Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2024 i Classic & Vintage Commercials

A couple of weeks ago, my other half Sarah and I took her Dad to the Black Country Living Museum at Dudley, to look around the museum’s new 1950s/1960s area. This comprises a typical shopping street, a couple of typical Black Country industrial/manufacturing businesses of the time and a pair of 1930s-built local authority council houses. One of these is done up as it would have been during WW2, the other showcases the 1960s. There’s also the more established late Victorian/Edwardian era section. There was one surprise though in the new section; some of the former Carter’s Steam Fair rides and lorries had found a new home and were set up as a typical small travelling fair at the end of the high street. What’s more, the rides were fully…

The collection of Post Office vans formerly owned by the late Ken Bennett was sold at Anglia Car Auctions classic sale on June 23. A founder member of the Morris Commercial Club, Ken had amassed a collection of ex-GPO telephones vehicles. All four vehicles on offer had previously been restored and rallied by Ken, though they had all been out of use for some time and all were in need of recommissioning and in some cases re-restoration. Ken’s 1966 Ford Anglia van made £10,052 including ACA’s 8% plus VAT buyer’s premium. This was a good result; more than £2000 over top estimate. Restored by Ken in the late 1990s and fitted with a 1500cc engine in place of the original 997cc unit, it is thought to be one of only…

Among the commercial vehicle exhibits at this year’s Shrewsbury Steam Rally at Onslow Park, Shrewsbury on August 25-26 will be this fine 1920 Ford Model T Hotel Bus. Bought some 15 years ago by Terry Leach, this Model T is unusual not only because of its fine restoration but as it is a genuine UK-made Model T, having been made at Ford’s first UK factory at Trafford Park, Manchester. With bodywork by Ford dealers H K Brown of Kirkaldy, the Ford is thought to have been owned new by the Crown Hotel at Thornton in Fife, where it operated as a hotel bus. It was later purchased by the Drambuie Company who used it to transport in small chests the secret essence that is used to make Drambuie to 8/9…

When Fodens Ltd unveiled their new S21 cab in 1958 it was promptly nicknamed the ‘Spaceship’ or ‘Sputnik’ on account of its curvaceous lines and futuristic appearance. The previous year had seen the launch of the pioneering Soviet ‘Sputnik’ space satellite so the name was still fresh in people’s minds. Much later, the bulbous looking cab became better known among drivers and lorry enthusiasts as the ‘Mickey Mouse’ and that name stuck. Call it what you will, the S21 cab was a pretty sensational design by 1950s standards and there’s been nothing quite like it before or since. Where traditional coach-built and pressed steel cabs have to be relatively restrained in their curves, limited by the materials themselves, glas-fibre or ‘GRP’ (Glass Reinforced Plastic) opened up new opportunities for extravagant…

Leyland began developing its postwar range during the last months of WW2. A new 9.8 litre engine was produced, the petrol fuelled P.600 or diesel O.600, for their bigger chassis. A smaller unit was needed for medium weight lorries, but Leyland’s own engine plant did not have sufficient capacity to produce one. However, Napier of Liverpool had designed a straight-six, 4.92-litre engine during the war for military applications. Leyland approached them, agreeing a few modifications, and bought the rights to the engine, which Napier assembled. The same was true of the cab, as Leyland were at capacity building the heavyweight cabs, Briggs Motor Bodies of Dagenham were contracted to supply proprietary normal control cabs, the first mock-up being made in early 1946. Briggs supplied similar cabs, with different frontal treatments…

Readers of Vintage Roadscene will have seen the previous two articles in this series in June 2023 and January 2024, but for regular readers of this magazine I thought it best if I gave an introduction to let you know the reasons I have chosen to revisit this subject. As a teenager in the late 1950s I used to visit the local fair. Not having access to anything but local bus services meant this was a local highlight of the year for me. The showman in charge of this event was a Mr Ted Andrews of Tonbridge whose fleet of lorries was mainly comprised of ex-Hovis Leyland Beavers. They had distinctive cab headboards and were in a plain cream and red livery. It is well known in local legend that…

July 26 – 28 VAUXHALL BEDFORD OPEL NATIONAL RALLY Sywell Aerodrome, Wellingborough Road, Sywell, Northants NN6 0BN Email: info@vboa.org.uk www.vboa.org.uk 8am-5pm July 27 LINCOLN AUTOJUMBLE Hemswell Cliff, Gainsborough DN21 5TJ Tel: 07720 950920 Email: info@lincolnautojumble.com www.lincolnautojumble.com 6.30am-12.30pm July 27-28 FIRE ENGINE RALLY Bressingham Steam Museum & Gardens, Low Road, Bressingham, Diss IP22 2AA Tel: 01379 686900 Email: info@bressingham.co.uk www.bressingham.co.uk THE CUMBRIA STEAM GATHERING Cark Airfield, Flookburgh, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria LA11 7LS Tel: 07825 369601 Email: cumbriasteam@gmail.com www.steamgathering.org.uk 9am-5pm DACORUM STEAM AND COUNTRY FAYRE Green Croft Farm, Potten End, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP1 2SG Tel: 07971 126038 Email: groomy.1982@btinternet.com dacorummachineryandsteam.co.uk 10am-5pm 200 YEARS OF THE BUS – TICKET TO RIDE: CELEBRATING 1960s Manchester Museum of Transport, Boyle Street, Cheetham, Manchester M8 8UW Tel: 0161 205 2122 Email: email@gmts.co.uk www.motgm.uk 10am-4.30pm July 28 WORTHING…

