DAF95The history and

developmentof a Truck of

the Year

BIGHENRY!Made tomeasureheavyhauler

1952LEYLANDCOMET90Restored

CHRISTIAN’SCRACKER1967 Bedford CA

BRITAIN’S FIRSTSCAMMELL S24

NEWWORKSHOPTECHSECTION!

No.2

97Se

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Since the very earliest days of themotor vehicle there have been‘home-made’ remedies to ‘cure’ allmanner of mechanical troubles.

Some are just ‘get you home’ cures, such astipping a can of lemonade, or a bag of !our,into the timing hole in a vehicle’s bell housingto aid a slipping clutch. Some are a bit moredishonest such as putting a cloth into a backaxle casing to quieten a noisy di".

Some of these ‘cures’ can actually be quitee"ective for short periods of time, butsometimes can be taken to the extreme andcause more problems. I remember, forinstance, being called out to a very sick FordTransit. It turns out that it had a coolant leakso the driver had used the old trick of crackingan egg into the radiator. When that didn’twork he added another egg. And another.And another – until there was probably moreegg in the radiator than coolant. As it turnedout, the problem was actually a crackedengine block so I can’t really see a humble eggbeing much help.

Anyway, in addition to all these home-made cures, there are all sorts of commerciallyproduced potions etc, that claim to doeverything from stopping your enginesmoking to #xing oil leaks. I must admit that Ican’t comment on them as I’ve never usedany, but there’s one that has always intriguedme – the ‘premium’ fuels now available.Basically, they’re o$en marketed as not onlyimproving the performance of your motor,but also improve fuel economy.

I’m always suspicious of such claims, butgot the ideal opportunity to test them for

myself recently, as it was time to change theHC car. I’d had use of a 2010 Seat Leon, andwould be going over to a 2014 Kia C’eed.Being new this obviously didn’t have thecontaminates that build-up in the fuel systemover the years, so wouldn’t need to be ‘cleanedout’ before the experiment.

I started by running the car in for threemonths on ordinary Shell diesel. %is gave anaverage of 52.64mpg, and I was pleased to seethat the car’s built-in computer was veryaccurate and veri#ed this #gure. I rememberonce driving a Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia thatsaid it was doing 200mpg when in reality itwas nearer 20!

Anyway, I then #lled up three times withShell V-Power Nitro+, which certainly soundsvery impressive. And much to my surprise thempg #gure improved to 53.54! I must admitthis wasn’t a very scienti#c test. I just #lled upand drove my normal journeys whichinvolved everything from cruising down themotorway to sitting in stop-start town tra&c.By the way, the Kia has an automatic enginestop when you come to a halt at tra&c lightsetc. I’ve no doubt it can save fuel but it’s very

disconcerting to somebody whose previousown vehicles o$en haven’t been that reliable attimes! It certainly brings back memories ofhaving to push old Morris Marinas out of theway when they have ‘died’ at the lights.

It was then back on to ordinary diesel,and to con#rm things the mpg #gure droppedto roughly what it was before – 52.56mpg.And it wasn’t until then that I noticed thatthere was also a drop in engine power, so itappears the performance had improved on thepremium fuel.

So, in this case it appears you certainlydo get what you pay for. Of course, youdon’t really, as most of the cost of fuel isjust tax – but that’sanother story…

The Ford Transitwasn’t designed tobe ‘egg cooled’!

Ordinary diesel figures. A premium result.

Eggs andexpenses

STEPHEN PULLENspullen@mortons.co.uk

06 IgnitionA quick look at what’s been going on in theworld of classic commercials.

10 Readers’ lettersYour chance to share amemory, ask aquestion or put things straight.

18 Cover storyYou can’t keep a good truck down -especially if you haveMaxWard’s ability tobreathe fresh life into the battered remainsof one very special Scammell S24.

28 Off the rails – part 4Bill Aldridge concludes his look at the lorriesused by Britain’s railway companies overthe years.

32 Goods in TransitDean Reader tracks down a rare variant ofthe evergreenMK2 Ford Transit.

36 Range changerMark Gredzinski takes a look at theworking life of Seddon Atkinson’smiddleweight, the 300.

42 Big HenryIt entered service 50 years ago. ToHendrickson, it wasmodel BDF-1860-F20,another in its long line of custom-engineered one-o!s. To the guys whooperated it, it was Big Henry.

50 Berry Country ClassicThe Bedford TKwas one of themostpopular lorries throughout the 1960s and1970s. John Thomson fromAlyth inScotland owns a fine example with amilitary background.

56 Commercial call-upGeo! Fishwick continues the story ofcommercials called up formilitary service.

60 Club focusThismonthwemeet the peoplebehind REVS.

36

ContentsSEPTEMBER 2014

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62 Archive albumMore nostalgia from the superb NA3Tphotographic archive.

66 Whistle while you workOf all the engine sounds in theworldit’s the distinctive whistle of the Leyland350 Comet which brings back theearliest memories to Aberdeenshire basedStuartWalker.

72 From our archivesThismonthwe feature the ScammellTrunker II. Did you drive one?

88

76 Christian’s crackerThe skilled job of being a chimney sweep isall but forgotten these days, but they doexist with some even owning a classiccommercial vehicle.

80 Concept 95Alan Barnes tells the story of thedevelopment of DAF’s 1988 Truck of theYear – the 95.

86 On locationBob Tuck reports from BRS 66.

88 The fire wardensof Old WardenProtecting aworld famous collectionof vintage flying aircraft is no small feat.Wemeet the volunteers who coverthe task.

94 Sale of the decadePeter Love reports on the recent sale ofthe lateMichael Banfield’s collection ofclassic vehicles.

98 WorkshopRichard Lofting takes us through the basicsof thread cutting.

103 HC MarketplaceThe place to buy or sell anything relatedto classic commercials.

114 Final wordA quick look at a future restorationworkshop essential.

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INCORPORATING CLASSIC TRUCK

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SENDYOURSTORIES TO STEPHENPULLEN spullen@mortons.co.ukHeritageCommercials,MortonsHeritageMedia, POBox43,Horncastle LN96JR

Ignition

What a great selection ofcommercial vehicles there was atthe 15th Annual West Oxon Steam& Vintage Show held atDucklington by kind permission ofRichard and Jan Strainge, writesDonald Bowler.

I visited on the Sunday and itwas getting to the end of a very hotand oppressive few days, and therain had made a few parts of therally !eld so", but it didn’t causeproblems.

#e event was started by a group

who realised there was a need for alocal friendly show, and manythanks to secretary Anne Harrisand treasurer Rodney Rowlandwho invited me along to speci!callysee Rodney’s hay loaders.

#ere were 29 commercials listedin the rally programme, plus 10military and an incredible 31commercials from the LJ, TJ andET Freshwater collection. #eFreshwater vehicles are from thelighter end of the commercialvehicle spectrum. I was standing by

the ring entrance and kept seeingthe same drivers bringing yet moreof their vehicles into the ring, so atthe end of the commercials paradethere were quite a few le" in thering waiting for their drivers toreturn to move them out.

#e sole three-wheeledcommercial was the 701cc 1948Reliant Regent YZ 7531 in HobbsHouse Bakery livery, owned by JGuy of Stroud. W McMahon ofSwindon was showing hisWolverhampton registered 1951

Morris Commercial J Type VanJJW 109, which is the oldestexample of this standard steel bodyvan in the UK. #e two young ladsdriving around in a 1:3 scale MorrisVan were having a great time.

#ere were also several classicAmerican pick-ups in theFreshwater Collection, TJFreshwater’s 1946 Chevrolet StepSide with waterfall grill and his1951 Chevrolet 3100 model, plus aFord F-100.

One of the most unusual

West Oxon Steam & Vintage ShowDucklington, July20,2014.

J Guy of Stroud’s 701cc 1948 Reliant Regent.Start them o! young! Two lads having agreat time in the 1:3 scale Morris Van.

TJ Freshwater’s 1941Austin K2 Tipper,JWL 297, with a‘load’ of gravel.

R Cove’s 1943 four-wheel drive Auto CoFWD Cummins-engined Timber Tractor

September 2014 7

commercials was the 130hpCummins engined 1943 FWD, RegNo. 825 YUP, timber tractor, builtin the USA for the British Army.!e all-wheel drive is permanentwith a lockable third, centraldi"erential in the transfer case tostop wind-up in the driveline whenoperating on good going. Ownedby R Cove of Brockworth, it hasbeen used since demob as ashowman’s, circus and timberhauling vehicle.

!e letters FWD can causeconfusion, as many four-wheeldrive commercials carried theletters FWD on their grills. FWD inthis case though was a make. !eFWD at the show was made in theUS, and it carried a plate on thefront, SU.COE, in common withmany other FWD trucks. !e COEstood for Cab Over Engine or, inBritish parlance, Forward Control.

FWD chassis were produced byFWD at its factory in Clintonville,Wisconsin, and then shipped toWilson Motor Bodies in Kitchener,Canada, to be bodied. !eCanadian operation had been setup in conjunction with DominionTruck in 1919. Later versions useda six-cylinder 8473cc WaukeshaSRKR engine.

!e FWD trucks were made by!e Four Wheel Drive Auto Co,MFRS of FWD Trucks. At sometime before 1940, FWD bought outthe Menominee Motor TruckCompany of Clintonville,Wisconsin, which itself had boughtout truck maker DF PoyerCompany of Menominee,

Michigan. FWD was founded in1909 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, asthe Badger Four-Wheel Drive AutoCompany by Otto Zachow andWilliam Besserdich.

A British subsidiary was set up atSlough in 1921. In 1926 a 70bhptruck, known as the Quad, wasproduced by FWD at Slough. !eSlough-based FWD company #ttedRoadless tracks to one of its trucksin 1927, and it was used by theRNLI for launching lifeboats andhad a winch on the back to helpwith launching and recovery.

In 1932, AEC took a controllinginterest in the British FWDcompany and began to use morestandard AEC components in theSlough-built vehicles. Todistinguish these from importedUS FWD vehicles, they weremarketed under the name Hardy.Production ceased about 1936, butAEC exploited its experience with

all-wheel drive in its Second WorldWar Matador and Marshall (6x6)vehicles. In 1958, the US company’sname was changed to FWDCorporation.

!e London Registered 1957Tin Front AEC Mammoth MajorUYP 897 in the livery of Shell Mexlooked very majestic, as did theother AEC Mammoth Major, a1954 8x4 Mk 3 Tanker JET 855 inJet Petroleum Ltd livery.

Getting back to the FreshwaterCollection vehicles, a nice touchwith several of them was the fakeloads they were ‘carrying’, visibleabove the top of the drop sides.!e 1959 Bedford J1 twin-wheelYDG 908 was showing a load ofneatly stacked bricks, while the1941 Austin K2 Tipper had a ‘load’of gravel.

I think my favourite commercialwas the 1953 7.7-litre 1953 AECMatador, supplied to the RAF, No.74 AV 30, now WSK 121, and#tted with a Foden winch andAtlas Diesel powered roadcompressor.

In the Military section, therewere four 101 Forward ControlLand Rovers and a very unusual1959 Simca Marmon thatoriginally had a 4.2-litre Ford V8and was used by the FrenchForeign Legion. It is nowconverted to diesel, and owned by JCoghlan of Shilton. G Conlon ofSwindon was showing his 1975Forward Control 101 Ambulancewhich was used in the Gulf Warand could hold four patients onstretchers, a nurse, plus of coursethe driver.

An added attraction was thelarge transport planes that came$ying over, returning fromAfghanistan to nearby RAF BrizeNorton.

!is was an excellent friendlyevent; next year’s date is July 18-19,2015. Seewww.westoxonsteam.co.uk

G Conlon of Swindon was showing his ex-Gulf War 1975 ForwardControl 101 Ambulance.

1959 Simca Marmon that originally had a 4.2 litre Ford V8 was usedby the French Foreign Legion, now converted to diesel and ownedby J Coghlan of Shilton

Vintage Lorry Funerals’Leyland Beaver took PhilPlant, Heritage Commercialsreader, on his final journey toManchester Crematorium onMonday, September 30,2013, after travelling up fromWiltshire in 7.5 hours theprevious day.Phil left Moseley Hall

Grammar School at 15 yearsold, making ambulances forLynton’s during the weekand selling ice cream forLevaggi’s, of Ashton-under-Lyme at the weekend.He gotmarried in 1977

when hewas 21 and startedas a lorry driver for Brown’sHaulage to provide for hisfamily. He thenworked for InHealth, delivering trailers withdiagnostic facilities, includingX-ray units, to locationsthroughout the UK, until lungcancer took his life when hewas only 56 years old.Phil was a great fan of

Stockport County and the‘Goal Post’ background tothe ‘Football Tribute’ wascreated specifically for Phil.The choice of the 1950Leyland Beaver was also veryrelevant, as between 1952and 1981 it had operated asa Mobile X-ray Unit.Phil is deeply missed by

his wife, Sandra, theirchildren Carl, Wayne andMichelle and his grandsonLucas, who he adored.If you want to knowmore

about the activities of the1950 Leyland Beaver thenring David Hall on 0122586534 or visitwww.vintagelorryfunerals.co.uk

PhilipPlant1956-2013

In the June 2014 issue of HCwe featured an articleentitled Maltese Lorry Safari.The text was credited toMichael Marshall butunfortunately it has come tolight that some of it wastaken from a piece featuredin Model Collector magazine.We would like to apologiseto Nigel Robertshaw, thewriter of the original article.

Correction

Ignition

8 Heritagecommercials.com

!e weekend of July 4-5, 2014,started o" with a wet Fridayevening but for the rest of theweekend it was glorious sunshine,except for a shower at Sundaylunchtime, writes Andy McCarthy,BEC committee member.

Entries for Saturday wereslightly down on last year;however, Sunday was very wellattended with the parking areaalmost full to capacity. !e autojumble area was very busy allweekend. !ere was a wideselection of vehicles on displayincluding cars, campers,commercial, military and coaches,with some very rare examplesadding interest to the weekend.

!e club stand was there sellingmerchandise, signing up newmembers and getting everybody asuntan at the same time.

!e AGM for the BedfordEnthusiasts Club was held on theSaturday a#ernoon at 4pm and

was attended by all themembers who were atthe show. All relevantmatters were discussedand the meeting ended with oneof the members giving thecommittee a vote of thanks for allthat had been achieved so far.A#er only 12 months there are165 members.

At the end of the meeting,Christine !omas, club secretary,announced that the Gri$nGathering in its present form i.e.run by the Gri$n Trust would notbe held next year. All thecommittee members could sense afeeling of disappointment.However, it was quickly decideda#er the AGM to hold acommittee meeting to see whatthey could do to organise and runa Bedford gathering next year.

!e consensus of opinion bythe committee was to hold asimilar event at the same venue.

As they were told by some of themembers that Vauxhall MotorsSports and Social Club is thespiritual home for owners andenthusiasts of Bedford vehicles, itwas felt that this is a %tting venuewhere Bedford enthusiasts canmeet and celebrate all thingsBedford.

With this in mind, thecommittee decided to hold asimilar event in 2015. It wasproposed that this would be runby the BEC as a club event formembers and guests; a bring yourvehicle weekend, no trophies, justcome along and have a greatweekend.

So please visitwww.bedfordenthusiastsclub.comor see HC for the date of the 2015BEC Gri$n Gathering.

News from the GriffinGathering 2014

I returned home from holiday tothe sad news that my friend, FrankStrange of Brigg, lorry driver,transport historian andmodeller,had died onMay 25, 2014, writesAlex Saville. Regretfully, when Iopened the letter fromMargaret,Frank’s wife, I discovered that todaywas also the day of his funeral.In recent months, Frank was ‘o!

the road’ due to injuring himselfwhenmowing the garden. Havinggot himself back on his feet, hemanaged to get around a bit withthe aid of a stick. Margaret tells methat Frank had just mowed thelawn and came in for a cup of teawhen he collapsed.Sadly, neither Margaret nor

the ambulance crewwere able tohelp Frank.Frank’s family had actually been

involved in agriculture, but Frank’slife was transport. This included aspell withmilitary vehicles in theMiddle East. He also owned hisown traction engine for a time, thisbeing a 1913Marshall.Frank the transport historian was

coy andmodest; he didn’t like totalk about the subject. Frank thelorry driver wasmuchmoreforthcoming! He was aman aftermy own heart who didn’t su!er

fools gladly. Me being aGlaswegian, I always think what Isay and say what I think, a trait notalways appreciated. Frank was alsoof that mindset. I’m going tomissour monthly exchange of letters. AsBob Tuck said tome tonight: “Whocould forget those typewrittenletters?”You’ve forgottenmore about

road transport than I’ll ever knowFrank, even after my 50 years overthe road. You shared thatinformation willingly.

We, on paper in lateryears, crossed and recrossedthe ‘Brough’ on the A66 in allweathers, as we had in reallife. You’ll be sadly missedFrank. I consider myselfprivileged that you countedme as a friend, such anhonour! As one Real LorryDriver to another, I lift myglass (Of Irn-Bru, of course!)and salute you.You were ‘A Braw Chiel’

God Bless you Frank.

FrankStrange Frank driving hisMarshall tractionengine.

September 2014 9

JUST A few thoughts followingEd Burrows’ article on 8x8s inthe March edition of HC.

No listing of 8x8s can beexhaustive for there are so many

reasons for their creation. But if we ignore themore specialist lightweight creations of GreatBritain’s engineers such as the Argocat andOctad 8x8s, there remains one other ‘volume’manufactured product – the Esarco 8x8.

Conceived by Michael Somerton-Rayner, itwas initially produced at Ludgershall,Wiltshire, as a 6x6 or 8x8 load carrier. Basedon Land Rover components this two tonnecapacity on/o! road creation showed greatpromise, capable of 60mph on road and45º o!-road gradability. It was a wheeledvehicle that could operate as a tracked vehiclecross-country, plus good on highwayperformance.

Two examples were exported to the US, a6x6 and an 8x8, both Land Rover V8 powered."e result was a licence to produce in the US,but using Dana axles and Ford power.

"e impetus for the design was the UKMinistry of Defence ATMP (All TerrainMobile Platform) for airborne forces. Here theEsarco lost out to Cheshire’s Williams FaireySupacat 6x6, mainly on initial cost.

"ere was a stillborn manufacturing licencewith municipal body builder Laird of Anglesey,and the Esarco production was ‘becalmed’.

"en the MWG Group (an international

STARLETTER

★

10 Heritagecommercials.com

Yoursay

Great eightstrading house) acquired the design andmanufacturing rights for both the 6x6 and 8x8versions. MWG was exporting Land Rovers,AWD-Bedford lorries, Massey Fergusonagricultural equipment and BSA motorcycles.Manufacture of Esarcos was to besubcontracted to Alvis, while sales andmarketing would remain with MWG.

one. "e net result was quite an amazingturning circle for a 5.37metre long vehicle –a 9# inner radius, London taxi cab style.

"e gross vehicle weight was 5500kg, andthe gross train weight 7550kg. Payload for thesteel crewcab vehicle was a nominal 2000kg,although the vehicle I operated for $ve yearsor more o#en carried 4000kg plus o!-roadand was quite happy with a loaded trailer onhighway. Road speed was 70mph, with theamazing o!-road gradability of 45º up anddown, 30º side slope – and she waseconomical.

What was H330 HPK like to operate?Tremendous! She did $ve plus years’ hardlabour with me, never broke down and wasamazing in her manoeuvrability both on ando! the road. Faults? She gave the driver suchcon$dence o!-road that o#en you would betravelling too quickly for the conditions."e ride was like a tracked machine, nothinglike a 4x4. It was so smooth and she couldcope with very so# conditions with ease, butthe view out of that big windscreen took somegetting used to, particularly as you crested asteep climb, as you would still be going up,front axle in the air as the remaining threepushed you up, until you rocked gently down.

I eventually sold her to a contractor inScotland, taking a F6 Volvo in part exchange.With hindsight I should have kept the Esarco– a wonderful British 8x8 vehicle.

Another wonderful and o#en overlookeddesign masterpiece is the Willeme-designedthe TG range. I have to correct Ed’scomments regarding the production of thesevehicles in 6x4, 8x4 and 8x8 versions. "eywere produced in some volume, the bulk byParis based Perez et Raimond (PRP) whichobtained the manufacturing licence on thedemise of Willeme in June 1970.

Eduard Willeme’s multi-axle design wasconceived back in the 1960s to competewith Berliet’s GBO and TBO range. Willemewas a Nanterre based manufacturer ofpremium speci$cation vehicles, powered byits own range of four-, six- and eight-cylinderin-line engines based on Deutz licences.Highly regarded in the French market, and inmany cases the vehicle of choice for medium-sized operators, annual production wasaround 400 units.

As the market evolved to require morepower (in 1960 the aim was to have 200hp), anagreement was signed with AEC of Southall to

John’s Escarco 8x8. Note the hydraulic steered first and fourth axles – the reason you never parkedtoo near a wall!

STEPHENPULLENspullen@mortons.co.ukHeritageCommercials,MortonsHeritageMedia, POBox43,Horncastle LN96JR

Mayer’s short sleeper TG250, with itsTG200 at the back. The load is an Alstom220 tonne turbine on a 12 line Nicolas.

“She gave the driver suchconfidence off-road thatoften you would betravelling too quicklyfor the conditions.”

"e relaunched 8x8 was four-litre Perkins4.110T powered (110hp and 261lb-# @1800rpm). Power was transmitted via anAllison three-speed autobox to heavy dutyDana axles $tted with interaxle and crossdi!erential locks via two hi/lo ratio LandRover transfer boxes. Braking was by disc onall eight wheels, which were suspended onlong travel coil springs. Axle one and fourwere hydraulically power steered, with axlefour being in the opposite direction to axle

!t 690/760 engines. "is was later extended toinclude complete vehicles (Nubian 6x6 and anErgomatic cabbed 4x2 were shown at the ParisSalon). BMC light and middleweights werealso marketed in France as Willeme.

In Britain things changed for AEC withLeyland’s involvement, and this was alsore#ected in Europe. AEC’s strong links in theBelgian, French and South American marketssevered. In France, Willeme, su$ering fromproduction costs in a recessionary market,failed – and Leyland stood by and lost out.

Perez et Raimond, which had, as the Frenchmarket concessionaire for Detroit DieselAllison, supplied Willieme with engines andtransmissions for the RD & TG ranges,obtained the manufacturing licence for theTG range of 6x4, 8x4 and 8x8 machines, withgross weight capability from 100 to 250tonnes, and eventually 250 to 1000 tonnes.

Powered by Cummins 335hp six-cylinderor Detroit V10 or V12 engines, thetransmission was by Clark autobox (myfriends at Transports Mayer, as a standardmodi!cation removed the Clark box from itsDetroit powered vehicles, substituting anEaton 12513, with rapid changes more suitedto the Detroit’s characteristics). "e rear bogiewas two 17 tonne Willeme TAB doublereduction axles, although as weights increasedthese were o%en changed to Clark triplereduction.

"e handsome tilting cab was built by Pelpelat Noyal sur Villaine in steel and GRP and wasevolved from the original Cottard designedand built Horizon Cab of the 1960s. (Cottardhaving ceased production, Willeme turned toPelpel to provide its cab.) "e cab was availableas a two-door sleeper or three-door crew andsleeper version.

"e TGs were big, sitting on 1400x24 tyres,2.84 metres wide and 8.2 metres long, but werevery manoeuvrable and well balanced, either asa !%h wheel tractor or ballast locomotive.

"e French military tested an 8x8TG250 rigid self-loading tanktransporter, !tted with Creusot-Loire

September 2014 11

For further information visit www.revell.de/en

To qualify for one of Ed’s fabulousprizes, send him a letter today

Ampiroll equipment (this vehicle still exists inpreservation) although as with the Berliet 712no orders were forthcoming.

In the 1970s the heavy haulage industry inFrance was greatly in#uenced by themodernisation of its electricity industry, bothnuclear and coastal barrage power. Aprogramme was instigated by Electricite deFrance (EDF), to ‘group’ heavy haulageoperators carrying out its work. "is saw themajor players of the Parisien region, DessirerH Zucconi, STAG (Societe des transportsautomobiles Gennevilliers) Scalex (SCAC-Bollore), Scales and Transports Mayer,working together.

Perez et Raimond supplied four TG2508x8s, with a mix of Cummins KT 18-litre450hp and Detroit V12 engines. All had Clarkautoboxes and Clark triple reduction axles.Nett weight as a ballast tractor was 55/60tonnes, with a capacity of 250 tonnes plus."e Mayer machine, Detroit powered, had theshort sleeper cab. Overall width of the TG250stood at three metres, with a length of 8.4metres. "ese 8x8s joined #eets to workalongside existing TG200 8x4s and TG150s

and 180s. "e TG2508x8s worked witheither Delattre et

Levivier 600 tonne modular trailers or Nicolas12/16 line modules.

"e TG300 8x8 was the ‘export’ version ofthe TG250. Examples were supplied to China(COSCO International Freight) and used onthe Shandong Qilu Petrochemicaldevelopment. Two went to Poland, ZTE-Randon, in 1976, and both were Detroit V1671 series powered.

Both the TG250 and TG300 were massivelyexpensive to produce, so suitors were invitedto purchase the licence to build and marketthe Willeme branded product.

Saviem investigated and was greatly excitedby the prospects. However, the Elysee Palace‘forced’ amalgamation with Berliet stoppedany progress in that direction.

"e licence actually passed to Belgium’sMOL, but production volumes were low, andTrabosa in Spain produced one vehicle whichwent to Sainart. But by the mid-1980s the TGdesign was becoming dated – yet it was thedriver for the creation of the Mercedes basedTitan 8x8.

Examples of both the TG200 8x4, andTG250 8x8 still exist in France, as is one of theChinese TG300s. A true testament to EduardWilleme’s 1960s design.

John GoodreidBrewood, Sta!ordshire

Fantastic letter John, and well deservingof this month’s prize! –Ed.

WINNER OF A REVELL MODEL KIT

A 1962 Willeme RD202H 6x4 operated by Scalex. It has an AEC 760 engine and in service was a farmore reliable vehicle than the Berliet V8 350 pushing the load at the back.

Yoursay

12 Heritagecommercials.com

FEBRUARYFEEDBACKON page 12 of the May issueof HC is a letter from a SouthWales reader – Lewis Burrell.He, like me, obviously readsthe magazine thoroughlyand with interest. Hecomments on severalcontributions in the FebHCincluding mine on the subjectof 1939 compulsoryrequisitioning of commercialvehicles for the war e!ort.I’m pleased you found it of

interest Lewis, but despitesome follow-ups, none of thequestions I asked have beenanswered, to add to mylimited knowledge of thesubject. I thought some of the‘Heritage Boys’ would clear upa few.Reference the Estonian

bus, I would like to see a copyof the photograph if thiscan be done. Please send toSteve Pullen who can eitherprint it in HC or send it to myhome. I should be able toroughly date the vehicleproviding there is su"cient‘tin-work’ left before the busbody starts.It is surprising where the

Nu"eld organisation exportedits products, but I doubtwhether Estonian would beincluded. If we’re talking theCVmodel era 1937-1950,those who could haveanswered the query are nolonger with us.You say you cannot read

Estonian Lewis; funny that,because mine is a little rusty!

Geo! FishwickStirling, Scotland

FloridafindWHILE making a delivery at asupermarket warehouse inMiami, Florida, recently, I spottedthis International Emeryville stillworking - not bad for a truckbuilt between 1957-1964!

T MendhVia email

I am writing with regard to the article !e lost years inthe February issue of HC. My father had bought a newMorris-Commercial six-tonner on May 5, 1939. Shortlya"erwards it was requisitioned and he had to drive itfrom Aspatria, Cumbria, to Catterick in NorthYorkshire. He then had to #nd his own way home. !evehicle was destroyed at Dunkirk.

By the way, I still have the invoice for the newtarpaulin bought for this lorry at a cost of £10 4s 9d(£10.50 today).

Colin BatemanAspatriaCumbria

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September 2014 13

I was in Cyprus in June this year and Ithought I’d take a few snaps of some oldBritish lorries. Most of the photos weretaken in the Troodos or Paralimni areas.Some of these vehicles are still in use whichis a massive credit to the British truckmanufacturing industry back in the 1970sand 1980s.

!ere were so many more lorriesto photograph especially in theVrysoulles area in Famagusta but I don’tthink my wife would have appreciated it!

TimWhittlesVia email

Cypruscommercials

14 Heritagecommercials.com

HAVING just enjoyed the August 2014edition of HC, I noticed you would like aresponse to your article on Scammell trucksand trailers.

My !rst up-close experience of these was asa 19-year-old in charge of the warehouse atBRS Parcels in Aberdeen. It was a di"erent(better) time then, and though I had no HGVdriving licence, I was allowed to climb into ourslave tractor, 24SC61, to couple up to a trailer,reverse into the warehouse and load up withQuaker Oats, Typhoo Tea, Creda cookers, etc.#is was in 1970, and 61 was a 1959 Austin. Itwould spit sparks from the exhaust as Iattempted to !t in as many gear changes aspossible within the length of the yard!

