Accidents Happen (2)
Accidents are a frequent event in the haulage industry and unfortunately over the years W & J Riding suffered their fair share.
Below is a selection of various incidents which Tom Riding documented from the mid 1950’s through to when he retired from the company in 1995.
Tragedy at Eastriggs
Early in 1970 Atkinson Mk II 4×2 tractor unit Reg No UTB 370H Fleet No 32 ‘Illustrious’ was travelling on the A75 near Eastriggs in Scotland hauling a Crane Fruehauf four in line trailer carrying 16 tons of plastic pellets in tote bins to Stranraer on Riding’s Wilton -Kilroot service when it was involved in a terrible accident through no fault of it’s driver the late Jack Moon.
A van carrying two young work men going home from work pulled out of a line of on coming traffic and ran head on into UTB 370H which caused it to crash into a large solid oak tree at the side of the road.
The van was complete wrecked and sadly the two men in the van were killed.
The cab of the Atkinson was completely destroyed by the impact but miraculously driver Jack Moon came out of the carnage with just a broken hip joint which unfortunately caused him some discomfort for many years after.
After the head on collision with the van UTB 370H collided with this large oak tree at the side of the road resulting in the cab being completely destroyed.
The utter devastation caused to the van after it hit the Atkinson head on at Eastriggs in Scotland.
Unfortunately the two occupants were killed in the collision.
Police officers help to clear the road and get one lane of the busy A75 open to traffic again.
With one lane of the A75 reopened to traffic the remains of Atkinson Mk II 4×2 tractor unit Reg No UTB 370H are seen embedded in the tree at the side of the road awaiting recovery.
W & J Riding mechanics Tony Stephenson, left, and Tim Hurstwaite, right, survey the wreckage of Atkinson Mk II 4×2 tractor unit Reg No UTB 370H at Longridge after it was recovered from the scene of the accident in Scotland.
View from inside of what was left of the cab of Atkinson Mk II 4×2 tractor unit Reg No UTB 370H after it was recovered and brought back to Longridge depot.
The tangled remains of Atkinson Mk II 4×2 tractor unit Reg No UTB 370H are seen here on the back of a trailer parked in the corner of the depot at Longridge after being recovered from Eastriggs in Scotland.
Amazingly after the accident UTB 370H was completely rebuilt in Riding’s own workshops at Longridge and was put back on the road as can be seen here.
Unfortunately the impact with the tree knocked off the compressor which smashed the front of the crankcase.
Fortunately Tom Riding sourced an old Gardner 150 crankcase with the thick steel backed main bearings.
Pelican Engineering of Leeds line bored the case and fitted a new set of thin wall shells.
Following that the reliable Gardner engine ran faultlessly for the rest of its life.
Accident at Ormesby Bank
On the 30th of October 1970 Atkinson Mk I Silver Knight 4X2 tractor unit Reg No NTB 600G, which was used on the Teesside trunk, was heading home on the A1043 at Ormesby Bank in the early hours loaded with drums of chemicals.
A car travelling in the opposite direction, negotiating the long sweeping curve in the road, crossed the white lines and hit the drivers side of the Atkinson resulting in extensive damage to the offside of the cab and steering mechanism.
Unfortunately the driver of the car was killed in the accident.
The damage sustained to the front offside of Atkinson Mk I Silver Knight 4X2 tractor unit Reg No NTB 600G after it was hit by a car travelling in the opposite direction.
As a result of the following investigation it was found that Riding’s driver was in no way to blame for the accident in which the unfortunate car driver was killed.
Atkinson Mk I Silver Knight 4X2 tractor unit Reg No NTB 600G was powered by Gardner 180 6LXB engine and was registered new on the 11th of September 1968 at a cost of £3,787 plus vat.
After being repaired in the workshops at Longridge NTB 600G went on to serve Riding’s for another eight years until it was eventually sold on to T R Taylor of Melling near Liverpool for £1,600 plus vat on the 4th of October 1976.
The badly damaged car which hit the front offside of W & J Riding’s Atkinson tractor unit.
Unfortunately, as a result of the accident, the driver of the car was killed.
Accident at Kirkcowen
This was the scene after the accident at Kirkcowan on the A75 Stranraer Road with the trailer completely turned over and its load spilled in to the adjacent field.
The badly damaged tractor unit can be seen along with the trailer which completely turned over in the accident.
A rear end shot showing the twisted cab of the Mk II Atkinson.
