Transportation Of Freight
When old Davie MacLennan died in 1953, his son Kenny bought over his father’s saddler’s business at 56-58 Main Street. At that time Kenny developed it into a shop selling bikes, TVs, etc, a taxi service, petrol pumps, and a garage which carried out car repairs. Meanwhile his brother Davie, who ran a carrier service, started a garage business from the same premises. Kenny later purchased lorries, which carried lime, draff, grain, etc as well as livestock to marts as far away as Thurso.
A line-up of the MacLennans fleet of lorries in McRobert Park in the 1950s. Drivers are (l to r): Joe Brown, Stewart Inglis, Alex Tewnion, Bob Thain, Billy Imlach, John Duguid, Peter Murdoch, John Emslie, Bill Thain, Donald Stevenson, James Abel, James Anderson, William Stevenson. Kenny MacLennan stands beside his limousine.
In 1960, MacLennan built new premises in North Street and the business developed into articulated lorries which operated throughout Scotland and England. In 1972 the business was sold to Charles Gray of Portsoy and continued to trade as MacLennans Transport. Thereafter the company passed to Munro Transport of Aberdeen and then in 1999 to Grampian Distribution Services, which was renamed Grampian MacLennans. The business was based at Fordoun but retained the Aberchirder depot until the company was bought and its headquarters moved to Dundee, after which the Foggie premises were demolished.
A Grampian MacLennans lorry at the depot in North Street, Aberchirder in 2006.
Corgi produced this special edition model of a Grampian MacLennans DAF XF curtainside lorry in 2006.