Carl
That hob was not exactly unloaded onto a main road it was in the cricket ground & next to the door for unloading @ the side of the building we were working but not the A259 that passes thru Hove.
I must point that out as your drivers were not that daft ha ha.
On thursday night i went with members of the LDWA on a walk 8miles up the derwent valley & after chatting as we walked one of the ladies in the group i was near heard me comment i was a lorry driver for many years & walking was good for me she replied my husband owns a Haulage company i myself know it very well & to have @ least 150 trucks it is very well known in the North East but i wont say who it is, this lady is a keen runner & fellwalker a true nice lady @ that.
Take care all - Gordon.
Happy Birthday Eddie
Two tips on your birthday:
- Forget the past, you can’t change it.
- Forget the present, I didn’t get you one.
Hope you have a good day (15th: St Swithins Day - hope it stays dry!) 
Peter
Carl Williams:
Just thinking of Gordon saying that he didn’t get told off by dad for unloading a ceramic hob onto the road where it was run over etc., and Gordon saying Dad never lost his temper with him.
Well I heard his wrath many times, in fact often directed at me. When I was about seven and I went with him when he drove onto a street he expected me to count ahead along te street ad tell me what house he had to stop at, and if I didn’t he used to go mad with me,
He always told me it was expected of a van lad to do that and be out of the van have the tailboard down before the driver managed to get out of the cab.
Although, being a volunteer I suspect Peter was not victim of his anger, but I bet he heard it expressed on others many times when he was visiting Marmaduke Street.
Yes, Carl I certainly do recall your dad’s anger which was expressed on many a person who rightly deserved it although I can’t remember any one particular incident. As you said, he did lose his temper with you on many an occasion and, although I’m not saying you may not have deserved it, it also showed that you did not get any sort of preferential treatment although at times I felt he was quite a bit harsh with you. I think that this may have been because his father was hard on him.
Peter
Hi everyone my laptop is broken and i am getting it repaired. Cannot get away with this blackberry be back as soon as laptop is repaire
pbsummers:
Happy Birthday Eddie
Two tips on your birthday:
- Forget the past, you can’t change it.
- Forget the present, I didn’t get you one.
Hope you have a good day (15th: St Swithins Day - hope it stays dry!)
Peter
Thanks Peter, Do not spend to much on my present, on about harry giving ■■■■■■■■, i got one when i was a kid for not getting out the cab and watching the nearside while the driver was reversing, he used to say if the wagon had a porter, the porter was responsible for that side when the driver was reversing, how right he was, how many drivers reverse and the wagon lad is sat on his but in the passenger seat.
All the best to everyone.
Eddie
edworth:
pbsummers:
Happy Birthday Eddie
Two tips on your birthday:
- Forget the past, you can’t change it.
- Forget the present, I didn’t get you one.
Hope you have a good day (15th: St Swithins Day - hope it stays dry!)
Peter
Thanks Peter, Do not spend to much on my present, on about harry giving ■■■■■■■■, i got one when i was a kid for not getting out the cab and watching the nearside while the driver was reversing, he used to say if the wagon had a porter, the porter was responsible for that side when the driver was reversing, how right he was, how many drivers reverse and the wagon lad is sat on his but in the passenger seat.
All the best to everyone.
Eddie
Hi Eddie
Sorry I couldn’t wish you well on your birthday, but my laptops broken (Bad use by me). While its getting repaired I am using a nine year old one, better be quick before the candle burns out.
What I say is Forget about all the bad past, and cherish the good times, make the most of your good memories and make the most of today, because some of us will find the days we have left are going by quicker and quicker.
Its a long time since we last met and am looking forward to meeting up again in October, thanks to Colin Watson, hopefully see you then
Carl
pbsummers:
Carl Williams:
Just thinking of Gordon saying that he didn’t get told off by dad for unloading a ceramic hob onto the road where it was run over etc., and Gordon saying Dad never lost his temper with him.
Well I heard his wrath many times, in fact often directed at me. When I was about seven and I went with him when he drove onto a street he expected me to count ahead along te street ad tell me what house he had to stop at, and if I didn’t he used to go mad with me,
He always told me it was expected of a van lad to do that and be out of the van have the tailboard down before the driver managed to get out of the cab.
