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Transport Companies in Birmingham.

S

Stitcher

Guest
I drove for a living as soon as I was old enough.I started on seven and a half tonners and progressed up to what was the limit in those days,24 ton. I drove 4,6 and 8 wheelers as well as lorry and drag and artics. Tippers, tankers and low-loaders. By 1990 I had travelled every inch of every motorway and driven a lorry through every large town and city in England Scotland and Wales. I am proud of what I achieved as a lorry driver but I knew men who had done much more than me. I enjoyed meeting all the different people when I delivered my loads and the only time I ever had any sort of argument was in the dreaded Docklands in The East End of London. I met many nice people and travelled all my miles when everyone was nice and polite. I had some excellent bed & breakfast in Scotland where the breakfast would be as much as you could eat. I helped a Welshman early in my career, he was broke down on the M5 services and I was going very close to his house. I put his car on the back of my low loader and took him and his wife home. From that day on they always insisted I stayed at their house when I was on an overnight in S.Wales. The firms I worked for were Caledonian Transport, Tyseley. Henry Joiners in Short Heath Road Erdington. Overland Contracts,Lincoln Road Olton. I think the best one was Roy Lowe when the yard was in Greet, they are now in Cradley Heath. W.J.Law who were in Acocks Green. My first lorry was an old Albion, reg no. GBV 611.
 
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Alf, what memories they bring back. Some of the earlier ones are too early for me but from 1950 on I remember them all very well. I was born in 40 and got a licence in 57. I started delivering gardening and building supplies for a DIY yard with a 30 cwt pick-up. I remember Robsons Of Carlisle like it was yesterday. I dont know if you are in the business now but my grandson drives a brand new Scania eight-wheeler and trailer with 2 industrial skips on the back. It is luxurious compared to what I drove but saying that, breakdowns were very rare and the old ones seemed to go on forever. I doubt there is a lorry built today that would outwork the old ones, although they are faster and more comfortable these days.
 
lencops, Not while I was there, it was almost all low loader work. The manager, I think it was, might have been involved in coaches prior to him being with Overland but from the lincoln Road yard it was just lorries.
 
I didn't work in Transport only as a Lorry Drivers mate when I was 16 in the 1950s at Notwen Oils (Newton Oils) Holt Street I think it was.

But I do have a Nephew in Birmingham who the last time I saw him worked for Eddie Stobart, that was 4 years ago.
 
I remember seeing the Newton Oils lorries. My elder brother worked at a company called Hurst & Panes. They were in George Rd Hay Mills. My brothers job was rebuilding/repairing the timber in the coachbuilt lorry cabs which were then covered in aluminium. When this company closed down he moved up towards the Swan Island a short way to Red Arrow and did the same work there. He is retired now and only does his garden, he is not in good health these days aged 89. I have another brother in Hall Green, he was a driver in the R.E.M.E.during the war. After his De.Mob he came home and got a job on the buses from Acocks Green Depot. He drove the 31a/32 loop for many years.
 
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Lencops, I don't know whether you mean the type of vehichle or the route. I did drive the single decker half cab when I did a short spell on BMMO. and I did drive the 27 route when I did a short spell on WMPTE at Selly Oak garage. Also I have had a ride on one at the Truckfest shows I used to attend. Like the old lorries, they rattled and bumped but were very reliable.
 
Lencops, When I was at Selly Oak quite a few of the staff had been there since the trams were on the road. They told us younger ones some funny stories about the job. One story I always remember was that a bus driver travelling towards city stopped because the lights went to amber at Selly Oak. A number 11 running from right to left towards Harbourne was stationary at the lights because they were red for him. A middle aged couple approached the 11 and the man put two suitcases on the open platform, turned to help his wife on and the bus drove off because the lights had gone onto green for him. Apparantly the couple just stared after the bus, no doubt thinking it was everyones faut bar theirs. When I was on the red, I was driving a new single decker with rather wide side mirrors. Do you remember the temporary bus stops? a bus wheel rim with a cross of metal between 4 bolt holes and a stand from that with the bus stop sign on it. Well, I was pulling up at a stop because a man had his hand out and the mirror knocked the temorary stop over. It knocked the man over and I thought I was in trouble. The man got up, stood the stop up and said he was sorry and asked for his ticket. I was amazed because he did not complain at all, he seemed to take full responsibility for the incident. Can you imagine the compensation claim if that happened today?these
 
Great memories Stitcher, i can picture the mans face watching his suitcases leaving him good job he did`nt put his Wife onboard!!, i do remember the temporey stops, born in 1929 i remember trams, troiiey bus`s and petrol. disele bus, in my childhood i lived by the Coventry Rd, Yardley Rd and Church Rd No 11 Route, later to become The Swan Island and we had the tram depot at the top of Yardley Rd, L/Hand corner of Coventry Rd.
 
