Hell drivers movie Dodge truck

[martyn williams]

Are there any of these in preservation ?
The trucks were supplied by W Drinkwater for this movie.
I would like to get hold of one
Martyn

[FOWLER MAN]

Hello Martyn.
I too would love to get my hands on one.
The first lorry I ever bought was one of these. It was a 1957 tipper, registered No. was 4747F.
I bought it in 1961 for £125 - 00 and there was two months tax left on it. (How times have changed). I used it for best part of three years, when the engine finally gave up.
It had an 8 yd. double drop side wooden panneled body and an Edbro 4LNX twin ram gear, payload was 9.5 tons. (14 tons gross)
Engine was a Perkins R6, it had an ENV 5 speed box and single speed axle which I later replaced with an Eaton 1650 two speed unit.
Great old truck. Sadly no photos.
Fred

[martyn williams]

Hello Fred
You may be able to help me.In the 1960's my uncle worked for Hills transport based near the phurnacite plant at Abercwmboi.I remember riding in a tipper a few times.Trying to remember what trucks they ran.
One destinctive thing about them that I remember was they whistled.They were painted grey and blue.
Can you remember them ?
Martyn
PS did you have a good birthday ?

[martyn williams]

This is the quarry in Beedon Sussex where " Red " and "Cartley " in the movie met their end.Most of the movie was filmed around Iver,Colnbrook and Sussex.
The tippers that were used were dark green with black wings
Martyn

[gah1950]

hello martyn.
i remember that company,if you came out of the phunacite plant their yard was immediatley first left.the firm was called ken hill transport and i remember he had a few LAD dodge tippers and i think also he had some flatbed wagons as well i think they were grey in colour.
graham.

[martyn williams]

Thats the ones Graham,my uncle, Jack White drove for them.Grey and blue were the colours,my grannys house was the same colour
Martyn

[FOWLER MAN]

Hello Martyn.
I intended to reply to your post but forgot all about it,"sorry", must be my age.
I remember Hills too, as Graham said their colour was grey, wings and bumper were blue. The LAD cabbed Dodges would have had Perkins R6 engines too like the earlier Kew model.
They did whistle as you said. They had vacum opperated governors and a throttle butterfly and ventury pipes from the manifold inlet to the governor diaphragm. This set up used to whistle especialy when idling.
Witts Haulage from Taffs Well had five or six parrot nosed Kew Dodges into the late 60's, these were plain green in colour, and Stan French ran a few from Pentyrch these were two tone brown. Anyone remember them?
Fred


.

[martyn williams]

Hello Fred
These days I cam remember years ago but can't remember yesterday
I just realised,Hills had a driver called George Mumford,he was my godfather.I used to visit the workshop at Hills when I was about 6 or 7. You needed a gasmask as it was close to the smokeless fuel plant.
I use to see Short Bros lowloaders there as well loaded up with Cats and RB's.Thats where my interest started in plant.
Martyn

[gah1950]

hello fred.
cant say i remember witts transport but i remember stan and john french very well.stan died a good few years ago now but john passed on around two years ago,hard working men, the lorries were always painted brown.did you remember glamon haulage from taffs well and county diggers by any chance they were based under the walnut tree viaduct glyn s john was in the same yard i think there was one big tie up with them all, dyke plant was there as well.
graham.

[FOWLER MAN]

Hello Graham,
John French used to move my 951's and Hymac for me sometimes with a "Leyland Marathon", the first low-loader I remember with them was a "Squarenose Bedford" (petrol) with a step-frame trailer.
I do remember Glyn John Transport, they mainly ran out of Aberdare Cables and South Wales Switchgear.
Mostly ERF's and Leylands if I remember rightly.
I prefer to forget it, but I piled up a nice Armstrong Siddely Lancaster car into the back of one of their 4 in line lowloaders when I was about 19.
A good friend of mine Paul Martin of Paul Martin Services , Aberdare, who you probably know for JCB sales, served his time with Glyn John.
I remember Glam-Mon, Dyke and County Diggers too, they were about the first with JCB's in the area, Hydradigger -Loadall models. Wm lewis Agricultural House, Cardiff were the first JCB dealers, but did'nt County Diggers get into JCB sales?
You are right, all those companies were linked in some way.
Fred