Everybody knows how these memories come floating in the mind when they're not expecting anything. Cravens, that's what I remembered today. Cravens, were they a big engineering concern up Staniforth Road? I had a mate who went there as an apprentice on leaving school, but he went as a coachpainter or something like that. But my missus says they were an engineering firm.

they were originally a coach builders.
my dad went there from leaving school.
pulled down last year and new houses currently being built

They made trains there as well in the 1950-60's :D

Everybody knows how these memories come floating in the mind when they're not expecting anything. Cravens, that's what I remembered today. Cravens, were they a big engineering concern up Staniforth Road? I had a mate who went there as an apprentice on leaving school, but he went as a coachpainter or something like that. But my missus says they were an engineering firm.

Hi Texas, I was born and brought up not too far from Cravens, I came down to London to work in 1978 and on my first day I travelled on the underground, Central Line, and there on the carriage floor was the name plate Cravens - Sheffield, it brought a lump to my throat.They are no longer in service I think they last run about ten years ago.Thanks for reviving this memory.

my mum worked there from leaving school however she was born in 1936 lol so was a long time ago. my dad went there on leaving the RAF and he met and fell in love with my mum awwww bless.

Thanks for the feedback folks. I think exmrbd is right, they did do railway coaches, all those intricate lines and stuff.

Thanks for the feedback folks. I think exmrbd is right, they did do railway coaches, all those intricate lines and stuff.

As Enfield said you can still see today stuff that is made by Cravens.
Heres a bit from the London Underground Page

" The Metropolitan line runs from Aldgate to Amersham, with branches to Chesham, Uxbridge and Watford covering 66.7 km (41.5 miles).

It serves 34 stations and requires 44 trains to operate the peak period service. King's Cross with an annual passenger count of 87 million is the line's busiest station.

Metropolitan line trains are known as A stock. They were manufactured by Cravens of Sheffield in two batches between 1960 and 1962 and run as eight-car trains made up of two units each consisting of four cars permanently coupled together. "

There is also a link below about the DMU's ( Diesel Multiple Unit ) they built

http://www.leytransport.i12.com/craven.htm

Yep, I lived in Amersham until recently and would see the "Cravens, Sheffield" plate every morning when getting on the Met line for work. My Grandad worked there for years, so very nice to see.

Hi Texas, I did my Apprentiship at Bone Cravens on Stanniforth Road from 1970 to 75, they used to make Plastic Moulding Machines. I got made redundant just after coming out of my Apprentiship. JP

There was Craven Homeloy behind Bone Cravens, They made the big shipping containers. JP.

....also made the bodywork on trams and buses , many of which ran locally.;)

My dad worked there for many years

my dad worked there too for a while i think

They also made HGV trailers and containers as well as the plastic moulding machines I have taken the plastic machines all over Europe for them this was in the 60s and 70s. There was several local firms who delivered the containers to the ports such as BRS, Trowbridge,Mills and Prestons to name some of them.

...unfortunately many ex-employees of Cravens died through asbestosis ,which was used in parts of the bodywork process. :o

[QUOTE=exmrbd;3605789]As Enfield said you can still see today stuff that is made by Cravens.
Heres a bit from the London Underground Page

" The Metropolitan line runs from Aldgate to Amersham, with branches to Chesham, Uxbridge and Watford covering 66.7 km (41.5 miles).

It serves 34 stations and requires 44 trains to operate the peak period service. King's Cross with an annual passenger count of 87 million is the line's busiest station.

Metropolitan line trains are known as A stock. They were manufactured by Cravens of Sheffield in two batches between 1960 and 1962 and run as eight-car trains made up of two units each consisting of four cars permanently coupled together " QUOTE]

Hi,

Back in 1977-78, I was working in Lima Peru. One weekend, we decided to take the train up to Huancayo in the mountains. This line was the highest in the World (nearly 16,000ft at the top) before the Chinese built their railway into Tibet.

The locomotive was Canadian but all the passenger cars were Cravens of Sheffield.

Regards

Cravens became Craven Tasker, mfr of road trailers, ie; hgv trailers, then taken over by Montracon, part of the large irish road haulier Montgomery group

Unfortunately their DMUs were horrible to travel in, rattled, incredibly noisy even in the trailer car; I for one didn't shed a tear when they were replaced by Sprinters on the Sheffield - Worksop line.

Unfortunately their DMUs were horrible to travel in, rattled, incredibly noisy even in the trailer car; I for one didn't shed a tear when they were replaced by Sprinters on the Sheffield - Worksop line.