#e trailers we had at the time were short$ats with side raves, longer $ats with holes inthe $oor for metal cones which would connectwith the underside of Freightliner containers,short local van trailers for C&D (collectionand delivery) work – very dented andscratched and pulled by Austin FFs, ScammellScarab 6 tonnes and, if you were lucky, aBedford TK with Leyland engine.

#e photo of 24SC220 shows the cones onthe $ats while 24SC313 lets us see the state ofthe older vans. It was very dark inside as they

Yoursay

had metal roofs, and they had only a tailboardwith, if you were lucky, a length of ropehanging from the roof to help you climb intothe body. When we took these vans downWindmill Brae, the camber would allow thebody to go squint and the tailboard could notbe put up into its pins until the vehicle wasmoved to $at ground.

Later vans were a big improvement andcame with tailboard, roller door, handles,lights and a translucent glass !bre roof (seephoto of 24SC240 Austin FG). #is was anodd vehicle which came from the Glasgowdepot (17SC240) as an exchange for an AustinVA Noddy van (24SC277). It could only takeeight tons and had a four-speed gearbox.It spent a lot of time at the Inverness depot

which was under the control of Aberdeen.Later we received $at trailers with extra

width twist locks for containers, which wasbetter than the old railway BD containers,simply tied on by ropes. We lost one onUnion Street when it slid o" an icy $oor.

I used to go on night trunk runs in myspare time and on one occasion I was allowedto change over trucks at Montrose Harbourwith a Dundee Bedford. Usually we wouldpark alongside the harbour, but for somereason the Dundee trailer was sitting with itsrear to the harbour. As I reversed under it,instead of li%ing onto my unit, it ran o"towards the water. Our driver quickly pulledthe handbrake on tighter and stopped itbefore harm. Phew!

In those days we worked 7am until 7pmand the last job for drivers was to hook up totrunk vans at the loading bays and pull theminto the yard ready for the night runs. Somewere le% coupled ready to go, but some had tobe uncoupled to be picked up by Edinburghor Dundee vehicles calling in through thenight. Only once in the 10& years I workedthere did I see a trunk trailer go down on itsknees when the tractor was taken away. Wesoon li%ed it with the forkli%.

See photo for a typical night line-up in thelater days – 24SC698-702 Leyland Chie%ainsand 674 Bedford TK. #e old trailers only hadan electric cable to plug in but newer vans hadair lines as well.

Bob StroudBucksburnAberdeen

ScottishScammells

September 2014 15

Events

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September 2014 17

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Events

ASHESOUTOFTHE

You can’t keep a good truck down,especially if you haveMaxWard’s abilityto breathe fresh life into the batteredremains of one very special Scammell S24.Bob Tuck catches upwith theWardbrothers of County Durham to see and –fleetingly drive – a great old friend.

Classic restoration

Words: Bob Tuck Photography:Bob Tuck/As stated

September 2014 19

If you are born and bred as part offarming stock in the upper dales ofwestern Durham then you’ll be forgedas tough as they come. Hard gra! was

the lifestyle of the late Alan and KathleenWard so no surprise their children – brothersIan, Angus, Max and Stewart plus sistersMargaret and Christine – grew up in a similarmould. So, again, it was no surprise that whenthe Ward brothers le! their farming lifebehind, then it was the tough, gritty world ofplant hire to which they turned their hands to.

You have to be as hard as nails to live a lifewhere dirt and dust seep through every poreof your skin. So this is no sort of life whereyou can get emotionally involved withequipment that can be expected to workalmost to breaking point.

If you believe that, then how do you relatethe fact that when in January 1996 StewartWard sold o" his Scammell S24 for use on acoal site (because he thought it was too big fortheir late 1990s operation) then he keptmaking regular visits to see it at work to ensureit wasn’t being abused too much. You wouldthink that a tractor unit is just a tractor unitbut you couldn’t be further from the markwhen it comes to this very special S24.

When the Ward brothers bought KCU520X in June 1981 they bought a vehicle theyhad never seen the like of which before. Andeven though it su"ered badly in the #ve yearsor so it worked on the coal as a six-wheel

The Scammellbelieved to be the

first S24 registeredin the UK.

The three Wardbrothers – left toright - Angus,Max and Stewart.

Classic restoration

20 Heritagecommercials.com

dumper, the belief – and talent in restoration– that Max Ward held, meant it could rise outof the ashes to be as good as new. Althoughsaying that, Max had mixed thoughts when he!rst saw it on its return to County Durham:“It was in such a state,” he says, “If I’d had aburning torch in my hand, I would have cutthe thing up for scrap.” Perish the thought.

PLANT & TRANSPORTIt was in 1964 that brothers Alan and"omas Ward took the chance to go intotransport (and plant hire) when Percy Reedwas selling o# his Rookhope operation in thedales of western Durham. Ward BrothersTransport was to pass to Alan’s son Angusand while something of a modest operation,this couldn’t be said about Ward BrothersPlant Hire: “I’m sure we started withsomething like 100 machines,” recallsStewart Ward, a$er the business won earlycontracts to serve the local NCB (NationalCoal Board) operation.

At !rst, the second generation of brothersset up at a small !lling station in Trimdon tobe close to the relevant NCB sites. But in 1968,moved to the current HQ on the LittleburnIndustrial Estate at Langley Moor nearDurham City. "eir two acre brown !eldpremises were on the old slag heap ofLittleburn Colliery.

Max Ward recalls their !rst low loader asbeing a Leyland Beaver – with 4-in-line semi-trailer. A yellow S20 Foden took over thehauling duties, although the trailer isrecalled with a wry smile as being so low ito$en had to sledge itself over all sorts of humpback bridges – especially the one at the far endof Stanhope.

"e Durham Dales are a demanding area towork so no surprise when Scania began selling!rst their 110 and then their massive V8powered 140, the Ward brothers were amongthe early buyers: “With 365bhp on tap,” saysStewart, “the 140 was about twice as powerfulas anything else around at the time and we feltit was ideal for our line of work.”

In the hands of ‘fantastic’ driver LindsayDuke (a cousin of the Ward brothers) the

Scanias did all sorts of work for Wards butMax recalls it (and other tractors they triedin the 1970s) as not being strong enough:“"e Scania had plenty power,” he says,“but we would wind the di#s out of it.”Strangely, the big Scania was to end itsdays a$er being literally washed away whilefording a river. I told you the Ward familygra$ed hard.

A 6x2 Volvo F88 (LKD 370R) came as areplacement and although it had Volvo’sstrange ‘double drive’ option, Stewart recallsone weekend transplanting the back end of aproper double-drive 1960s Leyland Octopus –bought from Stevens of Great Ayton – to giveit far better traction.

"e subsequent search for somethingstronger took Max on to the Scammell standat the Commercial Vehicle Show in 1980. Andwith Scammell yet to introduce its %at frontedS26, Max decided to order a bonneted S24which itself was something of a bold venturebeing a brand new model. But the proof of thepudding is that, teething di&culties with theelectrics apart, this S24 proved to be one heckof a servant for the brothers Ward. Youbetcha.

The Scammell when new. Note how the striping design on the sleeper pod has been kept to this day.PHOTO COURTESY WARD BROS.

The Scammell with the box van it took to Spain for a heavy metal music video. The figure in shot isTony Ayre. PHOTO COURTESY WARD BROS.

SpecificationMake / Model: Scammell S24

CT40C35F47TNROChassis No: SBL CT40C 3574005Year: Completed new on

19.6.81Registration: KCU 520XEngine: Cummins 14-litre NTE

350 (up-rated to400bhp)

Gearbox: Fuller 15-speed (fivegears in deep reduction)

Gross train weight: 120 tonnesTop speed: 68-70mphFuel return: 3.5-5mpgPrice when new: £49,000 (approx)

DRIVEN BY RED"e records of Scammell archivist GeorgeBaker reveals that Ward’s S24 was soldthrough Hargreaves’ Gateshead operationhaving Scammell sales order no. 40025. "evehicle was completed on 19.6.81 and hisrecords say that it was delivered on 29.6.81. Atthat time, it was believed to be the !rst S24 tobe registered in the UK.

What those records don’t show was that itwas Max Ward – and his father Alan – whocollected the vehicle new from the ScammellWatford factory. “I didn’t want a deliverydriver to %og the pluck out of it,” says Maxas to why he was insistent on travelling downto London to collect it. His father Alan justcame along for the ride but he too wasexcited about the trip and Max recalls how earlyhe was to make sure they didn’t miss their train.

From King’s Cross to the Watford factorywas a taxi ride and then followed anuneventful trip back north to Durham at thewheel of this head turning vision. A fadedphotograph of the brand new S24 shows thatthe sleeper pod (built by Able-Body of Joplin,Missouri) had a green and blue stripe acrossit. When later painted in Ward’s stunning

September 2014 21

colours, the lines of this stripe weresubsequently retained.

!e driveline to the S24 was a Cummins14-litre engine originally rated for 350bhpdriving a manual 15-speed (with deepreduction) Fuller gearbox. !e spread of theratios allowed the tractor to be rated byScammell for operation up to 120 tonnesgross train weight, while having the capabilityof a phenomenal top speed: “I drove it downcountry once,” recalls Stewart, “and "at to theboards I’m sure it got up to 68-70mph before Ifelt that was quick enough.”

Regular driver of the big Scammell was tobe Tony Ayre – or ‘Red’ as he was normallycalled. Together, the combination did all sortsof work and got to all sorts of places includinga trip to Spain during 1985 to appear in aheavy metal music video.

At the start of the 1980s, UK based ScammellS24s were something of a rarity so once seenthe Ward’s 6x4 was never really forgotten. Firstto call on the brothers was Pat Kennett fromTruck magazine and the feature there includeda stunning centre spread image. Castrol Oil wasso taken with this shot, it added its name to asubsequent poster of this same view – much tothe annoyance of Max: “We should have suedCastrol,” he mutters, “as we have never used

The Scammell replaced the likes of this Scania. The big Swede had plenty of power but just wasn’tstrong enough. PHOTO COURTESY WARD BROS.

The lorry being usedas a dumper at a coalsite near Cannock.PHOTO COURTESYWARD BROS.

The Scammell sometimes ranfitted with a temporary ballast

box, as here moving a hugecrusher. PHOTO COURTESY

WARD BROS.

Climb aboarda legend!

Classic restoration

the oil – we’ve always used Shell.”Also taken with the Ward S24 appearance

was the agent of the heavy metal band Saxon.!ey were planning a special video to go withthe track Back on the Streets, so Tony andthe Scammell were booked for a fortnight’s"lm ‘work’ in Spain when strangely the 120tonner was coupled up to a single axle, boxvan semi-trailer.

Although normally used to carry all mannerof Ward’s own plant around, the S24 was alsoused for third party heavy haulage. Heaviestloads Stewart can recall is some 80 tonne

in the opposite direction up So#ly bank toNewlandside quarry, is probably even worse.While even coming down hill (thanks to theCummins’ Jacobs engine brake) was done in atotally surefooted style.

!e Scammell took such awesome climbsand descents in its stride but its main claim tofame is being the "rst low loader to get intoone quarry (unassisted) on the top of thePennines: “!ere’s a place called Knock nearAppleby,” the brothers tell us. “It’s so hard thatmachines had to go there in bits but the S24was to be the "rst big low loader to reach thereunassisted. It could do anything we asked.”

CARRYING COALIt’s over 18 years ago but Max and Stewart stillargue the pros and cons of them selling theS24 to Pat Hudson in January 1996 to workon a coal dump in the West Midlands. Justlike Econofreight found when it took over thebig Scammells from the Wynns / Sunteroperation (Heritage Commercials April 2014issue) when in January 1988, the STGOlegislators insisted on a maximum of 16.5tonne axle loadings, the S24 was unable toload to its 20 tonnes capacity.

!ird party heavy haulage was going quietand there wasn’t the big plant to be moved.!e Ward Brothers were to buy an ex-Pickfords 6x2 Volvo F12 80 tonner – C58

Stewart gives the S24 a wash o!. It willsoon be back at work – where it belongs.

lumps moved from Tyneside, so all upweight was probably close to its 120 tonnesrating. Did it manage okay we ask? !e twobrothers splutter with indignation that sucha stupid question could be posed: “Of courseit did,” they seem to chorus together.

!e S24 did run at odd times with atemporary ballast box on its back butgenerally speaking it had two di$erent semi-trailers to use. Having the sleeper pod didlimit the choice of trailer although a tri-axleTransquip proved a solid work horse. Whenit came to manoeuvrability, then a tandem

axle King withsteerable rear bogieproved a godsend.

Although ‘Red’and his Scammellgot all over thecountry, the mosttesting terrain wasin their own backyard. !ose of youwho know thepicturesquesettlement ofStanhope inWeardale will knowthe testing climb ofCrawleyside. But tothe locals, heading

This is the centrespread of Truck magazine’s November 1982 issue.Castrol subsequently sponsored a poster of it, and it didn’t go downwell with the Wards.

September 2014 23

CVU – for their low loader work and inAugust 1994, the Scammell was parked up inthe garage being almost redundant.

While Max has always loved this big lumpof metal, his younger brother looked at thesituation through di!erent eyes. Both agreethat when it le" Durham, it was in tip-toporder having taken everything – and everyload it was asked to move – in its stride.Although it’s done something like a millionmiles, the original Cummins engine (whichhad been tweaked to produce about 400bhp)was running perfectly well. And things like thechassis and springs looked just like new. Andunlike those early Scanias of old, the S24’s rearaxles were again in perfect order.

Being converted to a six-wheel rigiddumper was a job it could take in its stride:“Pat Hudson knew we had an S24,” saysStewart – well everybody did, “and because hewas looking for motors like this, he gave mean o!er which I felt I couldn’t refuse.”

Once the deal was done, the Scammellheaded south to work at a site near Cannock.#e sleeper pod was taken o! by Wards and inhis heart Stewart knew the wagon wouldeventually come back to Durham. Whatcondition it might be then was another matterbut from the day it le", Max would forever jibehis younger brother about selling it on. Evennow, with the motor back to pristine condition,big Max still won’t let that decision go.

In fairness, Stewart tried to keep an eye onthe Scammell. Every time he found himselfheading that way, he’d call to see what the scorewas. It was a private site but if you were in the

know, you were allowed to see the action.Yours truly got such an invite to write a

feature which was published in Truckmagazine March 2000. In truth it was heart-breaking to see what had been such a head-turning power house, bruised and batteredand $lthy – but of course, still working hard.But little did I guess that the next time I saw it– in early 2014 – it would be restored topristine condition.

MAX WORKS HIS MAGIC#e coal moving job was a $xed term andonce the contract ended, Pat Hudson was tosell the S24 back to Stewart in April 2000: “Ialways told him I wanted $rst refusal of it,”recalls Stewart, “and he was good enough toremember that.”

#e deal was done quietly and the S24brought back to Durham without manyknowing about it: “At $rst, I didn’t tell Max,”says his younger brother. “I put it into thebottom shed and told him one day that heshould have a look in.” To say that Max wasgobsmacked is no exaggeration and while hedidn’t know whether to laugh or cry, we’re allpleased he didn’t have a cutting torch to hand.

In his 65 years of life, Max has restoredall sorts of plant into immaculate workingorder so doing up the Scammell was notgoing to be a problem to someone with somuch ability and passion. Although he didmost of the long term job himself, Max wantsto record the help of the very gi"ed welderColin Graham.

Virtually every bit of the S24 needed work

on it: “I don’t think it had seen a grease gunfrom the day it le" here,” Max explains. #eoriginal Cummins engine was fully strippeddown and rebuilt. A replacement cross-member was needed and to supply this (andother parts) Max acquired a LeylandLandtrain that had been used by theNorthumberland haulier of T James. Certainpanels of the cab needed a lot of work but thepassenger door had to be replaced entirely.

Max had no inclination to rush the job andthe $nal livery was applied in May 2011. Sincethen it’s had a few brief outings but of courseit isn’t quite $nished yet. A tractor unit – evena stunning one like the S24 – is no goodwithout a suitable semi-trailer and Stewartintends to sort out one of the two that it usedto haul during the 1980s and 1990s.

#e plan is that once the two parts of thelow loader are reunited, the Scammell will ofcourse go back to work hauling WardBrothers’ plant around. You might think themotor has done enough but right at theoutset, we did tell you that hard gra" is partand parcel of the lifestyle of this Ward family.And as both Max and Stewart will testify, theS24 is more than capable of moving a fewmore loads. It might be more than 33-years-old, but when Scammell built you a 120tonnes gross tractor, it built it with such a longlife expectancy. #e Scammell plant may haveclosed in 1988 but that doesn’t mean themany examples of its hardware still aroundcan’t keep gra"ing.

Ticking over nicely at around 800rpm. The sleeper pod was fitted from new, and was built by Able-Body of Joplin, Missouri, US.

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RAILSpartfour

Off the

Britain’s railways have always beenmassive users of road vehicles. In this seriesBillAldridge takes a look at this important part of the UK’s transport industry.

Words: Bill AldridgePhotography:Bill Aldridge collection/As statedTransport heritage

1

1: Perhaps the final fling of the railways’ owncontainer system was the ‘Speedfreight’service of the 1960s, whereby guaranteeddeliveries could be o!ered on certain routes.The service used a mix of new 20ft and 30ftcontainers as well as some refurbished B-type containers as seen here with a Leyland‘Power Plus’ Beaver tractor unit, completewith a ‘Four-in-line’ trailer.

2: Readers of a certain age will be amused tonote that the cartons being loadedcontained Horlicks. The lorry is a BritishRailways Western region Thornycroft Nippytractor unit with a Swindon-designed ‘SafetyCab’. One example of this model issafely preserved.

3: Marylebone Goods depot inLondon is the setting for thisdemonstration of loading a B-type container on to an AustinLoadstar articulated tractorand trailer. The crane is adiesel-electric Pagefield,built by Walkers in Wigan.

4: British Railways introduced the‘Speedfreight’ container service on certainroutes during the 1960s, using a mix of new20ft and 30ft containers along with someolder models. Here a 20ft alloy container isbeing loaded at Viners Cutlery in She"eldready for collection by a British Railways’articulated tractor.

5: This unusual-looking Leyland Beaver waspurchased by British Railways EasternRegion for a timber-hauling contract. TheBeaver acted as a drawbar tractor and had acentrally mounted winch. Interestingly thisvehicle finished its days as a breakdown lorryand was saved for preservation.PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY PETER LOVE.

2

4

5

3

Transport heritage

Between the two world wars, railwaycompanies were able to innovate ando!er competitive services against theroad haulier, but as roads and

commercial vehicles improved goods tra"c le#the railways.

Fortuitously the railway companies did notreduce their carrying capacity during thisperiod, so that when the country was facedwith war in 1939, the railways were able to copewith increased volumes of tra"c. However, thiswas at the expense of increased wear and tear,with locomotives and rolling stock workingwell past their prime.

With only essential maintenance work beingcarried out during the war, the maintenancebacklog increased even further. $e railwaycompanies emerged from the war in a weakstate having never been recompensed for thefrightening increase in costs during the warwhen the railway companies were forced by theGovernment to keep their charges at pre-warlevels. A#er the war, it was clear that the rail

network could not be maintained in the privatesector. According to a calculation by theCentral Statistical O"ce during the period1938–1953 the railways su!ered a netdisinvestment of £440 million (possibly around£14 billion today).

Once the railway companies werenationalised and operated as British Railwaysthey were placed under the dead hand of theTreasury and the British TransportCommission, whose main task was apparentlyto integrate road and rail services to the bestadvantage. Despite money being thrown at therailways under the 1950s modernisationscheme, they always seemed to be on the ‘backfoot’ against road competition. $is is despite acomment dating from 1950 when an o"cial(possibly aware of the fact that the railwaysapparently carried 55% of all consumerproducts) stated categorically: ‘... competitionfrom road hauliers is substantially under

control, due to hauliers having to provide proofof need (of additional licences)’. Unfortunatelythis did not prove the case, the growth of ‘C’licensed own account %eets and the 17-dayASLEF railway drivers’ strike in 1955 drovemuch freight (and indeed passenger) tra"cpermanently away from the railways.

NEW IDEASVarious attempts were made by thenationalised British Railways to either retain,or to tempt lost customers to return to thegoods delivery service. One such was the‘Roadrailer’. Based on an Americanoperation it was in essence a van trailer withboth road and rail wheels which could travelon the road coupled to an articulated tractor,or use the rail wheels to connect with otheridentical vans to make up a full train. $emain drawback with the design was the highunladen weight compared with the grossweight available, though this was not

10

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10: Steelwork for the new Aberthaw ‘B’ power station in Wales is being loaded on to this articulated BMC501 series tractor at Llantwit Major station goods yard. PHOTO COURTESY OF MR S VICKERY.

insurmountable. To !t under the trailer bodyand pivot when required to lower the railwheels, the road wheels were only alightweight six-stud version, probably !ttedwith 8.25 x 16 tyres which further reducedthe potential payload.

Some operational problems arose withstability of the Roadrailer train at speed, butagain this problem could have beenovercome with engineering expertise.Unfortunately, the main stumbling blockappeared to be the attitude of the rail unionswho refused to allow road hauliers to collectthe trailers from railway-owned premises. Itis interesting to observe that the publicityphotographs for the system showed a BritishRoad Services lorry appearing to haul thetrailers, although BRS was a fellownationalised company; the drivers belongedto a di"erent union. In fact, furtherdevelopment of the Roadrailer concept waspre-empted by the forthcoming ISO

container revolution. #e railways did retaincertain tra$c that originated from rail-connected factories and could easily behandled through the remaining goodsdepots, but eventually most of this worksuccumbed to the road haulier.

Where there were regular %ows of suitabletra$c British Railways was in the forefront ofpromoting next-day delivery services. A primeexample was the collection of steel bar andsheet in the North East of England, whichwould be moved overnight to depots in theWest Midlands and delivered the followingmorning by railway-owned lorries. A similarservice was o"ered for Irish meat to bedelivered into London for sale the next day.

During British Railways days, an interestingconcept vehicle was built called the Bulkrane.Based on a Foden eight-wheel S21 chassis, theunit was essentially a skip loader with anumber of extra items to make it into a multi-purpose and very %exible vehicle. #e skip-loading mechanism had extending arms !ttedwith winch cables, which could enable open-top containers !lled with building materials tobe li&ed into di$cult access areas.

#e skip loader could also carry two largebulk containers each weighing 6' tons. #esecould be emptied by tipping using the skiparms or, if the containers were suitable, theycould be pressurised for unloading using ablower/exhauster that was !tted to the lorry. Itwas a nice concept but the weight of theequipment and the containers reduced thetotal carrying capacity of the lorry. #e new

9: With Latil tractors no longer in production, theEastern Region of British Railways purchased asmall number of Douglas Tugmaster tractors forsome of the more di!cult drawbar tractor tasks, in1961. Like the Latils, the Douglas tractors featuredfour-wheel drive and four-wheel steering.PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF COLIN GREEN.

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11: Despite the long-term run down of the railway-operated goods cartage operation, much heavy freight wascarried throughout the 1960s. At the construction site for the new Aberthaw ‘B’ power station in South Wales, along load of steel girders is carried by this Bedford TK articulated tractor. PHOTO COURTESY OF MR S VICKERY.

6: British Railways had introduced a largefleet of ‘Presflo’ bulk cement rail wagonsduring the 1950s and 1960s. BR hadoriginally relied on the cementmanufacturing companies to supply bulkroad tankers to deliver the cement to theuser from the rail wagon’s destination. From1958, British Railways, North EasternRegion, supplied its own bulk tankers for thedeliveries such as this BMC FF unit.

7: In 1960 BR (Eastern Region) purchasedreplacements for some the older Crossleydrawbar tractors in the form of a small batchof 10-ton rated Bedford SA tractors. Thesewere converted into drawbar units with

ballast weights for use with some of themore di!cult loads. PHOTOGRAPHCOURTESY OF COLIN GREEN.

8: The British Railways’ ‘Bulkrane’ projectmade use of a Foden S21 cabbed eight-wheel chassis fitted with a modifiedMarrel skip loader. Included amongthe modifications were winch cables,enabling the lorry to deliver open-topcontainers loaded with buildingmaterials to first-floor level.Unfortunately, it proved di!cult to use incomparison with hydraulic lorry cranes andthe high unladen weight precluded aprofitable payload.

breed of lorry-mounted hydraulic cranescould equal the Bulkrane in li!ing ability,however, not to be beaten, it seems thatBritish Railways later removed the body fromthe Foden and trialled it with a 3000-gallondemountable road/rail fuel tank.

THE BEECHING REPORT"e Government-inspired Beeching report onthe ‘Reshaping of British Railways’, publishedin 1963 made it obvious that the freightbusiness in general was losing vast amounts ofmoney.

Back in 1961 general merchandise involume, including wagon load freight andsundries, totalled 38.2 million tons butproduced losses of more than £75 million. "eimmediate e#ect of the reshaping report wasthe closure of many seriously loss-makingfreight facilities, followed by a rise in freightrates for unpro$table tra%c. "e sundriessituation prompted the eventual establishmentof National Carriers as a road-based sundriesoperation. "e coal-delivery business was alsorationalised by British Railways a!er thereport was actioned. Whereas in 1960 some5000 station sidings were open for coal tra%cwith most losing money, the new plans were

for just 250 ‘Coal Concentration Centres’ tobe built. "ese would mechanise the coalhandling and dramatically reduce costs.Railway road vehicles using articulated hoppertrailers were to be used for deliveries to thelarger customers.

"e Reshaping report had emphasised thepossibility of ‘liner trains’ taking much of theexisting tra%c and this proved correct as themove to the use of standard ISO containers ledto the pro$table operation of container trains(later Freightliner) and bulk train loads.

Later government emphasis on roadbuilding and further railway strikes caused afurther haemorrhage of tra%c from the railnetwork.

"e Express Parcels operation remainedrail-based until closure in the early 1980s. "esundries, or smalls, operation became theresponsibility of National Carriers Ltd andcontinued to reduce depot numbers.

Unfortunately, while these changes weretaking place, further tra%c was lost to roadcompetition a!er serious delays in transit ofmerchandise. British Railways did introducethe ‘Speedlink’ service during the 1980s in anattempt to update the remaining wagonloadtra%c network, but the complexity of routes

rendered it unpro$table. By the end of thedecade Speedlink had combined with theFreightliner container operation to trade asRailfreight Distribution. "ere is still a(ghostlike) railway involvement in theoperation of modern articulated containerlorries carrying the Freightliner logo, movingrail-borne containers, but privately owned.

With the establishment of the NationalFreight Corporation, some of the remainingwagon load goods tra%c was passed to the‘Freight Special’ service. "is service wasplanned to revive the movement of goods byrail and made use of higher weight andcapacity rail wagons and road vehicles tohandle larger items, though this service didnot come up to expectations.

Railway goods services were once absolutelyvital to the economic growth of the nation,o#ering a goods delivery service to thefurthest corners of Britain. "e railway systemalso helped Britain win the First World War,but the railway companies were le!impoverished a!erwards. "e sale of ex-military lorries to men who had learned todrive during the war suddenly threatened thewhole railway goods undertaking, with newhauliers able to undercut the railway charges.

Transport heritage

13 14

15

12

!e 1930s are recognised as a time whenthe railways updated and improved theirservices, concurrent with the Governmentspending millions on road improvements.During the late 1930s the railway companieswere arguing for a ‘Square Deal’ to make theroad versus rail competition work from a levelplaying "eld. !eir complaint was that whilethe railways had to pay for their entireinfrastructure, the roads were almost free tothe road hauliers. Despite pressure from therailways, nothing was done, then during theSecond World War the railways wereexpected to transport materiel used in the ware#ort. Unfortunately postwar governmentsrefused to allow the railways a rate increase

despite an enormous rise in costs. !en camepostwar austerity, nationalisation,modernisation and Beeching.

It is a credit to the railway sta# that therailways continued to operate. !e eventualdisengagement of the railways, "rstly fromwagon load tra$c, then from the sundriesoperation meant that the railway couldconcentrate on full load trains of bulkproducts, company and container trains. Withthe advent of computer-control systemswagon load tra$c can again be accepted, withoutside road hauliers helping to deliver thegoods. !e goods-carrying railway networkremains vital to the British economy, o#eringvalue for money while reducing road gridlock.

17

17: The Great Western Railway and British Railways Western Region bought many numbers of Fodendrawbar tractors for heavy-duty work and some have been preserved, including this one, whichfinished its railway days at National Carriers Park Royal depot as a breakdown and recovery wagon.

