Three Towns Forum
The Local => Times Past => Topic started by: gaztrucker on September 02, 2017, 07:37:45 pm
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hi as a hgv driver and transport enthusiast has anyone got any memories or photos of local wagons and haulage companys as a kid i remember phillip harris , vc davies , t.alun jones, all tipper operators also a lad called dixie worked out of an old quarry on the great orme had an seddon tipper later replaced by a volvo f86 one of the first volvos to work in north wales additionally my dad used to load wagons in a sand pit in penrhyn bay which i believe was situated where the green is behind the launderette off llandudno road thanks gaz c
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I had two uncles who worked for Oaklands Haulage in Victoria Drive, Llandudno Junction during the fifties and sixties.
The business was owned by Mr Amphlett, the Colwyn Bay solicitor whose practice address is still called Oaklands today.
I often used to accompany my uncles taking fish from Conwy to London Billingsgate and Conwy mussels to markets in Sheffield and Birminghsm.
Sometimes, we would pick up farm feed in Liverpool and deliver it to farms up in Bryn y Maen and the surrounding district.
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I worked in Red's Garages in Llandudno in the 60s and remember Philip Harris of Mochdre having his wagons serviced there. I think they had red cabs and blue mudguards and he had two SWB tippers and a LWB flat-back, all Commer TS3s and very noisy. We were always being called out to replace broken half-shafts, sometimes on building sites!
Dixie used to let us use his quarry on the Orme for "foreigners" at the weekend as he had an open pit on site, very handy for exhaust and clutch replacement.
I bought a used Avenger from Ormerods in the 70s with a 12 month guarantee and the garage burnt down a month later! Luckily I had no trouble ever with it and I had it for a further 11years..
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My father also worked at Reds and I remember him been very friendly with Phillip Harris who as a young man drove a wagon for Bithells of the Junction .Phillip Harris started of with to 2.no. Dodges which were bought from Pumphery ? of Flint and started working out of Penmaenmawr Quarry ,he later became a very large haulage company .
As for the Commer wagon it was originally based on the Avenger coach body with a 37hp petrol engine before evolving to the diesel version , the TS3 engine was a two stroke engine with opposed pistons it had serious braking problems and gearbox trouble I don't remember how they resolved the problems . One of the earliest operators in this area was a company from Caernarfon C.C.Williams Fruit Wholesalers I think they used to go through a gearbox every week going up the old Aston Hill out of Queensferry ,the reason if I remember correctly had something to do with the torque of the engine .
Unfortunately I have no photos of any of the haulage contractors vehicle's , but I remember seeing one of Bithells Trucks taken opposite the old cattle mart in Conwy will try to locate a copy and post it on the Forum .
Bri . your Uncle Dai worked at Bithells I wonder if his sons have any photos
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nice one gwynant red garages had an ace mechanic think his name was howell absolute genius with the commer two stroke engine these things needed careful maintenance but sounded fantastic especially when fully loaded pulling up penmaenhead towards the hotel 70!! before the a55 was built phil owen the fruit and veg firm from glan conwy had a commer maxiload ts3 flatbed was still running it to liverpool market when i started with garstangs in 1983 also as a truck mad kid in the 60s i remember tyldesleys builders running a swb commer tipper think it was light blue happy days!!!!!
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gaztrucker if you google old photos of north wales haulage vehicles a few local wagons to view . Vinnie Howells was the name of the fitter at Reds .
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Dixie used to let us use his quarry on the Orme for "foreigners" at the weekend as he had an open pit on site, very handy for exhaust and clutch replacement.
Whereabouts was the quarry?
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Dixie used to let us use his quarry on the Orme for "foreigners" at the weekend as he had an open pit on site, very handy for exhaust and clutch replacement.
Whereabouts was the quarry?
It was right at the top end of Tyn-y-Coed Road Dave, where it becomes Anglesey Road, on the right hand side and it had an open pit built out onto the quarry base. Dixie used to say you could always use it provided you asked first and didn't make a mess. I think he used to use it as a wagon park and depot rather than a quarry.
It was handy as it was quite deep as he used to use it for his wagon maintenance but not so handy if you wanted to replace a burnt out clutch because you had to drive halfway up the Orme to get there!
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Dixie used to let us use his quarry on the Orme for "foreigners" at the weekend as he had an open pit on site, very handy for exhaust and clutch replacement.