Although, being a volunteer I suspect Peter was not victim of his anger, but I bet he heard it expressed on others many times when he was visiting Marmaduke Street.
Yes, Carl I certainly do recall your dad’s anger which was expressed on many a person who rightly deserved it although I can’t remember any one particular incident. As you said, he did lose his temper with you on many an occasion and, although I’m not saying you may not have deserved it, it also showed that you did not get any sort of preferential treatment although at times I felt he was quite a bit harsh with you. I think that this may have been because his father was hard on him.
Peter
Hi Peter,
It was bad enough getting told off, but so much was expected of me, not only by my dad but also of course by my granddad.
On a Saturday morning we had three vans delivering groceries, when I passed my test, and started driving.
The first did Ferryhill Thompsons, starting at 9.00 and usually returning about half twelve in time to finish (Half days Saturday) The second Thompson West Cornforth again 9.00am Start getting back just after 12. The last Walter Willson’s Spennymoor starting at 11.00 getting back just after 1.00PM. That ■■■■■■■ three vans.
My first effort, Thompson’s West Cornforth, where I loved going, with 4460PT , the petrol Thames 15cwt van, I got back into Marmaduke Street at half past eleven, and was told that next week I had to speed up a bit and get to Walter Willson’s Spennymoor for 11.00AM as that saved a van and made another one available for a local removal on a Saturday Morning.
I managed but looking back now the Ford van was using so much oil, I had to top it up before starting the second grocery run on the Saturday morning. I was so pleased to be driving but that Ford Thames with its 3 speed gearbox (Steering change), its vacuum wipers, was not a wonderful vehicle.
When I look at the last post about 4460PT Thames 15 cwt van , at the time I was talking about, 1965 four years old it would have only done about 30,000 mile and the engine was virtually warn out, using oil as if there was no tomorrow.
It desperatly needed either reconditioning or replacing.
It just shows how engines have improved over the years.
Probably my first experience of riding in one of our vans was sitting on my dad’s knee with my hands on the steering wheel as he drove the Bedford ‘O’ model artic he had in the late forties early fifties.
Looking back now I hate to think what would have happened if he had been caught by the police, but in those days everyone knew each other in Marmaduke Street, and no one would have said anything, they would have just laughed.
I remember that the artic was usually driven by my uncle Jim and each night I had to wait with dad to lock up the garage to go home and he was always late, about half an hour after he was due in at 7-30PM. In those days all our vans were parked inside the garage in Marmaduke Street, unless they were away from home overnight. Things were so different in those days. I can remember several occasions when removal contractors from other areas of the country contacted us to let them park overnight in our premises, as they were delivering in our area, and they didn’t want to have their vans parked outside unprotected.
I suspect that there were never any photos taken of the artic, although in those days it would be quite an unusual sight, so it’s highly unlikely any will turn up today. It even is before Peter’s time so he can’t jog my memory with a few facts.
I saw the attached photo of John Mason of Liverpool which looks, from my memory, not unlike our artic. The first thing I noticed was the tax disk and two A licence disks in the window. In those days you needed an A Licence for the tractor and one for the trailer. Hence the tax disc and two ‘A’ licence discs.
In our case the tractor was pained brown with a cream roof, cream front wings and bumper bar… The only writing on the cab was the monogram on the doors. The trailer would have been basically cream with brown corner panels on the front corners and round the roof; the back frame would have been brown. Along the sides there would have been a brown panel about 2ft 6in along the bottom. All the lettering would have been red (W.H.Williams Removals and Storage Spennymoor) with the telephone number on the part that overlapped the tractor unit. The red lettering would have black infill here and there especially to highlight the name. The red lettering would be shaded in various shades of blue. All the lettering would have been on cream with no writing along the bottom brown panel.
When my mam saw it on its first day out after it was painted she told dad how gaudy it was and looked just like the circus. ‘Good ‘he replied ‘I wanted it to stand out’. However the days of the artic were numbered. Bedford had brought out the Big Bedford and with the SB passenger chassis they had the ideal base for large rigid pantechnicon vans with vans like NUP, CDJ and HTH we were, in the early fifties running some of the largest capacity vans in the North East.
