Wigan Album

I don't know where this is, might not even be Wigan.
One thing is for sure though, the truck on the right is for more superior than the one on the left, not only is it more modern, but the Rolls-Royce Eagle diesel is a million times better than the smokey old Gardner Engine. The Gardners were very slow and boring to drive, you were lucky to get 40 MPH down hill. The RR would do 40 in reverse. The Eagle diesel was a storming engine in every way. The boss would only let top drivers like me, drive them.

Hello mate, I'm the stallholder that gave you the photo. I'm pleased that you've put it on here for all the world to see. It would have probably gone in with the rubbish otherwise and would have been lost forever. Fair play. Regards. Eddie.

I agree with Gary. don't think its Wigan too. Those Rolls Royce engines were great to drive, very noisey but could pull your house down, real power. The gardeners however were just plodders very slow, used in plant/tractors and fair wagons mainly. They were men against boys those engines, the Rolls Royce being the power house of the two. Thanks Rev.

Gardner eng were ok in the 1960s, but could not compete with modern day speed and power. They were very hard to start with blue smoke for a while not very clean. They would struggle today. You still see many in fair ground lorries.

Riding and Anderton saw mill at Newtown, had two Fodens artic tractor units in the mid 1970s, one powered by Cummins and the other Rolls-Royce engine. Mega power and great sound.

Gardners had put two more cylinders (straight 8) to make more power, but still under power. They were the 240. They used to stick out of the back of the cab.

Gardner ceased production of all new truck engines in the early 1990s. The introduction of emission regulations for road powered diesels would require significantly modifications or make a total new engine design that never happen. A really good engine in their day, very reliable and economical, especially against Cummins and Rolls-Royce. Local haulage firms rated Gardner engines the best yet, and in the 1960s-70s the waiting list to order your engine for your new truck could take up to a year, the demand was so great.

I Donot recognise where these trucks are parked they look like engine oil or gear oil tanks they used to run at 24ton
gvw or less, when I was a lad we used to watch BRS trunk
wagons on trunk to Leeds they w ere Foden two strokes and
AEC Mandators the two strokes sounded great pulling hard up
castle hill you could still hear them at Westhoughton,but
AEC mandators could shift the lot with 760 engines NCB used
to run a fleet of AEC 760 engines in there dump trucks at
Bickershaw Colliery, what about all the Gardners that used
to bring coal from Yorkshire every day ie Hansons of
Wakefield they had the 20,000 Atki Gardner 180 there trucks
must have done One Million miles each I wish you could have
been around those days Colin it would have made your day.D.C

Sounds like you have been involved or still are with HGVs Derick. The thing is, not only Gardners were about then but others as well. Ie Leyland, Perkins, Ford, Bedford, Austin, Morris and many more. The truck and car/van industry saw many changes in the 1970s. We all started to buy foreign vehicles. You might not know this but today engines are more cleaner and efficient than ever before. You'll be lucky to see a new British truck on the road today. You can't stop progress.

Mick T, they were a eight Cylinder engine, but came too late. What hauliers want today is not a big clumsy heavy engine, they want a good pay-load and greater horse-power with turbo, Gardner could NOT offer that I'm afraid.

I agree Gardners couldn't compete in the modern world of high power and torque Diesel engines. But many have lived beyond their expected life span. During the 1960 and 70's Lancadhire United Transport sold on their fleet of Guy Arab double deckers fitted with Gardner engines to the Hong Kong bus company where they continued the operate. At the end if the second service life the engines were removed and fitted into Chinese junks ploughing the waters of the harbour.
One such vessel has been restored in Florida complete with its Gardner engine.
Full details can be found at http://www.keysyachts.com/page10b.html

We already knew that, John.

John they called them Banana boats.

