hi carl,
hope you are well ,i worked for you from 78 to 86.
When do you plan to have the next drivers reunion and where as i would like to attend.
I at the age of 24 was given a job by your dad after Jock Ethrington at ATM Crook put a word in.Most firms these days wont entertain anyone of that age.I like many of your ex-drivers have enjoyed reading your anecdotes and, you know, the memories come flooding back!
One that does stand out was being towed back from Bovey Tracy on the wrecker (on a tow bar)by a fitter called kenny.it took sixteen hours.The first fuel stop was 2am, when kenny saw what state i was in ie.blackened face from the exhaust soot and hypnotised by the amber light he agreed to do the remainder of the journey with vehicle suspended and me sat up front!
Looks like you all enjoyed the reunion,hope i can attend the next one.
Best wishes.
Cee Tee (Colin Truman i think)
Colin Truman i remember you alright fair hair & glasses a nice lad to work with, i like many would like to see you @ the next reunion the problem is they are slow to buy a drink for OLD drivers ha ha.
Gordon.
ceetee:
hi carl,
hope you are well ,i worked for you from 78 to 86.
When do you plan to have the next drivers reunion and where as i would like to attend.
I at the age of 24 was given a job by your dad after Jock Ethrington at ATM Crook put a word in.Most firms these days wont entertain anyone of that age.I like many of your ex-drivers have enjoyed reading your anecdotes and, you know, the memories come flooding back!
One that does stand out was being towed back from Bovey Tracy on the wrecker (on a tow bar)by a fitter called kenny.it took sixteen hours.The first fuel stop was 2am, when kenny saw what state i was in ie.blackened face from the exhaust soot and hypnotised by the amber light he agreed to do the remainder of the journey with vehicle suspended and me sat up front!
Looks like you all enjoyed the reunion,hope i can attend the next one.
Best wishes.
Hi Colin, Do you know if Jock is still alive? Dad knew him from the very early fifties when Jock was driving for Ramar.
Do you see any of the old ATM drivers that came to us? Noone from Crook or Bishop Auckland came to re-union so it would be good to contact one or two.
It was Kenny Armstrong that was towing you. After we finnished he went to Croxdale-Citroen on a mechanic.
Can you remember the reg nos or descriptions of any of the vans you used to drive?
So pleased you have got in touch
Carl
Coin mentioned Jock Ethrington
Jock had worked for Ramar Dresses, Crook as a driver. About 1955 they had bought new petrol Bedford SB from Adams and Gibbons and they had made disastrous attempt to build a pantechnicon body on it and Jock had been the driver.
His first trip down to London was the start with the roof of the van being not sealed and a complete load of dresses (about £40,000 worth by today’s standards) being completely destroyed. They ran it several years with it falling to pieces and Jock struggling to keep his load dry.
Dad and Jock often ran down to London together, as we did transport for Ramar, leaving about midnight to arrive first thing the following morning. As both vans were limited to 20 mile per hour in those days, night travel at 40-50 was safer as there were few, if any police on the road checking speeding HGVs.
Jock and Dad would unload at several fashion houses in the West end and Jock would park up, keeping to his driving hours but dad would turn round and travel straight home, relying on Asprin to stop headaches, no doubt from watching his one mirror (No nearside mirrors in those days) to see no police were trying to clock his speed. Again with no stop lights it was much easier to slow down without getting caught.
At some stage Jock left Ramar and got a job in the transport office at ATM (Advance textile mills), who we also did some transport for, when they were part of the Pretty Polly Group. When they sold out to Monsanto (The American giant) they were told to get rid of their own vehicles. I did a deal where we bought the nine vehicles at written down price and offered the nine drivers jobs. As like al own account operations they were very inefficient ad we managed to do the work wit 5 vehicles. They had been using nine and still needed to hire us regularly.
Jock stayed in the transport office arranging loads and labelling the boxes of yarn etc., until unfortunately for all of us, Monsanto decided to get out of the market in the early eighties and close the factory. Dad recommended Jock for a job with Thorn EMI (Smart and Brown’ Spennymoor factory, where he worked in the transport office.
One day we were approached by Syd Hardy, transport manager at Thorn that he was concerned that they thought our drivers were taking longer routes than necessary, in some cases, so they could see girlfriends etc (Rumours and chit chat is always dangerous) and they had got a new computer system in (A pioneering navigation system) and it showed dreadful variances and they would be checking the mileages that would delay our accounts from being passed for payment for an extra month at least.
