One of my old drivers had been on a cruise a couple of years ago and Mike Timms was on the same trip I think he told our Lad he was 88 years old ! and is Tony Maggs still around I dealt with both of them for a number of years when we subbed off Western the British Cellophane (Courtaulds) pulp to Barrow-in-Furness for a good number of years. We used to load two or three loads a day from Royal Portbury and because Westerns were a subsidiary of TDG we always got paid “on the dot”. It was a very decent seam of traffic for us while it lasted. Cheers Bewick.
This is a load of BCL pulp ex Royal Portbury on it’s side at the A38 roundabout M5 at Droitwich, no excuse the Driver was a ■■■■ as far as I was concerned. Bewick.
HI FOLKS , WE use to run to south wales ,every day with stone dust to all the coal mines , then when the work started to dry up in Cardiff and NEWPORT , we had to run to Avonmouth pulp to Greenfield Coutalds witch worked in well for us ,then the pits started to close down with the minors strike . WESTERN TRAnsport worked well with us tell scargil finaley drove the nail into the coffin, Cheers Barry
barrywaddy:
HI FOLKS , WE use to run to south wales ,every day with stone dust to all the coal mines , then when the work started to dry up in Cardiff and NEWPORT , we had to run to Avonmouth pulp to Greenfield Coutalds witch worked in well for us ,then the pits started to close down with the minors strike . WESTERN TRAnsport worked well with us tell scargil finaley drove the nail into the coffin, Cheers Barry
A bit off subject here Barry but my dad was a regular at Courtaulds Greenfield when he worked for Henry Longs at Bradford
Hi Ramone , I remember longs A E C 4 6 and 8 wheeler and drags down our end ,also in Flint works as well , Cheers Barry
barrywaddy:
Hi Ramone , I remember longs A E C 4 6 and 8 wheeler and drags down our end ,also in Flint works as well , Cheers Barry
This was probably loaded with yarn from Greenfield Barry, not sure if it was my dads though, note the extra box on the cab roof
Hi Guys, don’t know if any of you remember me Jerry Hunter drove for Bob Ansty on Norfolk line contract late 80’s and then took on Jim De Havilland’s truck when he went on Western Ice.
I bring sad news of Bob Ansty’s parting this life on Friday 30th September, his granddaughter is very keen to inform all those that might have known him to enable them to attend his funeral if they so wish. This will take place on Friday 21st Oct at 11.30 am at Canford Crematorium to be followed by a wake at the Beehive Wellington Hill West.
If any of you intend to go along can you please pm me so I can let his granddaughter know. Any help contacting people from this era would be much appreciated.
Best wishes,
Jerry.
Hi Jerry, I remember you well. Sorry to hear about Bob but at our age we get to expect a few of us will part company. Hope all is well with you.
Not much action on this site lately, everybody up the road are they?
Jerry Hunter, did I last see you down near Sicily a long time ago when we were doing the Malta work?
Definately quiet. Now that I’ve been off the road for 20 years I look back and think what a great life we had compared to a lot of other people I’ve met. Roy, if you ever come back up from Spain give me a shout and we’ll share a few beers and a yarn. I’ll PM you my number.
ghosttrain:
Definately quiet. Now that I’ve been off the road for 20 years I look back and think what a great life we had compared to a lot of other people I’ve met. Roy, if you ever come back up from Spain give me a shout and we’ll share a few beers and a yarn. I’ll PM you my number.
Hi all, Let me light it up a little.
Who can remember a young’ish salesman from Unit Commercials delivering new motors on a beaver tail low loader and chaining on the old mandators for the run back to Salibury.
Always behind the 140 Demonstrator.
Mr Ian Andrews,( the owner) allways said, “you sell um, you deliver um” if you cant drive a Scania/AEC you are no use to me, happy days indeed, had over 25 years selling trucks and now at 72 well retired I still do a Sunday afternoon for an Irish Haulier pulling Asda deckers, sad or what chaps ■■? Harvey
Hi everyone can’t believe I found this thread but it glad I did I know a lot of you will have known Keith southern from mobberley. Sadly he passed away on the 23rd of February, he hadn’t been well for along time but sadly enough was enough. His funeral was yesterday at st. Wilfred’s church he had tried to get in contact with a few of his old trucking friends and a few of them managed to come to his funeral bob badbury was one of them from rtz.
Anyone remember Western Transport ? And if any of the original drivers are still around?
