“The latest news, Ed, is that our infamy knows no bounds,” boasts Ken Walsh.
“A chap found his way to The Den. Apart from local council records, its address doesn’t appear anywhere – which showed his determination.
“Bill Aldridge, his name. He said he knew of us by reputation. He wanted to know if we’d be interested in restoring a truck for the East Lancashire Railway.”
Ray Walsh kept silent, thinking to himself: ‘A railway truck? What’s this chap on about? We restore vehicles that run on rubber tyres on tarmac – not steel wheels on steel track.’
Ken continues: “Bill Aldridge went on to explain that he is an East Lancashire Railway volunteer. The truck is actually a type TSC 18 Leyland Beaver flatbed, assembled in 1941 from spares. Leyland Motors retained it as part of the factory delivery fleet.
“Bill’s responsible for arranging its restoration. He showed us a photocopy of a picture. Never seen a Leyland like it before. Nice-looking – quite modern, considering the time. We agreed we’d have a look at it.
“We’re meeting him in Bury, this Sunday Ed, if you fancy coming.” It was the second Sunday in October last year.
The arrangements for meeting Bill seemed a bit vague to me. He’d be standing a few yards from the corner of a street we could not find. Google bloody maps…
A postcode would have helped. “We should have asked that
