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THE MELLOR BROTHERS GET WOOD

  
     
  Set at the lowest natural crossing point on the River Severn, Gloucester has always been a focus for travellers. Roman roads evolved from the pathways of the Ancient Britons and accessed the coal, iron and timber of the nearby Forest of Dean. The Severn was also exploited for the movement of goods, leading Queen Elizabeth I to grant the Letters Patent that made Gloucester a Port in 1580. The Gloucester and Berkeley Canal - the longest, widest and deepest ship canal in the World when new in 1827– also brought an abundance of timber to the Cathedral City.  
     
  Set at the lowest natural crossing point on the River Severn, Gloucester has always been a focus for travellers. Roman roads evolved from the pathways of the Ancient Britons and accessed the coal, iron and timber of the nearby Forest of Dean. The Severn was also exploited for the movement of goods, leading Queen Elizabeth I to grant the Letters Patent that made Gloucester a Port in 1580. The Gloucester and Berkeley Canal - the longest, widest and deepest ship canal in the World when new in 1827– also brought an abundance of timber to the Cathedral City.

This in turn laid the foundation for such firms as Morelands – the "England’s Glory" match manufacturers – the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Limited and H.H. Martyn's of Cheltenham - the ancestor of the Gloster Aircraft Company.

Given this Gloucestershire connection with timber in all its various forms, it is hardly surprising that many of the Gloucestershire based Heavy Goods Vehicles modelled by Paul and David Mellor have loads derived from forest products. This feature looks at just some of these lorries - the majority hauling for Gloucester firm Price Walker - and the stories behind them.

  
     
  Millions of years before the dinosaurs - during Planet Earth's Carboniferous period - ancestors of today's "horsetail" weeds grew into mighty trees, fell among the giant arthropods that roamed their swampy land, became buried and - compressed underground over the aeons - became the coal that still powers our electricity - hungry world today. Hauling the coal from railway yards to houses and businesses in the 1960s were these two fixed wheelbase lorries: Cowards of Gloucester opting for a flatbed to carry its sacks while Buchanan and Company used a body that could also carry larger amounts of loose coal.  
     
  Millions of years before the dinosaurs - during Planet Earth's Carboniferous period - ancestors of today's "horsetail" weeds grew into mighty trees, fell among the giant arthropods that roamed their swampy land, became buried and - compressed underground over the aeons - became the coal that still powers our electricity - hungry world today. Hauling the coal from railway yards to houses and businesses in the 1960s were these two fixed wheelbase lorries: Cowards of Gloucester opting for an Austin flatbed to carry its sacks while Buchanan and Company used a Bedford C Type body that could also carry larger amounts of loose coal. In fact the model was inspired by the "big Bedford" that delivered coal to Kingsholm School ( Now the site of Gloucestershire Archives ) when Paul Mellor was a pupil there. In contrast to the health and safety obsessed seats of learning of today, Kingsholm pupils helped to unload the coal!  
     
  Hauling bits of fossilised tree on an industrial scale though is the task that has been allocated to Richard Read of Longhope using this ERF "B" series tractor unit with its factory built sleeper cab.  
     
  Hauling bits of fossilised tree on an industrial scale though is the task that has been allocated to Richard Read of Longhope using this ERF "B" series tractor unit with its factory built sleeper cab.  
     
  Moving on to more modern trees, this load of felled, trimmed trunks on a skeletal trailer is being powered by another ERF B series tractor, this time in the eye catching brown, yellow and red markings of Dennis Brown of South Woodchester.  
     
  Moving on to more modern trees, this load of felled, trimmed trunks on a skeletal trailer is being powered by another ERF B series tractor, this time in the eye catching brown, yellow and red markings of Dennis Brown of South Woodchester.      
     
   
     
   
     
  The two pictures above show a Commer Maxiload tractor in the colours of R.H. Cecil of Lydney. The sign on the cab roof reads "Lydney Plywood" - a reference to the factory that turned raw timber into the sheet material from which the De Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber was constructed. The British Trailer Company load carrier has been turned over to show the configuration of four wheels on a single axle.  
     