Within the discussions it became apparent that they had to make redundancies in their traffic department and Jock, who had made an impact, had to go and Syd was dreading to give him the news.
We came to an agreement that if we employed Jock to check the mileages of each trip they would pass them as they had so much faith in him. So Jock had to job of following the drivers journeys with little wheel on maps that calculated the mileages and Jock with his knowledge could calculate the mileage for several drops within a town or city. For instance a driver might leave with 8 drops in Leeds, 2 Huddersfield, 3 Oldham and finish with 10 in Manchester for instance.
Also as our vans were carrying white goods that were very desirable it was not possible to park up where you were at the end of the day, and needed to park somewhere safe. (Places like Oldham, Leicester and Kingston on Thames etc.) So it was necessary to allow mileage for that. It soon became apparent that their computer system was not fully developed when we established that the 60 mile journey to Wetherby was showing just 40 mile and then it was taking the route through areas that had weight limits wit HGV’s not allowed etc., so for the company that had designed it, it was back to the drawing board.
For jock it was a sole destroying job studying maps day in and day out and he left us after a couple of years or so. I don’t know what happened to him after that. Perhaps he took early retirement but all the drivers there in the eighties will remember him.
Incidentally in nearly every case he found our drivers had been very economic in their route planning and in nearly every case we could add the few miles to cover our costs in employing him
Hi Carl…I’m back, been over to ■■■■■■■ for a few days to check the van and it was bloody cold, the old library bus as brought some memories back, was the bus there before the comer or vice versa, I thought the bus was first, it is like yesterday remembering the driver coming down the street with is flask and bait bag, when the Titan or Commer had to be moved earlier and the driver was not there anybody had to move it, one day (think Peter was thereabouts) I moved the commer to the top of marmaduke st onto the wasteland that had been part of south terrace (The Home is there now) having bombed it up marmaduke street and swung onto the wasteland and braked like the clappers, all the books and the shelves collapsed, what a mess, I think the driver used to try and get in earlier after a few mishaps like that, I know he use to give me some dirty looks 
Eddie
hi carl,
my mum who died a couple of years ago used to work at ramars and was friendly with jocks wife am pretty sure she once said that jock had died but am not 100% certain.
Some of the regs i can remember are sup147m, cup305l,ngr168t evk…
Sup was long wheel base tall body (pig). cup would only do 50mph but because of the gearing but would do 50 all day up hill down dale i made good wages with that wagon. before ngr i was given jimmy Luttons old motor then within a short space of time you put me in ngr 168t which i believe ces ramsay used to do havant twice a week in. Ces was a heavy smoker and i remember using a paint scraper on the panelling abover the drivers head to remove a thick layer of nicotene .I seem to remember he died alone in his flat.Thats a rotten way to go.
Think i have one or two more names for your list of employees,steven patterson and jimmy robinson both from byers green,steven did the mail order local deliveries not sure about jimmy.fred trotter ended up in the weighbridge at thrislington alongside norman flatmen.freddy belcher(chilton) bet you cant remember what he was noted for? kenny archer (sunnybrow) didnt stay long.Also john goundry who i worked with for fifteen years at davidsons bulk haulage, he was with you for two weeks but never got any further than the rest room!
And lastly Alister Godsmark ,christine might remember him from a trip four of us did to loch kishorn along with one of the NESS drivers.
I was wondering how many at the reunion are still working?
best wishes
colin.
ceetee:
hi carl,
my mum who died a couple of years ago used to work at ramars and was friendly with jocks wife am pretty sure she once said that jock had died but am not 100% certain.
Some of the regs i can remember are sup147m, cup305l,ngr168t evk…
Sup was long wheel base tall body (pig). cup would only do 50mph but because of the gearing but would do 50 all day up hill down dale i made good wages with that wagon. before ngr i was given jimmy Luttons old motor then within a short space of time you put me in ngr 168t which i believe ces ramsay used to do havant twice a week in. Ces was a heavy smoker and i remember using a paint scraper on the panelling abover the drivers head to remove a thick layer of nicotene .I seem to remember he died alone in his flat.Thats a rotten way to go.
