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Transport Companies in Birmingham.

Stitcher said:
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.
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Hi. Stitcher. Nice to hear of Reg Harding, do you know if he is keeping well these days?. John 70.
 
Landcrab, the route you describe is the exact one I always used when I went to the caravan site at Muddeford near Christchurch. I also use the Beacons when in the area. I think I have driven along every road over the Beacons. I have traversed them from all angles, a wonderful sight and as you say quite a few places to stop and eat. I sometimes leave Birmingham at 0730 and go one of many ways to my mates house west of Llanelli. I get there any time before 1200. I take him to the village local and he has a couple of rums and I have a pint of alcohol free bitter. We have a feed and a coffee then I drop him back at his house then come home. I can get there or return in a little under three and a half hours but I like to meander a bit. :2623:No one understands that I enjoy the day. My wife thinks I am balmy. Although many places have changed beyond recognition I do see places that I remember well and it all brings back memories.
 
John 70. I have not seen Reg for years but I will ask some of my friends if they know how he is doing. I will try to get him on here if I can.
 
Thanks for that Stitcher, hope he is keeping well, I think he would enjoy a lot of the stuff on here,especially about the buses, and some of his tales like Mikes would be great. John70.
 
John 70, I asked about Reg and the guy told me he had not seen Reg for about two years. By all acounts, at that time he was not best pleased because he never smoked and did quite a bit of jogging as well as eating a fairly healthy diet. Despite this he had high bood pressssure and one or two other things by all accounts. I will see if I can get someone to knock his door for you.
 
I am posting this under Transport because it has a connection. It would have been in the 60s. I was empty somewhere near Southhampton and I rang South Western Trafic for a load north of Birmingham. I was sent to a place called Picclecombe Fort. I think thats how it is spelt. I was to pick a load of iron. When I found the place it was an old fort type of place with plenty of history. It was built on top of a cliff and had housed large guns during ww2. The man in charge, I dont know if he owned the place, told me I could not load until the next day. He let me stay at his bungalow/cottage a bit further along the cliff. He took me to the local after I had showered and changed. I was treated to a couple of drinks and all the food I could eat. then we went back for the night. I barricaded my bedroom door but it was not nessesary. Next morning it was bacon and eggs then back to the fort. A gang were cutting and blasting large steel plates that were four inches thick out of the window recesses. The plates were falling into the sea below and when the tide went out a couple of men went down onto the rocks and put slings around the the steel and it was winched up and onto the lorry. I had one large piece and one smaller piece for a full load. The excercise was all about this man turning the fort into a country club and motel. I left Torbay and went up to Rotherham to deliver the steel and I have never heard any more about the fort. Does anyone know if it ever got completed?:Dancedanser01:
 
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Stitcher said:
John 70, I asked about Reg and the guy told me he had not seen Reg for about two years. By all acounts, at that time he was not best pleased because he never smoked and did quite a bit of jogging as well as eating a fairly healthy diet. Despite this he had high bood pressssure and one or two other things by all accounts. I will see if I can get someone to knock his door for you.
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Thanks Stitcher, thats very good of you, hope he is OK. John 70.
 
Mikejee, thank you for that, I didnt think to look for a web-site for it. I must say it looks very different in the picture. When I saw it in the sixties it was not very tall and it was old and dank looking, rather like a ruin from the land side of it. I suppose from the sea it was just a semi round wall with large window holes with no glass in them. The man in charge gave me a brief tour and I saw the dungeons below ground so it was not purpose built as an oficers mess. Thanks again for the help.:beam:
 
Hi Sticher, the first lorry that I drove was a Thames trader for R F Willis, in the old Birmingham fruit market in the late sixteys, the reg was 807 HOX.
 
Hello John I also worked on a Thames trader in the sixties. I drove a tipper for W.J.Law Demolition in Acocks Green.
 
I came to Sydney, Australia in 1965.The photos posted by Alf brought back many memories ,mostly long forgotten, of when I worked as a Driver's Mate at H.B.Evertons, out of Droitwich.
We used to hand load sugar in Kidderminster for delivery to Co-op stores all over Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Sometimes we drew the short straw and loaded salt out of Stoke Works. I remember the salt was in larger bags and hot as hell! I also remember loading sacks of raw chocolate called "crumb", for delivery to Cadburys.
The wagons I remember included ERFs ( Eric Richard Foden?) Albions(of various vintage including Retrievers), Leyland eight wheelers and a very old Guy with crash gearbox.
What great characters I worked alongside! Unfortunately time has totally misted this period of my life other than remembering a good friend called Regent.
Alf many thanks for prompting me to remember back to this most happy time of my life! :)
 
Rubery lad, Great memories eh. I remember I used to load Sacks of flour/sugar, I cant remember now but I think it was flour. They came down a chute and the driver had to stand in the way and stop them with his body. It was like stopping a big hairy a***d rugby player every time.
 
Stitcher, Remember the salt bags 30 - 40lbs down the shute, one every 10 seconds!! Ready or Not!!
I went on to play rugby in Sydney. What a great training regime the salt bags were!:D
 
lencops said:
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.
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Wincanton only suppied the lorries, The lot went to Swifts and my brother lost he's job. He was last out of Foremans Road and BSA !!.
 
