Innholdsfortegnelse for Volume 19 i Vintage Roadscene Archive

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IN MUNICIPAL SERVICE GETTING HEAVY? THE ARRIVAL OF THE KM THE BEDFORD ‘TK’ THAT NEVER WAS? As with Ford, Dodge and Commer amongst others, there was no ‘factory-built’ rigid Bedford eight-wheeler, although as this immaculate example from the R C Jeffrey & Sons ‘Heritage Fleet’ confirms, there seems no technical reason why this couldn’t have been done. In truth, there seems to be an unwritten convention in the commercial vehicle industry that such things are best left to an eager band of ‘conversion specialists’ such as York, Vickers-AWD, Henry Boys, or Primrose (to name just four) of what at the time must have numbered dozens. Getting a second steering axle under the TK engine and gearbox must have been challenge. And quite how warranty issues were resolved after the er,…

THE FINAL INSULT?…

Inside Front Cover. This full colour advertisement dates from 1956 – arguably a time when the Bedford brand was at it’s peak and when there was still a bright future ahead for Luton/Dunstable-built commercial vehicles. Not only from home market operators, but from customers around the world. It’s interesting to note that in this highly export-orientated double page spread advert, everything from the CA 10cwt van to the 10ton S-Type arctic tractor unit is featured. Then there’s the Bedford that almost single-handedly carried the flag for Britain in export markets, the A-Type (also referred to as a ‘TA’), shown here both as a dropsider and tipper. Compiled and Edited by Malcolm Bates (malcolm@automotivespecialists.co.uk). Pictures from the Stevens-Stratten Archive and the Author’s own collection. Design & Layout; Focused on Design Ltd.…

STAR OF STAGE, SCREEN AND TOY CUPBOARD? Hell’s Buddies? This Bedford ‘O-Type’ and a Dodge ‘Parrot Nose’ typify what we might expect to find in any early postwar tipper fleet. Or in many cases, tipper fleets well into the 1960s. Both were photographed by the Author when in preservation, but could just as easily have been parked up outside a ‘Greasy Spoon’ Transport Cafe around the edges of what is now Heathrow Airport, many years before.…

This colour image came in a box of photographs from a former employee of a major Ford dealership (thought to be Dagenham Motors), so how come? There are two possible answers. Firstly, this colour print was given to the bodybuilding section of the dealership by the customer – in this case Schreiber Furniture or the transport company under contract to to provide distribution services to Schreiber – as an example of what was wanted in terms of livery, or trailer bodywork design for a new order. Or? The second possible reason could well be that Dagenham Motors bodybuilding department was not entirely reliant on building bodywork on Ford chassis and this photograph was taken for publicity purposes. Note, this 1972 TK tractor unit (reg number TNO 232K, Essex) has a…

In my case – and I suspect yours as well – familiarity with the Bedford brand might well have started with small diecast models. The Dinky Toys O-Type tipper Number 410, perhaps? Or the slightly more impressive Number 409, that yellow 10ton Bedford-Scammell dropside artic. Then there was the huge pale blue artic car transporter that could only be loaded with cars if your Granny purchased the separate bit of tin masquerading as a ‘Car Transporter Loading Ramp’. Mine did, but it begged the question as to how you got the cars off the top deck at the other end of the journey? Did Granny have to buy another bit of Dinky tin for that? Or get a Foden eight wheeler to follow along behind, carrying the one and only…

KEEPING THINGS TRADITIONAL & ‘OUT FRONT’ A BIT MORE DRIVE – THE 4x4 RL THE END? ALMOST! It says a lot for Bedford engineering that a chassis built for Military use, using as many mass produced components as possible, not only outlasted the era when Britain had a capability to conduct any major military campaign, but somehow had enough reserve to ‘Carry On’ in a second life as rough and tough as round timber extraction. Wasn’t that the exclusive reserve of a ‘proper lorry’ like an AEC Matador? Clearly not. Sadly, there is no date to confirm when this picture was taken, but we do know it was still working near the A3 near Liphook after 1976.…

THE BROCHURES BEDFORDS FOR EXPORT THE ADVERTISEMENTS…

BEDFORDS IN PRESERVATION IS IT A BIRD? IS IT A PLANE? NO, IT’S……