YORKSHIRE AREA

                              YORKSHIRE AREA MEETING - JANUARY 2023

>     Our January meeting happened to take place during that second really cold spell of the Winter.  No worries, however, our intrepid group of enthusiasts battled iced over windscreens and frozen locks to visit our lovely warm “snug” in the Spinning Wheel pub in Leeds.

>    Indeed, attendance was up to usual levels to hear about and see photos of - our own member - Chris Rawnsley’s many visits to fairgrounds.  Not only did we feel to experience riding on roundabouts, waltzers and dodgems (oh if we could only have borrowed one of those dodgems for the icy roads home) but also travelled the country from Newcastle upon Tyne, through Yorkshire and Lancashire, Nottingham (Goose Fair) and down to London and Dorset etc. etc., all without stepping outside onto the lying snow and ice.

>    Oh, I almost forgot the vehicles!  I’m sure the webmaster would not permit me the space to list all the usual Gardner engined jobbies, so I’ll just mention a few exceptionals:-  a Tilling-Stevens petrol-electric, Diamond T, beautiful long bonneted Saurer, OM (Fiat) and single deck London RF bus.

>    It would be forgetful of me if I failed to mention the ridiculous twenty minutes or so that we spent before the start of the film show trying to erect the new screen.  Let me explain.  Our previous and perfectly good screen seemed to have been accidentally and unceremoniously dumped in a skip whilst the pub was undergoing alterations.  Very kindly the landlord offered to buy us another.  On being handed the tiny cardboard box, and assuming that somehow a large screen must be inside, we quickly realised that it was going to be one of those ridiculous IKEA assembly jobs where bitten fingernails and colourful language proliferate.

>    Anyhow, the talk and photos following screen assembly were top class and a most sincere thanks to Chris for an “all the fun of the fair” evening, and a further thank you to Peter Seaword who, I understand, converted to digital the original photos - although the word digital seems hardly appropriate when applied to the decades old vehicles on screen.
>
>                             Philip R Thornton (Yorkshire area committee member)

YORKSHIRE AREA MEETING JUNE 2022

Johnny Murphy made a very welcome return to The Spinning Wheel for our June meeting
and last meeting before the summer break.
Johnny was due to be the guest speaker at our last pre-pandemic meeting in March 2019,
but with only a few days to go before the meeting, a national lockdown was declared, and
the meeting was cancelled.
We are privileged here at the Yorkshire Area to be treated to an evening of Mr Murphy’s
films once a year, all are of working vehicles in the 80s and 90s, tonight’s being from the
mid-90s, which to me does not seem a long time, but on viewing the film, it was surprising
how much the face of road transport has changed in that time.
The filming of working vehicles as distinct from vintage rallies, always carries with it an
element of risk, with individuals and authorities being suspicious of the real purpose of
your filming, Johnny has been arrested and questioned several times, I recall an episode
in, I think, Cyprus at one of our previous meetings, but tonight’s arrest was in Catterick in
North Yorkshire. Catterick village is very near to Catterick Garrison, the largest army base
in the country, and Johnny’s pre-arranged filming of a local coal merchant doing his rounds
with an elderly lorry, aroused the interest of the military police. This being mid-90s, the
security situation was a little tense, and the police finding out that Johnny’s name was
Murphy, did nothing to defuse the situation. A phone call to the vehicles’ owners did finally
calm them, resulting in being handed over to the civilian police for yet further questioning.
A wonderful evening of nostalgia, all filmed in true Murphy style at full volume -the sounds
are as memorable as the images - we carried on well past our usual finishing time, but
were forced to call time at eleven o clock, just as we were being treated to some excellent
footage of Sid Harrison’s depot and Scammell’s in Sheffield, perhaps we will be able to
view the rest of this visit at a future meeting !
Our thanks to Johnny for once again entertaining us so well, it was worth the three years
wait.

Chris Sant.