12: Included among the modifications usedon the BR ‘Bulkrane’ project was a PTO-drivenblower to pressurise suitable bulk containers.

13: The Roadrailer was a bold concept too!er simple road/rail transfer. A single-axleroad trailer van body was fitted with an extrapair of rail wheels and could couple toidentical trailers to form a full train. The ideacame from an American source, but thegauge restrictions on the UK’s rail networkreduced the vehicle size and potentialpayload. In early operations the fleet of vanswas found to be less flexible than plannedand stability problems were found on the railjourney. These problems, among others,could have been solved, but the forthcomingISO standard container was eventually thesaviour of road/rail movements.

14: As the British Railways goods handlingoperation altered to take account of newinnovations in the market place, BR was ableto o!er the supply of ‘Tote Bins’ to carrypowders in bulk, with the bins beingtransferrable between road and rail.

15: To improve the containerisationoperation, British Railways introduced thesecontainers for the bulk movement of starchbetween Glasgow and Birmingham. Used inconjunction with an Albion Reiver tipper atthe destination, the theory was sound andalthough the overall payload was quite low,the scheme was a precursor to the ISOstandard bulk container. It is a nicephotograph, spoilt by the unnecessarybending of the rear rubber mud wing!PHOTO COURTESY OF MR RN HANNAY.

16: This new Seddon 30.4 tractorunit was destined to haulFreightliner container trailers.

16

W ithin the light commercialscene, there is a whole lot moreto things than simple panelvans and pick-ups. On the one

hand you have companies which can buildspecialist bodies to order that the factories donot o!er. On the other there are those whichspecialise in kitting out vans for a wholemanner of uses from simple crew-buses withseats – padded or wooden slats – through tothose designed with mobile butchers, grocersetc. in mind; but all the time retaining thestandard bodywork. "is can open up a wholenew fascinating world that largely goesuntapped, certainly by the classic rags.

When I see a newly restoredcommercial that is fresh out on thescene, I just have to have a

closer look, much like I did with JonMcGuigan from Havant in Hampshirewhen he turned up in his ‘ambulance’at a recent show.

What I particularly liked was thefact that this 1984 example of Ford’sworld-conquering Transit bucksthe trend of what an emergencyvehicle should look like i.e.coachbuilt rear bodywork. "is wasall the more apparent when I askedto see inside the rear, Jon telling me:“"ere is nothing special inside. Itwas never an ambulance to beginwith and in fact it wasn’t even in theemergency services.”

I was now curious becauseon initial appearances I didnot notice the small pod onthe roof which is the exit forthe telescopic pole. By now Iwas quite excited as I lovegadgets and mechanical things,especially when they form avital part of the particular usageof the featured commercial.Give me a cherry picker and I

am smitten.

I asked Jon about the origins of the Transitand he told me: “As far as I know, it startedlife with the RA along with six others, all in apale blue colour and with a fully extendingpole and kitted out with all the seats, cabinetsand radio surveillance equipment. Whoinstalled all this I have no idea. I believe thatthis is the only one from that batch survivingbut if anyone has any information or evenpictures I would love to hear.”

PIRATE RADIO TRANSMISSIONSBeing totally ignorant, I asked what the RAwas: “"at is the RadiocommunicationsAgency. "ey are the guys and girls whoprotect and monitor the airwaves throughoutthe UK.” I made a mental note to investigatethis when I got home and found out a wholenew fascinating world if TV and radio historyis your thing.

Along with the Broadcasting StandardsCommission (BSC), the IndependentTelevision Commission (ITC), O#el and theRadio Authority, the RA, sometimes called theRCA, now forms Ofcom, the o$ce ofcommunication. Right back to the days ofthe pirate radio ships that used to

Van-based ambulanceslike this Ford Transit arenot a common sight onthe show scene, soDeanReaderwas pleased tosee one at a recent show...but soon found out all wasnotwhat it seemed.Words&Photography:Dean Reader

Classic lightweight

patient

The van’s first job washunting down pirateradio stations etc.for the RadioAuthority.

toPirate

September 2014 33

play their own thing moored o!shore,radio misdemeanours have beencommonplace, much like with the TVlicence scenario.

On its website it says: “"e use of radiois carefully planned to give as high astandard of service as possible. Unauthoriseduse of radio can cause harmful interferenceto legitimate users. Safety of life may be put atrisk if, for example, the radios used byemergency services su!er interference."e successful running of a business canalso be a!ected and listeners can beprevented from enjoying their favourite radiostation by interference.

“"is is why the agency takes action toprevent interference and why the penaltiesthat may be imposed for unlawful use of radiocan be heavy. "e majority of prosecutions arebrought against users of illegal or unlicensedCitizens’ Band radio and pirate radiobroadcasters where, in many cases, the poorquality of the equipment used gives rise tointerference to other radio users.”

SCRAP OR RESTOREJon explains that he works in the St JohnAmbulance Service and he remembers the vanwhen his division brought it in 1994.

Naturally much of the interior had beenstripped of the RA equipment but the vanwas perfect to serve as a radio control unitfor any major incidents that may occur andJon got quite attached to it. "e van wasgiven the new white livery and the lightsadded to suit its new role and stayed for about15 years, which is surprising considering theage of it! It would probably still be there if itwas not for the gearbox going pop and thatwas what led to the decision to scrap it.

However, like in a good storybook, therewas light at the end of the tunnel and Jon

asked if he could purchase it and use it forshows; ambulance preservation was a bigthing for him. It was agreed but he wouldhave to shi# it within 48 hours to make roomin the garage for a newer model as its arrivalwas imminent.

Using his various contacts, Jon managedto track a new box down which was a tadeasier being a four-speed version which matedto the two litre Pinto powering the van –strange considering the weight the van wouldbe hauling.

With this all $tted, Jon was chu!ed that thisold girl was back on the road despite themissing equipment which now included therear heater, air compressor and pump."ankfully he managed to get hold of theparts required and this enabled the mostinteresting part of the van to be used fordisplay purposes.

"e telescopic boom takes a while to extendand we could hear slight leaking of air so itwas not at its best. He assured me it is quickeras we waited, and waited – and we had tomanually lower it – but the performance wasworth it I am pleased to say. Originally thiswould have had the variety of aerials andother tracking equipment attached, the clampsstill all present.

“There is no doubtthat the Mk.2 Transit,first appearing in March1978, still seems to bethe underdog when it

comes to thepreservation scene.”

Owner Jon McGuigan works as a paramedic and rescued the Transit fromthe scrapman after its gearbox expired.

Unfortunately a lot of the Radio Authority equipment has been removed over the years.

The first Mk.2 Transits appeared in 1978 but are still a rare sightin preservation.

Classic lightweight

34 Heritagecommercials.com

I noted the lack of any sort of stabiliser barsthat could be slid from the vehicle, as I wouldhave thought it would still have been topheavy in high wind, although mydisappointment vanished when the side doorwas opened and the step pivoted out fromunderneath; what did I say about gimmicks?

IN TRANSITI asked Jon about how it drove with this extraweight and he relayed his personal experience:“!ere is not much di"erence in weightwhether it has got a pole and cabinets likemine or is loaded up to the gunnels withstereo equipment like a pop band may carry.”

He continues: “It drives like a normal vanwould really although the gearing is not ideal,but I have had it up to 60-70mph in fourth andit doesn’t sound or feel like it is struggling.”

Jon also added that he has had to donothing except the normal servicing that aclassic needs and the engine has only done34,500 miles anyway, which is nothing forthese legends of the road.

Several years ago, the decision was made tofreshen the van up a little. !e bodywork,while just starting to bear the merest hint ofbattle-scars, was of such a condition that Jondeemed it did not need any rust remedies ormajor panel work and so it was simplyresprayed and the original St John liveryreplicated with new.

While his main job in the profession is thatof a paramedic, he does do many showspromoting the Hampshire & IOW AirAmbulance and tows the cockpit of ahelicopter, allowing visitors the chance tosit inside for a donation. Sadly, that meansthe Transit does not get as much use as itshould, which is a shame as it really is ahead-turner when in full use; it is justsomething so di"erent.

A point worthy of mention is the fact it hasthe single rear wheel axle, a rare optionapparently on a LWB model; and hence whythere is a #at arch on the rear instead of thebulky standard example.

BRIEF HISTORY!ere is no doubt that the Mk.2 Transit, $rstappearing in March 1978, still seems to be theunderdog when it comes to the preservationscene. !e Mk.1 is still the preferred choicefor restorers and that’s why you see such highprices being demanded for both pristine androtten examples.

Yes, there is a loyal following with the matt-blacked Mk.2 and an increasing interest in the‘modern classic’ Mk.3 models, but you rarelysee them at shows, or even events devoted tosteam, agriculture and commercials.

!ey were boldly di"erent but current tothe time when they appeared, sporting newersquared-o" front ends, matt black trimmingeverywhere designed to be low maintenancefor the driver (what’s wrong with polishingchrome?) and larger indicators now able to beseen from front and the side. Engines weremore fuel e%cient 1.6 and 2.0 petrol lumpswith a 2.4 diesel on o"er too, with no changeto the grille area, unlike the Mk.1.

Of course, other changes happenedthroughout their lifespan, but notable items

were during 1979 when Ford introduced itsCathodic Anti-Corrosion Programme, whichhas probably helped many survive today, andbetter heaters were also added.

!e year 1985 saw the two-millionthTransit roll o" the production line, this beinga LWB Minibus and being presented toconservationist and presenter David Bellamy,a star seldom seen today. !is year also sawthe next generation of Supervan appear,logically named Supervan II. !is time thepower plant was a DFV Cosworth V8 whichhappily hit 174mph but still retained theTransit image.

!e range stopped in favour of the moreaerodynamic and eco-friendly Mk.3, thissharing the same Ford corporate ‘look’ as theEscort, Sierra and Granada. And surely it isonly a matter of time before HeritageCommercials brings you a feature on one ofthese new kids on the block. Now, where ismy old CB unit...?

My thanks go to Jon for his time with thisfeature.

The familiar Ford interior layout.

The van went intoservice with St JohnAmbulance in 1994 as anincident control vehicle.

Unusually for a long wheelbasevan, the rear axle is only on singles.

September 2014 35

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36 Heritagecommercials.com

Quest Petroleum Ltd ran this Seddon Atkinson 300 tanker out of itsTelford depot. It was captured at speed in March 1988 by SpaghettiJunction in Birmingham while I was on my morning break workingin a factory.

Based in Lye near Stourbridge in the Black Country, Dobel Coated Steels isstill in operation making a range of pre-coated steel products for industry.Its 300 series tractor was photographed coming over a curved flyover atjunction 7 of the M6 in 1990.

Midland Earthmoving has its base inDudley. At one time it had an AECMatador wrecker and when this picturewas taken in August 1988 there were acouple of Atkinson Borderers on thebooks in the same grey and yellow livery.

Transport heritage Words&Photography:Mark Gredzinski

September 2014 37

With the amalgamation of theSeddon and Atkinson truckmaking concerns with the new400 series model in 1975, the

manufacturer quickly established itself in theheavy commercial sector. Later in 1976,Seddon Atkinson Ltd bought out the smaller200 series 16-ton lorries using a lowermounted cab derived from its bigger brotherand both became successful products.

However, there was a gap in the rangewhich needed to be plugged to takeadvantage of the lucrative six-wheel 24 tonrigid sector. !is was addressed in October1978 at the International Motor Show wherethe 300 series made its debut. !e new 300series, which was built at the old Seddonworks in Oldham, incorporated basicallythe same Motor Panels of Coventry derivedcab as the 400 series, but was mounted loweron the chassis.

HARVESTING THE POWERIn late 1970 when Seddon had boughtAtkinson, the two manufacturers initiallycarried on with their respective productranges. However, in July 1974 the Americangiant International Harvester became morethan an interested party when it bought theSeddon Atkinson operation and theinvestment secured capital to develop muchneeded all new models.

!e 200 Series under the IH umbrellaalready used an International D-358 enginewhich produced 134bhp while the heavy 400range used Cummins, Rolls-Royce andGardner diesels mostly of 240bhp or more.

It was logical that the new midrange 300 for24 ton rigid application would have a power-plant in between and the 7.6-litreturbocharged 194bhp at 2600rpmInternational Harvester DT-466 engine "ttedthe bill. !is relatively high revving unit wascoupled with a ZF 6-65 six-speed constantmesh gearbox and the power was put to anEaton rear bogie with a lockable di#, the sameas "tted to the 400 series eight-leggers. Bothcompact and lightweight, the DT-466, whilenew to Seddon Atkinson, was well establishedover in America where over 250,000 had beeninstalled in various IH chassis up to this point.!e Sedd Atki 300 was pitched against rivalslike the Leyland Bu#alo, Scania 86, Fodens,ERFs and Volvo F86 (plus later Volvo F7)models in a competitive market.

RangechangerThismonthwe take a look at theworking life ofSeddonAtkinson’smiddleweight, the 300.

Left: This 300 flatbed was captured atspeed approaching a junction nearLichfield in Sta!s. I managed to getanother shot of TGT 538W that sameday in 1989, run by PJ Court and Sons ofCraven Arms in Shropshire.

38 Heritagecommercials.com

An advantage of the 300 Series was that as aunit it was up to half a ton lighter than its rivals.!is lack of mass from its lighter engine helpedthe power to weight ratio. With a steel tipperbody it was good for over 16 tons of payloadand would carry half a ton more than a VolvoF7 for example. Plus it had better economywith over 8mpg fully loaded overall, whichincluded diesel-draining site work and mainroad driving. Even better, a 17 ton load wasmanageable with a "atbed body and with thelow, fairly rounded cab and no box or tipperunit to drag it down, over 11mpg was possible.Fortunately, the International engine was nottoo noisy and the cab environment was goodfor the driver with a subdued brown and tantheme and decent ergonomics for the day.

!e London Brick company and otherindependents used the 300 with lorrymounted cranes for block work and somewould later be converted to "ats for steelhaulage. Various tanker #rms like Elf andEsso used them on petroleum and oildistribution, while British Oxygen and AirProducts utilised them for the transportationof various gases. Some saw use as mixers butthe concrete world was mostly occupied withLeylands and Fodens, while Rugby Cementhad a few "ats for bagged loads.

Transport heritage

Right: Many Sedd Atki 300’s found favourwith tanker operators and not only the bigconcerns like Esso. British Benzol wasoriginally at the Harefield oil terminal nearUxbridge but this tanker was based inBarnsley in the Northern Division. It wasphotographed in Walsall in February 1991.

Taken in Brierley Hill in the Black Country inSeptember 1987 according to my notes, this 300flatbed was operated by Rock Services of Stoke onTrent on drilling duties for a road development.

From Welwyn Garden City in Herts, Advel makes engineering fasteners and its Sedd Atki 300 wassporting a factory-built sleeper cab. This was taken in the Great Barr district of Birmingham in April. 1987.

Based in Smith Street in the central Birmingham 19 district near where I was born, AG Lowe andSons used to run AEC Mercury flatbeds in the late Sixties. By the time this photo was taken in 1990,it had Commer Commando and Renault 16/17 tonners. The rear view of the firm’s Seddon indicatesthat the lorry was on contract to Hammond Heat Treatment in Darlaston near Walsall.

This 300 series artic belonging to TAKDistribution of Birmingham, was photographedat speed in 1990 on the M6. It was taken onKodachrome 64 slide film on a Nikon FM with aTamron 135mm lens at 250th of a second at F5.6if anyone is interested!

The giant BOC concern used many lorries for thetransport of compressed gas. Seddon Atkinsonswere used a lot, both in articulated form with401 tankers, and six-wheelers like this 300 seriestaken across a roundabout on January 24, 1991.

Howard E Perry, a steel stockholder of Willenhallnear Wolverhampton used this 1977 300 series flatin conjunction with a handsome pair of ScammellCrusader artics. Both of the latter I managed to geton film, including their demise in a scrapyard.

This refrigerated unit was a long way from its Portsmouth base, hauling some sort of chilledfoodstu!s. It was photographed in December 1989 on a dull afternoon as the light faded, passingWednesbury bus station in the West Midlands and was a tricky shot to get in the conditions.

Starr Roadways of Vulcan Road, Bilston, in theindustrial West Midlands, used a variety of makesin its fleet, majoring on ERF and Volvo. A visit tothe yard would unearth things like a Bedford TKartic, Leyland Marathon or a Volvo F86. The firm’svenerable 300 was seen here in 1990 on the M6.

Guymers Transport was based in the Rushall district of Walsall, and used a few makes over theyears including a lot of Leylands, like Bu!aloes and Freighters. Its Leyland-DAF 95 was one of thefirst of its type I got on film. Guymers’ pair of Seddon Atkinson 300 series tractors were capturedbasking in the sun at its yard in April 1988.

40 Heritagecommercials.com

TRAILERPULLINGLater on came the 300 Series tractor unit. It isbelieved that the original demand for thesecame from Pandoro who wanted 25 in the !eetto replace its Leyland Bu"aloes and wanted tocontinue a British-built theme. #e Bu"alo withits $xed head 500 Series engine had a reputationfor unreliability which let it down badly.

#ere was a three tractor range available inthe 300 series for 24, 28 and 32 ton usage.Much was a made of the lack of weight in thetractor at around 5%-tons for the unit readyto go. #e lower weight models weresomewhat underpowered with the standardIH diesel, but an intercooled InternationalDTi-466 improved matters with 214bhp ontap, though it was hardly a stump puller!

#e 300 Series with its ‘tin front’ had arelatively short 4-year production run up to1982, until replaced by the outwardly similar301 Series. Similar that is, except for the big Ain the new grille and Cummins power whenthe model really began to establish itself, butwe’ll look at working examples of those later.

Transport heritage

Lindburn Limited was a steel stockholder fromWest Bromwich and used this flatbed 300 tohaul its products, seen here with open metalcontainers in 1990 on the M6.

I managed to get a few shots of this 300 series tanker since I would see it on my way to work in the morning. It was taken in the insalubrious district ofthe Gravelly Hill Interchange, better known as Spaghetti Junction in Birmingham. It belonged to Lees Petroleum Ltd of nearby Bromford Lane, Erdingtonand was crawling in morning rush hour tra!c at about 7.30am in the winter of 1988.

Taken up in Manchester, this Texaco-branded300 series oil tanker was operated by Vulcan Oilof Ayr, who used a variety of makes includingERF and Leylands for fuel distribution.

This pair of 300 series tippers was photographedaround 1989 on the M5 near West Bromwichcarrying crushed stone. I think they belonged toPaul D Bentley of Stoke-on-Trent.

Based in Kingswinford near Dudley, Midsteel stockholders ran this 300 flatbed, registration AFK150Y, which I managed to get various views of. It was seen here hurrying along with a load of thicksheet steel on the M6 around 1989.

September 2014 41

42 Heritagecommercials.com

The Niagara Falls hydroelectricgenerating plant is accessed by ahaul road with a downward-gradient of 15%.

Ron Worczak selected the second lowest ofthe transmission’s low-range ratios. Drivelineengaged, 500 tons all-up crept forward. !eretardation power was such that Ron was ableto comfortably drive the full extent of the mile-long decline without touching the brake pedal.

In its very "rst haul, in 1964, moving atransformer weighing a mere 140 tons out ofthe Niagara Gorge, the same rig climbed a13% grade in anintermediategear with

BIGHENRYIt entered service 50 years ago. ToHendrickson, it wasmodel BDF-1860-F20, another in its long line of custom-engineered one-o!s. To the guyswhooperated it, itwas BigHenry. EdBurrows tells the story of a projectfew, if any, truckmanufacturerswould undertake today.

Transport world

Words: Ed Burrows Photography: Je!ery Higgins/Higgins archives, Dave Pearson, Ron Worczak

Powered by a 350bhp Cummins N Series diesel,Little Henry is more akin to Hendrickson’s series-built 6x4s of the period.

September 2014 43

the engine turning 400rpm below its 2100maximum. Niagara had met its match:Big Henry.

!at was half a century ago – the yearwhen the big one-of-a-kind Hendrickson8x4 entered service. “Awesome”, is RonWorczak’s single-word summation of thevehicle that quickly established itself as the"agship of the Higgins family’s businessinterests. For more than 120 years, Higginsheavy transport and erection services has beenan integral part of the industrial infrastructurein Bu#alo and surrounding parts of New YorkState and adjacent Great Lakes areas, togetherwith the State of Pennsylvania and south

eastern Canada.

Exactly how awesome Big Henry’scapabilities are can be deduced from the factthat although now in honourable retirement,it could if necessary be summoned into actionif nothing else could do the job. Oversizedload contracts are by their nature intermittent.But if the call came and the task demandedwhat regular heavy haul prime moverinventory couldn’t handle, Big Henry could beroused from its slumbers.

LOOKING BACKHiggins, the business that in the early 1960sordered Big Henry from Hendrickson, grewout of the heavy machinery transport andhoisting company established in Bu#alo in1890 by William Higgins. Having worked in

heavy drayage and rigging, he recognisedthe opportunities presented by the growth of

manufacturing industry. Deciding to go italone, he built himself a wagon and investedin a team of horses. As decade followeddecade, horse muscle progressively gave way$rst to petrol and in turn diesel engine power.

One of Big Henry’s earliest hauls: a 142 ton transformer for the Niagara Falls hydroelectric power station in New York State. The trailer is a Talbert.

Having expanded into a thriving hub ofindustry, in recent times the US north east hasundergone a dramatic reverse. In commonwith vast tracts of heavy industry in the UK,manufacturing activity in upstate New Yorkdeclined in favour of exploiting the cheaplabour and unregulated working conditions ofChina and elsewhere.

With a history of adapting and going withthe tide of the times, in 2002 Higginsreinvented itself as a warehousing andequipment hire organisation. Whileeverything else was disposed of, Big Henrywas retained on the equipment hire side. Inthe years since, it has been summoned intoaction by operators like Ron Worczak.

Having worked with Higgins from 1976until 2002 – he was one of the chosen fewwho took the wheel of the company’s prideand joy – Ron Worczak became co-owner of aheavy haul and rigging company with a "eetthat has included two Kenworth W900tractors, a Freightliner and a Kenworth T800– the last-named leased from Higgins.

Seen here in ballasted counterweight drawbar guise, one-of-a-kind Big Henry, purpose-built in1963-64 for Higgins by Hendrickson Manufacturing, Chicago.

Transport world

No business – or its insurers – wouldknowingly take risks over which contractorwas engaged to transport and install new andexpensive pieces of machinery. Higginsquickly established a reputation for integrityand skill. Early haulage was by wagons drawnby teams of heavy horses. Loading, unloadingand moving items into position wasaccomplished using hand winches, hardwoodrollers, gin poles and pulley blocks and tackle.Wagons were specially built, with massivelyconstructed timber wheels.

Bu!alo being a Great Lakes port, Higginswas able to recruit ex-sailors. Expert ropehandling and climbing agility gained onsailing ships gave such men an extra edge onrigging, erecting big machinery and on relatedheavy hoisting jobs. Piston power began tosupplement four-legged horsepower in 1917.Early trucks employed by the company werebuilt by Mack, Pierce-Arrow and Packard."e #rst pneumatic tyred vehicles appeared in1920 and during the following decade the #rstlowboy trailer was acquired.

During the course of the 1930s, and theSecond World War and a$er, Higginscontinued to expand, adding lattice jib cranesand later, when it became available, hydraulicboom equipment. By the 1950s, the companyhad developed a sophisticated approach toheavyli$ engineering, embracing all aspects ofloading, hauling and the on-site unloading andinstallation of plant and machinery. "e truck%eet crisscrossed the breadth and length ofNew York State and adjacent areas. And tosupport expansion, the heavy haul servicesprovided from its Bu!alo main base weresupplemented by the establishment of depotsin Niagara Falls, Syracuse and Rochester. Inthe years prior to Big Henry arriving on thescene, Higgins’ heavy haul prime mover assetsincluded Mack, Kenworth, Diamond Reo andAutocar tractors.

Big Henry resulted from a speci#cation foran idealised prime mover drawn up byNorman Weiler. Chief engineer of rigging,haulage and erection operations, he joinedHiggins in 1958, #ve years before its pride andjoy #nally saw the light of day. "e speci#cationwas the outcome of rigorous assessments of

what equipment would secure Higgins clearcompetitive advantages in the discerniblefuture – though it is probable that neitherHiggins nor Hendrickson imagined a futureworking life extending into its #$h decade.

In drawing up the speci#cation of a vehiclethe like of which remains unique in the annalsof US oversize load contracting history,consideration was #rst given to opportunitiespresented by a changing marketplace. "eseranged from the prospect of heavier loadsnecessitated by weight growth of newgenerations of machinery required bymanufacturing industry, process plant andpower generation. "e needs of the NiagaraFalls hydroelectric installations were well tothe fore. Anticipated trailer and cranedevelopments were also factors, as were thebeginnings of growing reluctance by the railfreight sector to accept the disruption causedby moving oversized loads.

Over a carefully considered period ofgestation, Norman Weiler and the Higginsteam looked at the various US heavy primemovers catalogued at the time. "e corerequirement was for a vehicle that withoutcompromised performance could beconverted to operate in either #$h-wheel or

Dynasty founder William Higgins stands to the rear of a horse-drawn wagon with sloped load deck,presumably designed for easier loading/o!-loading.

Heavy horses, heavy wagon, heavy piece ofmachinery; wagon wheels can seldom havebeen more massively constructed.

Even in the 1920s, four-leggedhorsepower was still a force to bereckoned with. The truck is a Packard.

September 2014 45

ballasted drawbar con!guration. Higginstalked with the usual suspects – Kenworth,Mack and so on – about developments thatmight have been in the pipeline and the scopefor customising. No existing or planned specor options list matched their requirements,and there was no interest – no matter howmuch money Higgins might have beenprepared to stump up – in purpose-building asuitable prime mover. But there was oneexception – Hendrickson Manufacturing,Chicago. Hendrickson’s engineers understoodwhat was wanted. A close workingrelationship was quickly forged.

BETTER BY DESIGN"e result was the one and only Hendricksonmodel BDF-1860-F20. Speci!cation changesmade along the way included a switch fromthe initial idea of having a channel frame withdouble liners. "is would have carried the riskof delamination in extreme load conditions.Instead, the decision was made to constructthe chassis with 14in deep T1 steel I-beamswith 8in wide top and bottom #anges. "etwin-steer, long hood layout distinguishes BigHenry from any other Hendrickson – and

almost every other truck on the planet. "etandem front axles ensure weight is

distributed so that, whether

LEFT: Danger – wide load.A Higgins-owned disc

wheeled, solid-tyrePackard, photographed

in the 1920s.

Before Big Henry: the Higgins Erectors &Haulers fleet included Macks like this L Series,a 1940s-50s stalwart of the bulldog breed.

The 9in drum Braden winch is capable of a firstcable layer pull of 50 tons.

Fitted directly under the chassis members, therear bogie is a Hendrickson walking beam set upwith leaf spring cushioning.

Big Henry’s chassis rails are 14in deep with 8inwide flanges top and bottom.

“In fifth-wheelconfiguration, Big Henryweighs in at 31.5 tons. Inballasted configuration, oroperating withmaximumpermitted load imposedon the fifth wheel, rated

gross is 55 tons”

Transport world

operating in !"h wheel or in ballasted drawbarcon!guration, optimal steering e#ort isensured regardless of the load imposed on thechassis.

Big Henry’s 1710cu in (28 litres) CumminsNVH-525 V12 diesel, producing maximumoutputs of 525bhp at 2100rpm and 1443lb-"(1956 Nm) at 1475rpm, placed it at the upperend of the heavy truck output range when itwas new in 1964. $e cooling systemincorporates a 44in diameter fan and Kysorshutters. $e high/low range transmissioncomprises an Allison CL8T-5960 6-speedconstant mesh Torqmatic with full powershi"ing and automatic lockup in all gears. $etorque converter incorporates a Chelsea PTO.$e auxiliary box is a Cotta 3-speed. Driveaxles are planetary double reduction RockwellSPR-700s with thrust-bearing type Spicermain and inter-axle propeller sha"s. $e driveaxles are mounted on a rubber bushed 75 toncapacity Hendrickson walking beam unit –the bogie has leaf spring cushioning and ismounted directly under rather than from theside of the frame members.

With a combined capacity of 40 tons, thetandem tubular-type Shuler front axles –equipped with Garrison power steering – arecarried on Hendrickson RT-365 leaf springsuspension units. Brakes are 17.25 x 4indrums all round at the front and 20.25 x 5indrums on the drive axles, supplemented by adrum brake on the rear of the auxiliarygearbox. Tyres are 16.00x25, 24 ply. $e !"hwheel can be mounted on top of the bogie,dead centre between the axles, or up to 24

The item carried looks as modern as today, unlike the 1920s Pierce-Arrow tractor. The treaded-tyre twin rears have inner and outerspokes and are larger in diameter than the front wheels.

