Heritage Commercials Magazine - capturing the spirit of vintage days

Llandudno – The Irish Invasion

Having enjoyed their hospitality and featured the lads from Ulster several times over my years with HC, I stopped to wish them well. Afterwards, I moved on to the impressive line-up of classic tractor units brought over (at great expense) by the lads from south of the border.

I first shook hands with the ever-smiling Dermot Bentley of Lusk in County Dublin who, along with his fellow ‘invaders’, had blasted down the A55 from Holyhead to Llandudno.

In conversation with Dermot, I learnt that the Bentley company was founded in 1935 by his late grandfather James, who took veg from local growers to Dublin market and back-loaded with horse droppings from the market, which he sold to the growers on his return – now that’s what I call good business sense.

The company eventually passed into the capable hands of Dermot’s father Sean Snr, who in turn handed it over to his four hard-working sons, although he still shows an active interest in the business by regularly putting in a full shift. The business itself is split into two parts – the haulage element which is run by brothers Sean and Dermot, while the steel stock holding side is managed by Gerry and Davey.

They all take an active interest in the restored fleet which apart from the lorries they brought to Llandudno, includes another Scania 141, an Atkinson Borderer, an ‘O’ Type Bedford, a TK Bedford, a Scania 142, a Scania 143, an ERF EC14, a Wolseley 15/50, a ‘slack handful’ of agricultural tractors and a Scania 111 which is currently undergoing a complete makeover. Note: a comprehensive company profile is currently being penned by Gina Harvey and will appear soon in HC.

Lorries displayed by the Bentley boys were:

1976 ‘290’ 16-speed F88 Volvo (WJO 703R) – that had been new to Dawson Rentals but ended its working days in Malta where it was bought and brought home to Ireland and resurrected.

1983 Hino HE336 (HIS 819) – started its working life with the Bentleys. This naturally aspirated 275 BHP six-speed gearbox equipped tractor unit was written off in an accident in 1985 and put back into harness wearing a second-hand cab before being treated to a new one in 1988. It was eventually part exchanged for a new Hino but was subsequently bought back from the Harris concern, and restored.

1980 Scania 141 (141 CZJ) – this iconic Swede which was new to Dix Transport of Dublin was approaching the end of its working life when bought as a ‘shunter’ by Bentleys. They couldn’t bear to part with the old workhorse which was totally restored.

1993 Hino SH350 (93D 30967) – this Hino which was new to Maxoil of Dublin came complete with a 350 BHP turbo and inter-cooled engine, Eaton twin-splitter box driving through Hino final drive.

1979 Scania 141 (OZN 762) – this V8 powered beauty had been new to Kelly Freight and was bought purely as a restoration project, which was finished off with a sound cab imported from Greece.

Dermot introduced me to an equally cheerful Jimmy Brassil who was the subject of an in-depth feature in HC May 2011 by Gina Harvey. To summarise, Jimmy is the UK and Ireland general manager of maintenance for airport ground equipment provider Servisair. Jimmy of Balbriggan, County Dublin, was a ‘failed’ golfer who needed a hobby and went on to build up a superb collection of heavies. Jimmy heaped praise on Dermot Bentley who had shared the mechanical side of his restorations, while the tractor units have been expertly painted and signwritten by Brendan Tierney and Ken Moody respectively.

Jimmy Brassil brought these four restored ‘super Swedes’ to Llandudno:

1972 Scania 140 (72D960) – this LHD V8 powered beauty was purchased from Richard Dixon of Stanstead. Unfortunately little is known of its past except that it had been originally operated in Holland.

1988 Scania 143 (88D40897) – history unknown.

1990 Volvo F10 (90D15360) – complete with Globetrotter specced cab and was new to a company of furniture removers.

1986 Scania 112 (ATE 168V) – this high-roofed ‘R’ cabbed Swedish icon was new to fashion guru, Laura Ashley.

Jimmy then called over Noel Waters who had driven over in what was to me one of the best classic restorations on the site – a very professionally presented 1979 Scania 141 (8 AZL).