  Sawn and planed timber planks meanwhile have been loaded on to the vehicles of William Jackson and Sons, formerly of the site in Bristol Road, Gloucester, now occupied by Warner Citroen. Many loads of timber were taken by William Jackson and Sons to supply Moreland's match factory, opposite the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company  
     
  Sawn and planed timber planks meanwhile have been loaded on to the vehicles of William Jackson and Sons, formerly of the site in Bristol Road, Gloucester, now occupied by Warner Citroen. Many loads of timber were taken by William Jackson and Sons to supply Moreland's match factory, opposite the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company  
     
  Sawn and planed timber planks meanwhile have been loaded on to the vehicles of William Jackson and Sons, formerly of the site in Bristol Road, Gloucester, now occupied by Warner Citroen. Many loads of timber were taken by William Jackson and Sons to supply Moreland's match factory, opposite the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company  
     
  Sawn and planed timber planks meanwhile have been loaded on to the vehicles of William Jackson and Sons, formerly of the site in Bristol Road, Gloucester, now occupied by Warner Citroen. Many loads of timber were taken by William Jackson and Sons to supply Moreland's match factory, opposite the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company. Pictured from different angles above are a 1966 vintage articulated Albion Clydesdale with an Ergonomic cab ( used to haul the low loader trailer carrying Miss Gloucester in a number of Gloucester Carnival parades ) and a fixed wheelbase LAD Albion Chieftain..  
     
  From comparison to contrast are this Foden FS with a load of highly processed plywood sheeting while fleetmate Albion Caledonian has one tree trunk so long that it extends over its split windscreen cab.  
     
  From comparison to contrast are this Foden FG with a load of highly processed plywood sheeting while R.H. Cecil of Blakeney fleetmate Albion Caledonian has one tree trunk so long that it extends over its split windscreen cab.  
     
  The well known Gloucester haulage firm of Joseph Rice is still happily in business, although with lorries more modern than the Bedford OS hauling a sheeted load of timber ona Scammell articulated trailer next to a Ford Thames Trader Mark 1 tractor attached to a currently empty flatbed Scammell coupling fitted trailer made by shortening a ready-to -run Exclusive First Editions model.  
     
  The well known Gloucester haulage firm of Joseph Rice is still happily in business, although with lorries more modern than the Bedford OS hauling a sheeted load of timber ona Scammell articulated trailer next to a Ford Thames Trader Mark 1 tractor attached to a currently empty flatbed Scammell coupling fitted trailer made by shortening a ready-to -run Exclusive First Editions model.  
     
  The well known Gloucester haulage firm of Joseph Rice is still happily in business, although with lorries more modern than the Bedford OS hauling a sheeted load of timber on a Scammell articulated trailer. Alongside is a Ford Thames Trader Mark 1 tractor attached to a currently empty flatbed Scammell coupling fitted trailer made by shortening and drastically modifying a ready - to - run Exclusive First Editions model.  
     
  First seen in this feature behind Richard Read's coal-hauling ERF B series is this AEC Mercury tractor with an Ergonomic cab in the colours of Moreton C. Cullimore. Never a reliable prime mover, it ended its life buried at Claypits near the A38 south of Gloucester.  
     
  First seen in this feature behind Richard Read's coal-hauling ERF B series is this AEC Mercury tractor with an Ergonomic cab in the colours of Moreton C. Cullimore. Never a reliable prime mover, it ended its life buried at Claypits near the A38 south of Gloucester.  
     
  Including wooden pallets in its load is this two axle truck in the bright red of H.W. Febrys of Chipping Sodbury  
     
  Including wooden pallets in its load is this Guy Big J two axle truck in the bright red of R.W. Febrys of Chipping Sodbury.  
     
  Also with its pallet load sheeted in company colours is this three axle Leyland Albion Riever owned by Alan Cross of Ruardean. Judging by the mascot on the wing mirror it is running on Michelin tyres!  
     
  Also with its pallet load sheeted in company colours is this three axle Leyland Albion Riever owned by Alan Cross of Ruardean. Judging by the bibendum on the wing mirror it is running on Michelin tyres!  
     
  GVJ902H ( above and below) is the registration of one articulated lorry that SHOULD have its load of pallets destined to hold cider kegs sheeted! It is a Foden S80 from Bulmer's just over the Gloucestershire border into Herefordshire.  
     
  GVJ902N ( above and below) is the registration of one articulated lorry that SHOULD have its load of pallets destined to hold cider kegs sheeted! It is a Foden S80 from Bulmer's just over the Gloucestershire border into Herefordshire.  
     
  GVJ902H ( above and below) is the registration of one articulated lorry that SHOULD have its load of pallets destined to hold cider kegs sheeted! It is a Foden S80 from Bulmer's just over the Gloucestershire border into Herefordshire.  
     
  Finally, everyone needs somewhere to live and the wooden roof trusses below are behind a Volvo FM ( converted from a Volvo FH ) in the company livery of Williams and Farmers. The digger is aboard one of Eammon McGurk's Keyway low loader trailers attached to a Scania R type 6x2 tractor.  
     
  Finally, everyone needs somewhere to live and the wooden roof trusses below are in the company of a digger aboard one of Eammon McGurk's Keyway low loader trailers.