Norman Weiler, Higgins’ chief engineer and responsible for drawing up Big Henry’s spec. The photowas taken at Hendrickson’s factory in Chicago, before the winch and fifth wheel were fitted.

Manoeuvring a 301-ton transformer; in this instance the multi-axle line trailer is hauled in fifth-wheel rig configuration – an example of the wide variety of lifting systems configured by Higgins tosuit individual contracts.

At 185 tons all up, not much of a loadfor Big Henry; the 2008 turbinegenerator move employeda 14-line Goldhofer.

September 2014 47

inches in front. !e capacity of the le"-sidefuel tank is 100 US gallons. !e 9in drumBraden winch has a rated capacity of 50 tonson the #rst layer of cable.

!e pressed steel Chicago Mfg. cab, aproprietary design used by Hendrickson,International Harvester, Diamond Reo andother US makes in the 1950s-60s, is equippedwith a heater and Bostrom driver and crewseats. Due to the extreme length of the enginehood, the cab is located fairly near the centreof the chassis. With more than nine feet ofsheet metal reaching out towards the horizon,you’d be entitled to consider the view (or lackof) more than somewhat inhibiting – if notactually awkward and unsafe. But aside fromthe assistance of a large downward angledconvex mirror at the front of the vehicle thatgives the driver a view of the road surfaceimmediately ahead, there is another way oflooking at it.

!e mid-chassis cab location, helped by awide rear window, a$ords an unimpeded andfairly close view of the trailer and load – anobvious asset when winching or precisemanoeuvring in reverse with an outsizedtrailer setup with perhaps only a matter ofinches’ leeway. In a real-world operationalcontext, driving on the sort of li"s Big Henry isdesigned to handle, rearward vision can beregarded as being as important as the view ofthe highway ahead. Travelling forward, the %atfender line helps the view to one side, and ofcourse crew members on the roadside provideguidance when necessary. Size it up all aroundand, sheer visual impact aside, Big Henry is a

The business end, with fifth-wheel dismounted but its regular position clearly evident. Rearwardvision from the cab is excellent.

West Virginia, some way from its home patch: Big Henry inches an 11-axleline configured semi-trailer carrying a 434-ton transformer o! a river barge.

Using a winch cable, Little Henry assists Big Henry in a haul using agooseneck setup with a 10-line modular load platform.

Big Henry’s fourth decade: a 1992 move from the Port of Bu!alo to a Fordmanufacturing plant. The 10 axle-line semi-trailer carries a hydraulicpower press unit.

A 1970 move, also a long way from home: an item for the Maine Yankeenuclear power plant in Wiscasset in the State of Maine is o!-loaded from abarge over prepared river bank sand.

Transport world

classic example of form-follows-functionengineering design. And in terms of !tness forpurpose it’s passed the ultimate test – time.

Next question: how big is big? In !"h-wheelcon!guration, Big Henry weighs in at 31.5tons. In ballasted con!guration, or operatingwith maximum permitted load imposed onthe !"h wheel, rated gross is 55 tons. Overalldimensions are: length, 31" 3in (excluding thetowbar coupling); the front end is 9" 9.5inwide and the width across the back end is 11"10in. #e wheelbase is 16" 8.5in, measuredfrom the centre point between the steeringaxles to the centre of the rear bogie. Track is8" 4in at the front and 8" 8in at the rear.Height to the top of the radiator cowl is 8"7in and 11" 2in to the top of the cab. #egooseneck swing radius is 9" 6in.

LITTLE HENRYIn 1970, Big Henry was joined by Little Henry,a normal control 8x4 also purpose-built forHiggins by Hendrickson. With a 350bhpCummins N Series diesel, it weighs 17 tonsand was designed for a maximum gross ratingof 55 tons. Width is a uniform 10" 1in; overalllength is 28" 7in. Some years ago it waspurchased by the George Young Group, anold-established New Jersey heavy transport,rigging and machinery services business.

What is Big Henry like in operation and todrive? In the considered opinion of JoeHofmann – a Higgins veteran who was withthe organisation for over 30 years, and one ofthe tractor’s three assigned drivers – “anamazing tool, way ahead of its time. Itbucked convention and proved the point –over and over again during its exceptionallylong active service life. It could handleanything – and unlike more recent primemovers, it had the advantage of a winch. #iscomes into its own unloading machinery o$barges and rail %atcars, and moving an itemo$ a trailer and into position in the plantfacility where it’s being installed. #e winch

The build sheetsfor Big Henry.

For manoeuvring on a tight site, this liftnecessitated three points of articulation.Little Henry is 10ft 1in wide, whereasBig Henry is 9ft 9.5in across the frontand 11ft 10in across the rear.

September 2014 49

modular hydraulic load platforms. Higginswas one of the !rst in the US to introduceEuropean-built platforms of the hydraulictype. And the day will eventually dawn whenprime movers themselves will be maderedundant by self-propelled equipment.

Hendrickson model BDF-1860-F20 wasengineered to be a class act. Given that it isone of a kind, this is one truck that really is ina class by itself.

even enabled it to rescue aircra" that hadgone o# the runway at Bu#alo airport and, inone case into Lake Niagara.”

“We forgave the cramped cab,” says RonWorczak, “even though – like Joe – I am sixfeet two. In relation to markers and yoursightlines, the long nose proved an aid ratherthan a handicap. And there are always guysaround whose job is to watch and guide. Asdrivers, we might make it look easy, butnothing commands your attention more thanresponsibility for a high value load weighinghundreds of tons.

“$e truth is, to a driver craning his neck outof a passing automobile, all the wonder may bein the haul, but you could say the biggest partof the job is planning. Route survey, legislationcompliance, permissions, insurance, bridgestrengths, bridge height and overhead powerand telephone cables clearances, load andaxle weight distribution, highway surface,coe%cient of friction, forecast weatherconditions, time window, the type of trailer; ahaul is a matter of art, science and engineering.In the scheme of things, operations involvingBig Henry were up there alongside themasterpieces of Leonardo da Vinci – bearing inmind it was designed to have abilities lacking inits contemporaries.”

Hendrickson abandoned truck manufacturea generation ago in favour of concentrationon bogie suspension systems and othercomponentry. And these days, even the latestheavyli" prime movers from Kenworth and ahandful of others are a dying breed.Goosenecks with multiple-axle bogies, frontdolly setups and towed beam and girder loadcarrying units have largely given way tomultiple axle line, pendular-suspended

After Higgins restructured, Little Henry wasacquired by old-established New Jersey heavy

moving specialists the George Young Group.

In drawbar configuration, moving a piece of equipmentdestined for a low-level nuclear waste disposal plant inSouth Carolina. The unit mounted above the rear bogieis the power pack for the trailer hydraulics.

Again custom-built by Hendrickson, Little Henry joined the Higgins fleet in 1970. The load here is a power press unit weighing 140 tons.

50 Heritagecommercials.com

BERRYCOUNTRY

CLASSIC

Life in transport Words&Photography:Bob Weir

The TK was new to the RoyalNavy, who used it until 1994.It was then used as a horseboxuntil John purchased it.

September 2014 51

A lyth is a small town in Perth &Kinross situated !ve miles north-east of Blairgowrie, the heart ofScotland’s fruit growing

industry. John has lived in the town all hislife, and is a mechanic to trade.

“I’ve spent my whole working life lookinga"er commercial vehicles,” he explained. “Mywife is the daughter of David Duncan whoused to be a well known local haulagecontractor. #at’s why the Bedford is paintedin his old livery.”

Like many of the postwar haulagecompanies in the area, David DuncanContractors is no longer with us. FortunatelyJohn still has plenty of fond memories.

He said: “I’ve seen a lot of changes withcommercial vehicles over my lifetime. #eyare certainly a lot larger and far morecomfortable compared to my day.”

John served his apprenticeship with localgarages, and learned his trade on a widevariety of vehicles.

“Back in those days we learned to tackleeverything from pushbikes to cars, tractors andtrucks,” he recalls. “I started o$ working atLamb’s garage at Dundee in 1952, and !nishedmy time at the local garage in Alyth run by Gray& Adams.”

John had just !nished his apprenticeship atthe age of 21, when he was called up forNational Service. “I went on to serve three yearswith the Scots Guards,” he said. “#is was a bitmore than the mandatory tour of duty, but theypaid you an extra 12 shillings a week so I felt itwas worth it. For some of the time I was basedat Dusseldorf in what was then West Germany.A"er I le" the army I came back to Alyth, andresumed my old job. #is went on for a bit,until I went to work for my father-in-law.

“I was with David Duncan for about 20 years.During the company’s heyday it had 28 vehicleson the books, and I was responsible for allmaintenance. I was also expected to do theoccasional shi" as a relief driver, when thesituation demanded.”

WORKING REAL WINTERSJohn also recalls that it was hard work keepingthe vehicles on the road, especially during theharsh Scottish winters.

He said: “I remember one event inparticular. We were using Leyland Comets atthe time, and one of the vehicles had blown agearbox down in Carlisle. We used to keepplenty of spares at the depot, so I told Gordonmy colleague that we would drive down to theBorders to !t a replacement. #e lorry hadalready been rescued by the local Leylanddealer, and was sitting in their yard.

“We le" later that a"ernoon. Back in thosedays the journey down to Carlisle took overfour hours, and it was pitch black by the timewe arrived. #e weather was absolutelyfreezing, but I still had to crawl underneaththe Comet to take out the old gearbox. WhenI eventually re-surfaced, Gordon said ‘John,what’s that white stu$ on your ears!’ It was socold rime was actually hanging o$ my face.”

John spent many happy years working forDavid Duncan, but the time eventually cameto move on.

“Unfortunately, the !rm folded in the late1980s. By this time Mr Duncan was an oldman, and nobody was prepared to carry onthe business. I then set up my owncommercial vehicle repair out!t, and keptthis going until I retired in 2003. By thistime vehicle diagnostics were becoming a lotmore sophisticated, and I realised it wastime to pack it in. I still drive a minibuspart-time for a local !rm taking school kidsabout the place, and I also have the Bedfordto keep me occupied.”

#ere are still a lot of Bedford commercialsroaming around the Blairgowrie district, andJohn says this is no coincidence. He said:“Back in the old days a lot of the localhaulage companies used Bedfords, and thereare still a few survivors knocking about. Myfriend Jack Muir had recently taken me outon a road run in his restored Bedford ‘O’,and I enjoyed it so much it gave me theinspiration to track down my own lorry.

The Bedford TKwas one of themost popular lorries throughout the 1960s and 70s.John Thomson fromAlyth in Scotland owns a fine example,

with amilitary background.

There can’t be many peoplewho haven’t driven a TK!

John Thomson hasspent all his workinglife looking aftercommercials, exceptfor his National Servicewith the Scots Guards.

52 Heritagecommercials.com

THE CLASSIC BEGINNING“!e "rst lorry I acquired was an ERF in 2001,just before I retired. However, I didn’t do a lotwith it, and the vehicle has since been movedon. Around that time, I also got a phone callfrom a customer, who had an old Bedfordhorse box that needed an MoT. He said the boxwas located at the village of Kinfauns justoutside Perth. Back then I used to pass throughPerth quite regularly, so I said the next time Iwas in the area I’d pop in and take a look.

“When I arrived at the address I found theBedford sitting in a "eld with the box on theback, looking the worse for wear. !e ownersaid he had used it for transporting horses inthe past, but hadn’t done much with the vehiclein recent years. However, he was only willing tospend £300 to put it back on the road.

“I gave the lorry a quick inspection, andnoticed that the tyres were shot, the exhausthad gone, and the brakes had seized up. !erewas also a fair bit of frost damage. !ere wasno way the Bedford could be "xed foranything like £300, and I told the owner hisbudget probably wouldn’t even cover a set ofsecond-hand tyres.

“!e owner was a bit taken aback. He saidthat if the repairs were going to cost morethan his budget, he would prefer take the boxo# the lorry and use it as a shelter for one ofhis horses. When he said that the rest of thevehicle would be sent for scrap even if it onlymade £50, I decided to take it o# his hands.”

Having come to his decision, John managedto start the lorry using a spare battery.

“I was able to drive the lorry back to myyard,” John recalls. “Fortunately it turned outthat the Bedford was in better shape than I "rstthought. I decided to "x the mechanics, tidy up

He said: “When I "rst got the lorry Iobviously needed some spare parts, so I wentto the main dealership in Edinburgh. When Iquoted the chassis number, the storemancon"rmed it was actually a 1980 Bedford. !eassumption is that the lorry was kept inmothballs for four years until the Navy wasready to put in on the road. I have been givento believe that this was fairly common withmilitary vehicles.”

A 4x4 variant of the TK was also used bythe military. Codenamed the MK, the lorrywas introduced to replace the Bedford RL. !elorry was very popular, and by the end of 1977over 11,000 vehicles had been built for theBritish Army and overseas military forces.

the rest of the vehicle, and use it on road runs.My wife then had the bright idea of painting itin her father’s old company livery, so Iarranged for this to be done at the same time.”

According to John the Bedford has amilitary background, and was originally newto the Royal Navy in 1980. But when hechecked up with the DVLA in Swansea, hediscovered the lorry was not actuallyregistered until 1984.

SERVICE RECORD“!e rest of the Bedford’s service career is abit of a grey area, until it was sold to theprevious owner in 1994,” said John. “When Iacquired the lorry it was wearing theregistration plate A722 XGG. My daughterand her husband gave me the current numberA17 YTH, as a special present for myseventieth birthday.

“!e lorry is completely original except forthe front indicators, and the Gri$n badgethat is made out of metal. I replaced theoriginal plastic lights with a set of rubbermounted units, as pedestrians kept walking

Life in transport

“The assumption is thatthe lorry was kept in

mothballs for four yearsuntil the Navy was readyto put in on the road.”

September 2014 53

past and breaking them. Fuel consumptionaverages out at 28mpg.”

John’s TK is now a familiar sight on Scotland’shighways and byways, and at the time of my visithe had just returned from the North East ClassicCommercial Vehicle road run.

“Jack Muir also came along,” said John.“!e starting point was Stracathro serviceson the A90, which meant we had to leaveAlyth at 7am in the morning. Stracathro isone of the few transport cafes on the road upto Aberdeen, and is popular with truckdrivers. !e road run was well attended, andat least 50 vehicles showed up. We thendrove north-west to Ballater by Balmoralcastle on the River Dee, which was the venuefor the lunch time pit-stop.

“!e run was then scheduled to proceednorthwards to Huntly, "nishing up at the localmarket. However, Jack and I decided to turnfor home at Ballater. It would have beengetting on in the evening by the time wearrived in Huntly, and it’s a three hour drivefrom there back to Alyth. Neither of us isgetting any younger, and we had alreadycovered 140miles.”

I asked Johnhow the Bedforddrives incomparison withother lorries of thesame era. “!e TKdrives like a carcompared to Jack’sBedford ‘O’,” hejoked. “I’ve takenit on several tripsnow, including theferry over to Ireland. !e lorry is comfortablecompared to earlier Bedfords, and can justabout keep up with modern-day tra#c. I’ll be78 next birthday, but fortunately my son-in-law and grandson are both interested in oldcommercials, which bodes well for the future.”

Opposite Bottom:John has taken part inquite a few events withthe Bedford and itsnicely roped andsheeted ‘load’. Itaverages around28mpg.

Left: John has finishedhis Bedford in thecolours of his father-in-law’s firm, DavidDuncan HaulageContractors.

Below: The lorry wasmade in 1980 but wasnot registered until1984.

SpecificationMake/model: Bedford TK 750Year: 1980Registration: A17 YTHEngine: 220 turbo

diesel, 4-cylinder,3.6 litres

Transmission: 4-speed

54 Heritagecommercials.com

Life in transport

David Duncan also used a rare Proctor lorry to carry livestock. The Proctor was developed by haulierProctor Springwood Ltd of Mousehold, Norwich, to improve its fleet’s performance. The lorry featureda Moss gearbox and rear axle, along with a Perkins diesel. Because its overall weight was less than 3-tons (unladen), it could travel at the relatively high speed of 30mph under the post-Second World Warlegislation of the period. Only around 200 Proctors are believed to have been built.

David Duncan on the right talking to hisbrother. BES 286 is a Second World War specBedford ‘O’ series, and was the first lorry to beused by the company.

The Duncan fleet in the early 1960s. John saysthat the photo would have been taken on the

Friday as the vehicles are all loaded up andready to go out on the Sunday morning.

David Duncan’s brother posing with another Bedford. The load wouldappear to be a consignment of Jute. Jute was one of the mainindustries of the nearby city of Dundee, until the 1980s

A Duncan Seddon decked out with bunting (and children!) to celebratethe coronation of our current Queen.

A Seddon and a Thornycroft at the DavidDuncan depot in Alyth circa 1952. The load is aconsignment of fruit destined for the Baxter’sdepot up in Fochabers.

September 2014 55

56 Heritagecommercials.com

In the original ‘lost years’ article, I saidI would report any furtherinformation regarding the littleMorris-Commercial LC discovered in

Germany which had been used by both theBritish and German armies, and later in itslife, had civilian roles which are stillsomething of a mystery.

Before the update however I must just say itis rewarding when one’s article e!orts promptfurther input from HC readers. During hisresearch into Scouting, a Mr Newbrookdiscovered there was nothing new aboutrequisitioning but this time it was for horsesand not vehicles, as reported in this year’sMarch issue.

In the April issue we hear from a Mr BobHowell that he probably picked up one of thevery vehicles I mentioned in the originalarticle, for which I provided a photographappearing on page 64. It’s those tyres again...Bob, like me, must be approaching middle age!Why not let us hear the Singapore story Bob?

Back to the German LC. Well, there’snothing earth shattering come to light exceptmy question on the original mileage has beenanswered – some 44,000 miles. However, thatis followed by a statement indicating there isno speedo cable and it looks as though therehasn’t been one "tted for years. So we acceptthe fact we will never know just how muchwork the little lorry has done. We are also toldit has passed the TüV which is apparently atechnical inspection – speedo or not.

EVENMORE Geo! Fishwick bringsus a bitmore on therequisitionedMorris–Commercials featuredin the February 2014 issueofHC.

Transport heritage

Words:Geo! FishwickPhotography:Geo! Fishwick collectionLOST

YEARS

ABOVE: If readers refer to page 62 in the originalarticle, the second vehicle in the Ralph Hulllineup is a 1938 CVS 13/3-4. I mention that it hasbeen restored by John, son of the driver of thevehicle throughout its working life. This is DTC383 at a rally at the British Commercial VehicleMuseum in September 2002.

RIGHT: I mention that the Blackpool breweryMessers Catterall & Swarbrick, were allowed toretain their 1939 purchase of a CVS 11/40. This isin fact that vehicle which was in such goodcondition it was used as a training vehicle forthe Brewery’s first FG and the Blackpool Morris-Commercial Distributor, Williams Brothers gaveit a two tone paint job. It was used for manyyears and I, in fact, did two runs to Cowley in theday from Blackpool, pre motorway of course, tocollect the stock order. This was after AdderleyPark had transferred all service parts to awarehouse at Morris Motors, Cowley.

September 2014 57

ENGINE WORKKnowing that a top end overhaul was tobe undertaken I was not surprised toreceive an email from the owner regardinga suitable overhaul gasket set in the UK, and itscost in Sterling. I anticipated this would lead toa !rm request and it worried me somewhat asso few of these vehicles were made before thewar. One of the major changes to the enginefor postwar build into NPFC speci!cation wasan alteration to the cooling system whichnecessitated a di"erent head gasket.

I thought that this may lead to a long andcostly phone around exercise. However, I thenremembered John Walker, a dealer who hashelped so many Morris-Commercial ClubMembers, and yes he had stock and knewabout the early NEB speci!cation. We thenreceived a further email saying the valve grindand de-coke had been completed and the

ABOVE & LEFT: The factory standard van hadrather a utilitarian look, which I liked, and couldbe made to look very smart with a good paintand lettering job. However, Keiller retained thecoachbuilt style as this ECV11/30 went intoservice in 1951, confirmed by its BYJ registration.

BELOW THREE: Back to the LC in Germany,whenever any mechanical work has beenundertaken we always receive ‘before and after’photos from its owner. The Payen gasket set isexactly what we would expect to find at a UKautojumble.

On page 64 in the February 2014 issue there is aphotograph of a Keiller’s 30cwt factory bodiedMorris-Commercial which was requisitioned andapparently lost at Dunkirk. This photographshows its replacement which didn’t go intoservice until 1946 and the elderly one-tonnerwhich was to have been retired in 1939 but itwas returned to service. I was told it nevermissed a day’s work until taken out of service forthe second time in late 1946, when thereplacement for the requisitioned vehicleentered service. Possibly very image conscious,Keiller chose to have a stylish coachbuilt bodymounted on a 30cwt chassis front end – unlessthis spec was readily available?

engine is running well but the water pumpnow requires attention, so the gasket querywas simply to enable the German owner tocompare prices as he felt the 80 euros he hadto pay for a gasket set was rather expensive.He explained that he found a dealer that hadthree sets in stock (note he did not obtainthem on eBay).

Now, this vehicle is based in theHalle region, some 120 miles southwest of Berlin as the crow #ies, and thisis a comparatively sparselypopulated area with many ofthe small towns being spas.$is is about the last place Iwould have expected to !ndprewar gaskets for Morris-Commercials and why Ienjoy my job within

the Morris-Commercial Club, because it’s fullof surprises.

By the way, if you are puzzled by thetwo small photos of the LC in the Februarymagazine – one rust and grey and one rustand green – it is the same vehicle pre and postoily rag treatment!

FODENFE.6/12Engine: Foden FD.6Mark I 4.09

litres 126bhp@2000rpmGearbox: Foden 12-speedGross train weight: 32 tonTop speed: 40-50mph

IN THEDRIVER’S SEAT

60 Heritagecommercials.com

What or who is REVS? REVS is aunique club whose membersare dedicated to the promotionand preservation of the legacy

of Edwin Richard Foden and the productsthat we all know as ERF. In 1988 BarryRandall from Andover was looking to start aregister of ERF vehicles. He was put in contactwith Chris Smith from Market Drayton by the!rst member/owner Carl Johnson of Cheadle,and REVS was formed. In December 1988Barry edited and distributed the !rst REVSNews, the club magazine.

Today the club has a membership of 650both in the UK and overseas. "e !rst overseasmember was Wobbe Reitsma from Holland,who is still a member and contributes to theREVS News. In September 1989 the !rstgathering of the club was held in MarketDrayton with 100 ERFs in attendance. Recently166 ERFs gathered at the Kelsall Vintage Rally,and considering the marque is no longermanufactured this demonstrates the resolve ofthe enthusiast to keep the name alive.

To quote the REVS chairman GrahamFlack: “"e club belongs to the members”, butthere are a body of people led by Grahambehind the scene and without their hard workthe pro!le of REVS would diminish. Financesand memberships are managed by MaureenCross, while Maureen’s husband Neil nowedits REVS News. Who is the man constantlyon the phone, encouraging people to tendshows and looking for new shows to attend?Original member show co-ordinator andpublicity o#cer Chris Smith. If you need infoon a part, you can speak to spares o#cerJimmy Howorth.

Information can be accessed from theREVS website www.er$istoricvehicles.co.ukhere you will !nd contact details for the rest ofthe REVS team supporting o#cers IanMoxon, George Starkey, Philip Hilditch,Graeme Turner, Jerry Cooke and Garry"ompson. "e club has four life timemembers honoured for the time they havegiven to the club: Barry Randall, Carl Johnson,Chris Smith and John Heath.

On a sadder note the club president, MrJack Richards has died. Jack took up themantle a%er the death of the !rst president,Mr Peter Foden.

How can you recognise if the club is inattendance at a show? "e club are thecustodians of the ERF hospitality trailerwhich is now towed by EC11 tractor unitdonated to the club by Shell UK. Both unitsare looked a%er by Graeme Turner who hasupgraded their livery to the REVS colours. "etrailer (or the mini trailer) attend many showsduring spring, summer and autumn. Membersof the public can purchase clubmerchandising, spares donated to the club andmeet the team, who are walking encyclopediason ERFs!

How do you become a member? Go onlineand download the membership form. UKmembership is £25 per year, overseasmembership is £40 per year. Completedforms and payment to Maureen Cross, 21Tilia Way, Bourne, Lincs PE10 0QR. Oralternatively see one of the team on thetrailer during the coming weeks at eventsat South Cerney, Biggar, Scone, Lanark,Leyland or Gaydon. A full list of events areon the website.

Membership will entitle you to copies of theglossy REVS News which is published sixtimes a year and is packed with news, features,sales and wants contributed to by membersfrom the UK and overseas.

Once a year in November the AGM of theclub is held in Crewe. "is is followed by asocial evening with an interesting guest speaker.

A recent innovation in response tomembers’ requests has been the introductionof a ‘closed group’ ERF Historical Vehicles Ltdon Facebook. "is is administrated by KevinEdwards and there are currently over 1000members.

Finally, let’s not forget the ladies behind themen of the REVS team, who put up withweekends in the heat, rain and mud,surrounded by lorries, smelling diesel fumes,listening to endless conversations aboutCummins, Gardner and Rolls-Royce engines,&atbeds, tippers, etc, who make endless cupsof tea, do the washing up, man the stand. Youknow who you are. "ank you.

ERFHistoricVehiclesLtd,affectionatelyknownasREVSThe preservation of our transport heritage is aided immeasurably by themany clubsand societies dedicated to the various vehiclemakes. Thismonthwe have a look atthose looking after the heritage of ERF.

Club focus

The club’s hospitality trailer and EC11 tractorunit are looked after by Graeme Turner.

The first ERF was produced backin 1933. PHOTO BOB TUCK.

The REVS team.

September 2014 61

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On site workundertaken nationwide

Rates and timescale negotiableto suit all pockets

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*

****

Archive Album

We’re in the Swindon yard

of Coopers (Metals) Ltd on

an unknown date to see

fleet number 23, a very

smart ERF powered by a

Gardner 100. Was this a

brand new vehicle the firm

had just bought? Adrian

Cypher/NA3T photo

CX00985-05.

This Corporation of London CommerCommando was photographed at work nearSt Pauls Cathedral on August 12, 1980. I’llleave the coach to you bus enthusiasts outthere! NA3T photo VS01878.

A bit of innovation now, a

combined tipper and mini

skip carrying Bedford CF.

This looks like a publicity

shot with the wagon all clean

and tidy. I wish the number

plate had been put on

straight though… NA3T

photo JS00636-04.

SKIP WAGONSWhere would we be without the humble skip – and thelorries to transport them? I’m not just on about theirusefulness to move scrap metal and builder’s rubble, butalso the part it’s played in our culture for so many years.I’m convinced that television programmes like the‘Antiques Roadshow’ would have !nished years ago wereit not for all the priceless stu" people have found in skipsover the years. Just that promise of ‘buried treasure’ inthe form of a rare oil painting or whatever… or what

about the fear everyone who hires one has of waking inthe morning to !nd somebody else has kindly !lled itwith their own junk overnight – and you never heard athing! Of course there’s always the chance they’ve put apriceless antique in your skip…

Anyway, we sadly have very little information withthese photos, so if you can help !ll in the blanks pleaseemail or write in.

This Foden was seen at Hyde Park Corner in February 1973. Did you know its operator, Hales Containers Ltd, wasone of the first operators to fit radio transceivers into its vehicles to direct drivers to jobs? NA3T photo VS01912.

A brand new and unregistered Leyland Octopus 2 on display at the Solid Waste Exhibition at Wembley in June1980. Its new owner was WC Jones & Co Ltd of Waltham Cross. NA3T photo JS00301-14.

Archive Album

This is London’s Archway Road in September 1975, and this EJ Pickering Ltd Foden eight-

legger is o! to deliver an empty skip. NA3T photo VS01635.

Woolwich in July 1972, and it looks like Pannell (Merchants) Ltd has got a new lorry! This longgone firm started out in the 1930s, and dealt in sand, ballast and clinker. NA3T photo VS01799.

A Leyland Clydesdale at speed on the M4on an unknown date. The operator was WLong of Watford. NA3T photo VS00449.

This AEC Mercury was one of quite a large fleetoperated by Philip Crate of Wimbledon. As wellas skip haulage the firm also had its own sand

quarry. The photo was taken in July 1976 inWaterloo. NA3T photo VS01947.

Do any of these photographs trigger oldmemories? Perhaps this used to be yourlorry or you recognise the company nameor someone in the photograph. Don’t beafraid to write to us...Stephen PullenHeritage Commercials, Mortons HeritageMedia, PO Box 43, Horncastle LN9 6LZemail: spullen@mortons.co.uk

We end this month with,

presumably, another

publicity shot. This was

taken at Erith on April 29,

1980, and shows a new

Bi!a Scania LB81 dropping

a skip. NA3T photo

JS00277-34.

