Wigan Album

This one looks really smart Ozy. It's rum how the ensemble had been capable of finesse and, dare I say, also a little bit of 'savagery'. Ah yes, is vroom-vroom GW back on home soil yet?

Great picture Ozy, Liverpool Reg No,may have been Ex Jacobs
Biscuits. The tipper in the middle looks like Trinidad Lake
Asphalt,and the tractor and trailer looks a bit like Jarvis
Robinson Transport of Bootle. Regards, Ray.

I haven't seen any of his posts on here for a while Philip. Maybe he's dropped a valve somewhere in the outback. You know what he's like for dropping things. This place isn't quite the same without him though is it?

You're right about Trinidad Lake Asphalt Ray, I hadn't spotted that actually. I wouldn't know about the JRT motor though, but since you drove for them, I daresay you're probably correct again. I'm guessing Hart's driver's off having a swift half in the Baltic Fleet. What do you reckon?

Why were Hart so keen on re-cabbing their trucks?

Ray - I've been well-acquainted with Jacobs biscuits for quite some time now - and have the girth to prove it, but until fairly recently didn't know that Trinidad is such a 'huge' source of asphalt; a certain part of the island is awash with the stuff. I think it might have been from a 1950/60s BFI Commonwealth colour film that I learned this. Thanks.

Ozy - I agree, Wiganworld without GW isn't ... . I hope his biker and town & country posts will soon re-appear - they're great.

Basically, it was all about keeping the tare weight of the vehicle as low as possible AP. Harts were a company of their time. and we're going back to the 60's here remember, back to the dawn of the era of the artic, when the 8 legger rigid was still king, and the job was all about keeping within the prescribed GVW limits. .... That's still the name of the game actually.....but consider this, fibreglass cabs weigh less than steel cabs. Long wheelbase bodies can carry more volume than short wheelbase bodies. The more weight you can carry, the more revenue you can earn. The bulk of Harts work back then, apart from rock salt from Winsford, was coal for the NCB, and as you are no doubt aware, coal is a bulky commodity, but relatively light, hence the greedyboards. Coke or Coalite is even lighter and by default, even more bulky. Harts, in common with everyone else, then and now, were in the haulage game to make money, and as at the time in question, they couldn't actually purchase the wagons that suited the job, they decided to make their own, or rather, modify existing models. So rather than making the load fit the wagon, they made the wagon to fit the load. I hope you're still with me on this and I hope that this answers your question to some degree.

Regards. Ozy.

Thank you, Ozy for taking the time to furnish me with such a thorough answer.

Sitting on the dock of the bay. Portarlington Australia. Any sign of my keys?

GW - You're alive, you're alive! Your Triumph keys? Ah yes, the ground over here is firming up a bit now, which might increase the chances of them being 'scuffed' to the surface Regards.

G'day mate, it's good to hear from you again. We were beginning to get a bit concerned actually. I was waking in a cold sweat with visions of you feeding the buzzards out on the Nullarbor. I did have a go at finding your keys GW. No, seriously. I trekked from the George and Dragon over the fields to The Stag at Garswood, but no luck I'm afraid. It's beginning to look as though you're going to have to hot wire the Triumph for the time being. All the best for now cobber.

Awwww you blokes. Doing it tough downunder and missing old Wigan and Lancashire. Back for a walk through the dells of Blackley Hurst in summer. Don't fret Ozzy, those keys will turn up in a bomber jacket where i left them. Great truck by the way.

Are you going to show all Harts fleet? They are/were from Coppull nr Chorley, not Wigan.

The ballast tractor & dangler is one of David Rees Scammells - look at the load, not JRT. Also Hart's had a subsidiary (name forgotten) in a small garage under the Overheard workshop at Seaforth Sands. One 8-wheel flat was kept in there.