across the pond – focus on Us fords
COMMERCIALS A WORLD OF CLASSIC LORRIES, TRUCKS AND VANS
riding aboard
RaRe scammell
1939 Rigid 8
The pig’s nose!
Citroen’s H van
emerging classic
DAF 2500
archive album
The boys with the black stuff
1953
LeyLand martian Still at work
history of
the thames et
Ford’s first ‘English truck’
No.289 February 2014
£4.20
The working days of The ‘TransconTi’
Contents F E B R U A Ry
2 0 14
06 News
What’s been happening in the world of classic commercials.
22
10 Readers’ letters
Your chance to ask a question, put things straight or record a memory.
16 Riding high
Thanks to the efforts of driver Alan Dixon, the striking, elegant lines of Tom Riding’s 1939 Rigid 8 have been seen at shows and events all over the country. Bob Tuck goes to Longridge and discovers ‘Locomotion’ is simply a joy to drive.
22 Ford’s first
With the Second World War at an end Ford decided to design its first completely British lorry. Alan Barnes tells the story of the development of the ET – English Truck – and tracks down a restored survivor.
30 Subscription form
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32 The pig’s nose!
Mike and Julie Blenkinsop take a look at the ubiquitous Citroën H van as it reaches a ‘certain age’.
38 Punctual Pullage
The AEC Mercury was one of the most popular commercials of the Swinging Sixties. Bob Weir went to Aberdeenshire to meet Bill Milne and his late model Mk II.
32 46 US Fords focus
With an illustrious history that once embraced the full spectrum of weight classes, Ford has been a major player in the US market. As Ed Burrows relates, although its heavy end was sold to Daimler North America during the Nineties, Ford has continued to produce light/medium trucks.
56 Big friendly giant
It may be about 60 years since Chris Lawes’ Martian came off the Leyland production line but there’s no stopping the beating of its Rolls-Royce heart. Bob Tuck goes to Braintree in Essex to discover there’s nothing alien about this Leyland’s appeal or its working ability.
42 Archive album
Four pages of pure nostalgia from the archives of NA3T.
46 4 Heritagecommercials.com
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76 62 The lost years
At the beginning of the Second World War, many companies, both large and small, had their lorries requisitioned by the military. Most were never seen again – but Geoff Fishwick has found one that’s just resurfaced after 74 years!
66 Ford’s big idea
We have a look at some of the working examples of Ford’s 1970s and ’80s heavyweight, the Transcontinental.
72 From our archives
This month we feature extracts from the March 1955 brochure for Austin’s three and five ton lorries. Did you drive one?
INcORpORATINg clASSIc TRuck
16 76 Singer on song
Singer was well known for its cars and motorcycles, but few know of its vans. Dean Reader reports on two very rare survivors.
80 On location
As winter is still with us, have a look back at last summer’s Ridgeway Run.
88 Tales from the toolbox A visit to the editor’s workshop.
90 DAF’s willing workhorse DAF’s 2500 was a popular choice back in the 1980s – but what was it like to work with? Alan Barnes tracks down some who drove them to find out.
82 RW Brown of Newcastle town 99 HC Marketplace Although no longer involved in commercial vehicle activities, the RW Brown group of companies will be long remembered in the Newcastle and Hunter regions of New South Wales for its involvement with the AEC, Leyland and Mack marques.
The place to find your next project or sell your old one.
106Tales of the unexpected
When Tony Billings was researching Scammell’s involvement in building rigid eight-wheelers back in 1982, he wasn’t sure what he’d find. But perhaps there was no surprise that the engineering anecdotes contained a bit of humour.
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82
February 2014 5
ignition
Send your StorieS to Stephen pullen spullen@mortons.co.uk Heritage Commercials, Mortons Heritage Media, PO Box 43, Horncastle LN9 6JR
obituary Stan Blagg Vintage Lorry Funerals took Stan Blagg, Heritage Commercials reader, on his final journey from his home, next to the River Trent in Gunthorpe, to Wilford Hill Crematorium on Friday, November 29, 2013. Stan started his working life as a scaffolder, a buoyant business to be in during the 1950s with the
boom in house building after the Second World War; and then TV aerial installations which peaked after the launch of ITV on September 22, 1955. Newly married to June he decided to become a driver to increase his earnings and started with Dring’s, making fruit and vegetable deliveries from Sneinton Market.
Looking for experience on large vehicles, Stan moved to BRS and then to Eddison Plant Hire. He would do all that he could to get home to his young family, and sometimes he would take June and the infants with him. Feeding and nappy changing was done on the engine cover – and on the move! During the 1960s Stan worked for Trent Concrete, moving large concrete slabs used in the construction of the high-rise flats that were springing up all over the place. During the 1970s he worked for Smurfit and Freightliners, where he became known as a very resourceful man. In modern day parlance it would have been ‘Blagg by name, Blagg by nature’ but in the 1970s he was just viewed as opportunistic. When sugar was a scarcity on supermarket shelves in the winter of 1975, Stan not only looked after his own family but the whole street. His final driving job was with Bulkliners, delivering coke and coal, where unfortunately he
badly damaged his ankle in an accident, which meant that he couldn’t drive again. He then took a job with Nottinghamshire County Council as a cleaner. However, the odours from the solvents didn’t help his deteriorating health. He died suddenly on November 21 after a long illness. With an early service at the crematorium, before battling the rush-hour traffic an early start was essential with the flowers and coffin loaded in the dark. David Hall, who owns the 1950 Leyland Beaver, is indebted to Brian Miles of AW Lymn for helping him try the three ‘Name’ floral tributes on their stands the night before the funeral. This enabled the loading to be completed in 12 minutes. Stan is deeply missed by June, his wife of 53 years, and their family, Steven, Kim and Mandy, six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. If you want to know more about David Hall’s service, then ring him on 01225 865346 or visit www.vintagelorryfunerals.co.uk
Mortons vintage day!
