P R Motors / Newage Engineers

At least some of the Riley family remained in business in the city in the form of P R Motors [Percy Riley] and they were based in Aldbourne Road opposite the Climax. They made gearboxes and tranmissions - eventually specialising in dumper trucks, forklifts and marine gearboxes. The company expanded taking over the factory in Earlsdon St/Warwick St as well. They were eventually bought out and became Newage Engineers, moving to the Aldermans Green Industrial Estate - where they still are! Post copied from topic Riley Cars on 7th Oct 2017 11:39 am

Percy died quite early on but his wife continued to run the company and I believe she was named British Business woman of the year in the early 1960s. The company that has evolved today from PR motors still has the diamond in the logo that itself was a spin off from the Riley diamond logo. Post copied from topic Riley Cars on 7th Oct 2017 11:39 am

A previous item was about the Riley motor car, when Percy Riley sold the car business he went into making gearboxes for dumpers and other building site machinery, he even for a short time made the gearbox for the Coventry Climax racing car, both factories were in Aldbourne Road. I do not know much about the racing car period but it would be nice to find out. I worked for P.R. Motors from about 1961 to 1972 before I left to move to Devon. Can anyone else remember working there at this time? Some of the people I do remember were, Ken Carter, foreman grinding section, Jack Ballinger, foreman, milling and drilling, Bert Bates, general manager at No 1 works, Tony Kirby general manager at No2 works, there are many more I knew, too numerous to mention. I worked in the stores at No2 works in Earlsdon and do remember Dolly Duff , Sid Wheeldon, and a young Lady called Linda Pointner who was a dancer who I believe left P.R. to dance in a show with Jimmy Clitheroe up north somewhere. I also used to go fishing with Dereck Moulding from the inspection department, Roger Mills from accounts and Charlie Fuller, carpenter in maintenance, Unfortunately as it has been some 40 odd years since I left P.R. I suppose some of the people I worked with are no longer with us. If you did work at P.R. or know anyone who did it would be great to hear from you.

My father Jack Sanders worked for PR Motors and then Newage from circa 1950 to 1985. I used to go with him occasionally on a Saturday morning to Aldbourne Road. I remember the new offices being built and the access to the drawing office from the yard. Dad became the Works Engineer and was involved in their expansion into Warwick Street and their eventual move to Aldermans Green. The names I remember include Fred Hill, Len Parrish, the Hadlands and David Davies.

Hi Mick, I can't remember your father Jack Sanders, Fred Hill, Len Parrish or David Davies, but I do remember the Hadlands. John Hadland we called Mr John, his brother was Mr Hadland. Mr John was in charge of the buying and planning departments and it was he who started me at P.R. Motors so I had a huge amount of respect for him. Mr Hadland his brother was in charge of sales. When I started at P.R. I used to report to the Aldbourne site [No 1 works] in the morning then be transported to Warwick Street works [No2 works] for the day, I was then transported back to No1 works in the afternoon. We had a big van driven by an elderly driver called Ernie, a lovely man. Also a lady called Dolly Duff always came with us. Dolly lived in Adbourne Road but as they wanted her to work at No2 they agreed to transport her, this is what I remember about P.R. they were very considerate to their employees. everybody I knew all liked our Dolly. After a while I was made foreman of the stores at No2 works so spent most of my time there.

I worked at P R Motors 1963/64, I was on gear inspection, Paul Henson was my chargehand, I left to go to Morris Engines on gear inspection.

I recently put up a post re P.R. Motors asking for previous people I had worked with, however I have realised that as P.R.M. was taken over by Newage Engineers in 1966 many people may not have recognised the company of P.R. Motors. So if you did work at Newage you may wish to go to the post of P.R. Motors and read it and hopefully respond. I apologise to the moderators for putting two posts on the same subject. I am new to this but hopefully bit by bit getting used to this fantastic site.

I have in my collection of Riley books a copy of "Riley, beyond the blue diamond". There are pictures of the Benford dumper fitted with PRM hydrostatic driven wheels. It is being driven by the MD at that time, Mr Charles Kirby. This book is still available from the Riley Register.