Think i have one or two more names for your list of employees,steven patterson and jimmy robinson both from byers green,steven did the mail order local deliveries not sure about jimmy.fred trotter ended up in the weighbridge at thrislington alongside norman flatmen.freddy belcher(chilton) bet you cant remember what he was noted for? kenny archer (sunnybrow) didnt stay long.Also john goundry who i worked with for fifteen years at davidsons bulk haulage, he was with you for two weeks but never got any further than the rest room!
And lastly Alister Godsmark ,christine might remember him from a trip four of us did to loch kishorn along with one of the NESS drivers.
I was wondering how many at the reunion are still working?
best wishes
colin.
Thanks Colin,
I have updated the list as below. It is difficult as sometimes the mst obvious names gett missed off. In fact your name had ben missed until yu reminded me. I appologise
Aaron Smith
Alan Angus
Alan Brown
Alan Henderson Fleet Engineer
Alan Robinson
Alan Stout
Alister Godsmark
Alan Wharrier
Andrew Sottt Commercial Director
Angela Newcastle office
Anne Walton/Askwith Spennymoor Office
Arthur Crooks
Arthur Ovington
Arthur Ridley
Barry Lauder
Bev Easter
Bill Bailey
Bill Dixon
Bill Foster (Bilco)
Bill Welford
Bill Westgarth Fitter
Billy Bennet
Billy Petty Security
Billy Raine
Billy Turnbull
Bob Bradley
Bob Heathwaite
Bob Hobson
Bob marsden
Bob pinkney Died at the wheel of heart attack in Lancs driving FUP145C
Bob Wetherall First fully qualified accountant employed, left to be head accountant at Ladbroke’s Hotels division
Brian Archer
Brian Askwith
Brian Sheldon Accountant Spennymoor office
Brian Spark
Brian Winter
Brian Wragg Apprentice
Carl Williams Director/ Company Secretary
Caroline Vane
Cess Ramsey
Charlie Brown
christine Ede Female Class 1 Driver
Christine Harland Spennymoor Office
Christine Heale Spennymoor Office
Christine Oliver Spennymoor Office
Clifford Smiles
Colin pinkney
Colin Porter Fitter
Colin Sumpton
Colin Trowman
Colin Watson
Colin Williams
Dale harrison
Darren Brown
Dave Brannon Fitter
Dave Hastie
Dave Heron
dave Pope
David Dalrymple Removal Sales
Davina Spennymoor office
Dennis Bradey
Dennis Lee
Dennis Gough
Diane Spennymoor Office Lived in Durham
■■■■ Lowes Fitter
■■■■ Porter
Eddie Brown
Eddie Worthington
Eddy Donnelly
Eddy Ramsey
Eddy Thornton Workshop Manager/Transport
Eric Nelson
Farrah Clark
Frank Morgan Orriginally driver then went on, after loosing arm to look after Wilcomatic Vehicle Wash and parking
Fred Nelson
Fred Trotter
Fred Thirlaway
Fred Winter
Freddie Belcher
Freddie Prest
Freddie Wallace
Geoff Welford
George Gleason
George Graham
George Hardy Fitter
George Meek
George Sykes
George Todd
Gordon Ball
Gordon Elsom
Gordon Jackson
Graham McKenna
Harry Blatchford
Harry Blyth
Harry Brain
Harry Hawkins
Harry Smith
Harry Whitehead
Henry Barras
Hillary Harrison
howard Rushton
Ian Askwith
Jack Birch
Jack Hull
Jack Wilkinson
James Sproull
Janette McDonad Drove 4 wheeler Laird Flat to Oldham each day Roping and Sheeting
Jean Penman Accounts Clerk Spennymoor Office
Jeff Cooper
Jeff Pye
Jenny Myers Spennymoor Office
Jim cairey
Jim Ferguson
Jim Kirk
Jim Lupton
Jim Wilson London Depot manager
Jimmy Clements
Jimmy Hennesy
Jimmy Robinson
Jimmy Testo
Jock Ethington Spennymoor Transport Office Ex ATM and Ramar
Jock Weatherstone
Joe Pennington
Joe carpenter
John Beaumont
John Chapman
John Clancey
John Coed Aprentice Mecanic
John Glancey
John Goundry
John Hetherington
John Hughes
John Mortimer
John Nixon
John Storey Apprentice Transport Manager
John Tobin
John Vasey
John Ward
John Willets
John Wood Coachskill body shop
joy Bunting Spennymoor office nicknaed Blondie
Keith Brown Fitter
Keith Dixon
Keith Payne
Keith Winter
Ken Armtrong
Ken Atkinson Painter
Kenny Archer
Ken Dagga
Kenny Hardy
Kenny Hodgson