In the case of the artic, the Bedford tractor unit was just their standard short wheelbase chassis, used for tippers, as in those days they never produced a specific tractor unit chassis. Also the trailer was bolted onto the turntable on the tractor unit. Dad did in fact take off the trailer on one occasion, he told me. I believe it would have been when he was painting the vehicle. The trailer had no legs so it was necessary to take out the bolts that held it onto the tractor unit, then jack up the trailer, chock it up and then pull out the tractor. Not very productive for muti trailer use.
As I have explained earlier the trailer was made by Eagle and did not feature any brakes, relying on the tractor unit to stop it. If we had kept it, I wonder what the test station would have thought when it went in for plating and testing.
However it was legal, as I understand it was pulled in by the ministry of transport and given a suspended GV9 for wear on a king pin. Dad went mad with them, as it was working for the Ministry of Food at the time and was considered a vital vehicle. He told them that it would be back at Marmaduke Street at 4-30 that evening and they had to be out at 6-00PM to clear the GV9. With pressure from the Ministry of Food reluctantly a vehicle inspector (I think John Moore, who went on for higher things in Northern Traffic area) arrived exactly at 6-00Pm, walked in the entrance of the garage giving dad the GV10 without looking at the vehicle.
Dad took it but when John Moore had left was pleased because the Bedford was still Jacked up without the King pin fitted as he had experienced so much difficulty in getting the old one out, as it was so tight. He said that there was no wear at all on it and regretted the need to fit a new one. Years later he told john Moore the story and they had a good laugh.
goggietara:
Carl
That hob was not exactly unloaded onto a main road it was in the cricket ground & next to the door for unloading @ the side of the building we were working but not the A259 that passes thru Hove.
I must point that out as your drivers were not that daft ha ha.
On thursday night i went with members of the LDWA on a walk 8miles up the derwent valley & after chatting as we walked one of the ladies in the group i was near heard me comment i was a lorry driver for many years & walking was good for me she replied my husband owns a Haulage company i myself know it very well & to have @ least 150 trucks it is very well known in the North East but i wont say who it is, this lady is a keen runner & fellwalker a true nice lady @ that.
Take care all - Gordon.
Hi Gordon,
Sorry it’s taken so long to get back to you but I’ve had computer problems.
I was never daft enough to think you would have put the hob on the main road, but like Eddie said about dad having firm ideas of what a porter/van lad should do, as he mentioned in his last post, he also believed that nothing should be taken off a van and put down outside.
In his mind he would have expected it to be taken directly into its delivery point. Many times I went with him to removals where he was calling to see how things were going on and if anything was left at the back of the van he would go wild. All of our drivers who did removals regularly would carry things out of the house in the order they wanted to pack them on the van and put them immediately in place.
As soon as I started to walk I went on removals with dad, and as soon as I was capable I had to carry boxes, cushions and soft furnishings out onto the van. I was always told to put these on the wheel boxes so they could be packed into spaces when they were available. I was told that the outside of the van must be kept clear, and the inside had to always look tidy, as if anyone looked inside we had to look professional.
Anyway, Gordon, you must have done many correct and good things and he would turn a blind eye if he was satisfied of your work. You were one of the privileged few!
Thinking back of misunderstandings (Like you thinking that I had thought you had put the hob on the road), I remember one of the girl’s in the office, called Susan (I forget her second name, but she lived in Darlington near the Test Station). She was telephonist/receptionist at the time and one of her jobs was to sit with drivers who had had an accident and complete the accident report form. I was listening from another desk, pretending to be working but in fact checking how she did her work.
This driver was telling her the details of an accident he had had with a tram in Blackpool. She was most puzzled. ‘How did you get along the front on the tram lines?’ she asked. She had mistakenly thought the driver she was speaking to had gone off the road and was travelling along the tram lines, next to the sea. The accident had actually happened further along near the Metropole Hotel where the tram lines and the road merge.
Just shows how people can get the wrong end of the stick.
Carl
For those of you who remember this might be of interest.