Hi matchle55. I do in fact remember Mr Charles Kirby who was MD when I was at P.R. Motors His son Mr Tony Kirby was the works manager at the Earlsdon works [No 2 works to us, No 1 works being the Aldbourne road plant]. Tony was a very nice chap to everyone there. With all the changes that have happened to Newage since I was there I wonder what has happened to Tony. You say that there is a photo of Charles Kirby on a Benford dumper with hydrostatic driven wheels, is this one of the experimental ones, because they were still developing these when I worked there? They must have spent a small fortune on its development but it had its problems. Do you know if it went into production?

John, the pics that I have are of the dumper on pre production trials in a clay pit in Kenilworth. By all accounts it was success as firms like Aveling Barford, who made road rollers, Lansing Bagnall fork trucks and Benford's of Warwick were "clamouring to place orders" even before it went into production. The consequences of these orders were that the firm expanded into the former Coventry Precision premises in Earlsdon. Having said all that, I spent all my working life in civil engineering and plant hire and I have never seen a dumper so equipped. The pics of the dumper were accredited to the Coventry Telegraph, approximate 1964, whether you can view them there I do not know.

Hi I used to work at PR Motors/Newage from 1968 until 1975. I worked mainly at the Earlsdon plant before the new factory on Barlow road was opened. I also worked now and again at the Radford plant on Widdington Road. I worked on the inspection department as a sample patrol inspector. Derek Molding was my under foreman. He was made foreman when George Wilson left. I also knew a few of the names you mentioned. Mick Major was the man who got me the job there. He was the union rep. As a sample patrol inspector I came in contact with all the foremen there, Jack Ballinger (drilling/milling), Ken Carter (grinding), Len illsley (capstans/turning). I walked around earlsdon two years ago and was surprised to find apartments where the factory used to be.

Hi WalterB We must have been at P.R. Motors at the same time, but please forgive me your name does not ring a bell with me just yet. But time does deaden the memory somewhat and it has been 42 years since I left Coventry (goodness that seems a long time when you see it in print). You mention Mick Major the union rep, was this the man who worked on the grinding section under Ken Carter? He operated the machine next to George Gardner. And if it is the man I am thinking of he had two daughters who worked for me in the stores, one was named Maggie but I cannot recall the name of her younger sister. Just to illustrate how bad my memory has become I knew this man very, very well and probably spoke to him every day! You mention Derek Molding, he was still chargehand when I left, George Wilson was still the foreman. I used to go fishing with Derek, Roger Mills, from accounts and Charlie Fuller the carpenter from Maintenance department. It is really great to hear from someone who worked at P.R the same time as I did and would love to know who else you remember from our days there. There are many of my old friends I would like to get in touch with again so any help you can give will be much appreciated. I have not been back to Coventry for some years now but do have relatives I am in contact with, but I keep up with what is happening in Coventry by reading this Historic Coventry site, the regular contributors to this site do have a vast historic knowledge to impart and I have learnt more about the city from this forum than I ever knew.

Hi Gilly. Thanks for responding to my posting re P.R. Motors/Newage Engineers, I remember your uncle George [gardener] very well. can you please tell him that John Wright was asking after him and wishing him well. When I first started at P.R. my job was to progress and despatch spares for our gearboxes, as there were older gearboxes in the field, spare parts were still required and very often had to be made in very small quantities As most operators were on piece work they did not like having to break down and set up for the small batch quantities that my spares would be in. Your uncle George operated a centre grinding machine and it seemed that these small batches always ended up on his machine. My first request to George to do these was usually met with "no way", as was my second request, subsequent request would be met with George telling me to "go away" in an old Anglo Saxon language, but after supplying George with large quantities of toffees, boiled sweets or fruit gums, and telling him what a wonderful person he was, he would always, eventually comply with my request. A great person to work with.

Yes, Mick Major worked on the grinding department. His son Robert also worked there. I also knew George Gardner and his brother (I think his name was Ray). He worked on automatic turners department. I left England in 1977 and never kept contact with anyone except Robert Franklin. He was an inspector on the assembly department and now lives in Norway. I shall send a link to this forum (topic) and see if he is in contact with more people.