TO INVERNESS AND BACK AGAIN

  

TO INVERNESS AND BACK

From Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984 this story from about 1974

We had just finished painting our “green-goddess”; a fairly ancient, long nose 7.5 ton Ford lorry with new second-hand flat bodywork. The lorry came from Glenton’s “Wonderloaf” bakery in Grimsby by way of Herbert Epton the local heavy haulage contractor in our village of New Bolingbroke. Herbert had the contact at Glentons who told him when any surplus bakery vehicles were coming up for sale, they were fairly high mileage but only lightly used having been delivering bread all their lives. They had also been well maintained.

All the Lorries came with big van bodies and had to be altered if need be.

The “green-goddess” was the first of several vehicles we bought from Herbert and formed the basis of our initial ECYB “lorry fleet”. 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Carting commercial tyres from tyre retailers to the Tyre Manufacturers Adjudication centres had become the basis of our independent business since I had left the employ of Firestone. Moving boats, ECYB’s initial business had been proved to be altogether too hazardous and fickle to make a serious living. Firestone local boss Fred Popham and I had discussed the whole matter at some length after I had admitted to ‘escaping’ for the odd day or two to deliver boats to various distant parts of the UK.

(see “Filling up with a Magyar 9” in Book Two)

My knowledge of the tyre trade through working for Firestone had introduced me to the problem encountered by all the tyre retailers in the UK in getting commercial tyres with supposed problems, back to the official centres set up and paid for by the UK Tyre manufacturers working together. There they were examined by engineers from the individual manufacturers on a rota basis and where necessary raised credits for any manufacturing imperfections. Collecting these tyres from retailers and their subsequent delivery had become the basis of our business.

The first vehicle we purchased was an elderly Volkswagen transporter "split windscreen" pick up which we fitted with a tow bar. Next we purchased a small lorry from a poultry farm at Swineshead; a short wheelbase BMC FG (three penny bit cab) light truck of five tons or so gross capacity with a flat open body. It was fitted with the same three litre six cylinder petrol engine as the MG’C’ and really flew along. Not the ideal transport for our needs but it was available and cheap. We added a 16 foot single axle trailer to this vehicle to give it the capacity for twice weekly trips delivering ‘complaint’ tyres to Burton on Trent our local Tyre Manufacturers Conference depot. We soon outgrew this little lorry and hence the search for something larger.

The first ‘Wonderloaf’ Ford, of about 1962 vintage was fitted with the same four cylinder diesel engine as was original equipment in the famous ‘Fordson Major’ tractor series of the late 1950’s; a long stroke, slow revving engine, with bags of pulling power, but not much top speed. The lorry had a normal type cab and long bonnet. We did not have pots of money available for smart paint jobs hence ‘the green goddess’ was lightest green and white. Paint we had in stock!

The complaint tyre collections had begun within Lincolnshire and initially only took a couple of days each week. Other clients were needed to help pay the bills and we had already begun to deliver goods for J.H. Rundle's Engineering works based in the village. Their own lorry was engaged on deliveries of really heavy items and we soon became fairly regularly engaged in their smaller deliveries initially using our Volkswagen Transporter pick up. (See Bus and the auger).

MAKING UP A LOAD

This trip to Inverness was more unusual. John Rundle had happened to mention that they had a complete set of three Cambridge (gang) rolls for delivery to the Blacksmith at Inverness in Scotland but the amount they could afford to pay for their transport would not cover the cost of a lorry on its own. With some applied thought I asked if they had any other items to go in that direction and it so happened that their iron foundry were finishing an order of lead sash window weights for a period housing project in Dundee.

I had another new client in Skegness who made children’s slot machine amusements and managed to add a consignment of their ‘money in the slot’ bar billiard tables destined for Perth. The three items made a reasonable load for the long distance run without having to bother finding a load for the return journey. They were also relatively high value and the billiard tables fragile. 