NA3TROAD TRANSPORT

PHOTOS- EST 1996 -

Archive Album- Sponsored by -

Colour and Black & Whitedownloads from 50p

Wet processed prints from 80p inc P&P

Transport negative collectionspurchased. Land sea or air

www.na3t.orgwww.transportphotos.org

Email: info@na3t.orgPhone: 01903 235167

SAE: NA3T (HC), 14 Gannon Road,Worthing BN11 2DT

66 Heritagecommercials.com

Stuart Walker was only nine-years-old when in 1960his dad Bert splashed out and bought four brand newfour-wheelers. Good news of course that the Aberdeenbased AWalker haulage concern was doing well enough to

justify this investment, but the passing on of the four weatheredfour-wheelers they’d replace generated mixed emotions for thisyoungster. “Two of the vehicles that went were Comet rigids,”recalls Stuart. “With their distinctive snub nose bonnet, the Cometalways looked something special.!ey sounded good and in thehands of driver Jim Taylor, they went exceptionally well. And even

though we got all sorts of motors a"er that, nothing looked,sounded or went just like those old Comets.”It was a motor that was to leave a huge impression on this

growing youngster. And as time allowed him to indulge in collectingall manner of motors, the addition of MXL 452 to theWalker stableof classics brought a beam of nostalgic pleasure.Although as we’d discover this particular Leyland – Scammell –

!ompson artic tanker has its own story to tell. Which was only madepossible by the restoration e#orts of Philip Duck who transformed aheap of – almost – scrapmetal back into its original ‘whistling’ guise.

WHISTLEwhileyouwork

Of all the engine sounds in theworld it’s the distinctivewhistle of the Leyland 350 Cometwhich brings back theearliestmemories to Aberdeenshire based StuartWalker.Bob Tuck travels north to discover the personal links to hisrestored slice of Shell Mex – BP history. Photography:Bob Tuck/As stated

Classic restoration

The Comet was rescued byPhilip Duck of Frome inSomerset after it spent

years in derelict form.

68 Heritagecommercials.com

AHEAD OF ITS TIMEIn post Second World War Britain, theunveiling of the new Leyland Comet range in1948 was something of a breath of fresh air.Originally announced the year before, it re-used the name of Leyland’s war time battletank as a model name but of course it couldn’thave been more di!erent. It was something ofa throw back in that it had a protrudingbonnet but this didn’t prevent the UKindustry taking to it big time. It was actuallyconceived for the export market and it provedto be a major sales winner with India inparticular just loving this stylish four-wheeler.

"e bonneted cab was built by BriggsMotor Bodies. And while the business alsobuilt an almost identical cab for both the Ford"ames and the Dodge of this era, the Cometjust oozed a class and presence which put ithead and shoulders above those other twolesser motors. Honestly.

"e Comet’s original diesel engineproduced 75bhp and it was made (we areinformed) of the type that could run on eitherpetrol or diesel fuel. By 1952, Leyland haddeveloped its 350 ‘whistler.’ It picked up thatnickname because of the distinct whistle tothe engine/exhaust sound it generated. Builtto produce 90bhp, with the right gearing thisComet 90 could live up to its name because itcould #y. Of course in early 1950s Britain,

there were no motorways and not a lot ofdual carriageways but with heavier

wagons limited to 20mph, Cometdrivers could be bowling along at

twice their legal speed (and more) withoutmuch e!ort.

About 1953, Leyland o!ered its forwardcontrol, so called ‘mouth organ’ cab to theComet chassis although the bonneted versionwas kept in production throughout the 1950sto $ll the high export demand. In the UK, theCement Marketing Company apparently tookseveral hundred bonneted Comets. An idealdistribution motor, the $rm reckoned, as thebusiness could get a good 8-tons of payloadwhen running at 12-tons gross.

Shell Mex-BP Ltd was another own accountbusiness which took to the Comet in both rigidand articulated form. "e records of Leylandarchivist Malcolm Wilford show that MXL 452le% the Leyland production line in June 1952and was only the 7th example of the ECO2.5Rmodel to be built. "is was an adaptation ofthe Comet tractor unit speci$cally to meet thePetroleum Spirit Carrying Regulations.Malcolm says that over the three years 1952,1953, 1954, Shell was to buy about 300 of theseComets. MXL 452 was sent to the SM-BPdepot in the Monk Heaton dock at Gloucester.By the time it got into service, the four-wheeltractor unit had been equipped with aScammell automatic coupling and a $vecompartment, "ompson, 2000 galloncapacity tank semi-trailer.

Not the biggest tanker of its time (the1950s eight-wheelers would eventually becarrying 4000 gallons) it would be an idealdistribution motor for this part of theWest Country. "e company obviously

Classic restoration

The cab is very easy to step up into.

The instrument panel with its famous square gauges.

Above: We love the old fashioneddirection indicators. Quite anadded extra in 1952 as most wagondrivers just stuck their arm out.

Right: Stuart demonstrates theone electrical susie line.

had loads of drivers but one who is known tohave driven this particular Comet is MontyPo!ey. And photographs which wereforwarded on to Stuart by Monty’s son Cli"show that petrol and fuel delivery drivers ofthe era were turned out in smart whiteoveralls and dust coats. Monty obviouslylooked a#er his motor as when he entered theChippenham Carnival in 1957 with thesimilar Comet artic NGF 57, he apparentlywon 2nd prize.

IMPRESSIONABLE STUARTAs Monty Po!ey was delivering SM-BPproducts around the Gloucester area with hisComet during the 1950s, Stuart Walker waswaking up to the fact that he had dieselcoursing through his very young veins. Hisdad was then just a small player in the verybusy Aberdeen transport scene and to startwith, he simply bought any second-handmotors that were good and cheap.

Two rigid four-wheelers the youngster canremember in particular were the pair ofbonneted Comets: “$ey had been new to theJames Watt Fish Merchant,” recalls Stuart,“the %rm ran the Onward Fishing Fleet. Italways painted the word Onward on the top

of the cab of all the motors and dad was sotaken with that, even a#er we sold the Cometshe also used to put the word ‘Onward’ on thetop of all the motors that he had.”

$e Comets were used for a variety of localgeneral haulage work including the delivery ofcoal to the local Aberdeenshire farmers. Stuartliked to go with one of the Comet drivers JimTaylor who asked the youngster why theywere called the Comet 90: “Because,” Jimwould tell him, “they can do 90mph.”

$e ‘whistler’ le# a huge impression onyoung Stuart but in 1960, his dad had enoughmoney to splash out on some brand newmotors. And seeing that the Comets had alreadyseen earlier service being soaked with seawaterwhile carrying boxed %sh, Stuart feels theyprobably wouldn’t have much more workinglife before corrosion caught up with them.

Bert Walker expanded his operation toabout the 22 mark but during the mid 1970s,he sold out to Freeland Freight. Stuart lovedtransport but admits frankly that he didn’tfancy taking over such a big operation.Instead, he set up as an owner driver andeventually expanded to running three tippers– a KM Bedford; a Ford D1000 and aMercedes six-wheeler.

By 1982, Stuart was changing course to gointo recovery work a#er he bought his %rstLand Rover. He now has a varied &eetavailable for all types of commercial vehiclerecovery and does this line of work across thewhole of Scotland.

Obviously, this type of job is reliant on callouts so while he’s waiting, Stuart has time tosurf the internet where as we all know, allsorts of things are o"ered for sale including afully restored Leyland Comet – of the type justlike dad used to have.

WHERE DID IT GOLike many heritage commercials weencounter, it isn’t always easy to piece togethertheir early history. One thing we do know isthat this Comet 90 surfaced again aboutSeptember 1, 1999 when it was bought byPhilip Duck of Frome in Somerset a#erspending years in derelict form. Philipobviously liked a challenge as photographs ofthe out%t’s tanker trailer being unloaded bycrane show it was in quite a state. $ey alsoshow it still bearing the old SM-BP colours thatsuggest when it was pensioned o" from its %rstowner, it may have taken over internal/staticstorage duties somewhere locally.

Close up look at the Scammell automatic coupling – an engineering marvel.

Below: The openingwindows – ideal forIndian export orders.

Left: The whistlingLeyland 350.

70 Heritagecommercials.com

Either way, Philip worked wonders on thevehicle but by about 2005, he was ready to sellit on. And while Aberdeen is almost 500 milesaway from deepest Somerset, Stuart was keento do a deal. !e Comet was "t enough todrive back to the Granite City under its ownpower, but as luck would have it Stuart had anew Volvo recovery vehicle to collect from thebodywork manufacturer down in England.

It’s a re#ection of how much things havechanged and vehicles have grown in that the1952 six-wheel artic tanker was able to beaccommodated on the back of the four wheelVolvo rigid. Doing the driving that day of theslide back equipped Volvo was Kenny Moirand while there was no problem withsqueezing the Leyland onboard, Kenny’s mainmemories of the trip was how cold the nightbefore was when he slept at the motorwayservice area in the Volvo’s cab.

ENJOYING THE SCOTTISH AIRWhen Stuart bought the out"t, he was awarethat the tank could do with being signwritten.And while this is a job still to be done, what hehas achieved is the clocking up of some morefun "lled miles behind the wheel of the Comet:“It’s been to loads of events and rallies,” ourman says, “and never let me down. It’s great todrive.” !e boon about buying a fully restoredvehicle is you can put it straight back onto theroad and immediately savour the driving ofsuch a "ne slice of heritage.

Stuart is involved in the organisation of theannual, early June, North East (Scotland)Classic Commercial Vehicle Road Run. 2014will see the 16th running of this great eventand no surprise the Comet was entered intothe 2006 event – and has done it about "vetimes since. !ere aren’t many road tankerson the preservation scene so wherever theComet – !ompson out"t goes, it still turnsthe heads. And of course, it turns ours whenwe arrive at the Walker depot in the westernsuburbs of Aberdeen.

It’s a huge testament to the restorationcarried out by Philip Duck that more than 10

years on, it’s still in cracking good order. Stuarthas coupled up the combination prior to ourarrival but the "rst thing we ask is if we canhear the whistle: “No problem,” says our manas he "res the 350 engine into life. Stupidly weare standing closely adjacent to the driver’sdoor so we immediately feel the wa$ from thefront mounted Comet exhaust. But as it isrunning virtually totally clear, this is a warmforce of air which is a joy to feel indeed.

Step up into the Leyland cab and you caneasily tell why folk like Blue Circle Cementbought something like 300 of these snub nosedComets. With the exterior mounted step, thismust be one of the easiest cabs in the world toget in and out of. True, having the driver’s seatbolted onto the back of the cab gives little inthe way of adjustment but even our (almost) 6’frame feels fairly comfortable sat behind thedistinctive, upright steering wheel. And whilethe bonnet does catch the eye line, it doesn’tdetract from a good driving position.

Stuart says it’s a peach to drive: “And thevacuum-hydraulic brakes are particularlygood.” We aren’t too sure what it’s like toreverse as short semi-trailers can catch youout by turning in too quickly – especiallyseeing there’s no power steering. So ourshortest of test drives is simply a wanderround the Walker yard in the lowest offorward gears.

We’ve reported at length in the pages ofHeritage Commercials about the Scammellautomatic coupling but it’s always great to geta close up look at the mechanism. KennyMoir says that – normally – even the electricsfor the lights automatically couples when thetrailer is picked up (by butting up to a contactplate). But as this is a petrol carrying motor,there is an independent line involved so oneelectrical susie has to be attached. But even so,this 60-year-old coupling is still a fantasticpiece of engineering the likes of which wehave never really seen since.

And as far as Stuart is concerned, youcould also say that for the low #ying Comet90 as well.

Classic restoration

Stuart collecting the outfit from Frome with his Volvo FM12 recovery vehicle back in 2005.

These photos show the condition of the tankbefore restoration by Philip Duck.

The Comet is coupled to a five compartment Thompson,2000 gallon capacity tank semi-trailer.

Photos from Cli! Po"ey, the son of the driver in the shot,Monty Po"ey. He’s also shown with another Comet,registration NGF 57. Written on the back of this photo was thatMonty got second place at the Chippenham Carnival in 1957.Both vehicles were based at Shell’s Gloucester depot.

Make / Model: Leyland Comet 90ECO2.5R

Chassis No: 524008Year: 1952Registration: MXL 452Engine: Leyland 350 (5.76 litres) 90bhp at

2200rpmGearbox: Leyland 4- speedwith Eaton two

speed axle ratios 4.89 and 6.80:1Gross vehicleweight: 16 tonsTop speed: 60mphFuel return: 15mpgTrailer: Thompson tankwith Scammell

automatic coupling

Specification:

72 Heritagecommercials.com

From our archives

Thismonthwe feature extracts from the sales brochure for the 6x2 Scammell Trunker II –completewith handwritten price. These units were favourites of the fuel companies, andwerefittedwith the famous ‘finned’ GRP cab penned by designer GiovanniMichelotti, who alsodesigned various Ferrari, Triumph andMaserati cars. Anyway, did you drive, own orwork onthese lorries? If so pleasewrite in and tell us your experiences.

September 2014 73

74 Heritagecommercials.com

From our archives

September 2014 75

76 Heritagecommercials.com

I n all the time that I have been doingfeatures on light commercials forvarious magazines, I have never, everdone one on what many describe as

the !rst proper commercial in the 10/15cwtweight bracket. Forget the all-conqueringFord Transit, the Bedford CA pre-dates thatby a good 13 years, and compared to thenearest rivals in 1953, it was truly modernin many ways.

While Standard’s Atlas, Commer’s PBrange, the Austin/Morris J2 and even Ford’s400E "ames were running around withforward-control front ends, Bedford’s postwarPC replacement was given car-like bodyworkwith a short bonnet, wings and even properwheel arches while still forming part of theside bodywork, thus keeping it all uniform,and with an engine mounted up front leavinga walk-thru space to the rear.

So when I was due to travel to Waterloovillein Hampshire to visit Christian Oliver and hislovely van, I was excited. I could !nally samplethis icon and see if the stories people andindeed other magazines rave about were true.

Pulling into his road, I saw his MorrisMinor !rst and behind it was Nelly, instantlysetting the scene for a period 1960s street shot.Over a cuppa, Chris told me the story of howhe came to own the van and I could tell thisman had a barrel-load of enthusiasm: “Mynormal job is a chimney sweep and I havealways thought about having a classiccommercial to advertise the business, and forme there was just one candidate, a BedfordCA.” Grinning, he continues: “I rememberthem from when I was young, and deep downinside I have always wanted one for the past 20years; there was this yearning inside that hadto be dealt with and in 2011 I bought this oneo# eBay”. Well, he says that but he is quick topoint out that his wife Susan did the lookingand subsequential buying... as a present.

CRACKERChristian’s

The skilled job of being achimney sweep is all butforgotten these days butthey do exist with someeven owning a classiccommercial vehicle, asDean Reader found out.

Classic lightweight Words, Photography&Archivematerial:Dean Reader

The van’s owner ChristianOliver had wanted a CAsince he was a child.

Above: Compare the CA to theother vans on the market at thetime and it was quite a moderncontender.

Left: The bonnet may not o!ermuch engine access, but it’sbetter than having to remove apanel inside the cab.

Right: The sliding doors certainlymake getting in and out easy.

GOOD BUT NOT GREATI mentioned that he was lucky to !nd such agood, solid, roadworthy example of a CALvan, but with raised eyebrows, Christian toldme: “Nelly certainly was not as good as shelooks now. I paid about £4600 for the van andyes, while it was all roadworthy and had beenin use, it was far from perfect and since then Ihave had to sink in another £5000 plus and itis still not !nished. "e good thing however isthe fact I know it is capable of whatever workis required from it.

“A new clutch had to be !tted, the fueltank was completely renovated including allthe associated pipework, the carburettor andthe running on a whole also needed sorting.I also had a complete stainless steelexhaust system !tted.

“"e previous owner used it for hergardening business and the van has alsoappeared in several TV programmes and!lms, including Soul Boy and a documentaryabout the Kray Twins, and as a result thebodywork received several minor scu#s andwas generally worn so I had a new respraycompleted. At the same time, the wheels wereshot-blasted and painted up and a set of newtyres !tted, and I had magnetic signage madeup for my business.”

I asked Chris how he fared for getting partsto complete the project: “"ankfully, theharder parts like body panels were !ne onmine, and like all the classics from back then,service parts are interchangeable and readilyavailable, but I do have to say a thank you toAdrian Bailey Classics which helped out withmany bits”.

A RIDE IN THE COUNTRYAs we made our way outside, Christiancontinued to tell me how people react to thevan. “I was amazed at just how popular theCA is. People I don’t know will wave; carswill stop and let me though narrow gaps andat car boot sales, the van gets more attentionthan the goods I am selling!” He continues:

“At shows, I leave the doors open andencourage people, and more so children, tosit in and experience an old van from the1960s or earlier. I want people to enjoy what Ido and it does appeal to the youngergeneration as well as old.” I had proof of thiswhen we went for a test drive, something Iwas still keen to do.

I slide back the door and agree that theygive superior access, a feature that made thevan sell so well back in the day. I wasamazed at how much room there was insidebut I did !nd the footwell a problem, havingto arrange my feet between the engine cover

passing old farm buildings and splashingthrough the many puddles le$ over by thehorrid weather we had. "e ride is not hardwhatsoever; with coil sprung independentsuspension up front and a decent set ofleaves at the back with shocks, soaking upthe road conditions was something the vandid with ease.

Still with just 86,000 on the clock (althoughthe engine had been rebuilt in the past) thevan really did impress me. Compared to myold Commer camper there seemed like loadsof room throughout and the fact that I couldwalk into the back of the van withoutclimbing over the engine was great. Nah, I wasamazed at just how brilliantly the van could,and did the job it was required to do. Manymay disagree, but this was the van that Fordhad to beat, and it eventually did.

Returning home, Christian tells me that heintends to get the radiator reconditioned butmore importantly, strip and repaint the insideof the van. He admits that he did have athought about selling it but both he and Susanagreed that he would regret it – haven’t we all?And a$er previous viewings of old rotters,where else would he !nd another in thiscondition so easily?

A BRIEF HISTORYWant more proof of just how modern the CAlooked upon its debut in 1952? Well, you onlyhave to look at the postwar Bedford PC rangethat ran until the CA appeared – a totaltransformation in all aspects.

"ere is not room here to fully relate howthis 10/12cwt lightweight impacted upon thecommercial scene but it was designed fromthe outset to !t in with whatever work wasrequired. "ere were standard vans, canopyvans with seating in the rear for workers,minibuses, a variety of pick-ups with Walkerbeing a prominent player in this !eld, chassiscowls and chassis cabs for specialist bodies,samples of which are seen here in ambulanceand ice cream guises.

"ey were hugely successful in the motorcaravan industry, largely thanks to Kenex,Calthorpe and of course Martin Walter. Oneof the more unusual options I have found was

Classic lightweight

The CA with another British motoringicon, a Morris Minor saloon.

“People I don’t knowwillwave; cars will stop andlet me though narrowgaps and at car boot

sales, the van gets moreattention than the goods

I am selling!”

and inner wheel-well, so that was a de!nitenegative, personally speaking of course. Sideand forward visibility was fantastic, ade!nite boon to not having the split screenfrom the Mk1s.

"e CA !red up !rst time and I admiredthe way that the column change slickly wentinto gear, and in fact through all the gearswith only the odd crunch where Christiandidn’t catch it right. Silly little things mademe smile like the sound of the squealingbrakes slowing down and the ’box whinewhen on overrun – you don’t mind when thishappens on a classic but it is annoying on amodern driver.

Christian is not worried about where he takesit either. We went o# down the back roadswhich were a bit too narrow for my liking,

September 2014 79

a conversion of a van in 1955 to a hearse. !isexample had the full works: black paint,wreath rail, co"n deck with seats for the pallbearers, a true people carrier then!

So adaptable was the Mk1 CA that it soonearned the nickname of being a ‘Jack of alltrades’ with a sales tag line of ‘Designed to doa van’s job better’. However, while it proved ahit with its little pug-like nose, split-screenand plain, vented grille and a generous 135cu# load space, the small Wyvern 1500cc engineand three-speed box proved to be a tadasthmatic, but still soldiered on.

By the time the Mk2 arrived in 1959, some140,000 had been built; but the improvementsthe Luton-based company made would meaneven more sales, thanks to a slight redesignwith a new radiator grille and single one-piecescreen, a new 15cwt option with upratedspringing and a 102in long wheelbase modelcalled the CAL running alongside the 90inCAS (as it then became known). !is openedthe $oodgates for the coach-building trade toproduce so many wonderful, rare and o#enugly conversions.

With the longer chassis, 12in wider doorswere %tted enabling entry to the rear from thesides if the need arose, which was a boon forthe stop-start trade, giving rise to the name!e Roundsman’s Van.

Interior room was now a respectable 171cu# and in 1961 two variations of the PerkinsDiesel were added and a year later an allsyncro four-speed box was %tted, another %rstfor a light commercial in this weight band.!e engines really were being worked hardnow, so for its %nal faceli# in 1965, the slightlybetter 1600cc Victor engine was %tted and themore recognisable full mesh grille added tothe front. But with the Transit about to takethe world by storm, the writing was on thewall and what is surprising is the fact it tookVauxhall/Bedford another four years to bringout a new contender in the guise of the CF.However, if the evergreen CA wasn’t broke,why %x it, and I guess that’s how theboardroom executives saw it too.

My thanks go to Christian and Susan fortheir hospitality and the ‘proper’ eggs – freshlylaid, not supermarket – they donated for ourtable. Christian hires himself and the van for

weddings too; apparently it is lucky to have achimney sweep at your wedding so pleasecheck out www.oliverschimneysweep.co.ukfor more information.

Note: As we go to print, Christian wrote tosay that he has now lost his storage for the vanand therefore very reluctantly has decided tosell it. He would like £11,500 and you cancontact him on 0800 0133323 or 07889 488010

A long wheelbase CAL with Herbert Lomas ambulance bodywork. A CAL-based Morrison-Electrofreeze ice cream van.

RESTORATION CONTACTS:ADRIAN BAILEY CLASSICSTel: 01132 634288Website: www.roverland.eu

BEDFORD DRIVERS & ENTHUSIASTS CLUBWebsite:www.bedfordenthusiastsclub.com

Top: One very unusual CA-based o!ering… Above: There wasn’t much the CA couldn’t do.

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New company, new headquartersand a new truck – a combinationwhich certainly made 1987 arather momentous year for DAF.

Following the completion of the acquisitionagreements, Leyland and Freight Rover !nallymerged with DAF in April of that year to forma new company to be known as Leyland-DAF.

"e construction of the new companyheadquarters for DAF UK at "ame inOxfordshire was already well advanced by thistime and was considered to be the ideallocation for the management of thereorganised company. "e old head o#ce atMarlow was closed in October and the grandopening of the new headquarters was in itselfa cause for celebration but made even more soby the event coinciding with the launch of abrand new truck range – the 95 Series.

It is highly unlikely that any thought offuture ties with a British truck manufacturerentered into the thinking and planning for thedevelopment of what would become thecompany’s $agship truck range in the 1990s.

"e foundations for the development workhad been laid in 1978 with the start of theConcept 95 project. By this time DAF was wellaware that although its heavy truck rangeremained popular and had earned a well-deserved reputation for performance, therewas no doubt that the range either had to beuprated or replaced if the company was tocompete with the other leading Europeantruck manufacturers. "e appointment of Aartvan der Padt as company chairman was a

Alan Barnes traces thehistory and developmentof the DAF 95.

Transport heritage

Photography:As stated

Development work for the 95 started in1978 – but it would be 1987 before youcould buy one. PHOTO DAF ARCHIVE.

crucial factor in the development of the newtruck. He had been head of engineeringproduction between 1962 and 1972 and alwaysregarded himself as an engineer by trade.

He recognised the potential growth in the‘heavy’ end of the market and while DAF hadbased its reputation on building a ‘reliableworkhorse’ it was now time for the companyto get a step ahead of the market. To this endthe Concept 95 project was intended todevelop an advanced top range, yet stylishvehicle which would be superbly engineeredbut provide customers with the operatingperformance which they required. Eightyears of development work followed which

resulted in the launch of the 95 Series in 1987and as the model was voted InternationalTruck of the Year in 1988 the company musthave considered that Concept 95 was anundoubted success.

ENTIRELY NEWConsiderable investment was required as theproposed 95 Series was not a re-vamp oruprating of previous designs. "is was anentirely new vehicle and every component wasdesigned speci!cally for the new trucks. "ismeant that new machinery and productionmethods would also be needed to actuallybuild them.

!e company spent £60 million on majoralterations to the component productionplants and the "nal assembly line at theEindhoven factory where the 95 would bebuilt. !e old assembly line where the cabs andchassis were "tted together was completelyremoved and a new 200-yard long productionline installed in just two weeks. !is featuredtracks set in the #oor and a system of overheadgantries and controls. Operating methods werealso changed with the introduction of a ‘just in

Right: This 95 350 ‘wagon and drag’ wasoperated by Henry Thomson & Sons of Sauchenin Scotland. PHOTO IAN LAWSON

Transport heritage

82 Heritagecommercials.com

time’ component delivery system with engines,cabs and axles being delivered from the otherDAF manufacturing plants.

!e extensive reorganisation at theEindhoven plant meant that di"erent modelscould be passed through the production line inresponse to customer demand and the batchproduction system became a thing of the past.A complete truck could be built in seven and ahalf hours and when completed every vehiclewould undergo a quality control test runlasting half an hour and carried out by a teamof experienced and highly trained drivers.

For the UK market the new 95 was badgedas a Leyland-DAF but those sold elsewherewere simply DAF. Apparently the name forthe new range was something of a last minutedecision as until quite late on in the projectthe trucks were to be badged as the ‘120’ as areference to the engine size. However, this waslater changed to the ‘90’ but as luck wouldhave it MAN then launched its own 90-Serieswhich meant DAF had to change once moreand so the ‘95-Series’ was born.

!e company arranged launch events forthe new 95 not only at the new headquartersat !ame but in countries right across Europe.While the guests invited to these glossy a"airsincluded many of the operators, owners anddrivers of DAF trucks, one notable absenteefrom the celebrations was a certain Felix whohad played a vital role in the development ofthe new #agship 95.

In all honesty Felix, or to give him his fullname Felix 212, was not much of a party-goerand his social skills were practicallynonexistent but his involvement in theConcept 95 project was important. Felix 212was a life-size model which represented everytype of truck driver in terms of height, weightand gender and was used during the designand construction of the cab built specially forthe 95 Series. According to DAF: “!ere hasnever been an ergonomic study into a truckcab that has been more complete than thatundertaken in the Concept 95 developmentprogramme. A study that has now establishednot only how a driver works within his cabbut also how he rests.”

DAF even acknowledged the role of Felix212 in its advertising literature, con$rming in

black and white that “Felix 212 played a vitalrole in the design and construction of the newcab, one that provides the driver with theperfect working and resting environment.”

Felix and the DAF development team didnot work in isolation as the company alsointerviewed 1700 operators and driversworking in di"erent European countries toestablish what they needed in the nextgeneration of lorries and what they would liketo see included in the new speci$cations. As aspokesman for DAF commented: “Armedwith their views and the physical limitationestablished by Felix, the construction of the$rst production cab frame began.” !iseventually resulted in the introduction of atotally new standard of cab. While the cab mayhave started life on paper, it was the use ofbasic simple materials including plywood, clay,card and plastic, which are hardly cutting edge,

that proved invaluable in developing the newcab. !e designers considered everything –vision lines, movement patterns, instrumentand dashboard display, even the colour of theupholstery and the shape of the bed.”

!e designs were all tested and retestedboth on the bench, on computer programmesand also in existing cabs, and eventually onfull road tests with complete cab mock-ups. Agood deal of the modelling work was carriedout by IAD, a $rm in Worthing, West Sussex!is process, although involved and ratherlengthy, resulted in the production of a cabwhich in its $nal form was just as e%cient inreality as it was on paper during the designstage. While this work was under way, furtherinput on the design came from the joint DAF-Enasa venture with Cabtec and the resultsfrom that survey work were also incorporatedinto the $nal designs for the 95 cab.

DAF decided to start with a totally blank sheet of paper for the Concept 95. This wouldn’t be adevelopment of a previous model, but an entirely new vehicle. The control layout in particular was avast improvement over previous o!erings. PHOTO DAF ARCHIVE.

The well-respected DAF ATi engine wasredeveloped for the 95. PHOTO DAF ARCHIVE.

A lovely period shot of an Armitage Transport Ltd 95 400 twin-steer coupled to a tri-axle flat.PHOTO DAF ARCHIVE.