Kenny nelson
kenny Smallman
Kenny Smith
Kenny Thompson Apprentice
Kenny Thrower
Laurece Petch
Laurie hawkins
Les Aislesby
Les Davies
Les Warnet
Linda Irving Lived in Grange Est Spennymoor Wages Clerk last few years emigated to Australia
Linda Turnbull Spennymoor Office
Malcolm Stephenson
Malcome Marsden Removal Sales/ mail Order office
Margaret O’Hern Class 1 female driver lived at Near Scots Corner
Marilyn mason Marmaduke Street/ Green Lane office
Martin Haliday
Martin Wade Fitter
Mick Robson
Mickie Solo Fitter
Mrs Dennis Marmaduke Street/ Green Lane office
Neil Evans
Neil I’anson
Norman Flatman Transport Magager Spennymoor office
Norman Robinson
Norman Snowball
Ozzie Boomfied
Pam Receptionist Telephonist Spennymoor Office ex ATM
Pat Mccabe Spennymoor Office
Patrick Cavagner Newcastle Office manager
Paul Sandford
Pauline hood Spennymoor Office
Peter Aspinall
Peter Caywood
Peter Clearey
Peter Holliday
Peter moore
Peter Wilson
Peter Windship
Phil Reilly Spennymoor Warehouse Manager
Ray Hornby
Ray Juler
Raymond Russell Fitter/Tyre Fitter/ Recovery Driver/ Class 1 driver
Roger Owen
Ronnie Briggs
Ronnie Harris
Ronnie Wensley
Ronny Allison
Shiela Marmaduke Stree/ Green Lane office
Shiela Juler Office cleaner Green Lane
Shirley cuttey Spennymoor Office
Stan Harper Fitter
Stehen Cairns
Steven Patterson
Steven (Stevie) Newcombe Fitter
Susan Spennymoor Office Lived in Darlington
Susan Firth Spennymoor Office
Sydney Credit controler ex Homeworthy Accountant
Taffy Evans
Ted Sawley
Ted Wells
Terry Ford Stores Manager from Wolsingham
Terry Fullard
Terry Sumpton
Tommy Bowen
Tommy Brophy
Tommy Clements
Tommy Coates
Tommy magles Fitter
Tommy Stoddart
Tony Dark skinned driver class 3
Tony Aspinall
Tony Hawkins
Trevor Heale
Tony Kirk
Trevor Shaw
Valerie Powell Spennymoor Office
Vic Britton
Vic Young Fitter
W.H.Williams (Harry) Managing Director
W.H.Williams Snr Founder and orriginal Propriator
Yvonne Spennymoor office
I noticed a Vic Young, fitter, did he go to Longfield Road motors?
5thDragoon:
I noticed a Vic Young, fitter, did he go to Longfield Road motors?
Hi 5th Dragoon,
I am not sure.
He worked for us about 1967, before plating and testing I think.
A van that he had been servicing got a GV9, quite serious, and something he should have spotted. There was hell on and dad told him straight of the high standards of maintenance he expected.
The next vehicle for Vick to check over was NPT719D, a 15cwt Morris J2 with a luton van body, and Vick produced a list with almost everything ticked as defective track rod ends, drag link, king pins etc etc. Now the J2 was not one of our most reliable of vehicles as has been mentioned many times on this thread, but was almost new at the time, and so when he went home,dad and Jack Kempsey pulled it in and checked it over and it was OK, needing no repairs.
I think Vick was just trying to be cleaver after being told off for the GV9. The next morning he was given immediate dismissal. Personally I found from experience it never worked out that a fitter should examine and assess condition and then go on to effect repairs, as always the temptation was to ignore a defect and put it off for a later date, if he didn’t want to work late for instance, and I think this is why Vick had let a defect go that led to GV9, and most certainly we wanted to know if anything was wrong with a vehicle, but certainly we didn’t want someone telling us that things were wrong which were not. Eventually this was rectified by when we introduced our night shift at green Lane they only carried out an inspection changed oil and very minor repairs, leaving anything wrong to be repaired by the day shift. It was then up to Alan Henderson to decide whether the vehicle ran to be booked in for repair after its next trip or if it was off the road for immediate repair.