 

 

                                  YORKSHIRE AREA MEETING  -  MAY 2022

Peter Seaword - founder and long standing Yorkshire area member - provided a most interesting and informative illustrated talk at our meeting on the third Wednesday in May.  He was accompanied, on it’s first outing, by a new laptop bought with his own money (let it not be said that Yorkshire folk are “tight fisted”).

Illustrated, was a visit made by Peter some years ago to Bill Kemball, owner of three farms - and very much else!! - near Ipswich.  Whether it was Peter’s straight talking, down to earth Yorkshire manner, or his extensive knowledge of vehicles, I don’t know, but Bill and he seemed to “gel” to such an extent that Bill cancelled other appointments to not only show Peter around his vast estate, but the whole party accompanying Peter as well. The very much else I mentioned comprised Bill’s personal collection of lorries, cars including many model T Fords, agricultural machinery and an incredible 400 or so tractors.

Bill had also bought a decommissioned U.S. Air Force base nearby his farms. Completely surprised to discover, however, that on it’s purchase, not only had he received legal title to the land and buildings, but, unknown to Bill, he had also received, free of charge, the military vehicles, fire tenders and aircraft which had been left at the base.

At this point in the talk, I glanced at my Rolex (only joking) and realised that I had been waiting at least an hour for a bus.  I need not have worried as four suddenly arrived at once.  Included amongst these were the Dewhirst (Bradford) coach in which the party had travelled, a rather attractive Bristol ECW, and strangely, a coach Bill had purchased with the intention of taking visitors around his estate, yet which had several faults and was not driveable.  No problem, I thought, just fill it with visitors and simply tow it with one or more of those 400 tractors!

A sincere thank you to Peter for his excellent talk, and a very belated thank you to Bill Kemball for making the whole event possible.

Finally, a reminder that Peter’s visit took place in Suffolk, to the north east of Ipswich. A modest prize awaits any member from another HCVS area who visits one of our next monthly meetings and who can provide the coincidental connection between my initials below and vehicle registration plates issued by either East Suffolk or Ipswich prior to 2001.

Philip R Thornton (Yorkshire area committee member)

YORKSHIRE AREA FEBRUARY MEETING 2020

Our February meeting saw the very welcome return of Alan Dean to the guest speaker
spot, with an evening entitled “Unseen Images of Road Haulage “.
Alan, great-grandson of Joe Dean the founder of the family firm Joe Dean Transport,
brought along another selection of images and recollections of this well-known South
Yorkshire business.
Alan has shown us images of the family firm, the vehicles they owned and the loads they
carried on several occasions over the last few years, but still manages to find more old
photos and the stories that go with them.
The type of load, where it was going to, and even the name of the driver is easily recalled,
with occasional contributions from Rodney Milner who spent many years as a driver for the
firm.
Following the photos of the family firm, Alan showed us many more previously unseen
images of other road haulage contractors’ vehicles from his own collection of photos.
Our thanks to Alan for another memorable evening, with enthusiastic contribution from a
packed meeting room being testament to the high regard in which Alan and Joe Dean
Transport are held.

Chris Sant.

 

 

YORKSHIRE AREA JANUARY MEETING.

 

Our January meeting here in Leeds saw a packed house for the very welcome return of Driffield based Tony Hawkridge, whose images and recollections of life on the road in heavy haulage in the sixties drew feelings of nostalgia from many of our driver and ex-driver members, now all too used to the excessive health and safety regulations and seemingly endless traffic queues.

Tony started his life on the road at the age of sixteen as a driver's mate, later progressing to driver with the now defunct heavy hauliers Elliott's of York, whose yellow and red outfits are still fondly remembered by many of our members.

"Moving large loads with little lorries" is a phrase that kept cropping up in Tony's presentation, whether it was an Elliot's slogan I'm not sure, probably not, but it certainly described many of Tony's images.
The lorries in truth were not that little, mainly Fodens, they just looked it in comparison to some of the massive loads they were moving; transformers, boilers, bridge-beams, etc.  All this before the days of motorways so the outfit went on the old A roads - straight through the middle of towns,  half an hour to get  round a roundabout - just imagine the gridlock that would cause nowadays!

