WR depot, today

[DD12]

I did my local walk - today via the depot, and saw the following:-

Most of the Citaros, including a long line of them across the rear of the patch.

33404 + 5 "still here".

6015 + 33404 were parked together in what some people call the body shop, - both in MIDLAND RED livery !

33404 still has it's engine bay on display, and looking incomplete (to me).

- I find this pairing "very appropriate", as when I was a kid, I used to regularly see DD12s having their engines worked-on, -- I was told they were troublesome, and indeed they only lasted from 1967 - 76 at WR.
( - Saying that though, they had Gardner engines which had a good reputation !)

My impression of the Tridents, is that they are just as difficult to maintain (??)

Maybe if WR can work on 33404 long enough we'll be able to keep it !!

Also at the depot today was 35156 ( - in answer to someone's question).

[TimBrown]

I did my local walk - today via the depot, and saw the following:-

- I find this pairing "very appropriate", as when I was a kid, I used to regularly see DD12s having their engines worked-on, -- I was told they were troublesome, and indeed they only lasted from 1967 - 76 at WR.
( - Saying that though, they had Gardner engines which had a good reputation !)

I seem to have heard in the past that Daimler Fleetlines had very inadequate cooling and I believe they were prone to overheating and a number caught fire even though Gardner engines generally ran cool in front-engined buses and lorries. The Gardner engine is relatively long and took up most of the available space when fitted vertically and longitudinally in the short engine bustle of the Fleetline. This left very little room for the radiator, which on the occasions I have been privileged to view under the bonnet, didn't look much bigger than a modern small car!

It would be interesting to hear from mechanics and engineers who worked on the breed with their experiences and comments about the cooling faults of the Fleetline.

[DD12]

Thanks for that info, Tim.

That has set me wondering whether the Gardner 5LW would have been a better bet, - bearing in mind the DD11s and DD12s were apparently too slow anyway ?

I've just looked at the museums collection of Fleetlines, and I'm surprised that none of them have the 5LW, -- I shall have to find, and look through my chassis lists to see if any Fleetlines were so fitted !!

[JustinTyme]

I've had to smile at the thought of 5LW-powered Fleetlines!

A few Fleetlines had 6LW engines, including some Walsall short models. I travelled on a few of them in WMPTE days and they struggled, as indeed did 6LWs in front-engined 30 foot chassis.

[TimBrown]

I've had to smile at the thought of 5LW-powered Fleetlines!

It would be a very pedestrian journey with a Gardner 5LW, only 100 BHP compared with 150 BHP of the Gardner 6LX. In my opinion, the Midland Red Fleetlines only seemed to match BMMO D9's for performance when the D13 came into service. Of course these had Gardner 6LXB engines rated at 180 BHP at 1850 RPM, compared with only 1700 RPM governed speed of LW series and the 6LX.

Going back a very long time ago in 1962, I worked as a traffic clerk at BRS, Worcester and the depot had a an early post-war Atkinson 4 wheeler lorry reg. no. MDD 736 which was inherited or is that taken over from an Evesham haulier in the Transport Act nationalisation of 1947. It was powered by a Gardner 5LW and originally used WITH A TRAILER to transport market garden produce to Covent garden market in London. Fully loaded it would probably gross 22 tons and had to negotiate Fish Hill on a regular basis which I guess would have brought the vehicle down in crawler gear in the 5 speed gearbox with only 90 BHP available in early 5LW engines - loads of low speed torque though. The regular BRS driver loved that old 'Atki' and used to say it went up hill and down dale at maximum speed of 30 MPH and he could never be accused of breaking any speed limits.

Incidentally, Atkinson vehicles were very robustly built, but it still didn't prevent one burly driver breaking the gear lever off at the base as he struggled with the crash box - that caused many a laugh, as he was the only driver ever to break the unbreakable lorry!

[ANDREW]

I've had to smile at the thought of 5LW-powered Fleetlines!

Going back a very long time ago in 1962, I worked as a traffic clerk at BRS, Worcester and the depot had a an early post-war Atkinson 4 wheeler lorry reg. no. MDD 736 which was inherited or is that taken over from an Evesham haulier in the Transport Act nationalisation of 1947.

I love these work related "reflections" . At the risk of going totally off topic , am I remembering correctly that BRS had a depot by Mustow Green Island on the A448 outside Kidderminster ??

[TimBrown]

Going back a very long time ago in 1962, I worked as a traffic clerk at BRS, Worcester and the depot had a an early post-war Atkinson 4 wheeler lorry reg. no. MDD 736 which was inherited or is that taken over from an Evesham haulier in the Transport Act nationalisation of 1947.

I love these work related "reflections" . At the risk of going totally off topic , am I remembering correctly that BRS had a depot by Mustow Green Island on the A448 outside Kidderminster ??

Yes, Kidderminster depot was situated at Mustow Green and the senior traffic clerk, Dave Holmes, became depot manager at Bromyard Road, Worcester circa 1967.

[DD12]

Thanks "JT" for refreshing my memory, and for being polite about my tendency to "talk bo***cks !!
And thanks Tim for that very interesting piece ( - I hoped you would do one )

[MattW]

How long did BRS continue for? I'm sure I had a toy lorry in the 80s with BRS Truck Rental on the side, I guess by that time it had been privatised?

[TimBrown]

How long did BRS continue for? I'm sure I had a toy lorry in the 80s with BRS Truck Rental on the side, I guess by that time it had been privatised?

I left in 1969 and subsequently worked in the foundry industry for many years in a variety of admin posts including, costing, sales, estimating and production control. My knowledge of BRS activities is very scant after 1969, but the attached link gives a short history of BRS from nationalisation into privatisation and apparent decline.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_ ... orporation