I lived on Within Grove in Huncoat from 1958 until I married in 1976. I was born in 1952 so in the early sixties I too got into building home made 'Trolleys'. I remember when they widened the bottom of Bolton Avenue into an access road for the Industrial Estate down there. My friends and I used to call it 'The New Road' and as no industry arrived for a few years it provided us with a super downhill track for racing our 'Trolleys'.
In the long summer holidays we used to have daily 'Grand Prix' events with quite strict rules about starting etc...chalk lines marked across the road for a 'pushing off' area....finishing line marked between two grates at the bottom and points awarded for finishing positions in every race and points totted up for overall winners! I suppose we were using 'Spread Sheets' of our own making long before they got that name!
There was one big problem however, which was that about four yards beyond the finish line we were required to undertake a right angle turn either to the left or right onto Whinney Hill Road and it was 50 / 50 if you got round the corner ....
a) without rolling over and skinning your hips and elbows or...
b) without buckling a couple of wheels!
We spent endless hours down there and I can remember ruining many pairs of "Tuff Shoes for Boys" as the toes were used for braking in order to get round the corners! A pair would usually last me about a fortnight!
The fastest trolley that I ever made was built up around the top of an old 'Ironing Board' and had sturdy pram wheels about 6 inches in diameter. I used to roll over sideways regularly but never buckled the wheels.
Long, sunny, happy days!