The absence of the fifth wheel, which was completely sheered off its mountings during the accident, gives some indication to the force of the impact.
After the accident it was taken back to Longridge and was completely rebuilt in the company workshops emerging as this Atkinson Borderer 4×2 tractor unit pictured here >
Tom Riding decided it would be best to re-register the vehicle as PTE 630L to disassociate it from its past history.
Halfpenny Brow Accident
On leaving Preston early one morning to go up empty to Teesside the driver lost control going down Halfpenny Brow which resulted in the cab being severely damaged.
Atkinson Mk I Silver Knight 4×2 tractor unit Reg No RTF 810C Fleet No 13 was powered by a Gardner 150 engine in line with a David Brown 10 speed splitter gearbox.
Registered new to Riding’s on the 19th of October 1965 at a cost of £3,406 16s 9d it was assigned unlucky Fleet No 13.
It was driven from new by the late Donald Thornton, however, on the morning of the accident the driver was Les Wilson.
On leaving Preston early morning running empty to Teesside Les lost control going down Halfpenny Brow on the A59 near Junction 31 of the M6 which resulted in the cab being severely damaged.
After the impact Les finished up sitting in the road with various parts of the wrecked Atkinson cab all around him.
Pictured above in the depot after being recovered the vehicle was totally rebuilt at Longridge and due to suspicious minds it’s fleet number was changed to No 70.
Seen here in the depot at Longridge after being recovered after the accident is another shot of Atkinson Mk I Silver Knight 4×2 tractor unit Reg No RTF 810C Fleet No 13.
After being totally rebuilt by Riding’s at Longridge it remained in the fleet for a total of eight years until 1973 after which time it was sold on to R. Atkinson & Sons of Preston for an unknown amount.
Photographs courtesy of Jack Draper.
Collision at West Marten
On the 29th of June 1978 Atkinson Borderer 4×2 tractor unit Reg No YWG 496K Fleet No 52 ‘Valiant’ hauling a fully loaded tandem axle trailer was heading for home on the A59 just West of West Marten in North Yorkshire when driver Jeff Cross lost control on a left hand bend.
This resulted in the whole rig turning on its side and sliding down the road until it came into contact with a Seddon Atkinson unit and tipping trailer, belonging to Cowgills Transport of Skipton, heading in the opposite direction.
Jeff drove for Ridings at the same time as his brother Ken Cross and Joe Cross.
At the time Jeff was driving Ken’s motor, having stood in for him on that particular day, and after damaging his leg in the accident he never drove HGV’s again but went on to become a car driving instructor.
Taken from a distance this picture shows the aftermath of the head on crash on A59 at West Marten.
The Atkinson Borderer driven by Jeff Cross is seen embedded into the front of the tractor unit and tipper trailer that was heading in the opposite direction.
This was the scene of devastation after the two vehicles collided head on while travelling along the A59 with Riding’s trailer finishing upside down and losing it’s load.
Another picture taken from a distance shows the aftermath of the head on crash on A59 at West Marten.
The Atkinson Borderer, driven by Jeff Cross, is seen embedded into the front of the tractor unit and tipper trailer operated by Cowgills Transport of Skipton, that was heading in the opposite direction.
Riding’s driver Jeff Cross was very lucky to escape with his life after accident which left his vehicle embedded in the front of Cowgills tractor unit and tipper trailer.
Atkinson Borderer Reg No YWG 496K Fleet No 52 ‘Valiant’, involved in the accident, was originally new on the 1st March 1972 to TDG Group ‘Monkland Motors’ of Airdrie, at a cost of £5,366.
Tom Riding had purchased it from them in March 1975 for £2,781 along with nine other Atkinson Borderer tractor unit’s.
As a result of the accident YWG 496K was a total write off and the remains were broken up and scrapped.
Roll Over at Glenluce Scotland
In the late 1970’s Atkinson Mk II 4×2 tractor unit Reg No ATC 400J Fleet No 74 ‘Dependable’ came to grief on the old A75 at Old Military Road just West of Glenluce in Scotland.
Driven by Jim Taylor he had collected the fully loaded trailer from the ferry terminal at Cairnryan on Riding’s ICI inter factory service between Kilroot in Northern Ireland and Wilton on Teesside..
Unfortunately while negotiating the bend he was presumably applying a little too much speed which caused the whole outfit to lose it’s footing not far into his journey back to Longridge.
