Innehållsförteckning för March 2024 från Heritage Commercials

Transport Museum Wythall, Chapel Lane, Wythall, near Birmingham (just off A435, near M42 Jct 3) has three main halls with a wide range of exhibits, attractively displayed and of interest to both the general public and enthusiasts. This popular museum tells the story of public transport in the West Midlands. It houses 90 buses and coaches, mainly Midlands connected by operator or manufacturer. Keep an eye on the website for updates and possible additional events. Open 27 March to 3 November on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holiday Mondays, 10.30-16.00 (10.30-16.30 on event days; 10.30-18.00 on 31 October). Also 10.30-16.00 Wednesdays during school holidays and half terms. Details: The Transport Museum, Chapel Lane, Wythall B47 6JA. Phone: 01564 826471. Email: enquiries@wythall.org.uk Website: www.wythall.org.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/TransportMuseumWythall 2024 EVENT DAYS March 31/April 1:…

Following my previous articles on recovery lorries; wreckers or breakdown vehicles; I thought I had pretty much covered the subject relatively well. However, while searching through my archives I came across further interesting images on the subject that I hope readers of this magazine might be interested in seeing. Again, this assortment is mostly taken from vehicles I have encountered from years gone by. It includes former Army vehicles which later found their way into civilian hands; bus and coach operator’s breakdown vehicles and those of firms that provided a commercial recovery service. It has been pointed-out to me by that well-known purveyor of lorries – John Murphy – that he owned the Guy Invincible 6x4 wrecker, Q455 MHK, featured in my article in the July issue of H.C and…

COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION ORDER TODAY! FEBRUARY 2024 COVER: TWO AUSTIN SEVEN VANS INSIDE: Dennis Eagle Elite chassis, the Bedford Story and a DAF collection JANUARY 2024 COVER: IVOR OWEN & SONS INSIDE: Shropshire lorries, the Bedford story and Citroen vans DECEMBER 2023 COVER: FODEN FLEETMASTER INSIDE: 1936 Commer van, the Bedford story and a Century of Kenworths NOVEMBER 2023 COVER: LEYLAND DAF  INSIDE: Swiss trucks, lorries from Shropshire and the Bedford story OCTOBER 2023 COVER: ATKINSON BORDERER INSIDE: Bedford PC van, Swiss trucks and Renault 5 vans SEPTEMBER 2023 COVER: AEC MANDATOR INSIDE: Thames Trader, The ATHS Show and US West Coast Trucks AUGUST 2023 COVER: Ford 11Y truck INSIDE: A35 pick-up, Recovery lorries, Leyland Beaver JULY 2023 COVER STORY: Recovery Lorries INSIDE: Thornycroft, The Humber story, DFD Rhodes of…

We had recently moved to a small village called South Wingfield in Derbyshire, and around our area back then, coal was most certainly king, in fact we could see the South Wingfield pit spoil heap from our front room window. Well dad must have warmed to the idea of ‘going on his own’ because having been introduced to a local coal haulier it wasn’t long before an arrangement had been reached whereby dad was to purchase a lorry from this chap, and then haul for him, on a sub-contractor basis. So before ‘O’ Licensing became a thing in the late 1960s, the haulage business was something of a closed shop. These were the days of the ‘A’ ‘B’ and ‘C’ Carriers licence. However, there was a loophole within this system,…

Alan Mowlam is a great new commercial vehicle contact. We often meet to catch up at local rallies like Abbey Hill at Yeovil and Somerset Steam and Country Show at Low Ham, Langport. While at Alan’s ‘home’ rally at Chickerell, he outlined his driving days with Edmonds Transport of Chickerell and Portland Plant Hire Ltd. This seemed a good basis for an article and I asked Alan if he had any corresponding photographs. This certainly was the case, so Alan and I promised to meet up at Low Ham to discuss. Due to the circling showers, we were grateful to Andy Attwell with his 1970 Ford D550 British Rail Personnel Carrier that kept us dry during our reminiscences. Alan enjoyed five years with Edmonds Transport, which was contracted to the…

