Happy Jack 3 Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 When i was about 12 -13 my Dad had made me a trolley (thats what we called it) made from Coach pram wheels and planks of wood, it was long enough for about 3 or 4 of us to ride on when we were going downhill, anyway about this time i used to breed Rabbits, and as i needed staw for bedding etc we would head up Beechdale rd then Wigman to the top, turn left along Strelley rd ? into Strelley village (no bypass then) passed the Broad Oak pub, followed the road right, Strelley Hall on the right, then on the left were some old farm buildings barns etc, after asking permission we would gather up sacks of straw from the floor, but i remember once the farmer said you can take a full bale, well we loaded it on the trolley and set of home, from the top of Wigman it's all downhill, can't remember how many times we fell off, straw all over the place, it was such a laugh ! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 Happy Jack, I used to have a trolley, as you call it, that I'd made from pram wheels and wood but mine was for one person. I'd kneel on the trolley with my left knee and move it along with my right leg. I'd steer it with thin rope tied to the front axle. My friends and I would spend hours every day playing on our trolleys. Strangely, I never tried to move bales of straw...lol. You could get them to go really fast but you had no way of stopping them quickly. No brakes, no hard hat, no high viz vest, no safety gloves, no steel toecap footwear and no warning signs on the trolley. You'd think that all the kids from the Meadows would have killed themselves but funnily enough, no one ever did. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Happy Jack 3 Posted September 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 Michael, Your trolleys description sounds the same as mine, although mine must have been longer, I didn't know whether it's a Nottingham thing to call them Trolleys, as i've heard people say Karts, truggs, etc, But they were great, my mates and me were always going around on mine, can you remember going round collecting (bonfire rubbish) for Bonfire Night we used to have a big one( or so it seemed at the time) on our back garden, we'd tour the estate Knocking on doors asking for any thing that would burn, One man once said "i've just cut down this silver birch do you want it" of course we said yes, but trying to get it home !! You quest it, we dragged it on the back of the Trolley, leaves and small branches everwhere along the road, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 Great stuff. My mate in Long Eaton had a trolley that he shared with me. Mind you, it was all a bit flat round LE, so we had to push each other. One of our local roads was unadopted, and only had houses on one side. The other side was like a country road with a grass verge and a bit uneven. If you didn't hang on to the rope tight, and you hit a pothole the axle was likely to turn suddenly and you would be deposited in the road, very likely getting seriously scraped knees - not to mention torn trousers, which was a hanging offence! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 I think I've posted this before...but what the heck... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jackson 301 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Amazing! When photography becomes an Art. Eat your heart out Cartier Bresson. I'd never tire of looking at a photograph like the one above. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Perfect! I have been trying to find a picture of a trolley on the net without any joy! The design is clearly seen particularly the steering. I remember knocking nails in and bending them over to hold the back axel. *I bet you if you made one today and gave it to some kids they would have as much fun with it. *(H&S excepted) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 How to make Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jackson 301 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Trolleys aren't only for boys! My young granddaughter loves me to pull her around on the old, battered trolley that resides - throughout all weathers - down at the side of the garden shed. She sits like a Queen whilst her grandma pulls her for her 'drive' around the garden. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Maybe I should build one? Do you remember they only had one rear brake. A piece of wood screwed to the site. You pushed it forward and it made contact with the tyre? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Thanks for the plan Stu. The best ones had the large wheels of the carriage prams on the rear. and small pushchair wheels on the front. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 I used to live here and we used to go tearing down the hill at a helluva lick.That's the main Nuthall Road at the bottom..Lord knows how we used to stop at the bottom of the hill,but we did.Never remember my parents being concerned either.If a lad of mine did that today I'd have a heart attack. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Maybe I should build one? Do you remember they only had one rear brake. A piece of wood screwed to the site. You pushed it forward and it made contact with the tyre? Ah - only the GT models had brakes. Yer musta bin posh! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Limey 242 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Ah'm thinkin brakes were for sissies! Mine din't 'ave any! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fynger 841 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Brakes were yer feet Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 I bet yer toes wore aaht before yer soles. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 I was looking at your photo (#8), Stu and wondered how you got it moving when you were on your own. poohbear's photo (#5) was closer to what I made but, like mick2me stated, I had big wheels on the back and smaller wheels on the front. StephenFord made me smile with his comment about only the GT models having brakes. Fynger got it right when he stated that 'the brakes were your feet' and I laughed at Limeys comment about brakes being for sissies. We had so much fun with our trolleys and they cost us nothing. I'd go to the waste land on Daleside Road and get the wheels and wood. There was always nuts, bolts, washers and nails to be found in the rubbish. I think I had as much fun making it as I did playing on it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.... 23 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 That wasn't mine, Michael - far too fancy! Mine was named The Yellow Peril and was basically a plank with a small heavy wheel at each corner and a 'steering' system at the front. The paint job was the idea of my older sister and certainly made me visible when heading into the back of a Transit van. The Peril was a downhill specialist - a slow starter - but soon reached speeds of at least 140mph travelling down Stanhope Cresent. In dynamic mood I'd do this head first which probably explains a lot about the rest of my life. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paulus 541 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 We made trollies, from all things mentioned earlier, but mostly nails (bent to secure the axle) only one bit needed nut/bolt/washers it was the front axle....................my dad was a fitter at Percy Andrews (late called Andrews Engineering) in bulwell, so he had lots of 'acquired/liberated' bolts in his shed, great days full of ingenuity and bravado!! ...................... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 And how many of us got blisters on our fingers from the hammer when straightening nails on the concrete floor? Kids think we're a load of boring old farts when we go on about making our own fun.But it taught us to use our ingenuity and brains a damn sight better than they do nowadays. The nearest half the youngsters get to making and assembling things now, is when they get their first bedsit and struggle to put together some Ikea stuff. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paulus 541 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Spot on Poohbear, .....................................however all those younger years of ingenuity doesn't help one bit when trying to assemble Ikea stuff..............them Swedes think different to us!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 It was a steep learning curve. If you found a pram with a square axle, and were able to get a friends dad to drill two holes in it. It soon suffered from Metal fatigue and the wheel broke off at the point the screw went through the axles. I note that Stu's plan does have steering stops which was a good idea. There was nothing worse than 'oversteer' whilst speeding round a corner at the bottom of a hill. The front wheel would come into contact with the centre of the trolly, resulting in one going AoT! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Happy Jack 3 Posted September 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 What memories Hey Guys, all your discriptions were funny but oh so true, It seems we all used the same design, Mine was the same as yours Michael Booth, Big wheels at back small at front, no brakes, and when you think, yes, how did we stop !! we were always on the lookout for any discarded coach built prams, the other thing lads of that age always looked out for were V shaped branches in trees to make Catapults with, we called them "Galleys" what did you lot call them, I've heard "Gadder" from a Hucknall Mate, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Gadders were suspenders! Gotta be a record? user(s) are reading this topic 4 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users mick2me, Limey, Braddy, Facebook (5), poohbear Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Limey 242 Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 For some unknown reason, my "trolley" was about a foot longer than the average - one long plank down the middle, a wider plank on the rear 3/4, two short planks to hold the rear axle, and a single narrow plank to hold the front axle. I was lucky, the axles were held on with "U" bolts (my dad helped) and the steering pivot bolt was directly above the front axle pointing upwards. That was both a blessing and a curse, it held the bolt in place, but if the nut on top came off, and I went over a bump, the front axle would fall off - with the resulting AoT! Propulsion was by kneeling on the back and pushing with one leg while holding the steering rope! I must have logged a million miles on that thing! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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