighbours think all his furniture would go on a small van, although for a 3.5 ton gvw Transit AUP did have a large luton body
He had nothing to complain about because for a local Spennymoor removal when AUP was new would only cost about a fiver.
People in Spennymoor, Bishop Auckland, Aycliffe and Darlington areas in the sixties hadn’t got much money, and in Durham City where things were a bit better, people were so bloody greedy. They would not a fair price. Both Hoults and Pickfords charged less than half the price they did in Newcastle.
We got a shock when we opened our office in Newcastle. It was such a wealthier area, and we soon found we were loosing work because we were too cheap. There it was more a case of work out a charge, double it and then add a bit more for luck, and Darras Hall, in particular even that wasn’t enough. It seemed it was snob appeal to pay to a lot for your removal, but Sunderland area was as bad as our area.
Carl
