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Northern Operator's 36 Years in Road Haulage

13th October 1944
Page 35
Page 35, 13th October 1944 — Northern Operator's 36 Years in Road Haulage
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

A CONCERN which can go back to .t1. the year 1908 in road haulage is. indeed, one which is obviously Conversant with the real trials and tribulations which accompanied the early employment of motorized transport. Many features in the design of the modern vehicle which come in for criticism to-day, would no doubt have been looked upon as refinements over 30 years ago.

The Wallsend Motor Co., Ltd., 21, Lovaine Place. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 2, has been engaged in road haulage for 36 years, so that its earliest activities were concerned with the running of types of vehicle which were pioneering the cause• of the road-transport industry.

In 1916, when a limited company was formed under the present title, the operator was running Thornycroft X, J and B.T. chassis with interchangeable bodies for goods and passenger haulage; on p.s.v. work, parties of holidayrnakers were conveyed to the Lake District and to the inland scenery of Northumberland.

In due course, the passenger side of the business was dropped in favour of the development of the short-distance goods-haulage side of the business. This change in policy saw the purchase of new Thornycroft vehicles of the J and Q types. In 1933 a Thornycroft Speedy 4-tonner was acquired, later to be followed by a Thornycroft Taurus 74tormer with the maker's own design of oil engine. The Taurus ran a continuous service between WalIsend and Liverpool over a period of five years, covering 400,000 miles. This machine, we understand, is still giving good service in the hands of the operator to whom it was sold.

In those days the company ran 14

vehicles, but fot the past 24 years the number has been 31, which gives some idea of the way in whieh the business has expanded. The fleet is comprised of 10 Thonlycrofts of which nine are Sturdys, the tenth being a Bulldog, a number of A.E.C. 15-tanners, Atkinson and E.R.F. six-wheelers, E.R.F. 71-tonners and seven Leyland 71tonners,-the last-named being mostly of the petrol-driven type, mainly employed for heavy local work.,

The Wallsend Motor" Co., Ltd., does a considerable amount of shipyard work, and in connection with this six hydraulic tippers are used—three Dodge and three Cornmer.

The company,.has operated long-dis tance transport to all parts of England and Scotland, but has devoted most of its attention to regular services to Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool with a fair volume of traffic to Birmingham and the ptincipal East Coast towns.

Its activities were, insthe main, concerned with shipbuilding and heavyengineering goods, together with the carriage of a large amount of rope from works in Durham and Northumberland. Short-distance haulage was also part of the operator's business, covering commodities to Tyne, Wear and Tees industrial businesses.

For the carriage of whinstone and tarmacadam, four Thornycroft Speedy machines, with hand-operated Principality moving-floor bodies were bought, and these machines were operated for a subsidiary quarry concern, • . The transport headquarters of the company are at Wallsend, where there is accommodation for 30 vehicles_ It is here that all repair and maintenance work, including major overhauls, is carried out.

The operator is highly appreciative of the services of the Thornycroft northern depot, which has been a considerable help in vehicle repair work, as it has been able to give excellent spare-parts service during the war years.

Such an undertaking as this involves a considerable .amount of office work and the present staff consists of nine clerks and a typist under the supervision of Mrs. Stewart, who has been with the company for 11 years.

ft is interesting _to know that the present directors—Mr. Hall and Mr Porter—have been with the concern since 1921. Mr. Hall is a unit controller under the M.O.W.T. scheme,


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