Whereabouts was the quarry?
On the right hand side at the top of Ty'n Y Coed Road where it meets Anglesey Road.
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Didn't Dixie live in a bungalow in Tyn Y Coed Road by the quarry? I remember him as being a very nice guy
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Oaklands Haulage
did Bryn Foulkes buy Oaklands and run it from Ferry Farm road in junction before moving it to Bodysgallen farm?
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Didn't Dixie live in a bungalow in Tyn Y Coed Road by the quarry? I remember him as being a very nice guy
I think he did Hugo, then later on he moved down to a house on Cwm Road right opposite Hywel Place .He had a son Mike who everyone knew as "Yo-Yo", who used to work in Boase's wood yard (now Jewsons), and then drove for Ind Coope, and was also a very good goalkeeper in many local teams, you must have come across him during your footballing years!
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Oaklands Haulage
did Bryn Foulkes buy Oaklands and run it from Ferry Farm road in junction before moving it to Bodysgallen farm?
That seems to ring a bell, spotty dog.
My uncle, who was the foreman, sadly passed away and my other uncle moved on to be a driver with Crosville.
Since my original post, I can also remember, as a young twelve year old, taking slate from Llanbeiris to various locations in England.
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Didn't Bob Bithell operate a tipper truck out of his garage in Oswald Road, Llandudno Junction. He traded as J R Bithell.
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Garage still there run by his daughter and her son he also ran Blue Coaches from Llandudno for a number of years .
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Didn't Dixie live in a bungalow in Tyn Y Coed Road by the quarry? I remember him as being a very nice guy
He originally lived at number 5 Ty'n Y Coed (he owned a few of the cottages I understand) and later on he moved to the detached house opposite the quarry.
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Didn't Dixie live in a bungalow in Tyn Y Coed Road by the quarry? I remember him as being a very nice guy
He originally lived at number 5 Ty'n Y Coed (he owned a few of the cottages I understand) and later on he moved to the detached house opposite the quarry.
Sorry, not number 5 but number 6!
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anyone recall back in the day how many delivery wagons used to go down your street ! coal wagon, bread van, butchers van, corona pop wagon. if you had a delivery it would brs parcels or british railways door to door service from the goods yard happy days now all you get is the white van from amazon,fedex or yodel !!!!!! anyway if you remember any of the above let me know
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Pydew: As kids, we would sometimes see and stop a Corona wagon going through but I don’t think it was a regular route. The was a grocers, or more likely a green grocers van that had a round. I seem to remember it as quite a big high sided van. I also have vague memories of a van selling fresh fish. Also a coal wagon but unlike the others, there was still one going round when we left Pydew second time round in the 90s.
Btw. These days (in Norfolk now), we get our main weekly shopping delivered by Tesco.
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I grew up on the Orme and the main ones I remember were Will Pyllau & his wife who delivered the milk, Elwyn Hughes with his Fruit & Veg van, various Corona men and a coal wagon for the older properties. Happy days!
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Ernie Owen used to come around the houses every week in a van to collect the pig swill and at Christmas time we'd all get a large portion of pig meat from him and the others involved.
My next door neighbour Sam Owen had a horse and cart for his scrap metal business and used to stable the horse in his back garden. My Dad used to borrow the horse from time to time when our grass was getting too long.
I remember adverts coming on at the Savoy Cinema saying " Sam Owen now changed over from horse drawn vehicle to motor vehicle" and when it came on our gang from Cwm Place would cheer like mad.
He was a lovely guy and had his business in Back Madoc Street
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Bithells mentioned. After the lorries came Bithells blue coaches of Llandudno. All colours in coaches at that time. Reds, Creams, Buthelezi blue. as far as I know Kemlyn Bithell who is the son still lives on the hillside above Llanrwst
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A friend and former neighbour of mine has been reading this thread with interest and has come up with these names for me to post on here. One name stood out and that was Tommy Smith and I remember that some forum member was seeking info about him and my friend was able to provide a lot of useful for that person $good$
1. Local haulage firms,
tommy smith= bryniau road
hughie parry= alexandria road
barry edwards= llysfaen
mike edwards= llysaen (brother of barry)
roger hughes= llysfaen
pat hughes= old golf pavilion llanwrst road upper colwyn bay
j r davies= glan conway
? jackson= eglwysbach
dennis jones= eglwysbach