Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2023 i Heritage Commercials

This article takes a look at recovery lorries; or wreckers or breakdown vehicles as they are also known; mostly at the heavy end, that I have encountered on my travels from years gone by. Few back then were built new as recovery lorries, unlike today with machines constructed purpose made to a high spec to conform to current legislation. Instead, most were based on former road haulage vehicles converted to perform the task. Many former Army vehicles found their way into private hands when sold-on into commercial use from military service. These were ideal as they were already fitted-out as recovery vehicles and included the Leyland Martian 6x6 and AEC Militant Mk.V 6x6. Some haulage contractors converted one of their former road transport vehicles when retired from revenue earning service…

The weekend of 20-21 May, saw two classic lorry runs combine to produce a tremendous double header with the weather playing its part as well with glorious sunshine. The collective of preserved trucks saw famous makes of old including Leyland, BMC, Dodge, AEC, Austin, Guy, Bedford, ERF, Seddon Atkinson, and Albion as well as existing makes of Scania and Volvo tour the scenic heart of Wales. Lorries came from all over the country, Clive Trench of Much Wenlock had his Leyland Comet 90 in Bulter’s Bitter livery with period load and J Thomas of Whitland had his Guy Otter. There was a duo of tractor units from Ken Thomas Ltd of Wisbech, who had a Volvo F10 and a Seddon Atkinson 401 in their smart cream and green livery. Knowles…

The National Motor Museum in the heart of the New Forest National Park is the proven venue for the Spring Autojumble that took on 13-14 May, it welcomed 13,000 visitors and exhibitors back to its busy grounds. We saw stands filled with fascinating motoring items up for grabs, alongside vibrant car displays across the weekend. As always, I was on the hunt for commercials but they were a little thin on the ground, I have a fondness for the Raleigh Chopper and three were noted on one stall. There was a stunning display by the Dorset branch of the Morris Minor Owners’ Club celebrating the 75th anniversary of the start of production of course I was not disappointed in my quest for commercials with many Minor LCVs exhibiting, Beaulieu was…

Joseph Lewis reports from the Three Okefords Preservation Society Shillingstone Steam Rally, near Blandford, Dorset on 20 and 21 May. More than 70 commercial entries were graced by sunshine at the wonderfully picturesque backdrop at Shillingstone. These ranged from a 1928 Austin 12/4 truck to a 2004 DAF 95XF Superspace cab 40 tonne artic unit previously used for towing a race car trailer to European circuits. One of the local stars was a 1943 Austin K5 4x4 three-tonner which was bought by Shillingstone Lime Company during the 1950s and converted to a lime spreader. The K5 is powered by a six-cylinder, 3995cc, 85hp petrol engine. Austin built around 12,280 units for use in the Second World War and this is one of only around 12 left in existence. They were…

DAF’s 2600, unveiled in 1962, had been a game-changer for heavy truck production, the first factory-built heavy truck with a sleeper cab available in Europe. It opened up new business opportunities for hauliers and was continually upgraded over the years, with new DAF engines to help it keep ahead of the ever growing competition from Sweden and Germany. But the 2600 wasn’t the biggest cab even though it had twin bunks, but DAF’s engineers were already working on designing a new – and bigger – cab that would prove to be an instant hit. That new cab was the F241, in reference to the fact it was 241cm wide and it broke cover in 1973, badged as the 2800. It featured a single-piece, full-width black plastic grille with DAF displayed…

Out of shear need, the once prominent mining company, D.F.D. Rhodes Pty. Ltd., was renowned for its ability to overcome the many design deficiencies that were inherent in the trucks that were available to them at the height of their mining activities. This well respected business was founded by the late Donovan Francis Duncan Rhodes who was born in Yorkshire in England in 1910, but who had emigrated to Western Australia with his family in 1913. During his early working life, Don joined with his father in a number of businesses that were unrelated to road haulage or mining, the latter to which he was later to become well known for. Later on, they operated 30cwt (1.524 tonne) Chevrolets in the mid 1930s carrying granite from the Darling Range for…

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It was a busy time in the workshop at Fletcher’s in 1965, the four new AEC Mammoth Major Mk.5’s were going well. The metal-working skills I’d been taught at Ibstock Secondary Modern school were coming in very handy. I had taken a keen interest in electric arc welding watching the lead mechanic, Trev Statham in action, who started to show me how. I was also enjoying my learning experience at Coalville Technical College, and in the early autumn of 1965, I signed on for an Arc Welding course, I wanted to broaden my knowledge. The tutor was Mr. Ken Orpwood, a Lloyds Registered expert welder. It quickly became apparent that Ken was brother to Peter Orpwood, Ron Johnston’s old Speedway mate and a truck operator. Peter was one of the…

