Wigan Album

I don't know what year the photograph was taken Ray, but this wagon has only ever known one owner. Mr. Wilcox purchased the vehicle, from new, for the princely sum of, I believe £800. The wagon has undergone a complete refurbishment quite recently. Over the years, several of the letters on the front had gone missing, and Mr. Wilcox's mechanic, Terry, fabricated new ones by hand, from brass plate, before having them chromium plated and refitted. The vehicle is still eminently roadworthy, although, in deference to her advanced years, I believe she's been relegated to light duties, but can still be viewed at Mr. Wilcox's premises.

I used to go to WILCOX yard with my mate he used to repair
the fabric in the cab and the seats the Tk BEDFORD IN the
photo a 1967 looks like brand new good photo D.C.

That's the type of lorry I use to drive but hauling coal.
Holland's pies and puddings also had/still has very clean Bedford lorries.
Thanks Ray, great memories.

Derick 1968 is the age of the lorry. C 1965, D 1966, E, 1967 F, 1968. The TK range came out in 1959.

I worked at wilcocks from about 83 to 86 Geoff Waller bought the business off the wilcock brothers,he does plant hire as well

I suspect the truck is almost 50 years old.
The building is the dole office.

i worked for LJ wilcock. his son in law took over the yard it was in hardybutts behind the royal george lodging house we did the market in the morning then the chippies, then off to farms in cheshire for another load of spuds

The TK Bedford above was new in 1968, It is seen here in June 1996. L & J Wilcock still have the lorry today.
The picture is courtesy of Paul Anderson.

Howard...The blue building with the red and white sign is
M.F.I.,Next to it is Brocol House, or in your parlance,
the dole building. Merry Christmas.

say did work in the garage united utilities

I suspect MFI don't trade anymore, gone out of business 2008. Yes they were next to the Dole office I believe.

This little truck first entered service on the 1st May 1968.

I saw a lorry in Atherton today that had this name it .had a reg R*****,so I pressume this company is going

Was it an ERF six axled low loader that you saw Pw?. The reg. is R 719 FND, and it's used solely for the heavy plant hire side of the business. The company also have a four wheeled Roadrunner flatbed that they use for moving the lighter tracked machines, and also a small curtainsider for the spud job, but I don't know what the registrations are on those two.

Pw...I will post a picture of the lorry that you saw in Atherton very soon. Regards.

Ray, the lorry I saw was the one Ozy described as a spud carrier.

The ERF in question that is wrongly referred to is a 3 axle artic tractor unit, from 1998. The model is EC11 powered by Cummins, the EC range ran from 1993-2000.

Tom I remember tne yard in Hardybutts and Jim Wilcock regularly walking down Scholes to it from his house in Pyke St. Originally , before the war they had a shop in Darlington St East at the corner of Bull Brow, My aunt worked in there for them

hi ab.i believe jim wilcock used to drive racing cars in his younger days, my mate frank breheny used to live next to the yard

Perhaps I should have been a little clearer by stating that the 3 axled ERF unit is permanently coupled to a tri - axle King low loader trailer, although I had assumed, incorrectly as it happens, that this would have been obvious.

Tom I don,t know about the racing cars.I remember the yard entrance Between the paper shop and Breheny's house Their daughter Rita and her husband later ran the business and had a new Austin A40 Countryman in 1956 and I bought it in 1958

Still doesn't make it a SIX axle ERF. The trailer should never be mentioned. The trailer can be uncouple with the operation of landing legs, air-lines and 5th wheel coupling release handle. All trailers from tractor units CAN be coupled or uncoupled by the above operation.

No not at all Obvious. All trailers from tractor units CAN be dropped/uncoupled weather it be tippers, flats, low loaders, box or tanker trailers, they WILL all uncouple in less than a few minutes. That's the idea and principle of the design of arctics.

While watching Bangers & Cash on tv last night,the E R F tractor unit & trailer,with the small Leyland flat bed,sat on lowloader trailer,paked up in the yard must have been waiting to be sold,no date to when this was filmed.