The commercial arm of the company, however, didn’t start building trucks of any size until February 1913 when Austin announced its first venture into lorries. The first Austin truck proved to be a rather unconventional design which was a brave move for Edwardian Britain. The vehicle had a had a low ladder girder frame, twin bevel final drives, twin rear springs on both sides, cast steel wheels, a 25hp four-cylinder engine complete with obsolete T-head cylinders and an unusual scuttle shaped bonnet. Its distinctive appearance was not to everyone’s taste, but production of the truck was boasted by the start of World War One in August 1914. The vehicle’s proved useful to supplement the thousands of horses corralled into war service. The majority of the initial production run were, however,…

In the 1980s, a highlight of the summer season at Whitley Bay, a coastal town east of Newcastle Upon Tyne, was the Newcastle Chronicle and Journal newspaper’s Motor Show where major car franchise garages put their wares on show for the weekend, on ‘the Links’ overlooking the North Sea and the Spanish City amusement park. It was also a significant showcase for the British Army, which in those days would be prolific at these events to promote their job opportunities and hopefully, recruit a few soldiers. On this occasion, the Royal Engineers had turned up with two very impressive, fully loaded 35-ton Crusaders, 64 GJ 09 and sister 64 GJ 12, carrying some interesting plant equipment. In their smart, cream ‘show’ livery, these HET (Heavy Equipment Transporter) 6 x 4…

Iveco’s Turbostar model propelled Iveco into the mindset of many operators who had previously never given the marque enough attention, and the face there was a super powerful – for the mid-1980s – model at 420hp, suddenly operators were adding Ivecos into their fleets that had never before entertained the manufacturer. Along with the 190.30/36 models, the Turbostar and Turbotech models were using the final knockings of the H range cab that had appeared in 1971. But by the early 1990s, a wholly new cab was desperately needed. Hot on the heels of the Iveco Eurocargo being unveiled in 1991 to replace the Ford Cargo – Iveco had bought out Ford’s European operations in 1986 primarily to get its hands on the Cargo design – came the Eurotech in 1992,…

One of my favourite locations to cycle through is Thorney, near Langport. Evidence of the Yeovil to Taunton railway track bed can still be seen. A large part of this interest stems from the former Thorney Halt based in the centre of the village and a glimpse of a superb commercial. As I discovered, this is now home to Feorge Plant & Fabrication Ltd and their intriguing 1990 ERF E10 325. This H registration eight-wheeler helps to move skips around the yard. Owner, John Fevin explains: “We can trace the lorry back to two previous owners, which were both skip hire firms. We believe it was a hook loader from new but would be grateful for confirmation of this. The E10 has a 16-gear splitter box transmission and I am…

The comings and goings of classic lorries is great to see alongside the owner’s Second World War highlights. A trip to the Charterhouse Auctioneers and Valuers motorcycle auction at Haynes Motor Museum in 2023 presented an opportunity to pop over and view the latest commercial interest.…

With the constant changes to make vehicles more environmentally friendly, it is becoming more challenging each year to see older lorries, especially those which still earn their keep for their operators. As we see here, there are a variety of older lorries still to be found, most of which are still working. Even those that aren’t are still included as the fact that they have survived to the present day means that they are still a part of our Heritage.…

Ever since I first went to Inverness in December 1984, I have had a love affair with Scotland, especially the scenery of Highlands. The hills, forest, lochs and moors are all wonderful to see. I have spent many days travelling across Scotland by both rail and car and I know the country very well, sometimes better than some Scots who live in the bubbles of Edinburgh and Glasgow! I remember when I briefly worked for Curries of Dumfries and one my colleagues, a native Scot, was perplexed as to where Invergordon was, and I simply piped up, “oh that’s about 30 miles north of Inverness,” to her bemused face! A lot of my travels across Scotland were by train, because, well, that’s a hobby of mine. So in between galivanting…