The one-ton FV1600 series military cargo truck was, in our view, one of the finest examples of post-war British truck engineering, an incredible achievement by the Rootes Group and the MoS (Ministry of Supply). Fascinatingly, the group decided to market it under the Humber name to the British Army, giving its new 4 x 4 army truck a unique place in military history by marketing what would become known as the FV1600 series under the Humber name rather than its truck-type Commer banner. Using a name that hadn’t been generally associated with tough trucks, the Rootes Group was following through from their lighter weight offerings to the British Military during World War Two. In 1939, the group produced the very well-respected and much-loved Humber Utility, a four-wheel drive staff car/personnel…

Written in the words of its previous owner, Eddie Rigg (dec), “My Shelvoke & Drewry Freighter came from North Coburg, a suburb of Melbourne, where it had lain in a scrapyard since 1937. According to records, it was first registered in 1925 as #2031 and sold to the dealer in 1937. Although it was unused from 1927, it remained licensed, and I have its last windscreen disc for 1937, mounted on a glass disc for the vehicle did not have a windscreen.” Eddie and a friend had been in the Victorian scrapyard looking for AEC Matador 4x4 parts, and as they moved a pile of rubbish, one of them stood on an old truck tray and fell through its rotten timbers. Once he regained his dignity and saw the offset…

As we all get older, some marques simply, fade into history, and anyone under 50 might struggle to even remember ever seeing an AEC on the road. The brand was absorbed as part of the Leyland Group in 1962, and soon shared cabs with other trucks from Albion, Leyland and others. So the last ‘true’ AECs date from the early 1960s. So putting on a show wholly devoted to the brand is unlikely to succeed if it was just AECs on show, but thankfully, the AEC Society isn’t too protective and when it held its rally at the Newark Show Ground on May 27/28, it opened it up to other manufacturers – so much so, that more than 300 great restored trucks were there, as well as buses, vans and…

Abbey Hill Highlights Joseph Lewis reports from the 43rd Abbey Hill Rally at Yeovil Showground, Somerset. Around 50 commercial vehicles attended the Abbey Hill Rally over the early May Bank Holiday. These ranged from a 1924 Manchester two-ton lorry owned by Steam section steward, Mark Fry to a year 2000 Kenworth T300 owned by Andy Plummer. Somewhere in between came Commercial steward Ashley Bye’s 1984 Volvo F616 which was rescued from brambles in June 2020 and recently subject to a chassis shot blast and cab re-spray. Another classic star was a 1979 ERF ‘B’ Series powered by the Gardner 240 straight eight with a Gardner engine display on the back exhibited by West End Garage, Bruton. The 1970 Ford D550 former British Rail personnel carrier owned by Andy Attwell was…

Remarkably – though not so remarkable once the business is properly understood – at peak, 95 percent of a Thornycroft truck’s components were manufactured in-house by Thornycroft. Chassis, cabs, engines, gearboxes, axles, the lot. And each item superbly engineered with the emphasis on reliability achieved through an emphasis on simplicity, as anyone with mechanical familiarity with Basingstoke products would attest. Although associated with the sprawling Hampshire factory complex occupied for the 71 years 1898 to1969, the marque’s history predates that. And trucks were also produced afterwards when – long after the 1961 AEC takeover – Thornycroft coexisted with Scammell in Watford under the Leyland Special Vehicles banner. Between the first ‘commercial’ – the front-drive, rear-wheel steer No1 Steam Van of 1896 – and the last Thornycroft in the late 1970s…

ONLY £4.40 PER ISSUE INCLUDING P&P! UK ONLY June 2022 • Chesire Run • Truckfest • Diamond T • Load Luggers May 2022 • Commercials at the NEC • The Latil • Mini Pickup • Workshop Tips • Letters April 2022 • The Jet set • City Slickers • Torbay memories • DAF archives March 2022 • Pearson fire engine • Sweeting dynasty • Workshop help • Fletcher and Co February 2022 • Minor vans • Berry Country classics • Airfield fire marks January 2022 • Midlands medley • Commercials at the NEC Classic Car Show • Gorgeous Greece December 2021 • Foden restoration • Star of Midsomer Murders • Airfield fire marks November 2021 • Lyon in wait •…