Last year, we mentioned that the Black Country Living Museum was about to open a new area dedicated to the 1950s and 1960s. We have recently been back, and this is now fully open, and even includes a selection of cars from the era which can be seen chugging around. But there’s another attraction for classic lorry enthusiasts; some rides and vehicles from the erstwhile Carters Steam Fair have been bought by the museum and are now operational as part of the post-war display. Vehicles we saw there include 1932 Ford AA WD4187. This was the oldest vehicle from the Carter fleet and was formerly used by Carters with the candy floss stall. Also now here is Atkinson Borderer generator lorry/tractor KPK744K which still carries Carters branding and was used…

Old or new, big or small, commercial vehicles have consistently captured the imagination of enthusiasts over the years. Whatever your taste, it’s always a pleasure to see period pictures and enjoy that sense of nostalgia. The UK haulage scene has witnessed huge changes since the ’60s. Back then we had the likes of AEC, Leyland, Foden and ERF but, over the years, these and others have all disappeared to be replaced by imports. Now we just have just half a dozen or so European makes. Many of the well-known fleets have disappeared too. The following pictures look at some of those long-lost lorries and the haulage firms that run them.…

Seen out for the first time in many years at the 2022 Leyland Gathering was ADM354, a 1937 Leyland Beaver TSC8 that was in the fleet of Jarvis Robinson of Bootle as No.158. The Beaver is now owned, and had been restored, by John & Neil Boughey of C&G Coachworks of Shropshire, and really caught the eye at the Gathering, with a couple of ex-Jarvis Robinson drivers in attendance on site to see one of the firm’s former vehicles for themselves. One was Ross Barrington, who has had a long association with the Beaver, and had been instrumental in saving it from the scrapyard in 1968. But ADM354 wasn’t new to Jarvis Robinson. With chassis number 13952, a Leyland E39 8.6ltr diesel engine and a Leyland four-speed manual gearbox, it…

April 2023 Ford D-Series • Ford Cargo • AEC Marshal • Magirus Deutz • Sunter Scania • Vans to beat the ULEZ! May 2023 Magirus Deitz story • Scammell MU Collection • Bedford CA van & pick-up • Ford Thames Trader models • Beer Lorries June 2023 Leyland Heavyweight Collection • Morrison Milkfloat Restored • Seddon Atkinson 400 Profile • Original Austin A40 van • Thames Trader Models July 2023 Bedford TL brewery dray • ERF LV & EC12 Compared • Seddon Atkinson 400 • Morris JB Mailvan • Baldwin on Beer August 2023 • Commer Commando analysis • Bedford TJ Twins • BT Ford Escort Van • Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum September 2023 • Commer Commando • Bedford TK • Fairground Classics Special • Morris Minor on Bermuda…

There were a couple of oldies alongside the modern commercials entered for a recent Euro Auctions’ sale, writes David Reed. Based in Leeds, Euro sell lorries along with plant and machinery. Their policy is that everything is sold without reserve, and no exception was made for this pair. Both were in the livery of M Hammond & Sons, Civil Engineering of Durham. First under the hammer was 1982 ERF C Series tractor unit BBW 967Y. After some brisk bidding, the hammer fell at £5500. The other old lorry was a 1960 Commer C-Series 4x2 tractor unit with TS3 two-stroke diesel engine and registered 512JFC. This also appeared to be in excellent shape. Thought to be an ex-BRS vehicle, it subsequently spent time on the fairgrounds before passing into preservation with…

This year’s event took place over the weekend of June 8-9 and was, as usual, well attended and as well as lorries (including several from Ian Davies’ personal collection which has been featured in CVC in the past) there were impressive displays of tractors, plant, classic cars, military vehicles and fire engines, along with sales stalls aplenty. Here are a few of the classic commercials in attendance.…

CVC GREEDY BOARDS! Classic & Vintage Commercals contains so much material of interest relating to our profession that it really needs fitting with greedy boards! I am an old school lorry driver, still at it UK and Europe aged 81. I’m still ‘cab happy’ and your magazine evokes 44 Tonnes of Memories!!… Take the June 2024 issue for example; I’ve cabbed Liverpool dock road on many a night;,chalk on the tyres for next day. Likewise London Docks; cabbed it by the relevant dock gates. Next day in the queue. I still have several Port of London Authority mugs smuggled out under the seat; happy Days! The Hillman Imp story evoked memories as I transported these for many years. As I recall the bodies came across the road overhead from the…

The Ford Model Y 5cwt van was announced in 1932. The body was produced by Briggs Motor Bodies and supplied to the Dagenham factory, the first type having body code 121. It was timber framed, typically using beech or oak, clad in mild steel to the sides and rear, with a stretched canvas roof. The early “shortrad Model Y” vans had a straight front bumper and were fitted with running boards. There was no passenger seat or driver’s door, the spare wheel being fixed to a mounting bracket on the offside running board where the driver’s door would have been, the driver getting in and out on the nearside by clambering over the gear-lever and handbrake. The nearside door was a long one as used on the 2-door Model Y…