Perhaps the reference to 'little' lorries applied more to engine size than vehicle size, in these days of 500 hp engines capable of easily pulling 44 tons at 57 mph up most hills, it is incredible to think that you sat there pulling probably 50 or 60 tons with nothing more than a  6LW and 120 hp if you were lucky.

Progress was slow, only a little more than walking pace, apart from downhill when subject to an open road and the nerve of the driver, neutral could be selected providing a respite from the clatter of the 6LW and a heady 40 mph could be seen on the speedo.

Tony can tell a good tale, and his recollections were just as fascinating as the photos; a broken prop-shaft on a Foden and no service van available found him catching a bus to the nearest town carrying both halves of the prop-shaft, getting it welded back together and then another bus back to the scene of the breakdown. I wonder if the conductor had to look up what to charge for one adult and a lorry prop-shaft!

A great evening's entertainment from Tony, enjoyed I'm sure by all who attended.

 

Chris Sant.

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YORKSHIRE AREA DECEMBER MEETING.

 

Following last year's successful new venture for the Yorkshire Area , a Christmas Pie-and-Pea Supper and quiz, jointly with another vintage club, we repeated the formula again this year.

The Leeds and District Traction Engine Club also hold their monthly meetings in the Spinning Wheel Club and once again they invited us to join them for a Christmas supper.

A little reorganisation was needed, as the Traction Engine Club hold their meetings on the evening before ours, so we moved our meeting evening forward a day and moved our quiz night from November to December so that a joint quiz could be held. 

Last year we had three separate quizzes, one set by our chairman John Woods, another by visitors from the Middleton Railway, and another by Leeds and District Traction Engine Club, but this year Heath Smith of the L&DTEC offered to compile the whole thing, and a very good job he made of it with a broad range of subjects and very little about steam just to give us commercial vehicle men a fair chance.

A most enjoyable evening, with a pie and pea supper, and mince pies to follow all provided by Trevor the club manager

 

Chris Sant.

 

 

YORKSHIRE AREA OCTOBER MEETING 2019.

 

A branch of road transport rarely dealt with at our meetings here in Leeds is that of bulk liquid and gas transport and the many difficulties associated with it.

Peter Seaword, whose long career in all forms of road transport started out in bulk liquid haulage gave us a detailed insight into the industry with an account of the first three years of his working life with the well-known Heckmondwike firm of Harold Wood Transport.

The young Seaword, who on completion of GCE O and A levels, did not relish having to spend even more time studying and therefore wrote to all transport firms he could think of applying for a job, receiving only one reply, that being from the firm of Harold Wood and despite feeling that his interview had gone badly, was offered the position of apprentice in the traffic department.

Harold Wood were probably the largest independent road tanker operators in the country at that time, and could handle almost  anything in liquid or gas form.
Bitumen and tallow needed steam heating to stop it from solidifying, if the vehicle was parked at a weekend the steam needed to be kept on, certain tanks could not be allowed to become empty, so a particular type of liquid or gas had to be pumped in to force the first one out, then a similar process to fill again.

Health and Safety was of course unheard of; drivers had to climb on the top of tankers to fill them and climb inside the tanks to clean them out. Sometimes gloves would be provided, but goggles, boots and protective clothing - never - far too expensive!

Having been interested in commercials from an early age, Peter took many photos of what were working vehicles at the time and has over the years acquired many more from various sources, so we were treated to a fine selection of images of Harold Wood's vehicles, staff and premises.

Our thanks to Peter for compiling and presenting the Harold Wood story, with his ability to tell a good tale, we only got about half way through before the ringing of the barman's bell, so the second instalment may be next year.

 

Chris Sant.