Interesting thread this; as a frequent visitor to Ireland, I knew well the rattly loco-hauled cravens Stock which was used on many of the quieter Irish rail routes until only about 5 years ago. At the time when they were built in the 1950's they were actually quite advanced, with aluminium bodies, and they were like a slightly more luxurious and modern version of the BR Mark 1 Stock, but few tears were shed by the time they were scrapped and replaced by new European-style Turbo-diesel electric multiple units, which, incidentally in contrast to so many newer trains on the British network, enabled a massive increase in the number of carriages and seats on all Irish rail routes, as the Cravens carriages were usually limited to operating in sets of no more than 4, or on occasional intercity workings, 8. As far as I know, the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, who runs steam specials on Irish mainline routes, still has a few of these carriages preserved for their special trains.

I used to live 100 yards from Craven's gates. At shift end, you could not move for people coming out to catch the bus or tram on Darnall. the biggest claim to fame is the carriage made there for the Master Cutler train and the Orient Express

In the early 1960s Cravens were making suburban trains for export to Peru (!) The company dated back to the 1800s - a few years ago I did a bit of research into the Craven family. The firm was founded by John Craven (1830-1892) a Wakefield architect and timber merchant-turned-railway carriage builder. John lived at "The Knoll" on Handsworth road - the big house which in the 1970s-80s had the Sutherland Foods factory at the back. His son Ernest Craven (1859-1940) continued to live there after John died. Another member of the dynasty, John A. Craven (1846-1917), lived at Penrhyn House on Broomhall Place, just off Ecclesall Road. Here's an 1870s Cravens advert (http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/Cravens.jpg).

In the early 1960s Cravens were making suburban trains for export to Peru (!) The company dated back to the 1800s - a few years ago I did a bit of research into the Craven family. The firm was founded by John Craven (1830-1892) a Wakefield architect and timber merchant-turned-railway carriage builder. John lived at "The Knoll" on Handsworth road - the big house which in the 1970s-80s had the Sutherland Foods factory at the back. His son Ernest Craven (1859-1940) continued to live there after John died. Another member of the dynasty, John A. Craven (1846-1917), lived at Penrhyn House on Broomhall Place, just off Ecclesall Road. Here's an 1870s Cravens advert (http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/Cravens.jpg).

Always wondered about 'The Knoll'. Used to live on Willow Drive and our back garden backed on to the potted meat factory. Used to pong a bit some days! I think it's a clothing factory now.
We had a lovely view from the bedroom window that took in High Hazels House and the park as well as The Knoll.

A neighbour of my aunties set fire to Cravens on Staniforth Road it in the early seventies by accident.
They were welding some pipes started a small fire, went away to look for a fire extinguisher. When they got back the fire was out of control.
Must have been quite major as I remember that it closed Staniforth Road

A neighbour of my aunties set fire to Cravens on Staniforth Road it in the early seventies by accident.
They were welding some pipes started a small fire, went away to look for a fire extinguisher. When they got back the fire was out of control.
Must have been quite major as I remember that it closed Staniforth Road

As I wrote earlier I was an Apprentice at Bone Cravens in the 70s and I was at college one day a week,
I was on the 52 bus coming home from college when the bus driver did a de-tour everyone started to shout that he was going the wrong way until he shouted back that there was a fire at Bone Cravens and it had burnt down, the next day I went to work as usual and found out that it was just the machine shop that was burnt, I was in the fitting shop.

My dad worked for Cravens as a grinder until he died of emphysema in 1969

Worked in the template shop during the late 60's,there was was a wages robbery one week,the theives actually got back in the pay queue after passing on the money. Also remember a George Elam, couldn't trust him, he too busy looking after No 1

My father in law, Jim Jackson, worked there in the early '70s. He worked in the stores. He died in the early '80s of throat cancer. My brother in law, Ken Lee worked there as well, also in the stores. He passed away as well a couple of years ago. It was Bone Cravens who they worked for.

I used to work with a guy who worked there during WW2. They used to make aeroplane wings.

They also made HGV trailers and containers as well as the plastic moulding machines I have taken the plastic machines all over Europe for them this was in the 60s and 70s. There was several local firms who delivered the containers to the ports such as BRS, Trowbridge,Mills and Prestons to name some of them.

Aye,they started making 20 ft and 40 ft containers in 1968/69 and most went empty to either Renfrew or Greenock,occasionally Southampton.There were no twistlocks on trailers in those days so they were roped on,some trailers were only 36 ft so there was a bit of overhang.:hihi:
Some hauliers went up to Greenock and back in a shift................:rolleyes::heyhey:

Is this the same company as Craven Tasker, used to know a girl along time ago who's family been involved with the co. Her surname escapes me.