The lead sash weights went on first, laid flat on the back of the lorry. I travelled to Skegness to put the billiard tables on top and then returned to New Bolingbroke to load the Cambridge rolls on the front behind the cab. All in all I should think the load exceeded my maximum permitted four point five tons but the lorry looked happy once everything was sheeted down and ready for the off.

I remember distinctly that Saturday morning in Rundle’s yard roping and sheeting the last of the load.

John Rundle’s father (Jack snr.) was taking a great deal of interest in what I was doing. Readers of ‘Changes to the Town Hall’ will recollect that ‘Jack’ was one of the original Management committee of that historical building. Now well retired, he had been instrumental in the expansion of Rundle’s during the era of steam. He still retained an active interest in everything going on in the business and after watching me for several minutes he said, “I’ve never been to Scotland, will you take me with you?”

I was deeply honoured that this wonderful elderly gentleman who was almost 80, years old had sufficient confidence in me and this gaudily painted very second hand lorry to wish to come on the round trip of between six and seven hundred miles into some seriously wild countryside.

I think it was the thought of passing Culloden and Balmoral, Tomintoul and Blairgowrie; Edinburgh, Perth and Dundee that had excited his serious interest.

After a few moments I said we would have to speak to his son John (himself in his late 50’s). John was quite speechless, but after I had explained that due to promised delivery times and huge distances, I would have to sleep in the lorry while travelling over the top of the Cairngorm Mountains; there would be nowhere convenient to stop where a bed could be found for the night.

I do regret that no way could be found for the old gentleman to accompany me as he would have seen splendour like nothing he had ever seen before in his whole long life. But the journey was not without difficulty; due to the costings and mileage I could take no longer than two days for the journey so stops would not be frequent. Ministry Log Books were still the method of keeping journey records so timings were ‘flexible’.

NOT WITHOUT INCIDENT

Dundee was my first stop with the billiard tables and then I was back in Perth before the end of that first day to deliver the original ‘Georgian’ pattern lead sash weights at the prescribed building site where some of the huge classic Perth residential buildings were being faithfully restored. A brief stop here to choose my best route to find myself in Inverness by 8am the next morning.

I really did stop for the night on top of the Cairngorm Mountains; it was very cold I remember and while wrapped in my sleeping bag stretched across the bench seat of the lorry cab, gave due thought to old Jack Rundle and what he would have made of the journey.

At daybreak I began the last lap north allowing sufficient time for the blacksmith at Inverness to open his shop; but fate was to take a hand and not long after I started, one of the diesel injector pipes on the engine broke clean in half just above the injector itself.

There was nothing I could do; the engine ran on three cylinders and the remaining now unconnected pipe pumped measured amounts of diesel everywhere except into the engine. These older engines were very simple in design and not sufficient allowance had been made for excessive vibration and different engine speeds between the tractor where the engine was first used and the lorry. From time to time I was to learn, these pipes just broke off fairly regularly. Each of the four pipes was totally different in length and shape; they were quite strong in themselves but needed more bracing where their longer lengths passed over the top of the engine. The lorry being an early 1960’s model and very basic; it had no sound deadening material in the engine bay or anything else to prevent the very strong smell from the diesel fuel that was being sprayed liberally over the entire engine.

From the first public telephone box I could find, ( no mobile phones around yet ) I phoned ahead and explained my problem. Bit by bit I pressed on and managed to arrive at the Blacksmiths shop only half an hour or so later than expected. Forewarned, he surveyed the damage and quickly stripped the pipe so that he could braze the two broken ends together. I was even more pleased that old ‘Jack’ was not with me on the journey as he would have no doubt found that last leg to Inverness worrying to say the least.

REGRET

The trip back home was uneventful, the repair held and a new pipe quickly fixed in place.

Unfortunately, ‘old Jack’ Rundle died a few months later, he never did get to Scotland; but perhaps it was best he did not make his first trip to Scotland in a very smelly, second hand lorry with only three cylinders working during its crossing of some of the highest mountains in the land!

ENDS

KS copyright 2013