Lencops, you have got me puzzled. You said my reply was the type of answer you were hoping for, why was that?
 
Stitcher, The reply you posted was a mixture of humour and hard work and good memories, which i iike reading and it wakes my memories up and its History with a capital "H".
 
I know what you mean. I had quite a few driving jobs because as you know jobs were easy to walk into. That said, I have a couple of friends who only ever had one job from school to retirement. I do like to laugh and really, I could find something to smile about at a funeral as long as it was not to bury a loved one. As you know, lorry driving is a serious profession with a great amount of responsibilty but I always found something to laugh at. Another great memory is whenever I left South or East London I made a point of stopping at Tubby Isaacs shelfish stall near to Tower Bridge on Whitecapel. I would have a large tub of jellied eels to eat at home and a large tub of whelks and a bag of crusty bread to eat on the way. It was easy because I did not need to look, I could get a whelk and put it into my mouth without looking, then a crust and a good chew. I still like to laugh and I make all the humerous Xmas and birthday cards my wife and I post.
TubbyOrig.jpg
 
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Stitcher, I wonder how many people have heard of Tubby Isaacs shellfish stall, i never had any of whelks etc but he was a well known character.
 
Lencops, I remember when I worked for Caledonian, I had been away for a few nights and spent the Friday night in Dumfries, lorry loaded all ready for an early start to get home. Daybreak Saturday morning and I was off. Not many miles out of Dumfries on the A74, I hit a reindeer. It ran from some bushes into the road and I hit it. It caused slight damage to the front of the lorry but I was able to carry on. That night I was working on the door at the Station Pub in Selly Oak. It was all part of the Brum Beat scene do you see. The manager, when I told him about my reindeer said that they were a protected animal and that it must be reported. Failure to report it could result in prosecution I was told. When we finished at 11 pm, I called into Selly Oak Police Station. I told the Desk Sergeant I had come to report an accident. He asked what had happenend and I said "I have killed a reindeer". He asked where it had happened and I told him. He sighed and asked how often I was in Scotland, I told him and he said the best thing to do would be to report it in Scotland next time I was there.
 
he said the best thing to do would be to report it in Scotland next time I was there.
Click to expand...

You can report an accident like that at any police station, not necessarily the one nearest. They are just trying to get out of doing the paperwork by saying that - I had a desk officer reprimanded for doing the same thing to one of my union members once.
 
Many big companies in Brum had transport fleets of big & small lorries and vans ie: BSA Group, J.Lucas Group, Morris Commercial, Austin, Rover, Hardings, Wimbush, Scribbans bakeries, Tolman car deliverers, Scammel low loaders, and a lot of the vehicles were made in Brum, i am sure that the members of this forum will remember many more!.
 
My Dad bought a van (Fordson?) off A D Wimbush and it smelled lovely until Dad used it on his Chimney Sweeping round :)
 
J Lucas kept the 'blackout' white stripes at the corners of their vehicles for many a long year but then ditched it along with the Famous Lion.
 
I remember when the Richardson Brothers who at the time sold second hand commercial vehicles purchased the old Jensen works. They wanted to start manufacturing their own HGV vehicle.

The story goes British Leyland refused to sell them engines, so they gave up on the idea and sold the property on making a healthy profit in the process. Next stop Merry Hill.

Phil
 
Bernie, Lucas dropped the own transport on the idea that it would be cheaper to put it out to contract hauliers one of these was Wincanton?, whether it was cheaper i don`t know, of course the idea closed the Formans Rd garage and cost the jobs of the Drivers, Mechanics etc, Lucas Memories website is still looking for photos of ex-Lucas Drivers and their lorries they seem to have disappeared along with their jobs.
 
Len that happened long after I left the company. The long down turn in the company's fortunes seemed to me to happen after the Lion was dropped. I do recognise that this is a somewhat fanciful thought.

I do recall some of the Auto Electricians I worked with at Gt Hampton Street used to take immense pride in keeping the vans looking smart - even to painting the tyres with tyre black.
 
