Recently in Brewery Transport Category

Question: Whatever happened to lorry drivers wearing white boiler suits? Here you see two Watneys drivers wearing the more 'traditional' version while curvy model, Miss 'April Showers' (38, 22, 36) demonstrates the ill-feted, one-piece, white Spandex cat suit that was to due to replace the old-fashioned garment. And how well Biglorryblog recalls the disastrous launch event in the mid-60s when, to the gasps of horror from Her Majesty's truck press, April's elastic socks got tragically caught in the step ring....and...well I can't bring myself to describe what happened next...Needless to say it's imprinted on BLB's brain forever. (And for a pie who has got any more shots of British HGV drivers wearing white boiler suits? I seem to recall all of Tate & Lyle's drivers had them)....And what's sparked all this off? Click through here....

Hot on the heels of the recent story Biglorryblog did on Don-Bur's rigid teardrop curtainsider for DHL I learn that in response to spiralling demand for its craft beers, Burnley-based Moorhouse's Brewery has added the UK's first rigid Bevan21 curtainsider to its fleet. The 12-tonne rigid Mercedes Benz chassis, supplied on contract hire by Ryder, features unique Bevan Group bodywork. And Bevan claims: "The Bevan21 curtainsider version is the first of its kind in the UK." Now click through here for more..

What were we saying about Aussie road transport founded on Pommie trucks? As if to prove it Andrew Blacklock has sent me this photo and says:"On May 16 & 17th this year we held our 2nd Vintage Truck Muster at the Richmond Vale Railway Museum, near Kurri Kurri NSW.
The trucks in the photo are all ex-Smith's Transport vehicles (Smith's Transport from Abermain NSW) They were all purchased as brand new vehicles by Smith's and the Scammell Routeman and Leyland Reiver were retired from daily beer haulage duties about two years ago. The Albion Chieftain and AEC Monarch were retired from (beer) haulage about ten years ago.The vehicles are now owned by members of the Hunter Valley Classic Commercial Vehicle Club. Thanks Andrew Secretary HVCCVC." Well fair dinkum as you say over there and click throgh here for a couple of close-ups..

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if someone had put a Cummins L10 in an early model Volvo...? Would you get the best of both worlds? Last week in a chance meeting with legendary ex-Bass fleet engineer (officially they called him distribution services manager) Roger Denniss we got to talking about the time he entered the famous Newton & Ridley 'Scrapyard special' artic - named after the mythical brewery serving the Rovers' Return in Coronation Street - in the 1986 IRTE/BTAC fuel trials. And it surprised everyone but Roger and a few of his cohorts by its impressive results.

Roger kindly sent me these pictures and details of the truck which was a 1978 Volvo F12 4x2 purchased in a scrapyard for £500 and fitted with an L10 290 engine supplied by Cummins, plus a Twin Splitter gearbox from and a Rockwell air starter. In all Roger and his team pared around 1,000kg of its kerbweight. Roger tells me: In addition to the major components [mentioned above] to reduce weight we used a lightweight windscreen, allow wheels and an air hostess's jump seat from a Vickers Viscount!"

Roger continues: "The lads at Bass loved working on this vehicle in their spare time and all came up with ways of reducing weight and improving fuel consumption--I'm still in touch with them 23 years later and still leaning from their input!"

Meanwhile, with Andrew Davis in the driving seat (that's him second from right with the Nigel Mansell wet weather moustache) the Newton and Ridley 'Special Brew' Volvo won the Payload Earning Factor prize, as well as coming top in its class and with an average return of 7.86mpg it ended up in fifth-place in a field of 18 'factory-built' 38-tonners.

Now click through here for more....and what happened when Roger tried to dispose of it...

Mmmm, now what do you think this might be? Peter Murray has sent me this selection:"Hello Brian, Peter Lynch (AtkiPete) has recently submitted some of my photos to you (Biglorryblog). Here's a selection I thought you may be interested in for the Blog Site. I guess 'Brewery Trucks' might be where these fit."

"This is a mobile Hotel Staff (Bar Staff) Training Unit used by Australian Brewer Carlton. In June 2003, I found it all set up for work in the car park of a Townsville (Queensland Australia) Hotel."

A mobile bar school? No that's what I call a result says Biglorryblog! Now click through here for some more...

Not, as you might imagine, the daily delivery of (ahem) 'ink' to Biglorryblog's office but a way of illustrating the fact that Cornwall's St. Austell Brewery (established 1851.....which is not that old considering it's only 20:37 now) is gearing up its distribution performance with a state-of-the-art automated routing and scheduling solution from Paragon Software Systems. The South West's most successful independent brewer, retailer and wholesaler selected Paragon Multi Depot to help streamline and optimise its delivery planning. This will enable the company to reduce the number of its depots in Cornwall from four to one single super distribution centre based in St. Columb Major, with the option to utilise the other depots during peak demand. The company expects to boost customer service levels and reduce operational costs.... if it means they get their pints quicker I can't see any complaints! 

Mmmmm....I wonder if it's the tipple of choice for my mate Mr Sheer? He's from Kernow!

In one of the rare occasions when sail gives way to anything here you see a Scania P310 dray waggon belonging to Ringwood Brewery delivering to the yacht club at Pennington which requires it to drive along the beach! Naturally given the size of a Scania compared with a dinghy it's small wonder the captain of the latter is waving our man on.

And to read Dave Young's fascinating story about a day in the life of a Ringwood delivery driver buy the latest edition of Truck & Driver! And my thanks to Dave for sending me the photo. I asked him whether the truck wouldn't sink into the sand but he assures me the beach is hard-packed and more than capable of taking the six-wheeler... 

This 'long-distance' Leyland Beaver is pictured shunting a drawbar tanker at Ansell's Aston brewery. I love the 'Beer is Best' message on the front of the truck - and couldn't agree more. Although I have to say that I'm rather partial to the odd glass of Rioja too! Unfortunately this brewery no longer exists. Production stopped here in 1981 following an industrial dispute - and today the site is a car showroom.

Now I thought it was about time that slack-jawed idler 'Agent Reg' sent me something nice---and here it is, a splendid shot of a brand new black-painted Volvo FL urban artic is the colours of legendary Welsh brewer Brains. Indeed it reminds Biglorryblog of the apochryphal story from Kenneth Williams who was playing understudy to Richard Burton in a West End play. One night Burton came into the theatre to declare he wasn't feeling well and that Williams would have to deputise for him. A horrified Williams demurred and begged Burton to find some way to carry on. With a flash of inspiration he sent Williams next door to a pub which had Brains Dark and told him not to come back without a pint, then another, then another. Suitably reinforced Burton then trod the boards to great aplomb returning after the final rousing curtain call to tell Williams "If you're ever in a jam...I'm your man!" Thus the restorative powers of Brains Beer! Now click through here for the real story about Brains' new FL urban artics!.