For those that don’t This is not the Susan I discussed in my last post but my Ex wife (I have the garlic and cross next to me to protect me)
In the post she tells about her time at W.H.Williams Spennymoor
Susan Reynolds
Student at University of Sunderland
Location
Darlington, United Kingdom
Industry
Mental Health Care
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Susan Reynolds’s Overview
Current
- student at university of sunderland
Past
- Director at Darlingto Football Club
- Welfare Worker at Women`s Aid Federation England
- Receptionist at W.H. Williams (Haulage) Ltd
Education
- University of Sunderland
Connections
26 connections
Susan Reynolds’ Experience
student
university of sunderland
September 2011 — Present (11 months)
Director
Darlingto Football Club
1999 — 2003 (4 years) Darlington, United Kingdom
Welfare Worker
Womens Aid Federation England 1988 — October 1991 (3 years) Bishop Auckland Co ran a womens refuge including fundraising, child protection, assistance with benefits and re-housing, court work, drug and alcohol awareness
Receptionist
W.H. Williams (Haulage) Ltd
1977 — 1981 (4 years) Spennymoor
Telephonist, kept log sheet and tachograph records, meet and greet.
Susan Reynolds’ Education
University of Sunderland
2010 — 2012
Susan Reynolds’ Additional Information
Groups and Associations:
Counselling & Psychotherapy
Counselling & psychotherapy
Events, workshops and conferences to enhance CPD
Online Counselling Network
Psychologists, coach, psychotherapists and counselors
Contact Susan for:
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- consulting offers
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Hello Carl. I thought these photographs of ERF LRG 829X would be of interest. They were taken on the day when the Disco store (now Home Bargains/Iceland/Post Office) was officially opened in Spennymoor and, as your vehicle was brand new and this was its first outing, would have been late 1981 as the registration denotes. I remember that several vehicles were asked to take part in a procession from the town’s Jubilee Park down the High Street, Cheapside, King Street then up into Oxford Road, Holborn and to the Disco car park in order to promote the opening of the new store and your vehicle was used as a “float”.
As you can see this was taken in the days before the times of Health and Safety regulations were brought into force. In todays growing climate of “where there’s blame, there’s a claim” and increasing government legislation regarding Health & Safety and Risk Management for public events any vehicle and any trailer forming part of a float has to comply with Section 40A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 of which one condition is that passengers carried on an open vehicle or trailer may fall off and injure themselves so should not be in a position where their safety is compromised. This has put undue pressure on organisers of carnivals and galas so that it is now becoming rarer and rarer to see vehicles like yours taking part in such events without the fear of risk of prosecution should anything go wrong even fearing that drivers hours could be compromised should they not have the required EC regulations continual rest period.
Peter
pbsummers:
Hello Carl. I thought these photographs of ERF LRG 829X would be of interest. They were taken on the day when the Disco store (now Home Bargains/Iceland/Post Office) was officially opened in Spennymoor and, as your vehicle was brand new and this was its first outing, would have been late 1981 as the registration denotes. I remember that several vehicles were asked to take part in a procession from the town’s Jubilee Park down the High Street, Cheapside, King Street then up into Oxford Road, Holborn and to the Disco car park in order to promote the opening of the new store and your vehicle was used as a “float”.
As you can see this was taken in the days before the times of Health and Safety regulations were brought into force. In todays growing climate of “where there’s blame, there’s a claim” and increasing government legislation regarding Health & Safety and Risk Management for public events any vehicle and any trailer forming part of a float has to comply with Section 40A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 of which one condition is that passengers carried on an open vehicle or trailer may fall off and injure themselves so should not be in a position where their safety is compromised. This has put undue pressure on organisers of carnivals and galas so that it is now becoming rarer and rarer to see vehicles like yours taking part in such events without the fear of risk of prosecution should anything go wrong even fearing that drivers hours could be compromised should they not have the required EC regulations continual rest period.
Peter
2
Thanks peter, That’s something I never thought I would see.
The ERF’s are a memory now that I was beginning to think I had imagined.
The sign writing was designed and written by Peter Buter, of course and I hope Phil sees this as it was amongst the last that Peer did for us.
When I showed the photo’s to my son, he was most impressed and said they would look quite good today as most tractor units are now white. I explained to Paul that never would we have considered running an unpainted vehicle
Once again Peter Thank you so much
Carl
I put the post below on the Gardner Engine tread.
Certain people were trying to say that te engines they produced were not as good as others.
For sake of completness I thought I should put it on here as well so here goes:
Late seventies, early eighties we bought several ERF tractor units like the one in the photo attached. They had Jennings sleeper cab conversions and Gardner 180 engines. To be fair 90% of our traffic was bulky rather than heavy and most of the time, pulling 40 ft. van trailers they would be carrying 22-24 ton GVW.