We used Longfield Road Motors for Seddon parts, but we never had a vehicle in their workshops, so I don’t know who their fitters were, and I never went to their spares department, as I was always busier doing other things when we ran the Seddons.
Carl
edworth:
Hi Carl…I’m back, been over to ■■■■■■■ for a few days to check the van and it was bloody cold, the old library bus as brought some memories back, was the bus there before the comer or vice versa, I thought the bus was first, it is like yesterday remembering the driver coming down the street with is flask and bait bag, when the Titan or Commer had to be moved earlier and the driver was not there anybody had to move it, one day (think Peter was thereabouts) I moved the commer to the top of marmaduke st onto the wasteland that had been part of south terrace (The Home is there now) having bombed it up marmaduke street and swung onto the wasteland and braked like the clappers, all the books and the shelves collapsed, what a mess, I think the driver used to try and get in earlier after a few mishaps like that, I know he use to give me some dirty looks
Hi Eddie
Bet it was cold. You know Paul, my son deals in cars and about three weeks ago got the chance to buy a BMW Z3 open top sports car. It was in excellent condition and was M sport version, and quite a rare car, and better than most Z3s which are always a nice car. The weather that day was great with the sun shining, so we thought it was the start of spring and a good time to buy as people get sick of sitting in and want an open top car before the prices rocket in the summer. Since that day we never have had the opportunity to photograph it with the hood down, the weather has been so bad.
The original library was a Commer, built on their passenger chassis and as big as a bus, but that was 1954 and after a couple of years or so they got the Leyland. So when you started it would have been the Leyland there, but they eventually replaced it with a Karrier (Just the same as a Commer, but not quite the size of a bus, so it most probably would have been the Karrier you drove up the top of the street, and moved the books around a bit and onto the floor.
I bet you can’t wait to get back in the caravan.
Carl
ceetee:
hi carl,
my mum who died a couple of years ago used to work at ramars and was friendly with jocks wife am pretty sure she once said that jock had died but am not 100% certain.
Some of the regs i can remember are sup147m, cup305l,ngr168t evk…
Sup was long wheel base tall body (pig). cup would only do 50mph but because of the gearing but would do 50 all day up hill down dale i made good wages with that wagon. before ngr i was given jimmy Luttons old motor then within a short space of time you put me in ngr 168t which i believe ces ramsay used to do havant twice a week in. Ces was a heavy smoker and i remember using a paint scraper on the panelling abover the drivers head to remove a thick layer of nicotene .I seem to remember he died alone in his flat.Thats a rotten way to go.
Think i have one or two more names for your list of employees,steven patterson and jimmy robinson both from byers green,steven did the mail order local deliveries not sure about jimmy.fred trotter ended up in the weighbridge at thrislington alongside norman flatmen.freddy belcher(chilton) bet you cant remember what he was noted for? kenny archer (sunnybrow) didnt stay long.Also john goundry who i worked with for fifteen years at davidsons bulk haulage, he was with you for two weeks but never got any further than the rest room!
And lastly Alister Godsmark ,christine might remember him from a trip four of us did to loch kishorn along with one of the NESS drivers.
I was wondering how many at the reunion are still working?
best wishes
colin.
Hi Colin
In the list of vehicles you mentioned ENK818K, a Leyland Laird. That must have been an off putting start to driving, then SUP147M that is seen a few times on this thread when it was new and driven by Bob Bradley, CUP305L the Bedford boxvan that was originally red when it was new and driven by Tony Kirk and on the Thorn Heating contract. I suppose when you got it, it will have been repainted in cream and brown.
So by the time you got NGR168T an integral Bedford Marsden, you will have served a hard aprentership and felt you had gone to heaven. I hadn’t realised that Cecil had had that van when new as I remembered him driving RUP601M the Seddon Vanplan for so long and then new he got the Motor Show van when it was new and so he must have had NGR168T for a couple of years in-between. I am sure scraping the nicotine off the top of the cab must have been worthwhile as it would just have been run in when you got it.
Please if you remember any more stories please add them and I’m sure Colin will be in touch as soon as we are having another re-union.
Carl
Carl Williams:
Government cuts are not a new thing.
Back in 1954 Durham County council introduced a mobile library in the Spennymoor area. They needed somewhere to garage this overnight and made arrangements with us to park in our garage in Marmaduke Street. I wonder if Eddie, Colin and Peter can remember the library there?