Based at Avonmouth down Buchanans end in the mid '70s when I left.
Also had a compound on Appleton airfield near Warrington.
Green/red motors with yellow writing, same style writing as Willmotts & Sparks, think they were in the same group, Transport Development Group rings a bell.
Ran mandators/mercurys & later on scanny 80s & 110s.
Regards
Nig
Used to back load off a western Freight Offices were on the Bath rd last set of lights before you headed out to Keynsham. Turn right into there yard.
Mid 70s into the80s Don`t remember them having many wagons of ther own.
Yes, I ran a night trunk for a year on Stirland’s first to their Brislington depot and later when they moved to Avonmouth.
Hello Greek & Spardo
Greek, yes, I remember the Western Freights office by just before the lights on the right hand side, used to get back loads off them when I was on for other firms. They later moved down to the Ashmead trading estate at Keynsham on the A4, I think latterly they had some blue motors.
LIke Spardo said, Western Transport had a depot at Brislington, one of the entrances was off the A4 on the same side as Western Freights but almost down to the next set of lights going towards Bristol.
Spardo,blimey, Stirlands has just rung a bell. I was at the Brislington depot for 6 months before we moved down to Avonmouth. Was the trunk from Boots at Nottingham ? I know we used to treble shift 2 of the 110s and used to do a Boots trunk to Aldershot on 2 to 10, but I’ve got a feeling some of the Boots stuff came from Nottingham.
Regards et salut aussi
Nig
greek:
Used to back load off a western Freight Offices were on the Bath rd last set of lights before you headed out to Keynsham. Turn right into there yard.
Mid 70s into the80s Don`t remember them having many wagons of ther own.
I remember Western Transport quite well and I’m sure they had a fair size fleet in the 80’s mainly Scania’s…Here’s one I found earlier 
And here’s one os Stirlands in Toddington services back in 1976.
jazzman:
Spardo,blimey, Stirlands has just rung a bell. I was at the Brislington depot for
6 months before we moved down to Avonmouth. Was the trunk from Boots at
Nottingham ? I know we used to treble shift 2 of the 110s and used to do a
Boots trunk to Aldershot on 2 to 10, but I’ve got a feeling some of the Boots
stuff came from Nottingham.
Yes, Boots. It was a dream job. I used to clock on at 9pm, down to Bristol with
a brief stop at the first services south of Brum (can’t remember the
name 
) for a cuppa with other trunkers then a quick turnaround at
Brislington or Avonmouth then back home and knocked off for about 3 or 4am.
I have never needed more than 6 hours kip so had the day to myself from
about 10 or 11am.
Sometimes I used to earn a few bob driving a hearse for my mate’s family
business in the afternoon. Once I was asked to do a round trip to Glasgow
with an Albion (up one night with a break at Stainmore, digs during the day,
then back the next night) but got out of it (desperately - it wasn’t done for an Atki
driver to be found in an Albion 
) by telling them about the day
job. 
Oh, btw, the Bristol job was a job-and-finish - 10 hours a night 5 nights a
week - money for old rope. 
Can remember them now Jazz after lemonmouth posted the pics.
obviously not the Wester Frieghts I was on about Not as good a memory as spardo needs promting now & then.
Cheers for the pics Lemonmouth, be great if I could find out who the driver was, I’ve enlarged it but can’t make out anyone I knew, can’t remember anyone with the nick “gunner”, 'course, it may not be his motor. I moved on mid '70s so that was before the 111s and tri-axle fridges.
Glad my memory served me re: Boots Spardo, maybe I’m not so old 
.
Services as you run out of Brum are Frankley but maybe the one you used to go in was Strensham down near Tewkesbury. There was definitely a footbridge from one side to the other but I can’t remember whether there was a road as well and it was possible to get across with the units to do changeovers. They are not opposite now, northbound has been moved up the motorway a bit.
Know what you mean about what you were asked to drive back then with regards to what you were known for driving. Yes, job & knock, used to do that on night trunk to Warrington, 5.00 start though but back in bed at home by about 2.00/3.00 am.
Know what you mean about the memory Greek, I’m the same but they reckon the long term memory gets better with age, I hope so
Here’s a photo of my 110 at Frankley around 73/74, mine’s the one by the coach, my mate had her sister, both from new. 20 ton fishmeal for Poole
And here’s what I am on now
2 Scannys with a few years between them, eh.
Regards
Nig