Long before motorised transport, movement of animals was by means of
walking individual beasts, or by herding or droving. Much of the road
system around Britain evolved from the routes taken by the drovers and
their herds. With the coming of the railways, animals for market went by
train. This type of traffic was a good income for the railways, with
their mass or bulk transport facility. In the early twentieth century,
livestock haulage was slow in starting, mainly because the lorries of
the time were small and couldn't compete with the railways. However, by
the 1930s larger and stronger lorries were available and local livestock
haulage became a viable proposition, eventually taking over from the
railways entirely. Livestock road haulage was usually done with a basic
platform lorry and a demountable livestock container. These could be
anything from home-built to coachbuilt types by specialist builders. The
onstruction was usually in hardwood, until the advent of steel and
aluminium. In more recent times, much larger and more powerful vehicles
have evolved to cater for animal welfare and driving time. With the
diverse range of appearances and colour schemes seen on these vehicles
over the years, Bill Reid's terrific array of photographs will fascinate
lorry enthusiasts and agriculture enthusiasts alike.