Rubery Lad said:
I came to Sydney, Australia in 1965.The photos posted by Alf brought back many memories ,mostly long forgotten, of when I worked as a Driver's Mate at H.B.Evertons, out of Droitwich.
We used to hand load sugar in Kidderminster for delivery to Co-op stores all over Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Sometimes we drew the short straw and loaded salt out of Stoke Works. I remember the salt was in larger bags and hot as hell! I also remember loading sacks of raw chocolate called "crumb", for delivery to Cadburys.
The wagons I remember included ERFs ( Eric Richard Foden?) Albions(of various vintage including Retrievers), Leyland eight wheelers and a very old Guy with crash gearbox.
What great characters I worked alongside! Unfortunately time has totally misted this period of my life other than remembering a good friend called Regent.
Alf many thanks for prompting me to remember back to this most happy time of my life! :)
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Used to repair ERF's in the early sixties (Edwin Richard Foden) Remember what a right sod the David Brown crash boxes were to drive, had to count to twelve between gearchange and double de-clutching. Also remember when Guy went bust (about 1963?) we had two in for repair but were unable to obtain spare parts, left parked up for months.
 
Hi Alf,
I'm new member, first post today !
I'm researching into Notwen Oils, have you got any info about the company , or can you direct me to the right place to discover more please.
cheers
Roy
 
nickcc101 said:
Remember what a right sod the David Brown crash boxes were to drive, had to count to twelve between gearchange and double de-clutching.
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Midland Red's 'home made' buses after the war used David Brown gearboxes (for the "stick-box" ones) but to their own design, based on the German ZF 'Aphon' box they had used pre-war. Once you got used to how slow the changes were, it was a lovely easy box to use.
 
john littley said:
Hi Sticher, the first lorry that I drove was a Thames trader for R F Willis, in the old Birmingham fruit market in the late sixteys, the reg was 807 HOX.
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hi john the first lorry i drove was for baragwanath in the late sixties, loading potatoes from moor street (never had a licence in those days)
 
Lloyd said:
Midland Red's 'home made' buses after the war used David Brown gearboxes (for the "stick-box" ones) but to their own design, based on the German ZF 'Aphon' box they had used pre-war. Once you got used to how slow the changes were, it was a lovely easy box to use.
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Drove a Tiger Cub in the sixties, ex Gliderways, when i worked for Stockland coaches, this had a crash box. When i first took it out on road test i was unable to change out of 1st gear so drove all round Stockland Green in 1st. The foreman, when i used to work for Ryland garage, used to start off in 1st, jump out of the Atkinson cab, and get back in at the top of the exit ramp from the workshop just to show how low the David Brown gearbox ratio was. Suppose the worm geared diffs and Gardner 6LW engines also helped.
 
I believe the Gliderways Leylands had Albion gearboxes, which were a VERY slow change. (Out,2,3,4,5,6,7 - in!) Heavy vehicle drivers will understand that!!
 
Your dead right there Lloyd but as clumsy as they were, when you got good at it you could do it without using the clutch most times.
 
Hi Alf,
I wonder if you have any other memories of Notwen Oils. I am researching the company for an article I am writing, and would be very grateful if you had any other memories. Did you know about the big fire they had in the 60's ? or anything about mr Newton himself ?
any help really appreciated.
thanks Roy
 
artistmike said:
Would Autocar and Transporters count as a Birmingham firm but if not the tractive unit was Austin!
https://www.redbubble.com/people/artistjeffries/art/4928237-2-austin-carrimore-transporter
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Yes they would, A & T had a huge 'parking lot' on part of the site of Wythall RAF station, where they would store huge numbers of Longbridge's output until dealers were ready for them. Some modification and rectification work was carried out in the huge barrage balloon hangers that used to stand there.
That part of the former RAF base is now a huge offices complex (originally Britannic Assurance), whilst the remainder had already become a residential retirement chalet site, a caravan club site and the Wythall Transport Museum
 
Thanks Lloyd, very informative indeed. I tried to get on the transporters, so joined the TGWU and went to see Alan Law at the offices in Canal Street or Water street or something like that off Broad Street. He offered me a job in the union but I turned it down, I do sometimes wonder where I might be today if I'd accepted!
 
easterfields said:
Hi Alf,
I wonder if you have any other memories of Notwen Oils. I am researching the company for an article I am writing, and would be very grateful if you had any other memories. Did you know about the big fire they had in the 60's ? or anything about mr Newton himself ?
any help really appreciated.
thanks Roy
Click to expand...
Roy somewhere on the forum there,s a thread (about 12 months old) on Notwen Oils (main office in Holt St )later to become Newton Oils.Dek
 
dek carr said:
Roy somewhere on the forum there,s a thread (about 12 months old) on Notwen Oils (main office in Holt St )later to become Newton Oils.Dek
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Dek this is the only one I can find on the Forum and its the only one I ever wrote to.:)
 
The Company (Newton Oils) have a long history in Holt St, going back to 1892 as
15 Holt St Newton Ernest & Co manufacturing Chemicals


easterfields said:
Hi Alf,
I wonder if you have any other memories of Notwen Oils. I am researching the company for an article I am writing, and would be very grateful if you had any other memories. Did you know about the big fire they had in the 60's ? or anything about mr Newton himself ?
any help really appreciated.
thanks Roy
Click to expand...
 
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