Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2024 i Classic & Vintage Commercials

In the past month or so, two long-established family-owned road haulage businesses have ceased trading. Up in Goole, L A Reed, a firm which can trace its history back to 1961, shut up shop at the end of April. We are hoping to run a tribute-piece on the fascinating history of L A Reed, and the preserved AEC and Commer owned by Graham Reed, soon. Then, down in the South East, Rye-based John Jempson & Sons, went into voluntary liquidation on June 30. Jempsons’ history went back to 1866, when Joshua Jempson started hauling timber using a horse and cart. More recently, the business was the subject of a staff/management buyout, though Jonathan Jempson stayed on as chairman. The company claimed that the decision to close was driven largely by…

Sadly, and despite strenuous efforts over many months, Julie and Gary Woodrow have been unable to secure a date for the popular Eastern Countries Vintage Show, which has previously taken place at the Royal Norfolk showground in September or October. In a statement, they say: “It is with great sadness that the Eastern Counties Vintage Show will no longer be able to go ahead. Issues with securing dates, having enough helpers and a few health issues have meant that this is no longer possible to continue.” “It is such a shame that this has happened, as the last show we did was a huge success. And, had it continued, we would have seen more commercial vehicles joining us from all parts of England, Wales and Scotland.” “We would still like…

DRIVING DISLIKES Hope you are good and well. How you described your journey to and from the West Midlands in the August issue is, I’m afraid, the norm now and it can only get worse! First, a shortened history of my driving career. I spent three years on long distance with English China Clays at St Austell. The furthest I went was Newcastle on Tyne, then on petroleum in the South West for 48 years. With the possible exception of driving trains rather than lorries, I would not have changed my career, and I still miss driving HGVs after all those years. Anyway, thank you for giving us HGV/LGV lorry/truck drivers a chance to express our feelings towards car, white van man and taxi drivers. 1/The first gripe must be…

The annual Llandudno Transport Festival took place over the early May Bank Holiday weekend, with hundreds of exhibits to be seen. This event runs alongside the town’s Victorian Extravaganza, and sees commercials, buses, cars, motorbikes and tractors line up at Bodafon Fields alongside the promenade, with a vintage bus service running between the two sites. Sadly, the Saturday road run to Conwy had to be cancelled due to bad weather. The Sunday run around The Great Orme, however, went ahead. This is, arguably, the highlight of the weekend, with vehicles winding their way around the narrow road between the high cliffs and the sea. It is a unique event, with many vehicles from all classes taking part, making the Llandudno Transport Festival a gathering not to be missed.…

‘I just couldn’t believe it. There was my dad’s old lorry, which I hadn’t seen in more than 50 years,’ said Kerry Allen. Sadly, the 1967 Bedford KM, registration MRY 864F was a picture in a magazine rather than the real thing, but Kerry was inspired. Extremely inspired. After a complex and meticulous three-year restoration, he now has a superb replica of the lorry, just looking resplendent in W Smith (Haulage) Ltd. colours. Kerry’s late dad, Bill, worked for this Leicester operator for 35 years. “He always said the KM was his favourite lorry,” Kerry remembered. The re-creation was no small project, not only restoring a KM from a rotten wreck but turning it from a long to short wheelbase model. This a long and fascinating tale, but first a…

Lincolnshire Fireaid is an organisation based in, er, Lincolnshire which preserves fire appliances and attend several events throughout the year. They also host their own Vintage Weekend, with the 2024 event taking place on July 20-21 at Great Gonerby, near Grantham. This is a popular event with local enthusiasts, and is usually supported by owners of other commercials and cars. Here are three of the vehicles at this year’s event, with photos kindly supplied by Stephen Colson.…

You could say there were two different strains of S21-cabbed Fodens; those based on traditional Foden engineering and the others being new ‘lightweight’ models. The earlier S20-cabbed range which was launched in 1956 was still largely based on Foden’s time-honoured engineering featuring sturdily built chassis frames, double-drive rear bogies (in the case of six-and eight-wheelers) and servo-assisted hydraulic brakes with a ‘continuous flow’ system pressurised by an engine-driven pump. The trend in the late 1950s was towards modernisation and weight reduction. While the lightweight S21 glass-fibre cab was offered as an option to the S20, some chassis frames were also redesigned to reduce weight. Of course the well-established two-stroke diesels were themselves an important factor in weight saving. The two-strokes had been around in one shape or form for a…

New to the rally scene in 2023, Steve Jessup’s six-wheeled 1975 Volvo F88 has appeared at several shows in Yorkshire and the North East, getting a lot of attention in the process. Steve is, however, not exactly new to lorry preservation and restoration. He has in the past owned mainly Fodens, with an S36 and S39 that appeared in Slaters’ livery really looking the part at rallies around 10 to 15 years ago. More recently, he has been showing a 1977 S80 in Ward Brothers of Malton livery. But it is Steve’s F88 that we’re here to see. Looking at the Volvo’s history in a bit more detail, it was ordered from Tait’s of Haydon Bridge when new, by Donald Ireland Ltd of West Woodburn in Northumberland, a firm that…

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 October 2023 • Dodge 300 Restoration • Volvo F10/F12/F16 profile • Circus Classics • AEC Rally • Standard Vanguard Vans November 2023…

NOW INCORPORATING MAGAZINE! ERF B-SERIES Fabulous new restoration that’s been done for a very special reason DAF 2800 Another fabulous job. Pip Dunn tells the story. ARMSTRONG SAURER Peter Davies goes back to the 1930s, and looks at a highly significant model. COMMER COB Plus a visit to the rather special café where it lives… PAPWORTH POSTAL Our ongoing Papworth Coachworks series continues with some more Post Office contracts. PLUS: Kelsall Show and AEC Rally reports, another bumper selection of older lorries at work today and back in the day, another rather special street scene, all our usual features plus, of course, a few surprises! These features are all planned at the time of going to press. We reserve the right to make changes and amendments if necessary.…

MASSIVE MCGOVERN SALE Commercial Motor Auctions have confirmed that the dispersal sale for vehicles and ephemera owned by the late Tony McGovern will take place on Saturday September 21, commencing at 9.30am. The catalogue is available online at www.cva-auctions.co.uk. At the time of going to press the listing is not yet complete, but it is being added to weekly leading up to the sale. The highlights for us are, of course, the restored lorries which have become such a well-known sight at most of the big lorry events. All were restored to an excellent standard, and very well-presented by Tony and his team of enthusiastic helpers. Confirmed entries include Foden S20 SNR148, S39s OBF672J and BHP505T, Foden S83 TUT759S, ex-Marley Tiles AEC Mandator JKT732L, Guy Big J4T GNA398N, Magirus Deutz…

Enjoying memories from the past is a universal human trait. It’s how we reminisce and gain pleasure from revisiting past experiences that we have enjoyed, whether they are from a few years or even many decades ago. For lorry enthusiasts there are rich memories from every era. The transport scene is constantly evolving and what is happening today becomes tomorrow’s history. It seems we can’t get enough of nostalgia and one of the best ways to re-live the past is through the lens of a camera. So, here we go with another helping of my genuine period photographs spanning the past sixty odd years.…