Trouble is today if you fit a foreign badge they suddenly become a agreat vehicle e.g. DAF

Foguy, What do you mean when you say fit a foreign badge they suddenly become a great vehicle ie DAF ,DAFS where a
great vehicle I worked for a company who operated the largest fleet of DAFS in this country from 6 Depots they
were very reliable vehicles indeed easy to work on and very
reliable in fact the best so why call them infact it was the
best company we all ever worked for better than all the rest
Kwik SAVE D.C.

Daf trucks has an unbroken 20 year run as UK market leaders for commercial vehicles. In the first half of 2015, Daf's continues it's dominance of the UK market. Has Derrick rightly says, Daf trucks played a big part in our working lives, and an even bigger part for Kwik Save Group since 1973. Great to drive and work on, spare parts were plenty too, Infact Daf's boasted, "if we don't have the part you require, we with have the part flown over from Holland within 24 hours". Not many truck firms could offer that sort of service in the early years. I still work on Volvo, Scania and Daf's and still they are up there as the best in my opinion.

They were still foreign trucks though. Buy British, thats the point.

Derek &Colin,
DAF was originally powered by a Leyland 600 series engine.

What is British these days, Garry?

Foguy. It was Leyland Daf because they merge.

Garry, Leyland-Daf merged in 1987, this subject is before that time. It was only named Leyland-Daf in the UK, Daf elsewhere. The truck plants where base in Leyland and Eindhoven, the vans (LDV) in Birmingham. The engines Fitted in the early Daf range wasn't exactly Leyland 600, they were based on the same design. (they looked the same)

I've got it. This is where Tesco at Hindley is now. The Worthington pub is seen behind the tanker on the right, and where the Post Office was. The rear of the tankers is looking at Market Street Hindley.

Colin, Several hundred 680 engines were purchased from leyland
to fit DAF chassis before there was any merger.

Never seen any leyland 680s engines fitted in dafs from the 1970s 80s or 90s never ever.

Did they supply head gaskets to the 680 engs, because they were renowned for it. Never seen them fitted to dafs though. I Worked on chassides plant, they had one fitted.

nah garry your wrong about that guy, it's a "peak" you can see behind that truck!

Hi Garry, I'm intrigued to where you've worked has a HGV driver.

Oh just about everywhere, a bit of this a bit of that. There's no job too big or too hard for me, I'll tackle owt.

Colin.Garry can't give you a straight answer because he as
only driven a little Bedford coal wagon around lower Ince and Hr Ince which only needed a car licence, I'll bet he has
never driven HGV vehicles in his life if he has it is in his
dreams Garry if your as good as you think you are what is
the correct procedure to connect a artic tractor unit to a
artic trailer? D.C.

Derick what more can I say....I've worked all my life and done many jobs, and good at them all. I was known as top man.

Hi Derrick, I don't wish to give the game away, although I suspect you won't receive a response to your question anyway. When coupling to a KwikSave trailer with one of the Volvos, you had to manually knock back the uncoupling handle on the fifth wheel, as only then would the locking mechanism engage. I forget who made the fifth wheels, but I would guess at York. Either way, in forty odd years of driving wagons, 69 - 14 , they were the only ones I recall that didn't couple fully automatically. Mind you, for anyone skilful enough to have earned the title of ' top driver ' , this minor inconvenience, wouldn't have been a problem.

Garry claims to be a "top hgv driver" but I bet I have done more miles queueing up in transport cafes.
Gary seems to be very well experienced in any subject that come up.

York 5th wheels were rubbish, Jost are and still are the best.

Garry also comments using other names.You do not have be Sherlock Holmes to work it out Garry!

Garry. This is not in Hindley.Throw your spade away the hole is deeper and deeper.Sorry Rev David Long to comment on this when you are only trying to help Eddie and other people

I'm so glad that you've apologised to Rev Long and to others, because IT'S you PW that ruins these post by constantly having a go at me all the time. I do NOT use other names because my name is good and I'm not afraid to use it. I've got more knowledge of the Wigan area than you'll ever have and indeed the UK.

Gary, everyone know that when you think you are losing an argument, you start posting under various aliases to back yourself up.

From now on I'm only going to comment on photo a Day.