They had built themselves, taking about three years (fast workers- the county council) and it was a Commer about 27 ft 6 in long. Giving them credit it was well built and strong bodywork, and the librarian/driver was a chap from West Cornforth called Benny Waugh.
A few years down the line they decided to allocate the Commer to another part of the County and as they had bought and ex Northern bus and converted it to a mobile library. It was a Leyland, I think Titan about 1938 vintage. At that time vehicle preservation was not particularly thought of and to me an old piece of scrap.
When it came dad immediately complained as it had a severe oil leak, and dad was fastidious about the cleanliness of the garage floor. Their solution was to provide a huge about 4 x4 metal ‘tray’ to collect the oil. I can remember dad remarking that as it spit about 2 to 3 pints a night, that they should collect the oil and re pour it in the engine. Needless to say Benny Waugh used to put about a gallon of oil a day (New oil) into the Leyland Engine. For those who were around that time will remember, although Plating and Testing had not been introduced Ministry of Transport Inspectors were still quite keen on issuing GV9 s at roadside inspections, but as it was Durham County Council they never would have waved it in. In fact dad said that it was in pretty bad mechanical condition and would have received a full sheet if it was examined.
As many on here will have first-hand knowledge of old Leyland oil burners were not the easiest of vehicles to start on a cold winters morning, and Benny Waugh had to light fires underneath it, use Easystart and every conceivable means to start it, until one morning no matter what he did the battery would just not turn it over. For the next six months he had to ring County Hall at Durham and they used to send out a service van out with two fitters with a set of Jump leads to start it as the batteries were finished, but BECAUSE OF CUTS, the County Council could not afford new batteries. Typical as I’m sure it is the same today they couldn’t work out that new batteries would have cost a lot less to fix the batteries than send out from Durham each day.
The biggest laugh was that eventually it was decided that it needed servicing, and had to go into the workshops at County Hall for a week (Once again fast workers) and when it came out you still had to turn the steering for five minutes before the wheel started to move and still the next morning we had the daily visit to start it, as they still had not bought new batteries.
Just before we moved to Green Lane it was replaced with a smaller Karrier which used to park at our Green Lane depot until a new library was built in Spennymoor with garaging for the mobile library incorporated.
Hi Carl, yes I do remember the old Leyland library bus your dad always had to keep a space for it in the garage and many a time had to wait for it before putting other vans in the garage for the night. You are correct it was replaced by a new Karrier in 1965 reg number LPT—C it also had a petrol engine
Yes Eddie I was there when you took it to the top of Marmarduke street know one ever drove it only Benny but the look of devilment on your face was a picture when you pulled away at full revs, it went like a rocket you did confide in me what had happened at the top of the street when the shelves and books flew everyware because of your erratic driving. I don’t think Benny said anything because he didnt know who parked the library at top of the street but as you said he was never late for work again
Peter
Carl Williams:
ceetee:
hi carl,
my mum who died a couple of years ago used to work at ramars and was friendly with jocks wife am pretty sure she once said that jock had died but am not 100% certain.
Some of the regs i can remember are sup147m, cup305l,ngr168t evk…
Sup was long wheel base tall body (pig). cup would only do 50mph but because of the gearing but would do 50 all day up hill down dale i made good wages with that wagon. before ngr i was given jimmy Luttons old motor then within a short space of time you put me in ngr 168t which i believe ces ramsay used to do havant twice a week in. Ces was a heavy smoker and i remember using a paint scraper on the panelling abover the drivers head to remove a thick layer of nicotene .I seem to remember he died alone in his flat.Thats a rotten way to go.
Think i have one or two more names for your list of employees,steven patterson and jimmy robinson both from byers green,steven did the mail order local deliveries not sure about jimmy.fred trotter ended up in the weighbridge at thrislington alongside norman flatmen.freddy belcher(chilton) bet you cant remember what he was noted for? kenny archer (sunnybrow) didnt stay long.Also john goundry who i worked with for fifteen years at davidsons bulk haulage, he was with you for two weeks but never got any further than the rest room!
And lastly Alister Godsmark ,christine might remember him from a trip four of us did to loch kishorn along with one of the NESS drivers.
I was wondering how many at the reunion are still working?
best wishes
colin.Hi Colin
In the list of vehicles you mentioned ENK818K, a Leyland Laird. That must have been an off putting start to driving, then SUP147M that is seen a few times on this thread when it was new and driven by Bob Bradley, CUP305L the Bedford boxvan that was originally red when it was new and driven by Tony Kirk and on the Thorn Heating contract. I suppose when you got it, it will have been repainted in cream and brown.