 

YORKSHIRE AREA SEPTEMBER MEETING.

First meeting back in the Spinning Wheel after our summer break, and our annual big event, the Trans Pennine Run.

The run was filmed again by Dave Joy, using a cherry picker hired by himself specially for the event, which gave an excellent commanding view of the vehicles arriving and also an overall view of the event and very picturesque surroundings.

Peter Seaword brought along his DVD projector, so the evening was spent reliving it all in somewhat drier conditions than was experienced on the day.

For several years now there have been various subtle hints from Harrogate Council that our presence on the Stray is no longer welcome, but this years not quite so subtle hint took the form of a very large lorry load of earth dumped right inside the entrance, only four days before the event, so being the perceptive souls that we are, we took the hint and moved the whole thing to the Yorkshire Showground.
Considering that it was all done with only three days to go, it all went surprisingly  well, Derek Zientek handed all the drivers revised route directions at the start, and as far as I know, everyone arrived at the showground, even those who didn't start at Birch Services, the power of the jungle telegraph !

Fraser and Linda came all the way  from Sussex yet again to help us, and several of our members donned yellow jackets and spent the day directing spectators and vehicles both at the showground and also at Harrogate Stray, which all contributed to the success of the event, my thanks to you all, you know who you are.

We must now decide where to hold the event in future years, there have been many favourable comments regarding the showground, so there is a strong possibility that subject to the owners agreement, we will make that our future finish.

Our thanks to Dave Joy for filming it all and giving us the DVD, and to Peter Seaword for projecting it, for anyone who did not attend the meeting, Dave has uploaded it onto U- Tube, so if you type in Trans Pennine Run 2019, you should be able to view it all in the comfort of your own armchair.

 

YORKSHIRE AREA MAY MEETING

The merry month of May here in Yorkshire heralds that lovely time of the year when the snow melts, the winds drop and the rain is just that little bit warmer.
An ideal time for the HCVS Yorkshire Area to embark on our annual "outside visit", meaning that we forsake our winter meeting place on Leeds's Dewsbury Road and head out into the country for an evening of old machinery and fresh air.

Usually, our outside visit evening is the signal for winter to have one last try, but this year it was clear skies and sunshine, rather ironic really, as it was in fact an "inside visit" to the South Yorkshire Transport Museum in Rotherham, still it was a pleasant drive down the A1 in the sunshine.
I have been to the SYTM before - I thought it was about five years since Peter Seaword took us there on a coach trip, but Peter informs me it is more like ten years!  Time flies.

The SYTM is a wonderful place, not one of these museums where nothing ever starts up or moves, but a collection of assorted vehicles most of which venture out onto the roads during the summer months, those which don't can be excused as they are undergoing large scale restorations and rebuilds but once finished  will be seen on the roads again, one double-decker bus was due to be seen on the roads the following day, as the owner was tying a ribbon on the radiator ready to transport the guests to a wedding in fact!

I was impressed how tidy the walkways were - you walk within a few feet of buses with much of the body removed, or lorries with engine and axles missing, yet there is none of the clutter and debris which you associate with such a major operation on view. Many of the vehicles are privately owned but owners are obviously very careful to tidy up after work, so there is no chance of visitors tripping over items.

You don't see many preserved mobile cranes - there are good reasons for this, they are slow, thirsty and somewhat challenging to drive, but the SYTM has one - it is a 1942 Thorneycroft Amazon, which has been the subject of a 15-year restoration, from a wreck with a tree growing through it!  Owner Douglas Miller showed me the tremendous amount of work he has done on it, and said that it would be out on the road later this year.  You would think that after a project such as the Amazon, Douglas would be taking a rest, but no, his next project was waiting close by - a 1948 Scammel tractor unit and trailer, almost untouched since being sold off by BRS in the early sixties, and lying unused in Sid Harrison's yard in Sheffield until Douglas bought it about five years ago.