At this weight and doing about 75,000 miles per year, with our use of 5 to 6 year we never had any problems at all on any, apart from routine maintenance and they were 100% reliable.
Comparing with other 20-26 ton GVW vehicles in the fleet, Bedford, Ford, Leyland, Lynx, Super Comet and Mastiff, and Dodge they showed around 50% saving in fuel consumption. Our AEC Mercury’s were as reliable, but still short on fuel consumption. Even our Bedford 11 ton GVW rigid vans used far more diesel. Although in those days fuel was not as expensive as it is today, but still represented about 30% of running costs and by cutting that cost in half was an incredible saving.
Certainty with their good fuel consumption and the wonderful reliability with Leyland Lynx and Dodge, in particular being dreadfully unreliable, breaking down with regularity, with engine and gearbox problems, they very soon recovered the additional capital costs.
As far as delivery was concerned they all came on time as specified and ERF never attempted to persuade us to take a different engine, probably as they knew we would have cancelled the order, rather than accept what we would have considered a much inferior product.
I remember that there was talk of a delay due to Gardner’s strike, but following a phone call, where dad used his persuasive ways they managed to ‘find’ one and the vehicle was delivered as specified, on time.
The last one we bought was turbo charged, but I remember speaking to the driver, who said he noticed very little difference, as with the weight we were carrying they were as fast, if not faster than most on the motorways.
I always remember being surprised when I was demonstrated the ‘Avant Guarde’ cold starting system, which was a recipe for heavy smoke on starting from cold, but the way they performed I feel was a testament to the good engineering and workmanship of ERF and Gardner.
As I said they were very over specified for our usage, and had we been carrying heavier loads may have had to consider a different engine, so I respect the views of others who write of their experiences, but I think to criticise Gardner, and not respect their engineering expertise, is unwise.
Perhaps had the original designers been younger and the company had more financial weight behind it they might still have been building engines superior in this day and age.
Here is a photo of Eddie & myself taken at Eddie’s second home in ■■■■■■■■ It was 35 years since we last met when he moved me in to my present home. We had a couple of hours natter and reminisced over years gone by. We intend to meet up again in September. Thanks to Eddie & Liz for refreshments.
Mysterron:
0 Here is a photo of Eddie & myself taken at Eddie’s second home in ■■■■■■■■ It was 35 years since we last met when he moved me in to my present home. We had a couple of hours natter and reminisced over years gone by. We intend to meet up again in September. Thanks to Eddie & Liz for refreshments.
Yee gods,
You two almost lost you’re calling and break into show business.
I saw your photo and can safely say I’ve never seen anything quite like it before. I was just about to take my daily afternoon nap, and I couldn’t sleep with visions of your photo coming back to me. The last time I remember those feelings was when I saw ‘The Hunchback Of Notre Dam’ when I was eight, and so I switched on my computer, to see Darlington Civic Theatre were looking for two unusual looking men to play the ‘Ugly Sisters’ in Sinderella.
I immediately thought ‘That’s them’ and replied to suggest you two. However I cannot be certain that you will be accepted as they asked if you had any acting experience, and I had to say that I thought not, but went on that Eddie certainly had years of sinning when he was in his teens and early twenties and would well qualify to be in Sinderella.
So you never know.
Carl
Carl…need a WHW door badge for a project I am doing of a Thames van.
Eddie.
PS hope you like the photo 
edworth:
Be very careful for what you wish for
Eddie, I didn’t think Carl was that good looking, you’ve obviously got a more up to date picture of him. I’ve posted a couple of photo’s on the Magirus Deutz thread which you might have a laugh at. Keep up the good work, Ronnie.
edworth:
Carl…need a WHW door badge for a project I am doing of a Thames van.
Eddie.
PS hope you like the photo
Hi Eddie
The photo is definatly an improvement.
The monogram on the door was orriginay designed by ‘Professor’ Norton in the thirties. It was copied onto what looked like grease proof paper with pin holes outlining the design, so it was just put to the door and dusted wit chalk and hey presto tere was the monogram to fill in. Certainly all signwriters inc Temp Newton used it until Peter Butler did a tracing which he kept and used. The orrignal was kept for years, until dad on one of his tidying sessions decided we didn’t need it again threw it out. So today i have no copies.
Probably the best copy was on the photo which you ave used to improve my looks, or one of these two
Carl