So by the time you got NGR168T an integral Bedford Marsden, you will have served a hard aprentership and felt you had gone to heaven. I hadn’t realised that Cecil had had that van when new as I remembered him driving RUP601M the Seddon Vanplan for so long and then new he got the Motor Show van when it was new and so he must have had NGR168T for a couple of years in-between. I am sure scraping the nicotine off the top of the cab must have been worthwhile as it would just have been run in when you got it.
Please if you remember any more stories please add them and I’m sure Colin will be in touch as soon as we are having another re-union.Carl
hi carl,
Some of the characters make up many of the memories,such as a chap called jack who had a wife who was disabled his second name escapes me.We were on a night out in hull having been delayed at a newalls insulation customer.
He suggested going for a pint together which seemed like a good idea.Jack was a good bit older than me and never let on that drinking was his hobby. Boy could he knock em back,by the end of the night i was under the table and he was still at it.
A few days later just off the roundabout at the bottom of the approach road to black n decker Jacks car was stopped next to the flower bed,Jack was hanging out of the car. Thinking he had taken ill i stopped and ran across to see if he was ok only to find him with trowel in hand helping himself to the flowers for his garden!No wonder durham council had no money.
ceetee:
Carl Williams:
ceetee:
hi carl,
my mum who died a couple of years ago used to work at ramars and was friendly with jocks wife am pretty sure she once said that jock had died but am not 100% certain.
Some of the regs i can remember are sup147m, cup305l,ngr168t evk…
Sup was long wheel base tall body (pig). cup would only do 50mph but because of the gearing but would do 50 all day up hill down dale i made good wages with that wagon. before ngr i was given jimmy Luttons old motor then within a short space of time you put me in ngr 168t which i believe ces ramsay used to do havant twice a week in. Ces was a heavy smoker and i remember using a paint scraper on the panelling abover the drivers head to remove a thick layer of nicotene .I seem to remember he died alone in his flat.Thats a rotten way to go.
Think i have one or two more names for your list of employees,steven patterson and jimmy robinson both from byers green,steven did the mail order local deliveries not sure about jimmy.fred trotter ended up in the weighbridge at thrislington alongside norman flatmen.freddy belcher(chilton) bet you cant remember what he was noted for? kenny archer (sunnybrow) didnt stay long.Also john goundry who i worked with for fifteen years at davidsons bulk haulage, he was with you for two weeks but never got any further than the rest room!
And lastly Alister Godsmark ,christine might remember him from a trip four of us did to loch kishorn along with one of the NESS drivers.
I was wondering how many at the reunion are still working?
best wishes
colin.Hi Colin
In the list of vehicles you mentioned ENK818K, a Leyland Laird. That must have been an off putting start to driving, then SUP147M that is seen a few times on this thread when it was new and driven by Bob Bradley, CUP305L the Bedford boxvan that was originally red when it was new and driven by Tony Kirk and on the Thorn Heating contract. I suppose when you got it, it will have been repainted in cream and brown.
So by the time you got NGR168T an integral Bedford Marsden, you will have served a hard aprentership and felt you had gone to heaven. I hadn’t realised that Cecil had had that van when new as I remembered him driving RUP601M the Seddon Vanplan for so long and then new he got the Motor Show van when it was new and so he must have had NGR168T for a couple of years in-between. I am sure scraping the nicotine off the top of the cab must have been worthwhile as it would just have been run in when you got it.
Please if you remember any more stories please add them and I’m sure Colin will be in touch as soon as we are having another re-union.Carl
hi carl,
Some of the characters make up many of the memories,such as a chap called jack who had a wife who was disabled his second name escapes me.We were on a night out in hull having been delayed at a newalls insulation customer.
He suggested going for a pint together which seemed like a good idea.Jack was a good bit older than me and never let on that drinking was his hobby. Boy could he knock em back,by the end of the night i was under the table and he was still at it.
A few days later just off the roundabout at the bottom of the approach road to black n decker Jacks car was stopped next to the flower bed,Jack was hanging out of the car. Thinking he had taken ill i stopped and ran across to see if he was ok only to find him with trowel in hand helping himself to the flowers for his garden!No wonder durham council had no money.
Hi Colin
I wonder if it could have been jack Hull. He sounds the most probable, AFTER WHAT WE EVENTUALLY FOUND OUT.