A fascinating evening enjoyed I'm sure by all.  Our thanks to Terry and Hazel Ellin and Douglas Miller for opening up the museum especially for us and providing the tea and biscuits and showing us around.
The museum is open to the public on the second Sunday of every month throughout the year.

Chris Sant.

 

 

YORKSHIRE AREA MARCH MEETING.

 

Once a year, Huddersfield-based John Murphy entertains us with an evening of his road transport films, but just for a change this year he featured slides, all taken by a teenage John back in the eighties, before he had moved on to a video camera.

Even in his teenage years John was not one for taking pictures of the gleaming restorations seen at rallies, but of working-lorries and buses, dustbin lorries and gulley emptiers and vehicles in seen in scrapyards!

Many of the images were taken through a car window; John explained that these were taken while he was a passenger in his parents car often on the way to or from a family holiday.

As well as a talent for spotting the more interesting and perhaps less glamorous type of vehicle, John has a good memory for the location of the picture and the circumstances and a great ability to tell the tale, much to the amusement of the audience.

A packed meeting-room and enthusiastic contribution from all present, were testament to the popularity of Mr Murphy, his photography and recollections.
 

 

Chris Sant.

 

YORKSHIRE AREA JANUARY MEETING.

 

For our January meetings we always endeavour to book a guest speaker who does not have too far to travel; bearing in mind that in the depths of winter up here in the North, should the snow fall, the roads late at night can be difficult.
No such problem this year though, dry and fairly mild by Yorkshire standards, but the local guest speaker had been arranged, just in case.

Guest speakers cannot be much more local than our own Peter Seaword who lives just the other side of Leeds and was a founder member of the Yorkshire Area and has supported the Area in many committee roles and guest-speaker roles ever since.  Peter has entertained us with his well-researched and very well-illustrated talks on vehicle manufacturers and transport companies over the years but this time, the subject was the H.S. Transport collection plus Peter's early days in the road transport business.

The H.S.Transport collection has been a lifetime's work by Peter and brother-in- law John Hanson and consists of thousands of photos, documents and vehicles; not only commercials but also motorcycles, cars, vans, lorries and buses, many of which are still owned to this day.  I have known Peter for many years but I had no idea quite how vast the collection was.

Road transport has not only been Peter's hobby but also his career; he has held most jobs there are to hold in road transport, both in management and driving, indeed once winning the Lorry Driver of the Year award.
Early employment with local firms such as Lund of Otley and Kenneth Wilson Bulk Grain Haulage was covered in his talk; with a vast selection of his own photographs of the vehicles at the time - being an enthusiast as well as a driver meant that almost everything was photographed which led to much discussion and recollections from the assembled members, who also have many memories of these firms.

I will admit to having a rather strange sense of humour, but I was amused by one of Peter's images of a rather battered-looking 30 cwt Commer van, which looked rather out of place in Lund's fleet of concrete mixers, heavy haulers etc, particularly as Peter described it as "the piano van". Supplying pianos seemed rather at odds with Lund's usual line of business and when pressed on this, Peter explained that it was used for disposing of pianos rather than supplying them. In the nineteen fifties, almost every house in Leeds had  a piano, and as they were no longer fashionable, a good Saturday morning business had developed, whereby the Commer would make a tour of various pre-arranged addresses and for a small fee, take away pianos and dispose of them in an environmentally friendly fashion!  An aspect of road haulage seldom touched upon nowadays.

Peter can tell a good story and by the usual finishing time showed no sign of stopping; despite my gentle reminders of the time, proceedings were finally halted by the barman ringing a very loud bell.
A great evenings entertainment, enjoyed by all, our thanks to Peter for compiling it all, and telling the tales.

 

 

Chris Sant.

 

 

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YORKSHIRE AREA DECEMBER MEETING.

 

A new venture for the Yorkshire Area this year, a Christmas Pie-and-Pea Supper and quiz, jointly with another vintage club.