Atkinson Mk II 4×2 tractor unit Reg No ATC 400J Fleet No 74 ‘Dependable’ lays on its side after coming to grief on a bend on the old A75 just West of Glenluce in Scotland which today is now just a side road after the building of the Glenluce bypass.
Another shot of Atkinson Mk II 4×2 tractor unit Reg No ATC 400J Fleet No 74 ‘Dependable’ laid on it’s side on Old Military Road just West of Glenluce awaiting recovery.
A few local lads having a nosey and scrambling about on the stricken trailer before the recovery crew from Reid Mckie Ltd of Glenluce arrived on the scene.
With the A75 Old Military Road closed in both directions during recovery operations Atkinson Mk II 4×2 tractor unit Reg No ATC 400J Fleet No 74 ‘Dependable’, along with it’s trailer, are seen here after been righted back on to their wheels by the Diamond T recovery truck which was operated by Reid Mckie Ltd from nearby Glenluce.
Founded in December 1972 the company of Reid McKie Ltd based at Glenluce near Stranraer was an amalgamation of McKie Brothers of Newton Stewart and Reid (Glenluce) Ltd with the company later becoming major agricultural tractor dealers for the South West of Scotland.
Accident at Keadby Bridge
In June 1974 Frank O’Conner was driving Atkinson Mk II 4×2 tractor unit Reg No UTF 460H when the steel coil it was carrying broke loose at Keadby Bridge near Scunthorpe and finished up on the adjacent railway line.
Before Riding’s had a fleet of new coil carriers they made some metal frames which sat on a platform trailer to hold the steel coils in place.
However on this occasion, unbeknown to the driver, a chain link holding the frame had been crushed.
When negotiating the right hand bend at Keadby Bridge, along side the railway, one of the two chains holding the frame broke and the 15 ton steel coil was flung onto the railway line.
Fortunately no one was hurt in the incident.
Atkinson Mk II 4×2 tractor unit Reg No UTF 460H Fleet No 71 is seen here parked on the A18 at Keadby Bridge with police in attendance shortly after the incident.
Driven by Frank O’Conner UTF 460H had been registered new to Riding’s five years earlier on the 1st of December 1969 at a cost of £4,287.5p plus vat.
A rear end shot shows the outfit parked up at the side of the road with police in attendance at Keadby Bridge after the steel coil had broken loose.
The FINA fuel station on the right has long since gone and is now a car wash facility.
The 15 ton steel coil which broke loose is seen here after coming to rest on the adjacent railway line at Keadby Bridge.
Another shot showing the 15 ton steel coil which landed on the adjacent railway line.
The main road and railway line run parallel with each other at this point as they share the same bridge which crosses over the River Trent.
Press article from 1974 showing the resulting prosecution after the accident.
Driver Frank O’Conner was fined £10 while the company were fined £50.
Roll Over on Skipton By-pass.
September 1982 and Atkinson Borderer tractor unit Reg No TTB 90M, driven by Norman Holland, was hauling a tandem axle forty foot trailer carrying a full load of steel H section girders when it came to grief and rolled over while negotiating the Grassington Road Roundabout on the A59 Skipton by-pass.
Fortunately no one was hurt in the accident but it did cause some major traffic disruption during the recovery operations which took place later in the day.
The first of several pictures showing the rollover of Cummins powered Atkinson Borderer 4×2 tractor unit Reg No TTB 90M Fleet No 22.
It is pictured here laying on its side awaiting recovery after overturning at the eastern end of the A59 Skipton by-pass.
The North Yorkshire police were out in force when they attended the accident with these in the picture parked on the Raikes Road roundabout exit.
Fortunately no one was injured and recovery took place later that day when a crane and another artic arrived on site.
With part of the roundabout having to be closed during the recovery operation there was major traffic disruption in the area.
The accident brought some of the locals out onto the scene to survey the damage.
Not the best place for the police sergeant and driver Norman Holland to stand, with the leaking diesel all over their boots..
A police sergeant talks to the driver Norman Holland as they await the recovery team.
The roundabout was later closed as the vehicle and trailer were righted and the load of steel was transferred to another trailer.
Atkinson Borderer tractor unit Reg No TTB 90M, driven by Norman Holland on the right, was badly damaged in the accident but was taken back to Longridge and fully repaired and put back on the road within a month..
Five months later it was sold on to a Mr Taylor of Darwen for £1,575 plus vat on the 21st of February 1983.