And to think before he joined us he was a policeman, couldn’t have had much better reference. But there again, you never know do you?
Carl
Going back to the mobile library.
Benny Waugh who was librarian/driver lived in West Cornforth near Tommy Stoddard, and also did part time driving for Eddie Howe on the OK bus service.
Howes would send messages down to dad from the garage at the top of Marmaduke Street asking him to tell Benny to meet the five past 2 bus at the Tivoli.
Dad couldn’t understand it as he was always so thorough in contacting and speaking to drivers, thinking what would happen if he forgot to tell Benny or what should happen if Benny didn’t turn up. After all the OK Newcastle to Bishop Auckland was one of thhe most popular services in the North East and needed to be regular, and to the best of my knowledge always was, with you able to set your clock by it.
Dad once asked Eddie Howe. ‘Oh the driver would just have to carry on’, was his reply, but I don’t think this was a sencible answer. If I was due to finnish work at 2.00pm after working since six in the morning I wouldn’t be too pleased to have to carry on until after finnishing my last run into Bishop Auckland about after 11-30 at night.
Going back to the mobile library.
Benny Waugh who was librarian/driver lived in West Cornforth near Tommy Stoddard, and also did part time driving for Eddie Howe on the OK bus service.
Howes would send messages down to dad from the garage at the top of Marmaduke Street asking him to tell Benny to meet the five past 2 bus at the Tivoli.
Dad couldn’t understand it as he was always so thorough in contacting and speaking to drivers, thinking what would happen if he forgot to tell Benny or what should happen if Benny didn’t turn up. After all the OK Newcastle to Bishop Auckland was one of thhe most popular services in the North East and needed to be regular, and to the best of my knowledge always was, with you able to set your clock by it.
Dad once asked Eddie Howe. ‘Oh the driver would just have to carry on’, was his reply, but I don’t think this was a sencible answer. If I was due to finnish work at 2.00pm after working since six in the morning I wouldn’t be too pleased to have to carry on until after finnishing my last run into Bishop Auckland about after 11-30 at night.
I can remember the OK bus service being reliable even in the winter when there was 6 foot drifts. Regardless of the weather it always turned up. Also the G&B bus service which ran through Quarrington Hill and Doggy. Today the bus service is atrocious, even in fine weather. Chris
I couldn’t help but laugh at Colin Truman’s account of being towed home on a straight bar by Kenny Armstrong until he took pity and slung it and they both travelled in the breakdown’s cab.
It reminded me of one day looking out of my office window to see Raymond Russell coming into Green Lane, artic driver sitting next to him with one of our ill-fated Leyland Lynx coupled with a 40 ft. van trailer suspended behind. Quite a length to tow.
Legally at that time we were allowed to tow a loaded trailer to the nearest point where it could be unloaded and then we could legally tow a complete tractor with empty trailer home.
On this occasion the Lynx with its loaded trailer were heading for Southampton with about 5 drops on the South Coast, after unloading it was booked to collect a load from John Lewis at Stevenage destined for Bainbridge department store in Newcastle.
Ray had picked the tractor and trailer up near Oxford and proceeded to tow it (Suspended) to its five delivery points, return to John Lewis Stevenage, and somehow manage to reverse (Breakdown, tractor and trailer) into John Lewis loading dock, loaded and then travelling back to Spennymoor. Goodness knows what would have happened if we go caught. And all of this with a little TK breakdown with the Bedford 330 cu in diesel engine.
Unfortunately we had bought 3 new Leyland Lynx 28ton GVW tractor units, probably the most unreliable vehicles we ever had (Although Dodge/Perkins gave them a run for their money) I laugh at people on this site criticising Bedford’s when comparing them with the ‘Premium’ Leyland Trucks. There is no comparison as anyone who operated both types of vehicles would understand. For fleet operators that ran light to middle weight loads and were fortunate enough to have bought the much cheaper Bedford’s would discover they could make money. With regard to British Leyland’s effort they did all they could to ruin the British Road Haulage Industry.
Another operator who had been conned into buying Leyland Lynxs and was having similar problems to ourselves was Vaux Breweries Sunderland and their Fleet Engineer had regular discussions with Alan Henderson over problems they shared, and borrowed some specialist tool we had bought for some repair we needed to do.
I wonder how much British Leyland assisted in the demise of Vaux.