The Leeds and District Traction Engine Club also hold their monthly meetings in the Spinning Wheel Club and they invited us this year to join them for a Christmas supper.

A little reorganisation was needed, as the Traction Engine Club hold their meetings on the evening before ours, so we moved our meeting evening forward a day and moved our quiz night from November to December so that a joint quiz could be held.  We were also joined on the evening by a small group from the Middleton Railway Society; they had also prepared a quiz! So with 3 quizzes and a pie-and-pea supper, it had the makings of a good evening.

Our Chairman John Woods compiled our quiz and in the spirit of fairness, made a great effort not to include too many commercial vehicle questions, so much so, that our quiz was won by a team from the Traction Engine Club and not by one of the two HCVS teams!

The Traction Engine Club likewise made an effort not have too much steam in their questions and apart from one or two about traction-engine valve gear, (to which strangely enough, neither of their teams seemed to know the answer), their questions were mainly about the TV series 'Dad's Army', which was very sporting of them and gave all an equal chance.

My thanks to our Chairman John, for once again compiling the quiz and buying the prizes and also to Derek Rayner and Richard Dobson from Leeds and District Traction Engine Club, for arranging the whole thing, we will have to do it again next Christmas !

 

Chris Sant.

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THE YORKSHIRE AREA - AGM NOVEMBER 2018 SECRETARYS REPORT.

 

Another successful year for the Area; we have a regular attendance of 20 to 25 people and all seem happy with our new meeting venue, the Spinning Wheel.

We have had eight indoor meetings, with a mixture of speakers, three guests and the remainder from our own members; my thanks to them for their contribution.

The June Bring-Your-Vehicle evening was held at a new venue, Squires Cafe at Sherburn in Elmet, in conjunction with York Historic Vehicle Group.  Around 200 cars, 50 motorcycles and 20 commercials were on show.
The June 2019 evening will once again be held at Squires Cafe.

The 50th Trans-Pennine Run, held on the first Sunday in August, was a great success with good weather and around 200 vehicles in attendance, with no accidents or mishaps.
There is some doubt as to whether we can have the use of Harrogate Stray for the 51st run in 2019 but should it not be available, we have arranged to use Harrogate Yorkshire Showground.

Our October Bring-Your-Vehicle day was held at a new venue, the Docklands Diner in Goole, East Yorkshire, with help from Graham Reed of Reed Transport in Goole. Again a very successful day with an excellent turnout and the cafe owner is keen to host the event again in 2019.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all those who have supported the area over the past year and hope you will continue to do so in 2019.

 

Chris Sant (Yorkshire Area Secretary).

 

 

 

YORKSHIRE AREA OCTOBER MEETING.

 

As our regular meeting attendees will probably be aware by now, one of my favourite subjects is fairground transport, I have long admired the ability of showmen to adapt vehicles to transport their rides and to then keep them running long after similar vehicles have disappeared from commercial road haulage use. Many of the lorries we see at our rallies today are there because showmen kept them running until they were old enough to be of interest to ourselves.

The guest spot for October was taken by our own Chris Rawnsley who is a mine of information on show-land rides, vehicles and families and the proud owner of a vast collection of images of the fairground dating from the days of steam road- locomotives, right up to the present day.

This ability to adapt a vehicle for differing loads or rides was well illustrated by Chris who had grouped together several images of the same vehicle but with a different body, maybe a differing number of axles and sometimes a different cab; the appearance in some cases being so much altered that I had to admire how he knew which vehicle it was.

The conversion of former road haulage vehicles for differing loads is now unfortunately becoming a thing of the past as the old wooden build-up rides have largely disappeared from the modern fairgrounds to be replaced by purpose built rides with integral transporters and three-phase power units which can be erected by one or two men aided by electrics and hydraulics, saving hours of time and a small army of casual labourers.

Our thanks to Chris for our evening trip through fairgrounds of the past, and for the hours of research which had obviously gone into the presentation.

 

 

Chris Sant.