Climbing up into the beautiful 141’s cab, I couldn’t help but notice the huge gap between the steps compared with more modern machinery. Once settled in, I asked the super-enthusiastic Scania owner about his connections with HGVs. He explained that in the 80s, his brother Eamon Waters founded Panda Waste which now operates around 70 ‘big uns’, and that along with five other fitters, he looks after their maintenance – not an easy task bearing in mind the arduous site terrain on which most of them operate. They run the HGVs and process the waste from premises at Beruparc, a business park at Navan, County Meath. He then proudly announced that the company’s next major project was to build an electricity generating plant fuelled by waste products, the surplus from which will be sold to the National Grid.

As for the ‘141’ itself, Noel told me that it started life with Maurice Leay Transport in Dublin which worked it very hard both in Ireland and in Europe. After the Leays, it was sold on several times before being eventually bought by Noel in July 2004, by which time it was almost beyond repair. The lads in his workshop told him tongue-in-cheek that scrap was to be taken to the other side of the site.

Unperturbed, Noel put the big Swede through a five-year restoration programme, started by breaking the whole thing into component parts, and disregarded anything that couldn’t be repaired to as new standard. The first thing to go was the ‘knackered cab’ which was eventually replaced by a LHD version which was converted to RHD before being expertly trimmed with new upholstery by his father-in-law, Oliver Finnigan, and expertly painted by Connor Cowley as was the remainder of the vehicle. Needless to say, the entire driveline and its ancillaries were either reconned or replaced before the big Scania made its show debut at last year’s Truckfest at Peterborough.

Next up into Noel’s ‘141’ office was Hino and Iveco commercial vehicle dealer Conor Jennings of Tullamore, County Offaly, who had brought along two restored Hinos and an Iveco on the back of his superbly painted ‘430’ horsepower Iveco Stralis recovery outfit, that he has owned from new and which wouldn’t look out of place at any Truckfest in its own right.

When I asked Conor of his company’s history, he explained that it was founded by his late grandfather who hauled turf and turf brickettes. At the tender age of 17, Conor’s dad (Pat) took over the company reins when his dad died suddenly. Pat took the business from one to 28 lorries at its peak before completely changing tack in 1979 when he sold off his lorries and took on a franchise for Leyland in addition to one for Hino from the Harris organisation. That proved a success and he widened the appeal of the dealership still further in 1994 by taking on Iveco as well.

Conor then went on to proudly spill the beans on his colourful and immaculate exhibits:

1988 Hino SH283 (8804998) – this lorry is the pride of Conor’s fleet as well as its official number, it bears the number plate (PAT 1). This tractor unit was actually restored from a tired looking quarry working Hino into the splendid vehicle displayed at Llandudno in one week – yes, one week of very intensive work by many hands – while his dad Pat was abroad on holiday. It was then presented to him to celebrate his 60th birthday – some present eh! Sadly, Pat died two years later but ‘PAT 1’ was brought into service yet again to lead the funeral courtege to Pat’s final resting place.

1985 Iveco Turbostar 190/42 (CP655DM) – Conor had always wanted one of these cracking V8s, so when the chance came in 2007 to buy a nice rigid cattle truck version from Italy, he snapped it up. Although the Iveco is still in LHD configuration, it’s been chopped down into a tractor unit, and the entire transformation only took four weeks.

1977 Hino HE336 (U1R552) – was purchased in 2007 from haulage contractor Lian Shelley who had used it to haul sugar beet during numerous campaigns or dry cement in a powder tanker. It had stood for 15 years while Conor had tried to buy it on numerous occasions. Eventually he bought three Hinos in total including the one he really wanted. It was in a right old state, and as testament to its rusty condition, its entire roof blew off as it was being dragged home. Undaunted, Conor set about the Hino and following four months of intense hard labour, it’s been transformed from a ‘Jack to a King’.

Conor has also got a Hino HE335, a 1977 Fiat 170 NT35 and a rarer than hen’s teeth 1994 Hino Super Dolphin.

As I dismounted from my temporary Scania office, I thanked them all for their time and wished the Irish invaders a safe journey home from their foray into Wales, and looked forward to seeing them all again hopefully some time soon.