Wigan Album
Robert Baillie Transport Wigan
12 CommentsPhoto: Ray Smyth
Item #: 29117
at Portsmouth, soon to set off on the 250 miles
journey to Wigan Wholesale Fruit & Vegetable
Market, to deliver to Owen Owen/Louis Reece,
Conroy Bros, & Peter Conroy.
Once again Ray, fond memories of those days back in the late 60s early 70s when we would tranship at the goods yard and later at the market. Thanks for the memory.
In the fifties, and sixties, as I remember it, the wholesale fruiterers' had their warehouses' at the back of Mesnes Street, on the right hand side, from the direction of Standishgate.
250 miles from Portsmouth to Wigan, must have taken for ever in that slow owd Atkinson lorry, 45 MPH if you were lucky. More like 35 to 40 MPH if fitted with Gardener engine.
Gary Get your facts right ,A Gardner 150 would do 47mph a
Gardner 180 would do 52 mph Cummins would do 60 mph you could guarantee the Gardners would get back without breaking
down .We had a 680Leyland and a Gardner 180 running together
on a job the Gardner used 12 gallon of diesel a day less
than the 680 Leyland and could do the job 10 minutes faster
than the Leyland .Gardners were slow but the best.D.C.
Garry, where do you get this 35/40/45mph nonsense from? It obviously isn't from driving wagons, that's for sure. I got nicked in a wagon just like this one, doing 55 down the east lancs road in 1980. And another thing, you're on about Gardner engines, the speed of the vehicle has less to do with the engine than it does the differential. I've personally driven many wagons that were equipped with Gardner engines that were well capable of attaining speeds in excess of 65 mph, this in the days before speed limiters obviously. So just relax in front of your roaring coal fire with a glass of sherry, and stop giving out misinformation, there's a good lad. Oh, and while I'm on full throttle, this is how you spell Gardner. G.A.R.D.N.E.R.
Regards. Ozy.
Has Derrick quite rightly says, Gardner were slow but the best. From an Operators point of view, the engine in question at that time was the best in terms of fuel economy and reliability. But from a driver's point of view they were just plodders. Derrick is also right about a Leyland 680 being faster but used more fuel. Today however, Diesel engines in HGVs are indeed limited by speed limiters, but they are more responsive than ever before. In other word they pull better no dropping gears on hills and good fuel economy. So much better for the driver and the operator. This in indeed progress.
One reason, quite possibly, that there's no need to downshift on a hill these days Robert, is the fact that most modern wagons are rated at 440 bhp or more, quite often much, much more, whereas all we had at our disposal was 150, 180, or if you just happened to have blue eyes, 220 bhp. This was back in the days when the GVW was set at 32 tons. Currently it's 44 tonnes. Add to this the fact that most modern wagons are fully automatic with cruise control. I drove an S21 Foden on low loader work, regularly grossing well in excess of 60 tons, powered by a Gardner 6LX ( 150 bhp ). Difficult to believe?, I'll post a picture of it. Admittedly, these modern wagons are easier to handle as there's very little to do, they're more comfortable, cleaner and more fuel efficient, 9 to 10 mpg being the average, depending on the driver. But try breaking down in one, then you'll need someone with an honours degree in computer technology to sort it out, instead of some bald headed guy in a greasy boiler suit with a screwdriver and a ballpoint (sic) hammer to get the wheels turning. The job has changed so much over the last four decades as to become almost unrecognisable, as have the drivers, who have in my humble opinion become mere ' steering wheel attendants '. Although I'm inclined to agree with everything you say, I'm a little unsure about your interpretation of the word ' progress '.
Regards. Ozy.
Osy you've answered your own question about PROGRESS!!!
Turbos, Cruise control, easier to handle, very little to do, more comfortable, radios, start first time and every time in Winter, more fuel efficient and so on. Now, you don't have to be the brain of Britain to realise that's PROGRESS. I can also assure you that the modern vehicles HGV/cars etc, don't breakdown much today.
Corse its progress when i was driving in 60s yuh had to dip oil by taking engine bonnet off in cab. when it did start after winding over for about 2 minutes the smelly thing might start but blue smoke everywhere. cold cab in winter, my ears would ring out after a full days work.
Progress means look at that dated truck and look at one today...Daf, Scania Volvo. that's progress.
Ozy P.R.O.G.R.E.S.S Means HGVs are much better today, than this old dirty smelly slow Atki with the Gardner engine that's no longer in production. That's Progress!!!
I can't remember the last time we had an engine in bits. Years ago the older diesels drop valves, pistons and liners. Cyl Head gaskets blown, cyl heads needs resurfacing. Don't see that today, I would say that's progress.