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CONTROL LAYOUT!e work included a complete and thoroughanalysis of the driver controls and visualinstrument displays. !e decision was taken toutilise analogue instrument displays ratherthan digital as DAF held that analogueallowed any changes in status to be moreeasily seen. !e gauges and warning lightswere displayed in order of priority within the"eld of vision of the driver. !e largewindscreen gave an uninterrupted view of theroad as well as a clear upward "eld of visionwhich allowed the driver a clear view ofroadside tra#c signals. !e ergonomic studyalso established the angle at which the pedalswere set in order to reduce the likelihood offatigue. DAF also tested the seats which wereavailable from most of the leadingmanufacturers with examples of the di$erentmakes being "tted to the prototype and test

cabs. Eventually DAF elected to "t theproduction vehicles with Isringhausen airsuspended seating upholstered with washablefabric supplied by Courtaulds. !e carefullydesigned instrument panel housed all thegauges and switches while the central console,although blending in with the fully tooledinterior trim, was strong enough to stand on.

Having devoted so much design anddevelopment work on the interior of the cab, asimilar process was adopted during the workon the external cab shell. According to DAF:“!e styling of the next generation has tocontribute to the overall pro"tability ofoperation. A consideration Concept 95 didnot overlook, because as average speedsincrease, aerodynamics become a moreimportant factor in pro"tability. So, countlesshours were spent in wind tunnels all overEurope to establish the most aerodynamically

e#cient design for the Leyland-DAF 95.”!ese tests involved the use of all scales of

mock-up models ranging from almost toy-likeminiatures to full-size cab mock-ups, workwhich DAF had every con"dence wouldproduce the most aerodynamically e#cientcab which could be built. !e result was adeceptively simple structure but which inreality was a rather complex design involvingthe use of inner and outer skin pressingsrather than heavy section box members.

From the driver’s seat, the A-post has adecidedly slender and ‘%imsy’ look about it,but clever angling and the construction of thepost using double-lapped sheet steel aroundthe front surface and a third pressing insideresulted in an extremely strong pillar whichmet with the Swedish strength standards. !edoors were made up from inner and outerpressings which had mounting brackets forthe hinges and latches. !e cab with its cleanoutline and subtle curved edges was perhapsreminiscent of the upright cabs used onvehicles such as the Leyland Marathon orsome of the models from AEC.

However, the design was certainly not datedand it did create quite an impact when "rstunveiled. !e year a&er the launch of the 95the Swiss lorry drivers’ association, LesRoutiers Suisses, judged the Leyland DAF 95to be European Cab of 1988.

A completely new chassis frame wasdeveloped by DAF as a result of the analysiscompleted as part of the Concept 95 project.As far as the chassis design was concerned theaim was to reduce weight but improve rigidityand stability. !e use of high tensile steelscreated problems of excessive spring in thestructure but DAF countered the problem byusing harmonic damping. !e chassis siderails were 10' inches deep with 3in %angeswith the cross-members cold riveted into

The various chassis o!ered were designed to bestrong but very light. PHOTO DAF ARCHIVE.

‘Felix’ at work! ‘He’ was a life-size dummy used to aid cab interior design – not just for the drivingposition, but also the living quarters. PHOTO DAF ARCHIVE.

A DAF publicity shot of a JG Osborne of Rotherham 95 400. In the UK the range was sold under thename Leyland-DAF, but it was just DAF abroad. PHOTO DAF ARCHIVE.

Transport heritage

position and in the two axle chassis there wereno frame !itches, while the 6x2 chassis werereinforced by local !itches to deal with thebogie stresses. "is resulted in a chassis framewhich was more stable and much lighter thanthe frame used on the previous 3300 and 3600ranges of trucks.

ENGINE DEVELOPMENTTo power the 95, DAF elected to furtherdevelop its existing Advanced Turbointercooling (ATi) engines which had been wellreceived when they had been introduced in the1970s. "e use of the ATi engine was arguablyone of the most straightforward decisions thathad to be taken in the course of the Concept 95project. As the company explained: “"e ATiengines have been thoroughly proven bymillions of miles of operational service andthe ATi concept has now been re#ned anddeveloped. A new injection angle, di$erentshaped combustion chamber, from toroidal toa 120º cone, and a 30% increase in injectionpressure results in increased output andtorque but with cleaner exhaust emissions andimproved e%ciency across the entire range ofSeries 95 engines.”

"e new version of the 11.6 litre engineswere designated the WS and were available inthree power ratings:WS 295 95.400 295/401 1640 @ 1300rpmWS 268 95.360 268/364 1500 @ 1300rpmWS 242 95.330 242/329 1350 @ 1300rpm

According to DAF: “"e new designoptimises component layout, brings morecomponentry into direct drive from theengine. Reducing engine parts, reducingwear and tear, reducing servicing time and inturn increasing pro#tability.” Duringdevelopment the engines were tested underarctic and desert conditions and were alsodeliberately run to destruction on laboratorytest benches.

To complement the redesigned ATiengine, DAF elected to use the ZF Ecosplit15-speed synchromesh gearbox in either the16S.130 or 16S.160 version depending onwhich engine was #tted. "e usual double ‘H’shi& proved to be impractical with the linkageof the ZF box so DAF adopted an earlierdesign with a single ‘H’ plus reverse. On somemodels there was also the option of havingthe 13-speed Fuller constant mesh gearboxand either the direct or overdrive top gearversions could be #tted according tocustomer preference.

As far as DAF was concerned the Concept95 development programme achievedeverything it set out to deliver. "e aim wasthe development of a totally new truck whichwas not just an exercise in restyling or slightimprovement of an existing series but agenuine advance on all fronts of trucktechnology. "e company also requiredthat the advances made were “practical,e%cient, reliable and above all measureable.

This 1989 Leyland DAF 95 310 isactually a stretched tractor unit witha third axle fitted. PHOTO BILL REID.

This very smart 95 380 was operated byJackson’s of Ossett. PHOTO JIM TAYLORCOLLECTION, COURTESYMARK SCHOFIELD.

DAF launched 95XF in 1997 – it went on to winthe Truck of the Year title in 1998.PHOTO ALAN BARNES.

September 2014 85

For the main aim of Concept 95 was toproduce a new truck that would be pro!tablein the ever demanding markets of today andthe future.”

It was noticeable that DAF emphasised theaspect of pro!tability as an important elementof the development of the 95 Series andarguably this may have been because it waswell aware that the new trucks did not comecheap. While pro!tability wasobviously a prime concern for any operator,the initial cost of a new truck represented aconsiderable investment.

Another concern for potential buyers wasthe level of electronic sophistication of the 95Series and the support available from thedealer network in case of problems. "evehicle itself was !tted with IWS, theIntelligent Warning System which wasdesigned to give the driver a warning of apotential problem and have the opportunity toattend to any issues before they becameserious. In addition, all DAF dealers werebeing equipped with a diagnostic fault !nder –the DAF Vehicle Investigation Equipment orDAVIE. "is was a mobile unit in a small casewhich plugged into the IWS memory of thetruck and could test a range of functions.

"e general consensus appeared to be thatthe Leyland DAF 95 was an impressivelooking truck of high quality constructionand that the company had “produced oneof the most re!ned vehicles on the market”,but nevertheless it was quite expensive.During road tests it compared favourablywith the previous top class performance ofthe DAF 3600 although as far as fuelconsumption was concerned the 95 provedslightly more ‘thirsty’, but it did show ahigher average speed over the same route."e air suspension gave a very smooth rideeven on bad quality road surfaces and thecab’s heating and ventilation system provideda comfortable environment for the driver.

All in all the 95 was considered to be anexcellent ‘package’ which helped DAFmaintain its position as market leader inthe 34-38-ton end of the truck market at leastfor a time as other companies includingVolvo, Scania and Iveco also had new trucksunder development.

However, even with the successfulconclusion of the Concept 95 project, the

development work did not stop and DAFcontinued, as the company does to this day,to maintain a programme of continuousresearch and product improvement.

Developing a new truck range does nothappen overnight and even while the 95Series was being launched, marketed andfurther improved, work had already begun onthe next generation of DAF trucks. Ten yearslater this work would result in the launch ofthe 95XF range which came to the market in1997, a vehicle which was acclaimed as Truckof the Year in 1998 – but that, as they say, isanother story.

“Ten years later this workwould result in the launchof the 95XF range whichcame to the market in1997, a vehicle whichwas acclaimed as Truckof the Year in 1998”

This H Askey of She!eld Leyland DAF 95 was photographed while taking part in the 2012 RetroTruck Show. PHOTO GYLES CARPENTER.

An 1991 Allelys 95 430 photographed at speed on the M74 on July 17, 2012. PHOTO GYLES CARPENTER.

Leyland DAF 95 360 operated by Stewart Milne.PHOTO JIM TAYLOR COLLECTION, COURTESYMARK SCHOFIELD.

Sunday, July 13 saw BRS devoteeshead for the Lincoln Farm Cafe, onKenilworth Road, near Solihull, toattend Robin Masters’ fourth

bi-annual event celebrating the creation ofBritish Road Services.

!e event marked 66 years since the thenLabour Government coined the name of BRSto operate all the goods vehicles they werebringing into Government ownership... hencethe show’s title BRS 66.

As our report on BRS 64 explained(Heritage Commercials April ’13), Robin’sformula for this event is fairly low key. Heinvites owners of as many ex-BRS vehicles aspossible – this year there were 25 – to come tothe Lincoln Farm Cafe car park so thatenthusiasts/ex-BRS sta" and others can simplymingle and reminisce about days gone by.!ere’s no big hype to what will happen onthe day, but to this observer, it always seems agreat day out and Robin reckons that in theregion of 400 folk came through the entranceto enjoy the atmosphere.

SCOTTISH STARFor all BRS fans, a glimpse of anyvehicle adorned with thedistinctive BRS livery is enoughto generate shivers of delight.However, seeing a ‘newcomer’

to the event creates more excitement, andnothing came much newer than David Philp’s1953 Albion HD57, as Fife-based David only#nished the paint job on the motor about fourdays before the event.

So, rather than drive the vehicle to the show,David utilised Jimmy Williamson’s head-turning Scania low loader for the job. Weintend to have an in-depth feature on David

and his Albion in a later

issue of the magazine.!e #ckle English weather took its time to

brighten up, but even during the odd slightrain showers there was plenty of space toshelter in and natter to all and sundry,athough two places where conversation

LOTSOFKICKSATOn location Words&Photography:Bob Tuck

BRS66

September 2014 87

was rather muted were the stalls which soldphotographs – with Peter Davies and RichardBaker respectively selling their wares.

Bob Rust and Steve Wimbush had theirown special displays, while Steve Evans hadhis stall selling all manner of signs. Best tradewas probably done by Ray and Jean Wilcox(long-standing owners of the Lincoln Farm)and their team of girls, who started serving teaand breakfasts at around 7am and were stillworking hard nine hours later.

Robin has always run this event asnon-pro!t making with the proceeds of theprogramme sales going to the MacmillanCancer Support and Marie Curie Cancer Care.

His cause was helped this year as theRenault-owned BRS Truck Rental concerngave some !nancial support and also brought acouple of vehicles to "y its "ag.

Other helpers Robin singled out for thankswere the team of marshals: Brian Flatt, DarrenDrinkwater, Gary Hill, Richard Peregrine andnot forgetting con!dant and good mate AlexSaville. A special thanks goes to Ros New,without whose help the event programmewould never have been created.

Most thanks – says Robin – goes to the folkwho came. And all being well, he’d love to seethem back again – with a few more – in twoyears time for BRS 68.

“It always seems a greatday out and Robin

reckons that in the regionof 400 folk came throughthe entrance to enjoy the

atmosphere.”

OLDWARDENThefirewardens

Protecting aworld-famous collection of vintageflying aircraft is no small feat. Wemeet thevolunteers who cover this task – together

with their fleet of classic Dennis andLand Rover fire appliances.

Emergency Service Classics

Words:Alan BarnesPhotography:Alan Barnes/AVFS

of

L ast September, I spent a couple ofdays at the rally organised by theBedford Steam Engine PreservationSociety, held in the grounds of the

impressive Shuttleworth House at OldWarden. Despite three days of wet weather,someone still managed to cause a small !reby pouring some hot ashes into a plasticrefuse bin and it was just as well thatmembers of the Air!eld Volunteer FireService were on hand to deal with theproblem before it got out of hand.

As well as watching them deal e"cientlywith the !re, I was also intrigued by theirtransport, comprising a #eet of four classicLand Rover !re trucks, which wereon standby at the event, and I felt that thesewell-presented vehicles deserved somecloser scrutiny.

I spoke to Kevin Pettitt, one of thevolunteers, who told me about the history ofthe organisation: “$e AVFS primarilyprovides !re protection and !rst-aid servicesto the Shuttleworth Collection at Old WardenAerodrome, near Biggleswade, inBedfordshire. We also provide event !re coverranging through !rework displays andcarnivals to larger events such as the BSEPSsteam rally, which has many thousands ofvisitors as well as overnight campers. As thename suggests, we are all volunteers and ourmembers come from diverse backgrounds,which brings with it a wide range of di%erentskills that we are able to call upon.

“In the late 1980s, the ShuttleworthCollection was providing its own !re coverat the #ying museum. $ey had their own !reappliance, but no one was really trained in itsuse. A committed and enthusiastic group ofindividuals got together to create an informal!re crew, but they had no contact with outsideagencies, had no !nance and remained largelyuntrained. With the introduction of newregulations covering air!elds the !re crewsituation was formalised and the Air!eldVolunteer Fire Service was formed in 1994;next year will be our twentieth anniversary.$e membership increased, the trainingimproved and the group had better access tomore appropriate vehicles.”

Kevin continued: “$e brigade attended theoccasional small incident, but in 1996 twothings occurred which had a major in#uenceon the future of the group.

“On May 4, 1996 the AVFS attended its !rstmajor aircra& accident, which also involvedthe attendance of all outside emergencyservices. Later that year the group also had its!rst visit and inspection by the Civil AviationAuthority and since then we have continuedto grow and develop our status.

“On November 13, 2002 the CharityCommission for England and Walesregistered the AVFS as a charity with thedeclared object being ‘to preserve and protectlife, in particular to provide and maintain anemergency !re and rescue service for thebene!t of the public’. We currently have

around 35 operational and non-operationalmembers, and today the AVFS is consideredto be among the best and most highlyrespected lower category rescue and !re!ghting services in England, a status of whichwe are justi!ably proud.”

THE VEHICLES“As far as the group’s #eet of vehicles isconcerned this is currently a mix of AVFS-owned vehicles and those which are privatelyowned by members of the group. $e largestvehicle in current use, and designated ‘Fire 2’,is the 1993 Dennis TF202R2B ‘Rapier’,Registration Number K416 ENT, which isowned by one of the members. $e applianceis powered by a Cummins 6CTA engine,paired with an Allison automatic gearbox, andis !tted with a Godiva GMA pump with high

Fire 4 and Fire 5, just two of the vehicles that provide fire coverfor the world-famous Shuttleworth Collection of vintage aircraft.

Fire 2 is a 1993 Dennis Rapier, and spent most ofits original working life with the Shropshire Fireand Rescue Service.

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pressure hose reels and is capable of delivering2250 litres of water per minute. !e on-boardwater tank holds 1800 litres.”

Kevin added: “!e appliance was "rstregistered in 1993 and spent most of itsworking life at the retained "re station atBaschurch with the Shropshire Fire andRescue Service. It was later classi"ed as abrigade spare and used for driver training untilbeing de-commissioned in November 2007.!e appliance was acquired by the presentowner in April 2009 and is now in use with theAVFS as a support and training vehicle.

“!e mainstay of the #eet are the LandRovers, such as ‘Fire 3’, which is a 1990 LandRover 110 High Capacity Defender,Registration Number G792 FWP, and is oneof the vehicles owned by the AVFS. It is "ttedwith 2.5-litre direct-injection turbocharged300TDi engine and a "ve-speed manualgearbox – the engine was completely rebuiltduring 2003/4. It was bought by the group as astandard Land Rover and the Perren PressureUnit was "tted by a specialist company, withAVFS members making further adaptationsand modi"cations to meet CAA requirements.It carries 690 litres of pre-mix foam and is alsoequipped with a 7m triple extensioncombination ladder.

“‘Fire 4’ is a Land Rover Defender 127, builtin 1988 and "rst registered as F146 MTM onMarch 1, 1989, is another of the vehiclesowned by the group. It was previously inservice with the Bedfordshire and Luton Fireand Rescue Service, being stationed originallyat She$ord and then at Woburn. !e vehiclewas donated to the group in May 2010.

“It is powered by a 3528cc petrol enginewith a "ve-speed manual gearbox and is"tted with a Godiva UMPX "re pump. !eonboard water tank can carry 400 litres andthe vehicle is also equipped with a three-section triple extension ladder. In 2011, ‘Fire 4’was modi"ed and re-equipped by the AVFSmembers, which included the addition of afoam tank and foam system to meet CAACategory 1 speci"cations.

“Our second Defender 127, RegistrationNumber H906 HUR, was built in 1990 and

The Airfield Volunteer Fire Service is considered to be among the best lower category rescue and fire fighting services in England.

Fire 3 carries 690 litres of pre-mix foam and a 7m triple extension combination ladder.

Fire 5 is a 1990 Land Rover Defender 127, fitted with a 3528cc V8 petrol engine and five-speedgearbox, Godiva GMA pump and a 350-litre on-board water tank. The vehicle was uprated in 2011 tomeet the Civil Aviation Authority Category 1 specifications.

Emergency Service Classics

September 2014 91

!rst registered on April 10, 1991. It wasdonated to the group in May 2010 by theBedfordshire and Luton Fire and RescueService having served with them at Pottonand Sandy. It also has a 3528cc petrol engineand !ve-speed gearbox, but is !tted with aGodiva GMA pump and a smaller 350-litreonboard water tank. "e vehicle was alsomodi!ed and uprated in 2011 to meet theCAA Category 1 speci!cations.

MEET PILCHARD!“I have le# what is probably the group’sfavourite vehicle until last. ‘Fire 6’, or‘Pilchard’ as it has been nicknamed, isprivately owned by one of the members. "e1984 Land Rover Defender 110 L4P,Registration Number B21 VTM, is poweredby a 3528cc V8 petrol engine with a four-speed manual gearbox and carries a GodivaUMPX pump with high pressure hose reel,which can deliver 500 gallons a minute. It is!tted with a 400-litre onboard water tank.

“"e vehicle was originally stationed atSandy, where its radio callsign was designated‘Sandy 6’ so it is quite appropriate that with usit has become ‘Fire 6’. "e original conversionof the vehicle for use as a !re appliance wascarried out by Pilcher Greene and it waspurpose-built with a view to servicing thedemanding environment on Sandy Heath. "eLand Rover carried fairly limited equipmenton board, but had the facility on the roof tocarry and transport equipment over rough o$-road terrain to get to the scene of an incident.

“"e vehicle was sold out of service by theBedfordshire brigade and was bought andused by a security company in 2006. Twoyears later, in 2008, it was bought by one ofour members. Since that time the vehicle hasundergone a complete strip down and rebuild,and it is a !rm favourite with all the crews."e planned restoration project started out as

a straightforward six to eight weeks’ work,with a view to repairing some sections ofrusted-out framework on the rear body mainupper locker – but how wrong we were. Asever with such projects, once you start to peelback the panels you discover more bitsrequiring attention and so the process goeson. We ended up with all the side body panelsand roof stripped o$, and repaired theframework which is essentially 25mm steelbox section. All the fabrication and weldingwas done in house by one of our members.”

Kevin continued: “With everything nowexposed we turned our attention to the chassiswhich needed some minor repairs in the usualplaces and the inevitable replacement of therear cross member. "is meant that more bitscame o$ the rear of the truck, including thefuel tank and guard so we could get at thecross member. Once all the chassis repairs hadbeen completed, many coats of black paintwere applied before the rebuilding started sowe could get the protective paint into all thosenasty tight corners which are totallyinaccessible once everything is put backtogether. We also replaced the shocks allround and !tted polybushes, which hasimproved the ride no end. "e steeringdamper was also replaced.

“"e cab doors were in need of attention soa#er consideration we decided to !t newcarbon !bre doors with winding windowsto improve visibility, a good decision butit did take a lot of time to get the doorsright but the consensus view is that was timewell spent.

“"e engine was essentially good, but we didneed to replace the water pump, thermostatand the majority of the hoses. "e heatexchanger, which connects to the main !repump to aid engine cooling while pumping,was also stripped and overhauled. "e startermotor had also been causing intermittent

Fire 3 on standby at the control tower.Fire 6, or ‘Pilchard’, with a Westland Lysander. These aircraft were used as ‘spy taxis’ during theSecond World War ferrying agents to and from occupied France.

A quick refurbishment of Fire 6 was only meantto take six to eight weeks, but turned into amajor restoration project. The job took 19months in the end.

Emergency Service Classics

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problems, which is not good for a working!re appliance so this was renewed as well.

“All the auxiliary electrics for items like bluelights and sirens had clearly su"ered years ofchanges and repairs so this was renewed withproper controls and a new switch panelinstalled. Power supplies for radios andauxiliary equipment were !tted and all thelighting within the lockers was replaced withLED strip lights. New external LED workinglights were also installed on each side toprovide lighting for night-time working.

“#e other signi!cant alteration was to theframes on the roof which were originallyintended to transport equipment on SandyHeath. We dispensed with the frames andfabricated full-length enclosed boxes whichopen to the rear of the appliance, and can beused to carry long-handled tools such as rakesand beaters. Perhaps the purists among youwill argue that the vehicle is no longer tooriginal design, but it does what we need it todo bearing in mind that this is an operationalvehicle not a show exhibit.

“Some minor repairs were also required tothe body panels before re!tting, and the pumpcontrol panel had been damaged, (we do knowby whom and which tree he hit!), so that wasrefabricated, and the lower locker doors werere-engineered in the same style as Fire 4 andFire 5. Part of the overall plan was to make Fire6 as similar as possible to Fire 4 and Fire 5 inthat all kit can be similarly stowed. #is meantalterations were required to the stowage tray inthe main locker. #e rear light mounting boxeshad also su"ered the ravages of time and!re!ghter’s boots climbing on them, so thesewere refabricated and the rear light clusterschanged for LED units.

“Once all the body panels had been re!ttedthe vehicle was rubbed down and sprayed,before all the trims, wheel spats and locker

shutters were !tted back in place. A largerlightbar was also !tted to the cab roof and thecab interior and furnishings were cleaned andre!tted. #e !nal job was the !tting of decals,which has been done to look the same as Fire4 and Fire 5, although some additional redre$ective tape has been added to provideadditional night-time visibility. #e wholeproject lasted close on 19 months, buteverybody on the crew agrees it was wellworth the e"ort and justi!ed every pennywhich was spent.”

PRIDE OF THE FLEET“Having been completely restored, Fire 6 isnow very much part of the active service $eetand it can o%en be seen covering domesticduties, or paired with the Perren traileraround the air!eld at Old Warden. It isequipped with an onboard generator whichcan be used to power lighting and tools andcarries additional equipment to support theair!eld rapid intervention vehicles.”

Kevin concluded: “Keeping all the vehiclesin !rst class operational condition is veryimportant and the work is usually handled bythe members of the group, who have a rangeof appropriate skills, although on occasionmore specialised work will require outsideservices. In addition, training exercises, whenthe vehicles are used, are also critical and weare fortunate that we are able to arrange live!re training at Luton Airport, where we haveaccess to professional training on aircra%!res. #ere are both theory and practicalelements to this training and the exercisesgive us the opportunity to practice usingextinguishers and suppressant foam in live!re situations, ranging from small !res tomajor incidents when all the crews andvehicles will be involved.

“When on standby at the ShuttleworthCollection or any other event everyone in thegroup hopes that they will have a relaxed dayor days with no emergencies and no one indanger. However, if the call comes, the AVFS,thanks to their training and $eet of specialisedvehicles, are able to respond quickly and dealwith the emergency.”

My thanks to Kevin Pettitt and themembers of the AVFS for providing thedetails of their organisation and also forallowing the use of some of the photographsfrom their archive.

Just some of the equipment carried by Fire 4.

Fire 6 is a 1984 Defender 110 powered by a 3528cc V8 petrol engine with a four-speed manual gearbox.It carries a Godiva UMPX pump with high-pressure hose reel, which can deliver 500 gallons a minute.

Keeping the vehicles in good order is only partof the job. Regular exercises, including specialistaircraft fire training at Luton Airport, means theAVFS is one of the top such units in the country.

September 2014 93

illuminated headlamps raise £7750. !e similarcommercial set of brass Polkey lamps went for£5675. !ese were sold during the Fridaysection of the sale when some £10,000 waspaid for the Commercial Motor volumes one(March 16, 1905) to 36 (December 29, 1972).

!e Wayne petrol pump sold for £2062 and ara" of cast road signs sold in batches of threefrom £525-£687. !ere was a whole host ofenamel signs with the North British Rapson tyresign 184cm x 76cm knocked down at £1187.Some people were spending £20,000 a time onthese and the lamps o#ered here. As for thecommercial vehicle spares, these did well forwhat they were, as did the many solid tyres.

At 3pm sharp on the Saturday, MalcolmBarber took to the rostrum and thecommercial vehicles started this section of thesale o#, which is what we will concentrate onhere. !ere were 200 people sitting andstanding in the excellent marquee and manywere bidding, in addition there were a host oftelephone and internet bidders as well. !eprices were shown instantly on the screen andin eight di#erent currencies. As for the early

DECADESale of the

Peter Love reports on the amazing 1258 lot sale of the lateMichael Banfieldcollection. The collection came under the hammer ofmajor London auctioneerBonhams on June 13 & 14, 2014, and grossed threemillion pounds.

Auction report

Words: Peter Love

Michael was the son of CharlesBan$eld, the famous Londoncoach operator whose %eet ofimmaculate green and gold

coaches were to be seen operating in Londonand the surrounding suburban area, besidesday trips to the coast, particularly in the1950s-70s. Michael was always keen onhistoric vehicles and he acquired his $rstmachine in 1959, a 1927 Bentley 3l four-seatersports car, which like most of this breed waslater converted with a 4.5l Bentley engine.

!is was the start of an amazing collectionthat included veteran and vintage commercialvehicles, veteran, Edwardian, vintage andclassic cars, not forgetting the passenger servicevehicles. But that wasn’t all, as he collectedautomobilia that included a very extensivelamp collection, literature and much more.

Michael of course went on to be a foundingmember of the Historic Commercial VehicleSociety. He became its chairman in 1965 andremained as such until 1993, when the societybecame a charity and he then became its CEOuntil his retirement in 2011. Some may say hewas a controversial $gure, but he did his bestfor the preservation movement in many ways.

He continued to add to his collection astime went on and carried outmuch of the restorationwork himself, or used

the services of people who were good at thejob, like Roger and Dave Ingham. !esepeople did a lot of work for Michael and alsoassisted with the preparation for the sale here.

Michael was very particular about havingthe vehicle correct in its detail and on manyoccasions his restorations have been majorprize winners at shows, authenticity certainlythe key factor. He purchased in 2011 theBruce Kingswell restored 1935 Austin 12 LLtaxi with Vincent of Reading bodywork thatwas a prize winner at the HCVS London toBrighton Run when in the ownership of DrPeter McWilliam. It was to be a ‘hot’ numberhere, selling for an amazing £67,580 all in.As the excellent auctioneer Malcolm Barbersaid, it was certainly the most expensive taxihe had ever seen.

AUTOMOBILIAWhen Michael came to Kent, his Iden Grangeset up near Staplehurst featured tasteful farmbuildings that were ideal for his collection andmany restoration projects. However, he didexperience a $re in one of his buildings, whichcaused havoc with his lamp collection

unfortunately. Nevertheless thebrass lamp collection, of

which more are yet to besold, saw the pair of

Polkey oil

LEFT: Rare to see the Thornycroft Q five tontipper that was discovered by chance in aLondon scrapyard in the 1960s.

Thornycroft A1 horsebox came from the Bennettcollection based in Portlaoise in 1972.

September 2014 95

highlight, that just had to be the 1913Merryweather A with its Aster 53hp engineand 11! 6in wheelbase in totally stunningcondition, which a!er some time was sold atan amazing £74,300 and was a credit toMichael’s hard work in getting it right.

Others we loved were the Wolseley CR, saidto be unique and classed as a 4 tonner, a verysolid 1913 heavyweight veteran lorry thatwould not take much to recommission andmust be classed as the bargain of the sale at£23,000. Everyone loved the 1914 J & E HallHalford, made at Dartford, certainly a

“Michael was veryparticular about havingthe vehicle correct in itsdetail and onmany

occasions hisrestorations have beenmajor prize winners”

A popular lorry at the sale was the 1915 Daimler BC three ton WD Subsidy that certainly carries alater engine from the 1920s period, but this didn’t detract would-be purchasers.

It was great to see Seb Marshall buy back this1919-20 AEC K type 2057, which his late fatherPrince Marshall (founder of Old Motor) owned atone time.

The 1990 Mercedes-Benz 308 with hydraulic floorbed moved Michael’s vehicles around in later life.