Stitcher said:
I know what you mean. I had quite a few driving jobs because as you know jobs were easy to walk into. That said, I have a couple of friends who only ever had one job from school to retirement. I do like to laugh and really, I could find something to smile about at a funeral as long as it was not to bury a loved one. As you know, lorry driving is a serious profession with a great amount of responsibilty but I always found something to laugh at. Another great memory is whenever I left South or East London I made a point of stopping at Tubby Isaacs shelfish stall near to Tower Bridge on Whitecapel. I would have a large tub of jellied eels to eat at home and a large tub of whelks and a bag of crusty bread to eat on the way. It was easy because I did not need to look, I could get a whelk and put it into my mouth without looking, then a crust and a good chew. I still like to laugh and I make all the Xmas and birthday cards my wife and I post.
Click to expand...
Stitcher,how right you are about jobs being easy to get in the old days.If somebody up the road was offering 3d an hour more you would be off in a flash.I started driving, officially, in 1955 and progressed to driving lorries while doing national service.Passed my army test in Yeovil in 1956 and did nothing else for the rest of my life.
After leaving the army I started driving for Midland Counties Dairy,delivering milk and ice cream to shops all over the midlands.From then on I was swapping and changing all over the place to earn more money.Richard Berry,s road springs in Alma Street,various contractors on Midland sand and gravel,Watton&Grew,of Coleshill,Henry Joyner in Short Heath Road,Pridmore's of Water Orton,Mole&Wood of Perry Barr.
Several stints with BRS at Bromford Lane,Frank Grounds Thimblemill Lane.
F.D.Brown Eachelhurst Road,George Averill in Sheldon,Deutsch&Brenner in Hockley,Southalls,Alum Rock,Freddy Lewis in Miller Street.
By 1969 I was ready to settle down a bit and did the next 16 years at HP Sauce in Aston Cross,the happiest days of my life,until redundancy at the end of 1985.Then it was back to wanderlust.PPG Paints Ladywood,Business Post,DHL and several different contracts with Wincantons.I have now been happily retired for six years and I don't miss it at all.
Todays drivers have no manners,no patience and too much red tape.Wer'e well out of it.Regards, Bryan.
 
Bryan, as you may have read earlier, I also worked at Henry Joyner. I did almost always London Dock-work. I had a friend who was on Midland Sand & Gravel. His name was Squires known to us as Squizzy. Let me tell you this, I have a friend in S.West wales and when I visit I look for a quiet route. The best one I have found is through Bewdley then over Clee Hill, keep going until Landovery then back onto what used to be the best way to Carmarthen. It is a bit longer but so peaceful, just like the old days. There are places in Birmingham that I avoid these days because it is easier than getting into a row with an idiot. Never mind Bryan, we had the best of it all, and if you drove a lorry for a living you wil be a nice neighbour. Just the type that is unfortunately dying out.
 
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Stitcher, haven't seen you over on the Midland Red at Digbeth Thread lately so hope you are still keeping an eye on it. I've got a lorry related tale to tell there tomorrow night. You might like it.
best regards,
Mike
 
Mike, I am not a bus enthusiast but I do read it in case there is something I can reply to. I do enjoy the pictures of buses and all those wonderful postcards as well. I went down to Cross Hands Nr Llanelli the other day and I took an old friend of Reg Hardings with me. We had a great day.
 
Stitcher,I know exactly what yo mean about using the back roads on long journeys.I occasionally go down to the Gower and I always go across the Brecons to Swansea.A nice scenic route,quiet and you can always find somewhere nice to stop for a meal or a cuppa,and you can travel at your own pace.
Two weeks from now we are going down to Bournemouth for a week.I will travel all the way without touching motorways,through the Cotswolds,to Swindon then Marlborough,Salisbury and Ringwood.It takes no longer and there's no hassle,a lovely journey and I don't need a map or a sat-nav.
When we get there I put the car in the hotel car park and travel all over Dorset free of charge with the bus pass for a whole week,HEAVEN!
When I was with Henry Joyner on the Midland Gravel in 1960/61 there were two of us the other driver was Joe Millard.He was killed when he was tipping at the Big Top opposite the Odeon in New Street.The tail gate never opened properly and his wagon went over backwards down a huge hole about forty feet deep .A very sad event that caused me to give up tippers shortly after,to go into the rat race of general haulage.
Take care Stitcher and keep your elbows in so the faster ones can overtake!
Bryan.
 
Lencops, awhile ago you asked if Overland Contracts ran any coaches. Since then I have been racking my brains and it just hit me. I dont know how high up the tree he was but the man in charge of the Acocks Green yard was a man named Don Hands. I remember a few years before Overland opened that yard he lived in Oakhurst Road and I am sure he was something to do with coaches.
 
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