Family Album
This section of the website contains images taken from the Riding family album collection along with a selection of photographs taken by some of the late Tom Riding’s personal friends.


Another picture of Tom Riding’s grandfather William (Bill) Riding with his second wife Wyn in the garden at his home ‘Cronebirch House’ which was next to the tennis courts on Whittingham Road Longridge directly opposite the depot.

Seen here at St Lawrence’s Church Longridge is Tom Riding’s father the late James (Jim) Riding on the left.
James brother the late Henry (Harry) Riding, on the right, took no part in the haulage business.
1954 and a youthful Tom Riding, aged just 19, is pictured here at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool with his future wife to be Margaret aged 18.
After after serving his engineering apprenticeship at Leyland Motors Tom went on to do his two years National Service before joining the company fully in 1956.

Tom Riding’s certificate of apprenticeship which he served at Leyland Motors from 1949 to 1954.
One Spring Sunday morning in 1967 the late James Riding popped down to the depot with his four year old daughter Pamela and took a couple of pictures for the family album.
In this shot we see her proudly standing in front of L.A.D. cabbed Leyland Octopus Reg No 860 WTE Fleet No 16 which was purchased brand new direct from Leyland Motors in August 1961.
Shortly after this picture was taken it was rebuilt and converted into a 4×2 tractor unit.
Another shot taken in the Spring of 1967 showing four year old Pamela Riding the daughter of the late James Riding.
This time she is standing in front of Atkinson Mk I Silver Knight 4×2 tractor unit Reg No BTB 420E Fleet No 57 while on the right is the last tilt cabbed Ergomatic Leyland Beaver that entered service with the company in 1967, Reg No YTD 360D Fleet No 58.
The late Tom Riding recalled below a great way to spend a Sunday morning……..
“In April 1970 i jumped in this outfit to take the children for a ride and also take a few photos along the journey.
This particular photograph was taken on Dale Brow, a couple of miles from the depot at Longridge.
My late brother’s twin boys Matthew, Jeremy and daughter Pamela are on the left while my eldest daughter Elizabeth is on the right, what lucky children!”.
The Atkinson Mk II 4X2 tractor unit pictured is Reg No WTB 660H Fleet No 41 which was a brand new addition to the Riding fleet on the 1st of March 1970 at a cost of £4,708.22p.
Tom Riding’s younger sister the late Dr Irene Riding, who sadly passed away in 2011, is pictured here in the depot at Longridge in 1968 alongside her brand new Triumph GT 6 Reg No JTD 300F (Chassis No KC 10233 ‘0’)
Powered by a 2 litre 6 cylinder petrol engine it was purchased new from Rover, Triumph, Daimler dealership Tom Mitchell (Blackburn) Limited King Street Blackburn on the 1st of February 1968 at a cost of £1,126 1s 7d. the equivalent value of £24,337 in 2024.

Scammell Rigid 8 at the Tyne-Tees rally in 1985 which was the year it was finally restored.
The late Tom Riding continued below…….
“We had a trouble free run to South Shields but on arrival i discovered the metalastic rubber coupling behind the gearbox was close to collapsing so i decided to leave it in the yard of Crows Transport in Gateshead.
I sent a new coupling up to our Teesside depot and they fitted it and the following weekend my brother James and I went back up for it.
In any organisation you must have some good men and we were blessed in having more than our fair share.
In the picture above, from left to right, are myself standing next Jim Blezzard who worked with us for nearly 40 years and was fleet engineer from 1971 to when he retired in 1996.
Jim was a craftsman and could make or mend anything.
On the right is my late brother James who worked all his life with the company and was an excellent Traffic Manager and his way of doing the traffic sheets was used right to the very end”.

One of the last pictures of Tom Riding taken on the 22nd of June 2019 just two weeks to the day before he sadly passed away after a short illness on the 6th of July 2019.
He is pictured with one of his three daughters, Anne, during a visit to Wembley Arena when the family attended a Billy Joel concert.