Another that came from the OssieBennett collection in March 1972 wasthe 1914 Leyland 3S Subsidy B thatwill be a relatively easy restoration.

Michael’s 1960 Bedford TK KDLC long wheelbase flat bed that has been kept in immaculate order atIden Grange.

Auction report

96 Heritagecommercials.com

lightweight three tonner compared to others ofthe time. !is example was one of the very "rstcommercials preserved in the 1950s and waspart of the Jack Sparshatt collection down atPortsmouth. It was sold to Michael in 1973when the Sparshatt dispersal sale took place. Ithas a wonderful look and feel to it and changedhands at £34,500. Hardly anyone had seen thestunningly restored 1915 Fiat 18P 24.8hp chaindrive lorry, a type made in the First World Warat the rate of 1900 per month. !is is the onlysurvivor in the UK, it worked in Kent at that,and it went on to sell at £31,050.

However, higher stakes saw the wellpublicised, when it was "rst rebuilt by Michaelin Joseph Lucas colours, 1918 Crossley 20/25

It was a successful design for the companyand featured a 5.7l engine with a three-speedtransmisson, and did all that it should for itsperiod. Based in Cornwall on china clay workit ended up in 1921 with W Winchester ofGrayshott, Hampshire, where it was used bythe coal and grain merchant for a goodnumber of years. Having been stored alongwith a 1914 Vulcan and a 1927 Denis in ashed at Winchester’s premises, they were soldin 1953 to Ray’s scrapyard in Liphook,Hampshire and the Karrier was saved fromthe cutting torch by Jack Sparshatt. It was oneof the very "rst commercials to be paraded inthe 1950s. When Sparshatt held his sale in1973, which I attended, it was sold to MichaelBan"eld. It needs restoring to a certain degree,but would certainly not take much work andsold here for £27,600.

Michael’s mode of transport for his vehiclesfor many years was his very long wheelbase1960 TK Bedford KDLC 494 RKR. It was insuch original well kept condition with the #atbodywork constructed at Ban"elds Coaches,Nunhead Lane, ex-LT depot. It sold here for avery good £6670. His more modern 1990Mercedes Benz 814 hydraulic lowloader H918SHH, in full road worthy drive away condition,sold for £4370 the very last lot of the sale.

!e sale then turned to the amazing publicservice vehicles (PSVs) and car collection thatMichael had owned, but which is outside thejurisdiction of this title.

All in all it had been a very informative sale,which had been well executed by Bonhams onbehalf of their clients; it was certainly an endto an era at Iden Grange down in Kent.

Oldest commercial vehicle in the sale, the 1910Karrier A6.

A popular vehicle during the First World Warwas the FWD 4x4 and again will be an easyrestoration.

with its 4.5 litre "ve bearing four-cylinderengine selling for an amazing £52,900. !emonster in the lorry line had to be the 1915Peerless TC four-tonner that again had beenso well restored. Certainly a heavy machine tosteer, it went on to sell for a very good £42,550and has gone to Dublin.

One that looked the business and will be arelatively easy restoration, is the rare 1914Leyland S3 Subsidy B 30cwt that came fromOsmond Bennett, out of Portlaoise,Republic of Ireland in March 1972. It wenton to sell for an amazing £27,600 and wascertainly in demand.

Certainly one of the most original lorrieshere was the 1910 Karrier cab over engine A6.

The Garner 15 van is a unique vehicle in the UK and came into Michael’s collection in 1983.

Pierce-Arrow R8 designed to carry five tons and was a heavyweight of the First World War. It featuredin the 1966 film ‘The Blue Max’.

September 2014 97

CommercialVehicle andPSV ResultsCODES1 - Needs full restoration2 - Runs but needs work3 - Original4 - Older restoration5 - Fully restored6 - Concours condition

❚ 1910 Karrier A60 205 HO2997 3ton flatbed lorry very rare olderrestoration 30hp engine (2/4)£27,600❚ 1911 Renault CB LE7486 1 tonlorry complete but needsrestoration (1) £5750❚ 1913Wolseley CR 630WDSubsidy lorry LE5470 said to bethe only survivingWolseley rareolder restoration cheap (2/4)£23,000❚ 1914 HalfordWD Subsidy 4061PX2031 dropside lorry ex-Sparshatt great patina about itruns (2/3) £34,500❚ 1914 Leyland S3 332WDSubsidy B dropside lorry ex-Osmond Bennett R/Irelandcomplete needs restoration (1.5)£27,600❚ 1915 FWD 4 x 4 1517 flatbedlorry complete easy restoration ex-French (1) £23,000

❚ 1915 Fiat 18P box van 68798LN7113rareex-TWBurbrick,Hadlow,Kent well restored (6) £31,050❚ 1915 Kelly Springfield K40complete chassis and part bodyex-Canadian army (1) £920❚ 1915 Daimler B 3148 3 ton lorryBC4476 needs full restoration(1) £32,200❚ 1915 Peerless TC4 621 4 ton openback lorry FN5284 ex-Yeomans ofCanterbury, Kent immaculate goneto R/Ireland (5.2) £42,550❚ 1917 AEC YC chassis only needsrestoration (1) £1495❚ 1917Maxwell Commercial 1 tondelivery van 861 AC7330 20.9hpengine immaculate (5) £21,850❚ 1917 Pierce Arrow R-8 9932 R-8open back lorry featured in 1966BlueMax film older restoration(2/4) £27,600❚ 1917 GarnerModel 15 van 8002OE6589 rare older restoration(2/4) £20,000❚ 1918 Daimler CB chassis needsrestoration (1) £138❚ 1918 Peerless rear and front axleandwooden solid tyres wheels(1) £287.50❚ 1918 Crossley 20/25 RFC van inLucas colours well knownexcellent (5) £52,900❚ 1919 Garford 25 open back lorry25770 RR5393 depicted as CharlesBanfield’s first vehicle immaculate(5) £25,300

❚ 1920 Thornycroft light lorrychassis needs restoration(1) £1955❚ 1918Maxwell chassis needs fullrestoration (1) £276❚ 1918Maxwell chassis needs fullrestoration (1) £161❚ 1924 Thornycroft Q 5 ton tipperex-Lewisham Borough Council forrestoration (1) £14,950❚ 1930 Thornycroft A1 FM470130cwt horse box ex-OsmondBennett R/Ireland for restoration(1) £1150❚ 1935 Austin 12LL taxi 78469BXK124 immaculate drives as wellas it looked (6) £67,580❚ 1960 Bedford TK KDLC 25463494 RKR longwheel base flatearly example great order(3) £6670❚ 1990Mercedes-Benz 814 lowloader truck excellent fullhydraulics (3) £4370

Fire Engines❚ 1910 Delahaye 32 LE7485 fireengine 2l four-cylinder engineunrestored (1) £13,225❚ 1917 Leyland DEU4 3482 fireengine ex-LFB unrestored butbasically there (cheap) (1) £5750❚ 1913Merryweather A 3507E2152 fire engine ex-Bass, Ratcli!&Gretton totally restored (6)£74,300

❚ 1913Merryweather Hatfield firetrailer pump restored (4) £8050❚ 1914 Dennis N 1240 AR5232 fireengine, ex-Arnolds of EastPeckham, Kent with 1920s frontendmodifications by Dennis olderrestoration (4) £39,000❚ 1915 Fiat Tipo 2B station bus29757 AA8330 immaculateBrighton prize winner (5.2)£24,000❚ 1926Morris Commercial Z 3266ZDF3365 fire engine ex-Listers ofDursley restored (5.4) £27,600❚ 1929Merryweather Hatfield firetrailer pump restored (5) £11,500

PSVs❚ 1922 Tillings-Stevens TS3Apetrol-electric 2559 XL1204immaculate Thomas Tillingrestoration very rare indeed (6)£216,540❚ 1922 AEC S type London Generalbus 21708 XL8962 stunningrestorationwell known vehicleL&B runner (5) £281,500.❚ 1929 Chevrolet LQ 14 seaterfabric top coach body by Bush andTwiddy great patina runs anddriven away excellent inside (5)£40,250❚ 1932 Leyland Titan PD2 1690J6332 ex-JerseyMotor Transportgreat patina finish excellent inside(4) £34,500

The sale also included Michael’s collection ofautomobilia.

An excellent vehicle for its time was the Manchester-built 1918 Crossley 20/25 RAF van that wasdesigned by former railway engineer Walter Iden.

A pre-First World War British heavyweight is theunique four ton Wolseley.

This 1913 Merryweather A 8.6l side-valved engined monster was first seen restored on the HCVSLondon to Brighton Run in 1965.

What a lineup of tyres and wheels Michael hadcollected over 50 years!

T oday most things are fastened withnuts and bolts with metric threads,these have become the internationalstandard. With the age of our old

machinery it is most likely that any threadson an English built vehicle will be Whitworth,BSF, UNF, UNC or on electrical andcarburettor !ttings sometimes BA threadsmay be encountered. Vehicles fromcontinental manufacturers will undoubtedlyhave all metric threads.

It is imperative that the correct types andsizes of thread are matched if repair work isbeing undertaken. Yes, if you are just bolting

things together standard metric bolts will do;but personally I think there is nothing worsethan a nicely !nished vehicle in all otheraspects and then !nding components havebeen bolted on with modern metric bolts.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?"e most notable di#erence betweenImperial and metric threads is the includedangle of the thread itself; most imperialthreads are 55° with exceptions such as theBA threads which have an angle of 47$°;all metric threads have an included angleof 60°.

THREADSandtheir formationBefore undertaking any thread cutting, be it neworrecutting old ones, some insight into threads and

their formation is in order.

Identifying threads is not particularlydi!cult, a little detective work is allthat is required.

Workshop Words&Photography:Richard Lofting

September 2014 99

Another question is why have threads ofdi!ering pitches? Fine pitched threads willtighten further with less e!ort but are not sogood when used in brittle materials such ascast iron. Here a coarse-pitched thread will bebetter as there will be more material betweeneach thread. As an example, when studs areused in a casting, such as a cast iron engineblock, the thread in the casting will be a coarsethread such as UNC and the thread on theother end on to which a nut will be placedwill be a UNF thread, giving the best ofboth worlds.

THREAD GAUGESWhen trying to determine what form a threadis, coarse threads can easily be measuredagainst a ruler, counting how many threadsthere are to the inch, or for metric measuringthe distance between each thread crest. Amore scienti"c approach is to purchase athread gauge, not unlike a set of feeler gauges,but instead of a set of di!ering thicknessblades, it contains blades with all the commonthread pitches cut in one edge.

All that is required is to hold the blades, oneat a time, against the thread in question.When the thread and the gauge match, look atthe number stamped on that particular bladei.e. 24, this will indicate the TPI or threads perinch; or if a metric thread, it will be stamped1.75 for example, this will indicate that thepitch is 1.75 mm or 1.75 mm between thepeak of each thread.

THREAD TABLESOnce you have got your thread pitch anddiameter, to determine what thread form youhave you will require a thread table such as aZeus chart. Here all the common threadforms are listed, all you need to do is lookdown the tables comparing your values withthose in the tables, for example 12 TPI #indiameter will correspond with #in BSF. $isis also a useful technique to use whendetermining the replacement bolts that needto be ordered. $e charts not only give thethread particulars but give the correct sizes forthe drills to drill the holes before tapping athread.

TAP TYPESTaps are available in three forms: taper,second and plug. For a normal thread wherethe underside is open, usually the taper andsecond taps will be required; but for a blindhole in a casting where the thread is requiredto go to the bottom of the hole, the plug tapwill be required too. $e taper tap is self-explanatory; having a taper helps as the "rstthreads are cut and also to keep the tapperpendicular as it enters the drilled hole.Once this tap has been used, the second tap isto "nish the thread form; this has a smalltaper at the start but increases to the "nishedsize. In the blind hole mentioned earlier, theplug tap which has a parallel thread on it canbe used a%er the other two to "nish thethreads right to the bottom of the hole.

Words&Photography:Richard Lofting

To determine a thread, a thread gauge is a must; this example has imperial thread pitches on oneside and metric on the other.

Here the metric side is shown, measure theoutside diameter the thread has and look up in athread chart such as Zeus.

Try the gauges one at a time until the gaugematches the thread that you are measuring,then read o! the pitch on the gauge.

Thread inserts are available to repair threadswhere size is critical. A special tap cuts a threadinto which the insert is placed.

Basic sets of taps and dies are available forcommonly used threads in mild steel; foranything harder individual sizes are available.

Taps come in alllengths and sizes:top is a long reachtaper tap; belowthat is a UNFsecond tap; theothers are metricsecond taps.

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100 Heritagecommercials.com

USING A TAP TO CUT A THREADA!er drilling the correct-sized hole, whenusing a tap to cut a thread it is not just amatter of screwing it in. Using a taper tap "rst,keeping it perpendicular to the hole and usinga tap wrench, enter the tapered tip of the tapin the hole. Now give the tap half a turn,looking from the top in a clockwise direction(assuming it is a normal right-handed thread),then back it o# a little. Repeat this procedureuntil the tap is all the way through the hole.

$e reason that the tap is backed o# is tobreak the chip of swarf; otherwise it willpossibly curl up and jam in the teeth of the tapcausing damage to the tap and possibly thethread in the hole you are cutting. Once thetaper tap has been used then do the same withthe second cut tap.

If the thread being cut has a bottom in it,i.e. one in a casting, then the above applies,but without anywhere for the swarf to go itwill need to be removed as the thread is beingcut. A!er the second cut tap has been used, aplug tap will then need to be used to bring thethreads at the bottom of the hole up to size.

Here caution is the watchword; if any of thetaps contact the bottom of the hole, too muchforce will result in a snapped tap, especially inthe smaller sizes. Once snapped, invariably%ush with nothing to get hold of, it will be adevil of a job to remove, as taps are, out ofnecessity, hard and brittle. $e only real wayto remove a stuck, broken tap is spark erosion.

DAMAGED THREADS$read "les are available; these are usedwhere a thread had been partially damagedand can be used to dress the damaged part ofthe thread. Obviously the correct threadpitch will need to be used.

O!en on our old machinery, it will befound that a thread has been strippedcompletely, either through abuse or neglect.If the size is non-critical, then all that needsto be done is to drill out to the next size andtap a new thread. Sod’s law dictates that itwill be critical, i.e. a cylinder-head stud,here you cannot substitute the stud with alarger one.

All is not lost however, as threadinserts are available to replace thedamaged thread. $e technique to usethese is fairly simple. $e remains of the oldthread are drilled out with the correct-sizeddrill and then a special tap is used to cut anew thread into which the thread insert isscrewed; this has an internal thread the sameas the original, thus restoring it. $ey areavailable under many trade names such asHelicoil, Recoil etc. but essentially do thesame job with some specialist sizes availablefor speci"c jobs such as stripped sparkingplug threads. $e thread inserts are madefrom stainless steel wire, which is tough anddurable, and in particular when used in analuminium casting, for example, will producea stronger "xing than the original.

Workshop

Taper tap should be used first, as it has a longtaper to help keep the tap square when enteringthe hole, followed by a second cut tap.

To avoid breakage and the tap going in out ofsquare, use the proper tap wrench, the equalhandles provide a balanced guide.

The top two are die nuts which are run downwith a spanner; the two below are used in therelevant die stocks giving better control.

It is essential to drill the hole square to startwith; in this case the two holes were drilled in adrill press.

Before starting to tap, it will help to lubricate it with thread cutting compound; it will make the jobeasier and extend the life of the tap.

If you look carefully the tap is not square to thehole; at best it would produce a misalignedthread, at worst the tap would snap.

This time the tap is square to the hole; you canuse a small square to check alignment, it is easyto rectify at this point.

7

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September 2014 101

The correct way is to give the tap half a turn in aclockwise direction for a normal right-handthread; reverse for left-hand thread.

Now back o! the tap by a quarter of a turn,anticlockwise, this will ensure that the swarf willbe broken into small pieces.

Continue half turn one way followed by aquarter the other until the tap is all the way intothe hole, now unwind the tap and remove.

It should be now possible to screw a bolt with correct thread into the hole without undue force, inthis case 8mm and it went in by hand.

All that remained to do was to cut o! the piece with the two threads in, it was replacing two captivenuts which had rotted away.

Thread tables such as the Zeus charts are a mustfor selecting correct threads.

Health and Safety■ Wear suitablegogglesduringdrillingprocedures.■ Whendrillingholes inmetalbeaware thatthe swarfproducedwill be sharpandsometimeshot.■ It seemsobvious,butbeaware that thecuttingedgesof tapsare sharp.■ Any revolvingmachinerypresents thedangerofpickingup looseclothing, ties, scarvesetc. Itwill be too late to think “Iwill switcho!” ifyour tiegets caught in the revolvingdrill, bythat timeyournosewill bechewedby thedrillchuck - it happens thatquickly!

Hints and Tips■ Always usehigh tensile boltswhenunder load.■ Metric boltsmayhave anMstampedon theheadof thebolt, and if high tensile theywill bemarked8.8, 10.9 etc.■ Imperial boltsmayhave three radial lines onthehead.■ Be carefulwhenusing taps as they arerather brittle andwill snapespecially in thesmaller sizes.■ Always keep taps anddies in theirprotectivepackets, rolling around in yourtoolboxwill blunt or chip them.■ Always use a cutting compoundonyourtaps anddies toprolong their life.

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Nextmonth ONSALE SEPTEMBER18,2014

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PLUSThe development andhistory of the last everBedford lorry – the TL.

Ford P100. On location.Archive album. News

and events. & More.

FROM RAGS TO RICHESWhen David Philp realised there were no restoredAlbion HD57 eight-wheelers in Scotland, thedecision to do something about it was to take over14 years of his life. But as Bob Tuck discovers, thefinished article not only looks stunning but is apeach to drive as well.

DIESEL DAN’S FAVOURITE MANHaving worked alongside E34 XMJ ever since the day itarrived brand new in the McGovern yard in early 1988,no wonder ‘Diesel Dan’ (aka Danny Lynch) rates thisversatile wrecker as his favourite MAN. Bob Tuck getshis mind blown away by its electrifying performance.

A FALKLANDS FORAYAlan Barnes interviews John Wynn about his heavy haulage exploits helping toreconstruct the Falklands after the conflict.

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AEC MAMMOTH MAJOR

Mk III, ex Shell Mex BP tanker, 8-wheeler,tin front, cut down for breakdown use, 9.6engine, £5330Tel. 079670 93132. Derbys

AEC MILITANT

1959, a one off special order by thenational coal board, starts & drives,excellently, showing 8000miles from new,very tidy throughout, p/x & offersconsidered, £10,000Tel. 07825 627378; 01256 862261.Hampshire

AUSTIN FFK 120

1960 Beavertail lorry, restored in 2003,changed to Beavertail, £6000 onoTel. 07989 618812. Essex

BEDFORD TK TIPPER

4 cylinder diesel, 5 1/2 tonner, 5.70, oneowner from new, needs light restoration,£2850Tel. 07754 705968 for further details.Essex

CHEVY PICK-UP

6 ltr diesel, ‘R’ reg, taxed ‘til Nov, newMoT,43,600miles, vgc, new cab, drives perfect,new tyres, £2600Tel. 07548 983430. Surrey

AEC MANDATOR

Ext/Unit power steering, hyd crane,runs/drives ok, £3750; also 1984 ERFB’ser T/Unit sleeper cab, vgc, POA.Tel. 07759 473380. Lincs

ALBION CHIEFTAIN FT III KTR

1958, Tractor unit, spec EN 287 engine, 5-speed box, Eaton 2-speed, axle recovery,body with H.F. crane, owned for 36 years,£8000 onoTel. 01946 67874. Cumbria

AUSTIN HEAVY 12

1929, Flat bed, this is a unique vehicle,prof converted during second world warto obtain more petrol coupons, orig noplate, buff log book, petrol coupon, lovelyTel. 07936 801789. Lancs

BOB CAT 313

Good condition, £2500Tel. 01371 830466; 07759 254573. Essex

COMMER KARRIER

Gulley sucker, 1972, currently on heavygoods test until August, tax expired, oldbut in full working order, Perkins 6.354engine, ready for work or rallies!Tel. 01341 450241. Gwynedd

AEC MERCURY RIGID

1962, extensive restoration 10 years ago,reconditioned AEC 470 with low mileage,6-speed overdrive gearbox, coach builtcab, genuine Irish assembled, greatrunner, £20,000 EuroTel. 00 353 868 388083 after 6pm. Eire

AMERICAN FIRE TRUCK

Stunning, 1950, imported from NewJersey, MoT and tax exempt, £17,000Tel. Albert 01543 572070.WMids

BEDFORD TK

330 Engine, 5 speed box, good condition,must go due to lack of use, no timewasters, no offers. £5000Tel. 07889 383952. Devon

CHEVROLET 3600

1950, pick-up, 327CI, V8, 4 speed,Muncie manual, US title, clean goodlooking and ready to go to work or show,£11,995 onoTel. Dave 0777 5861445. Bucks

COMMOT TRAILER

45ft tandem axle step-frame, withhydraulic beavertail (with new rams ), raise& lower air suspension, good to new235/45R 17.5 tyres all round, sockets &bolsters, £4500Tel. 07730 409383. Lothian

AEC MILITANT

front bumper for winch model, newfairlead rollers fitted, any reasonable offeror goes to the scrap man.Tel. 01968 661198. Peeblesshire

AUSTIN A35 VAN

Van, tyres good, new clutch in 2013,engine good, full MoT,Tel. 01597 860500 after 4pm. Powys

BEDFORD TK

Restored horsebox/tractor carrier withliving area, sleeps 2/4 people, 6 cylinderpetrol engine, 1971, MoT Dec 2014, taxfree, £5950Tel. 01323 642797. Eastbourne

CHEVROLET LWB PANEL VAN

1951, t&t, V8, manual, fantasticweekender.Tel. 07952 920154.

ERF B SERIES

1977, 6x4 Wrecker hydraulic jib, A-frame,lots of new parts, ready to work all day,£7000Tel. 07961 562873.

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ERF EC11

4x2 3-8W-B Sleeper cab, air rear axle,£3250; also 1981 ERF B Series sleepercab, 4x2 unit, vgc, £4000Tel. 07759 473380. Lincs

FORD ECONOLINE

1963 pick-up, all new hi-pro 289, V8, auto,new paint/trim, wheels/tyres, totallysuperb, long t&t, may p/x or swap,£16,500 onoTel. 0114 2685195. S Yorks

FORD F100

1969 Pick-up, only 69k, year’s t&t,registered, all brakes rebuilt, good paint,no rust, orig 3 on a tree manual poweredby a 360 V8, proper cowboy CadillacTel. Alan 07973 834588.Middx

FORD IVECO

ex. library van, 90% restored, grit blasted,painted chassis, 2 bed lounge, kitchen,shower, chance of plans, must go £2000onoTel. 07443 564320. Cheshire

FRUEHAUF LOW LOADER

1972 crane, 20ft bed, 20 ton low loader,lone neck and tackle boxes, hydraulicjacking and winch, MoT’d till April 2015,POATel. Allan 01582 840200; 07932 546391.Herts

FODEN S21

8x4 Recovery Truck, 1964, complete andrunning but in need of restoration, ex BlueCircle vehicle, jib andwinchworking, greatproject and all paperwork present. Anyinspection welcome. Priced at £5500 butsensible offers invited.Tel. WMids.WMids

FORD F1

Pick-up, 1951 V8, 390 auto Californiantruck, white with red leather seat, UKregistered, ready to use, £20,950Tel. 01892 724800; 07836 780322. Kent

FORD F100

1956, big window custom overdrive,registered, taxed, have log book, Patinaclear coat, 6 cylinder, drives good, 3 speedmanual with overdrive that works, £12,000no offers no tradesTel. Richard on 07789 727033. Beds

FORD PICK-UP

1934, steel fibreglass front wings, 302 C4g/box, Edelbrock inlet and carb, Vintiquewheels, MoT and taxed, £17,100 onoTel. 07843 785678. Fife

GMC SHORT BOX PICK-UP

1956, exc unfinished project, lots spent,cab and chassis restored by Bodyshop, inwhite primer, new clocks, tinted windows,lots chrome, need engine and gearbox,£5500Tel. Andy 07795 320209 for details .Dorset

FODEN S20 180 GARDNER

1959, 8-speed box, excellent cond, drivesvery well and can keep up with moderntraffic, very reluctant genuine reason forsale, £19,500 onoTel. 07740 299355 eves. E Yorks

FORD F1 STEPSIDE

1948, 6 cyl, 4 on the floor crash box,nosed, shaved, nut and bolt rebuild,STUNNING!! £15,000Tel. 01246 570295. Derbys

FORD F100 351W

1959. lots done, drives great auto. £10,500onoTel. 0208 2245839. Surrey

FORD THAMES TRADER 5

1960, diesel flatbed, runs well, goodalround condition, ex-Switzerland, £3900Tel. 32 (0)475 413912. Leics

HANOMAG L28

Modern engine, gearbox, MoT exempt,tax free, drives on standard licence, rearbox is insulated, ideal for sleeping somespares, £6500 onoTel. 07908 700898. N Yorks

FORD ECONOLINE

1965 Mini van, tax paid, not registered,has a second row of seats and a bed withstorage, it has a six cylinder engine, newwheel and tyres. £5250Tel. 07710 852136. Lincs

FORD F100

1957 Stepside, 3 speedmanual, t&t 2014,great runner, tax and MoT exempt,carpets headliner and recovered benchseat, v solid body, California car, £6995Tel. 01623 744633. Derbys

FORD F100 TRUCK

1960, very straight rust free, V8, 4 speedmanual, nice wheels,just fitted new tyres,ready to drive away, was resprayed 18months ago, new interior, all complete,£8500 onoTel. Andy on 07879447561. Cambs

FORD W 9000

Cabover 1976, 14 ltr Cummins Eaton 9speed, year’s MoT, 6 months’ tax, readyfor work orplay, £15,000Tel. 07833 565278. Norfolk

INTERNATIONAL 4600

Tilt & Slide, MoT exempt, V8 diesel auto,1990, low mileage, taxed, no tacho,£15,995 onoTel. 07802 254504. Leics

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INTERNATIONAL D30

1939 flatbed truck, very rare, British fromnew, r/h/d, 6 cyl flathead side valve, 19kmiles believed correct, Trilex wheels,known history, drives beautifully. POATel. 07818 680988 for more pics.Worcs

LEYLAND SUPER COMET

1967, 400 engine, 6 speed gearbox + 2speed axle, comes c/w original sides andtailgate, offers invited.Tel. 0754 2564598. Cambs

MORRIS COMMERCIAL

MRA 1, ex army, 1952 diesel, 4x4d dropside truck, historic tax, MoT exempted,can be driven on car driving licence, usefuldrop side British vintage vehicle, £3850Tel. 07796 211086. Kent

SCAMMELL T45 ROADTRAIN

1987, badged, t&t, upgraded Cummins14 ltr Big Cam, Eaton Twin split gearbox,Kirkstall r/axle and an Interstate cab,stripped down to chassis and grit blasted,£8500Tel. 07860 789433. Lancs

THAMES TRADER 20

1966model, 2.5 tons, 4 cyl, petrol, in 2008it was stripped down to the chassy rails,then rebuilt back to its original state, allnew elec wiring, £20,000 dollars (AUD)Tel. Geoff 0411 855255.westerntraders87@bigpond.com

KENWORTH W900

1988, 400 cat engine, runs great, reg inUK, ready to put to your colours, lookingfor an Airstream,will p/x anythingAmerican, £17,000Tel. 07831 622190.WYorks

MACK 6X6,

1948, original Billy Smarts circus, original12ltr petrol engine, good condition,everything working, must sell offersaround £15,000Tel. 07850 437293. Brighton

MORRIS COMMERCIAL FE

5 ton flatbed with chains for milk churns,1956, original reg no, spare wheel andcarrier + two additional wheels and tyres,excellent condition completely restord 15years ago and garaged since, on thebutton, £7500Tel. 07836 590455. Surrey

SCANIA TRACTOR UNIT

1987, 92m, taxation class PLG, excellentcondition, new tyres, recent respray, veryclean and tidy, ready to go to work orshow, £6500Tel. 07860 655984. S Lincs

TK BEDFORD TRACTOR UNIT

1965, converted to breakdown, goodrunner but needs refurbishment,Tel. 01366 328272. Norfolk

LANDROVER FIRE ENGINE

1974, 2 1/4 petrol, fully kitted, new parts,ex Corus PT Talbot on the road, driveaway, £2500Tel. 01929 424786 for details.. Dorset

MAZDA E2200

Diesel, rare side window type, Y reg, MoTNovember 2014, very well maintained andreliable, make ideal camper, £1750Tel. 01978 758551 after 6pm. Clwyd

RENAULT MAGINUM

520, V8, Mack boosted to 750hp for truckpulling, easy detuned, on Desert tyres,2006, UK Champion truck, Pullerunbeaten since £7500 plus VATTel. 01651 806306. Aberdeenshire

SEDDON ATKINSON

1989 Strato. Showmans Special Vehicle.Tail lift selflocking coupling good conditionwas overalled in 2012. Last seven yearswas used for one journey a year. side doorwith sleeping quarters, £2000 onoTel. 01243 544401.WSussex

V8 DETROIT

Spicer box, Eaton double drive, Holland5th wheel on slider + Ringfeeder, chassisgood, talk to local container port. (Morephotos available).Tel. Ken 00 640 272740241.Dunedin, NZtl.mary@xtra.co.nz

LEYLAND DAF

7 1/2 ton Beavertail, 5 ton winch, 17ftbody, over £3500 spent in last 4 years,MoT until 14, taxed until Dec 14, used forcarrying tractors to ploughing matchesetc, £2400 onoTel. 01566 86659 for details. Cornwall

MERCEDES 814 ATEGO

20ft flatbed truck, 2004, 12 months MoT,7.5t gross-weight, 4250cc, winch, lowmileage, clean 3 seat day-cab, R/H drive,idea for small tractor transport.Tel. 07721 717572. Lothian

ROYAL MAIL

Parcels platform trolley, chassis, originalwheel/braked bogey sets £150 onoTel. 01746 785485. Shropshire

SEDDON ATKINSON 301

1985, 4x2 day cab with PTO, vgc, alsoSeddon Atkinson 301 sleeper cab, 1985unit, Cummins engine, vgc, £3500Tel. 07759 473380. Lincs

VOLVO F86

1978 Model, twin steer truck, good oldgoer, £6600 Australian dollarsTel. 0411 855255 .westerntraders87@bigpond.com

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VOLVO FL6

1988, ‘F’ reg, 26ft body, air suspension,24v winch, load boxes, ramps, sprungcaravan hitch, t&t, very clean & tidy lorry,£4250 onoTel. 0779 9016933. Lincs

DINKY AEC MONARCH

1949, Shell tanker, £95 inc postTel. 01829 733969. Cheshire

MERCEDES SPITZER SILO

Conrad tanker, very rare, collectable lorry,all boxed, as new, from my own personalcollection, £60 plus p&pTel. 07904 612841. Kent

MODELS

a superb collectable code, three LeylandOctopus Corn products with box was alimited issue of 500 as gifts for clients,£165 inc postTel. 01829 733969. Cheshire

VOLVO GLOBETROTTER F16

Conrad 400 low loader, vintage, hard tofind model, all boxed, all original, lovelymodel, £95 plus p&pTel. 07944 285293. Kent

BEDFORD PULLMORE

Superb nineteen fifths car transporter, £95inc postTel. 01829 733969. Cheshire

DINKY MIGHTY ANTAR

Lowloader with Chieftan tank, goodcondition, 1960s model, £45 plus p&pTel. 07904 6128421. Kent

MIXED COLLECTION

Bedford TK, Dinky Crane, Forklift, Tekno,Akerman, and other Dinkys inc incollection. £55 plus p&pTel. 07944 285293. Kent

SEDDON ATKINSON

Corgi Classic, Gibbs refrigerated lorry, allboxed, in excellent original condition, £50plus p&pTel. 07904 612841. Kent

6 GARDNER PISTONS

c/w rings (1 used but serviceable) plus 4Gudgeon pins, now part no. HLX-HLXB6831H, Offers over £400 plus p&pTel. 07709 281602. Lincs

DAF HANSON TIPPER

Corgi brand, new condition, lovely model,all boxed, £45 plus p&pTel. 07944 285293. Kent

DINKY MODELS

two 1950 Big Bedford S Types, £65 each£120 the pair inc post.Tel. 01829 733969. Cheshire

MODEL COLLECTION

my entire collection of over 840 modelMini, for details see websitewww.littleminis.co.uk realistic offers only.Tel. 02380 463434. Hampshire

SEDDON LOW LOADER

Wynns, low loader, excellent condition, nobox, approx 18” long, load not included,£60 plus p&pTel. 07944 285293. Kent

7 WOOD PLAINS

Record and Stanley, £233Tel. 0208 6414238 for more details..Surrey

DAF 85 TIPPER

brand new, Limited Edition Hanson tipper,lovely model, all boxed, £45 plus p&pTel. 07904 612841. Kent

FODEN TIPPER

Dinky model, excellent condition, original,boxed, £65 plus p&pTel. 07944 285293. Kent

MODELS

twoCorgi QXCommers AN and aKVERF,£65 each inc postTel. 01829 733969. Cheshire

SHACKLETON FODEN FG

Model lorry with drag, c/w spanner,clockwork key and instruction book, all inoriginal box, OffersTel. 07827 872887. Dyfed

ACORN SHAPER

bench top model, £150; Ajax 1” arborhorizontal mill, bench top, £150.Tel. 0208 9501313. Herts

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ANVIL

top 14” x 6 1/2”, £125; anvil, top 18 1/2” x5 1/2”, £245; vices x 3, jaw size 4 1/2”, £45each; vice, jaw size, 4”, £45; vice, jaw size3”, £25; vice, jaw size 2 1/2”, £20; sheetmetal sheet cuts 1/8”, £25.Tel. 0208 9501313. Herts

BEDFORD BADGE

Bedford Drivers Club original enamel onsteel badge, not tin, with fixing, 3 inch dia.£45 post freeTel. 02083 997541. Surrey

CAPSTAN LATHE

bench top model, no motor, £45; choicedie heads and box of collets, £45 per box;two small pillar drills, £20 each; small tablewood saw, 4 1/2”, £20; small belt drivenstone, £15; one box sizing gauges, offers.Tel. 0208 9501313. Herts

HENDEY CENTRE LATHE

thread cutting, 7” x 36”, £250; 12 centrelathe chucks, £20 to £50 each; paper drillPescha 1ph, £50; Wickman 3ph wetdiamond tool grinder, £40; disccutter/grinder, 8” 3-ph, £25; 3 ton chainhoist, damaged handle, £20.Tel. 0208 9501313. Herts

IVOR WILLIAMS

tipping trailer, 8’ x 5’ £2300Tel. 01371 830466; 07759 254573. Essex

ATKINSON RADIATOR

in good working order, £340Tel. 07798 616572. Dyfed

BEDFORD YRQ/YRT

new/old stock, Eaton remote gearbox top(reversible) fits other gearboxes, £40;diesel fuel gauge tank unit P/N 7974408,still boxed, £15.Tel. 01202 743006; 077020 61102.Dorset

ERF SILENCER

40” long and 4” bore, £50; also ERFupright silencer, 4 1/2” bore, £150Tel. 0780 5039684. Cornwall

HYSTER SPACE SAVER 40

Fork lift, runs but needs attention, eitherfor use or spare parts, weight 2 1/2 tonswith full gas bottle, £700Tel. Eileen 01375 373650. Essex

LISTER D MAGNETO

1934, shaft driven, on steerable trolley,driving a very rare Parker pump, no Fig 5,1535, (only five known in UK), all Class 1,£550 onoTel. 01691 624407. Shrops

AUTOMATIC TOWING HITCH

will fit chassis width 32”, will replace backcrossmember maker Johann Rockinger,Germany, towing capacity 14 tons, £50Tel. 01663 743647. Derbys

BLACKSTONE HAY RAKE

13ft, with jack and stand, £90 buyercollectsTel. 01379 674133; 07704 993852. Diss

EX BRITISH TELECOM

Demount alloy body, 8ft 6in (L) x 6ft 4-in(W) x 6ft3 (H), ideal for sleeping quarters,£600Tel. 07790 339448. Lancs

INDA TYRE

Brand new, 40 x 8, 12 ply, never fitted towheel, Offers around £400Tel. 07855 293434.WSussex

LUCAS VS107

7” headlamp, with unusual quick releasefitting, (detachable), unused but chromerim pitted, £45Tel. 01267 275470. Dyfed

BATTERY ISOLATOR SWITCH

CAV heavy duty (Master Switch) offLeyland Leopard, £45Tel. 01697 342744. Cumbria

BUTEC VOLTAGE REGULATOR

Off Leyland Leopard coach, £35Tel. 01697 342744. Cumbria

FLAIL MOWER

GKR/SB80 £1000Tel. 01371 830466; 07759 254573. Essex

INVALID CARRIAGE

3-wheeled invalid carriage, you don’t seethese around, £650Tel. 07930 829764. Essex

MORRISON

reversible scarifier, complete except tynes,in unrestored condition, offers.Tel. 07890 776531.West Sussex

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NU TOOLS MILLING & DRILL

1/2” chuck machine vice, heavy benchmodel, £350Tel. 01832 734115. Northants

SMYTH SEED DRILL

tractor drawn, vgc, been barn stored formany years, selling on behalf of a friend,sensible offers.Tel. 07841 873629. Essex

TURNER WINCH

for sale.Tel. 07815 314786.WYorks

WOODEN TRAILER

5’ x 3’ x 18” 500 kg max, tailgate, sparewheel, cover, prop stands, greedy boards,fully refurbished including new floor andtyres £225 onoTel. 01263 820363. Norfolk

CHROME GRILLE BADGE

Merryweather,measures 8!” x 7”, in goodcondition, would p/x for original AECMandator or Mercury script badge 30s-50s, £75 inc postageTel. 07870 757409. Derbys

RANSOMES DAUNTLESS

Ducks foot nine tine cultivator, good order,£160 ono; buyer collectsTel. 01379 674133; 07704 993852. Diss

THOMPSON BROS

2 ton winch, made by Thompson Bros ofLondon, gwo, £150Tel. 0780 5039684. Cornwall

TWO TYRES

25 x 6, unused Continental make, 8 ply,£160Tel. 01299 403481.Worcs

ZENITH CARB

Type 36 VEA, F 1/2, 1/2, 1 3/8” bore solidbrass, ex float chamber, no wear, inspindle, £25 + pair; gen old chrome onbrass headlight surrounds, 7 3/8, 1/D,10!” O/D, screws perfect, £20 pairTel. 01202 243006; 0770 2061102.Dorset

ELECTRIC ORGAN

Alan Pell 30k Harmidi Player System withtwo disks of music - excellent condition -plays well, £3500 onoTel. 01554 833900 for further details.Dyfed

SERVIS RECORDER

1949, spy in cab, full working order, all 3keys, good face mounted on woodenplaque, superb condition, £140 inc postTel. 01829 733969. Cheshire

TRAILER

suitable for transport of model tractionengines, fitted with steel ramps and handwinch, holding down fixings, 105cm x140cm £100Tel. 02089 472366. London

WHEELNUTS

old style coned type, 5 right hand thread,9 left hand, some new, unused, £15 plusp&pTel. 01697 342744. Cumbria

CANVAS LORRY SHEET

26ftx20ft, red with blue centre panel, tiedown cords & pull down tabs, very littleuse, Written with haulier’s name, £100Tel. 01235 531182; 07836 254735.Oxfordshire

FERGUSON CORDWOOD

circular saw in fully servicable conditioncomplete with original brass plate, drivebelt and pto pulley, £575Tel. 07715 175419. Essex

SKH 405 BED SPREADER

good condition, low load height 1.4m,carries 4cu meters, controlled discharge,braked, oiled up & ready for work, £750Tel. 07966 709325.West Yorkshire

TRAILER SACK LEGS

To be collected, £25Tel. 01903 721137.WSussex

WINGET STONE CRUSHER

driven by BamfordOpenCrank Hit &Missengine, on original riveted trailer with ironwheels & new belt, good working order,could do with a repaint, £5500 onoTel. 01268 414009. Essex

CHAFFE CUTTER

to be collected, £45.Tel. 01903 721137.West Sussex

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FORDSON TOOL BOX

in good condition, £40 onoTel. 01670 822270. Northumberland

KUBOTA RTV

4x4, brand new, road registered, fullKubota warranty, £7995 plus p&pTel. 07720 865364. Cheshire

PENNY FARTHING

circa 1870, Humber, original worn paint,£3500 onoTel. 01256 862261; 07717 834262. Hants

TURNER WINCH

for sale, phone for details.Tel. 07815 314786.West Yorkshire

WINNOWING MACHINE

hand drivenwith a full set of riddles in vgc,easy conversion to motor/engine drive,may be able to deliver.Tel. 01674 820353. Tayside

HOLMAN R060/564

Air Compressor Powered byDorman 6LB,1958, Out of Weald Jane Cornish TinMine, partly restored, engine will run +spare engine, £2250Tel. 07921 784540. Leics

LANDROVER 90

200 TDI, diesel, 5 speed manual, useddaily, great off road, c/w T-Max winch,snorkel, uprated heavy duty springs &shockers, also, set of leather racing seatsetc. £3600Tel. 07827 778595; 01757 706922. York

PETROL LAWNMOWER

Suffolk Super Colt, 12” cylinder, goodrunning order, the spares list is useful ifwishing to restore to show condition, £40onoTel. 01483 768411. Surrey

TYRE DISPLAY HOLDER

Forecourt National double sided fold-up,in metal, £50 post freeTel. 07968 659967. Surrey

LEYLAND AEC

Ergomatic cab wings as in photo wanted,both sides, also lower front headlamppanel, nearside door quarter window andany other new cab parts or panelswanted.Tel. 07887 722111. Northants

IFOR WILLIAMS

12ft dropside trailer with roll-top cover,completely refurbished and strengthened,re-galvanised and all red paintworkpowder coated.Tel. 07855 742792. Shropshire

LUCAS KING OF THE ROAD

LFH oil lamp, 146 left hand front, £75;Lucas KingOf Road rear oil lamp, rear, redglass side window, £75; Lucidus (French)Lucas LHF oil lamp, cracked glass, lefthand front, £75.Tel. 07889 743110. Cambs

PETROL MEASURES

copper and brass set of six, £1800Tel. 01256 862261; 07717 834262. Hants

TYRES

x 4, 10.00/15 tyres and rims, all in goodcondition.Tel. 07815 314786.West Yorkshire

WANTED: 24”WHEELS

rims with tyrelocking rings and 2 scallops,Tel. 00 314 55320246.jeanipiere@gmail.com

IFOR WILLIAMS

14ft Beavertail trailer, completelyrefurbished, new phenolic floor inc floorrings, Ladder rack inc worklights, 1200lbselectric winch inc remote,Tel. 07855 742792. Shropshire

NAME PLATE

Railway Magazine as carried by an HST,this is a spare plate I think, £350 onoTel. 01202 672968. Dorset

TRAILER

RAF 2ton Ammunitions Trailer(Type B)9’5”x3’6” good condition, £225 onoTel. 07921 784540. Leics

VINTAGE FLOOR CLAMPS

quick and easy to use, £30 the pairTel. 01665 711137. Northumberland

REAR BACK PLATE

L/h/s plate for 1970 Bedford TK EJN 3B(10 ton), outer dia 385 mm, brake cylinderposition at 12 o’clock position, also otherparts interest.Tel. + 358 50 5277822.

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September 2014 111Take ADvintage of free ads for readers

For SaleALBION LK3S one of only two knownin existence, three parts restored. Tel.01273 835385 for more info. WSussex.AVELING PORTER 10T roller, circa1907, last fired up in 1982, been undercover since then but no current boilercertificate, offers invited. Tel. 01226790245. South Yorkshire.BEDFORD HUNT BOX 1964, onBedford SB3 coach chassis, stalled forfour horses and rear compartment fora pack of hounds, petrol engine, 2speed rear axle, 21,092 miles, platedweight: 7380 kgs, V5C reg doc, enginefree, partially dismantled to repairmanifolds fit core plugs etc and serviceauxiliaries, good spare set of 6 wheelswith Michelin XZY tyres available, nonrunner, for restoration. Offers. Tel.01899 220566 if seriously interested.BEDFORDRLC FV13115 Recovery, 3ton crane, 7 ton winch, one of 11 madefor AFS, orig reg no, £2500 ono. Tel.01994 484521. Carns.BEDFORD TK1930 1979, rare 10-D13Tmodel, downrated to 7.5T, lots ofhistory, loving restoration over 12years, 5 speed and PAS, 6 months' taxand plate, perfect runner, will re-test ifrequired, any inspection, £5850. Tel.07971 250894 for details and pics.Stoke. Tan0207@aol.comBRISTOL EIGHT-WHEELER LORRY1957 and Dyson four-wheel trailer bothin need of completion. Sensible offersplease. Tel. 01842 810778. Bristol.CASE T/ENGINE 3", new Bell boiler,needs overhaul and rebuild, ridingtrolley and coal £4500. Tel. 01273834817 after 5pm. West Sussex.LANDROVER DEFENDER 110 1993,soft top, FFR, ex Mod, 17km, MoTMar15, 2002, £3500 ono. Tel. 01994484521. Carmarthen.SCAMMELL HIGHWAYMAN ballasttractor, 1966 ex-Pickfords, fullyrestored and in full working order,ballasted with genuine Scammellweights, high speed axle, all in A1condition, POA. Tel. 07860 959878.Bucks.

Parts For SaleAEC AV691 Ex MOD generatorengine, recon 1991, very clean, wouldconvert to fit Mandator etc, buyer toarrange collection, £875. Tel. 01953607295. Norfolk.AEC AV691 Ex Mod generator, enginerecon 1991, very clean, would convertto fit Mandator etc, buyer to arrangecollection. £875. Tel. 01953 607295.Norfolk.BEDFORD 7.5T front axle, Daf 95 rearaxle, Daf 2800 rear axle, ZF gearbox,Volvo F88 rear axle, Foden/Eaton d/dcut-off backend, White RoadCommander parts, Kenworth d/d rearend + other parts, Diamond T980 c/wHercules+ WD45 Twin boom, goodtyres. Open to offers. Tel. 07860717866. Essex.

BEDFORD CA PARTS 1961, Mk 1van, most bits as van broken forspares, all reasonable prices. Tel.01524 843902. Lancs.BEDFORD K OR M LORRY 20"wheels, x 2, sound, £20; also quantityBedford TA plus TJ Workshop books,excellent condition, £20. Tel. 01600714751 (eves best). Monmouthshire.BEDFORD K-TYPE complete frontaxle, £80. Tel. 07930 829764. Essex.COMMER/DODGE 'C' and others,rear engine mountings, Rotes part noW43608, chrysler part no 3052277,Metalastic part no 614836 17/276, £20plus p&p each. Tel. 01939 250670.Shrops.ERF PARTS 1997-2002, four sets newbrake shoes, two brake valves, sevenwheel studs back and front, full greasebucket with dispenser, wheel brace,two heads for petrol shogun. Tel.07939 116955 for price. Kent.FODEN S80/83 Lucas FP1100 head-lamps. Tel. 01643 862110. Somerset.FORD D SERIES 4 cyl exhaustmanifold, 4 1.3/8 dia f/w cylinders, 2front plastic grille mounts/hinges, 1cab mounted indicator lamp, 3 acdelco gauges, all new, £175 the lot. Tel.01206 272610. millhawk.box@gmail.comFRIEDMAN & MAIER (F&M) fuelpump off Leyland 680 enginereconditioned, £75. Tel. 01697 342744.Cumbria.LAND ROVER 300 Discovery R380gearbox, bought for project, and notused, was told it had done 69k miles,perfect splines, nice gear change,clean condition, £100 ono. Tel. 01246811821. Notts.MERRYWEATHER FIRE ENGINEwindscreens with most of aluminiumframes and blue beacons, £150 buyerto collect. Tel. 01953 607295. Norfolk.PIERCE C.I. TOOLBOX 2nd warelectric side lamp, Perkins bagde fortractor 2 number, large wine glass oiler,needs feed control, dragon petrolpump globe. Tel. 01824 702674. NWales.SEDDON ATKINSON work-shopmanual, £20; Seddon Atkinson spareslist, £20; Jump up stop air warningbox, £55; AEC Militant air cleaner oilbath, £50; AEC Militant Jerry canholder, £35; AEC 760 alternator, £70;Lynx Bison repair manual, £35;Wolseley 4/50, 1950workshopmanual,£30; Ford Thames workshop manual,semi FC 30 cwt to 4 ton, £30; BedfordTK driver's/operator's hand book, £20;Practical Motorist and Motor CyclistRepair andMaintenance, £25; FordsonMajor instruction manual, £20. Tel.01204 306212. Lancs.SMITHS CAR CLOCK in workingorder £45. Tel. 01491 680712 inc.postage. Oxon.THAMES TRADER MK 1 4D wingbadge, very good condition, £25 pluspostage; Scammell Road train 20-32workshop manual, £25 plus postage.Tel. 02380 736698. Hants.

Parts WantedBEDFORD WS 1936 parts/spareswanted, all spares/parts considered.Tel. 07976 256417. W Mids.LEYLAND AEC Ergomatic cab wingswanted, both sides, also lower frontheadlamp panel, chrome bumper,near-side door quarter window andany other new cab parts or panelswanted. Tel. 07887 722111. Northants.LEYLAND EA van parts wanted -body, trim or mechanical items, includ-ing parts for 2.5 BMC diesel engine.Tel. 07973 803360. Cheshire.WANTED ANYTHING E&H RobertsDeanshanger iron works, name plates,implement seats, catalogues, billheaders, spanners, etc. Tel. 01908561434 eves. Northants.WANTED FOR Morris Commercial T2tonner 1934 & 1937 Van & truck, anypanels, spares or donor vehicleconsidered, Wings, bonnet,mudguards, doors, magneto, why?.Tel. Dave 01405 816 800. S Yorks.WANTED FOR MORRIS COM-MERCIAL T2 Tonner, 1934 & 1937 vanor truck, any panels, spares or donorvehicle considered, wings, bonnet,mudguards, doors, magneto. why? Tel.Dave Smith 01405 816 800. S Yorks.WANTED MICHELIN XZT 11.22.5tyres, must be new, or as good as new,.Tel. 07854 551531. Lancs.

MiscellaneousCAST IRON WHEELS 20" dia, twoinch wide, six spoke on stub axles,£100; galvanised 10ft feeding trough,£35; cabinets full of tools, offers. Tel.01789 778876. Warks.CORONET MAJOR WOOD LATHE1ph, vgc, £350; 18" cast iron surfaceplate, £75; Swedish engine workshopcrane, 1! ton capacity, £750; plentymore. Tel. 01789 778876. Warks.CLIFFORD 6hp cultivator imple-ments:- plough, tiller, tool bar, hoes,Bowter, roller sections (fit on tyres),£25; also Mayfield tractor front cutterbar unit, £10. Tel. 01600 714751.Monmouthshire.HORSE HAIR COMBING MACHINEbuilt by Gauntlets of Trowbridge, Wilts,in original condition, unaltered, the onlytotally complete one known, £500 ono.Tel. 01225 754374. Wilts.LYNDON very large adjustable tapwrench, 3ft 10" overall, runs as new totake 1 1/2 square (tap = to 4" BSP),~£40; B.O.C. oxyacetylene weldingtorch, no. 505, c/w 3 nozzles, two 8"hoses, with flash arrestors, dualpressure regulators for oxygen oracetylene, £40 the lot. Tel. 01484662491. W Yorks.MERRY WEATHER scaling laddersuitable for steam or hand drawn fireengine, £150. 01213 085298. B’ham.MODEL "Tractors and the World ofFarming" by Hachette, 28 1/43 scalediecast tractors, in blister packs, pluspartworks in binder £80. Tel. 01614856839. Cheshire.

EDINBURGH 1964 ATLAS GUIDE.details Corporation Bus routesindividually and city plan, Railwaynetwork detailed Marshalling Yards,Sidings etc, all in colour, £15. Tel.01270 520216. Cheshire.MILK CHURNS (aluminium), fromvarious farms/dairies, ideal for periodvehicle load, excellent condition, £75each. Tel. 01403 891620. W Sussex.SWEDISH WORKSHOP CRANE 30cwt, £750; two compressors, taps,dies, vacumn pump, 1ph £75; heavyduty chains, Myford ML5 bed saddle,£50 18" surface plate. Tel. 01789THOMPSON OF BILSTON cylindrical600 gallon fuel tank (400 and 200compartments), originally demountablefuel delivery tank on flatbed, veryheavy, £100. Tel. 01600 715471.Monmouthshire.WOOD TURNING LATHE 12" swing,37" between centres, c/w severalchucks, rests, chisels, £85. Tel. 01384243964. W Mids.

WantedAUSTIN K2 CHASSIS or Bedford MLchassis as first stage in a rebuild of theWW2 ambulance. We have the rearbody but if a chassis is found we willneed all the front end and fittings forrear doors. So if you have any partsplease let us know. Tel. 01422 824418or 07952 070704. michael.humphreys@ btinternet.com.BOX TRAILER 6ft x 4ft x 4ft, can bebigger, must be in good condition tocarry 1/2 ton upwards, loading ramp,rear door would be nice but notessential, will travel. Tel. 01225 754374.Wilts.BRASS OR CAST LETTERS A to Zany quantity, hope to acquire as manyto matching size, urgent, must bescrew on!. Tel. 01768 863200.Cumbria.GLOBE TYPE SUCTION hose strainerwanted, for 1.5 in hose, brass or castiron. Tel. John 07544 574066.Cornwall.LBSC MASIE 3!" boiler with fittingsand certificate. Tel. 01273 455774.West Sussex.LOW LOADER TRAILER step-frame,twin or 3 axle, as low as possible toground with 5th wheel coupling, withlower deck, approx 28ft, if it's a bitscruffy no problem, want best trailerfor cheapest price please, suitable forFoden S10 2 axle tractor unit (1982).Tel. 07889 671083. Glam.LWB HI TOP VAN or even a chassiscab, 1950 to 72, must be diesel & MoT,JU250, Dodge, Commer etc,. Tel.07983 062684. Cheshire.VANPLAN BADGE blue lettering onwhite GRP, fitted to 70/80s Pantech-nicons. Info on A839 GLD andSelfridges London transport dept,. Tel.01275 474486. Avon. simon@simonmartin3.wanadoo.co.ukWANTED 1950S TAX DISCS to suitfairground Scammell and three trailers.Tel. 07720 950920. Lincs.

Theplace tobuyandsellADvintage

112 Heritagecommercials.com 150,000 readers a month – One advert, three magazines

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September 2014 113Take ADvintage of free ads for readers

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114 Heritagecommercials.com

Finalword Words:StephenPullen

In years to come, obtaining a small hard-to-findreplacement part for your classicmotormaybe as easy as pushing a button. In fact if you’vegot themoney, you can now!

If you’ve ever been involved inrestoring an old vehicle you’ll beaware that most of the time it’sactually quite easy to get major

replacement parts.Engines, gearboxes, radiators etc. seem to

be everywhere. No, it’s always the small bits oftrim, switches and the like that can be elusive.For example, it’s taken me more than twoyears to track down a horn button in lightgrey for my Triumph Courier van, as mostwere !nished in black.

However, in the future thiswouldn’t be a problem becauseI’d just be able to ‘print’ one outusing a computer.

"is sort of thing does soundunbelievable, and I’d neverconsidered such technology, butrecently Mortons, ourpublishers, agreed to host aTechnology Hub and it’s gotsome fantastic bits of kit in it.

Of all the technology though, itwas the 3D printer that caught

my eye. Basically it ‘prints’solid objects in plastic

using a three-dimensional drawingof whatever you wantto print. "is can

either be drawn on acomputer or scanned using a 3D

scanner. In fact there are two di#erent scannersat the moment. One is a bit like an old recordplayer that scans an object as it rotates andbuilds up an image. "e second is hand heldand is similar to those used by the police torecord a crime scene in three dimensions.

Once you have a 3D drawing or scan, thesolid object is ‘printed’ using molten plastic$owing from a nozzle. It’s a bit like a plasticMIG welder I suppose! Large objects are builtup with a ‘honeycomb’ internal structure.

However, what really impresses me is thatmoving parts can be printed that don’t needto be assembled.

As usual though, there is a problem at themoment – expense. You’re looking at around£1000 for the smallest most basic 3D plasticprinter and around £100,000 for one that willactually ‘print’ metal components. However,for prototyping components to be cast ormoulded by more conventional methods iteasily makes sense.

However, the price of technology comesdown so quickly these days that I can see atime in the very near future when thesedevices will be everywhere. Just look at theprice of mobile phones, computers, digitalcameras etc.

When the price does come down, thatelusive bit of trim, switch or badge will beavailable at the touch of a button.

“the price of technologycomes down so quicklythese days that I can seea time in the very near

future when these deviceswill be everywhere”

Tomorrow’sworld

This device ‘prints’ solid objectsusing molten plastic flowing from a nozzle.

The printer is driven by a computerusing either a 3D drawing or scanof the object to be made.

Some of the printed items.Note the internal ‘honeycomb’ structure. The £2coin for scale is very apt as one side depictsadvancing technology – a wheel surrounded bygears, printed circuit board tracks and arepresentation of the internet.