Company car parks are usually incredibly boring. e bosses always have new BMWs and Audis, the reps have Mondeos and the rest have a mixture, which normally goes from a shiny new Toyota to a fantastic rusty old Land Rover – that last one’s mine! Anyway, on November 26, 2013, the Mortons car park was a little bit more interesting. No old lorries I’m afraid, but if you’re into vintage/innovative engineering like I am, you’d have loved it. e idea came from our Heritage Railway magazine, which was to display a steam locomotive for a day at the Mortons HQ in Horncastle, Lincolnshire. For steam fans, the locomotive chosen was the preserved London, Midland and Scottish
6 Heritagecommercials.com
Railway’s Jubilee class 4-6-0, No. 45596, named Bahamas. is had been brought to us by an Allelys DAF XF, built in the year 2000, and was later joined by a superb little 1903 Cadillac. I’m sure you’ll admit it was a lot more interesting than any normal works car park.
DAF, Cadillac and Bahamas. An interesting car park for a change. Photos Brian sharPe, Heritage railway
Ignition
new models foR 2014
e Corgi Hauliers of Renown Heritage Collection, which will be launched in April 2014, features lorries based on the halcyon days of road transport in Great Britain. e collection includes die-cast 1:50 scale models based on lorries from Entress Transport Ltd in Swansea, Munro Transport in Aberdeen and Redpath Bros Ltd Haulage Contractors from Wooler. Each model (RRP £49.99) is presented in a gi box with an individually numbered limited edition certificate of authenticity. Corgi marketing manager Martyn Weaver said: “Corgi has been producing model and toy
trucks for decades; more recently the collectable Hauliers of Renown range has focused on modern road haulage. Over the past few years we have been looking to broaden the era of the range of models. ese new models are the first instalment of a new heritage collection and will feature some old favourites from the roads of Britain. In taking the trip back to the route of the Hauliers of Renown brand it now means we can offer a much wider range of collectable trucks appealing to a wider audience of road transport enthusiasts.” For ages 14+. For more information on Corgi, visit www.corgi.co.uk
Classic commercial show Malvern Following the success of the 2013 Malvern and Donington Park shows, the annual Malvern Classic Commercial event returns to the Three Counties Showground on Saturday, March 15, 2014, and the organiser has big news as the show now has a new auction partner. Cheffins, one of the biggest names in classic vehicle auctions, will be the new operator of the auction at Malvern and plans are in place for the biggest and best auction ever. The auction has grown to become a central feature of the classic commercial shows and is a ‘must attend’ attraction for owners and enthusiasts. Jason Lunn, director of Independent Event Management, said: “We’ve had a fantastic year taking over the classic commercial shows at both Malvern and Donington Park and to have Cheffins join us for our Malvern show is the icing on the cake. “We wanted a bigger and better auction for 2014 and with Cheffins we really feel we have a partner which can help us create one of the leading classic commercial auctions in the UK at our show.” Bill King, director of Cheffins, said: “We are thrilled to be involved with the classic commercial show at the Three Counties Showground; we very much look forward to providing an added dimension to the show with a professionally run auction sale of commercial vehicles and associated items. “This aspect of our famous Cambridge Vintage Sales has become ever more popular in
recent years and we look forward to building on this success at the Malvern venue. Our dedicated team of staff are available to discuss entries to this prestigious event and we look forward to calls from vendors and buyers alike.” The date for 2014 is the same weekend as usual, Saturday, March 15, at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern WR13 6NW. The show will feature clubs, trade and autojumble stands as well as trucks on show, and the organisers will continue to keep costs down and grow the show. Day tickets cost £10 (£8 in advance). Also for traders the show is being organised in conjunction with the bike show the following day and traders can book the same stand location for each show and stay on site. There will also be limited camping available on Friday for visitors to stay on site if they wish. The Wye Hall will be the main exhibition hall once again with outdoor stands alongside and trucks also displayed on the large hard standing area adjacent to the hall. For further details about the event visit www.classiccommercialshow. co.uk or you can call the organisers on 07511 809993 or email jason@i-e-m.org.uk or call 07511 809993. For details on Cheffins and the auction please call Jeremy Curzon on 01223 271956/07775 866166, Jeremy.curzon@cheffins.co.uk or download online entry forms at http://www.cheffins.co.uk/vint age/entryforms.asp For details on other shows visit www.i-e-m.org.uk
Rescue effoRt foR the last of the baRons An urgent email early in December has resulted in HC helping to save two unique prototype lorries. ere’s far too much to say about them here so turn to page 88 if you want to know just what they are.
8 Heritagecommercials.com
Transport heritage
Riding Thanks to the efforts of driver Alan Dixon, the striking, elegant lines of Tom Riding’s 1939 Rigid 8 have been seen at shows and events all over the country, but few are aware of its previous hard life. Bob Tuck goes to Longridge and discovers ‘Locomotion,’ is simply a joy to drive. Words: Bob Tuck Photography: Bob Tuck/Tom Riding collection
I
t was one of the most aesthetically pleasing sights you could see. e vision of a W&J Riding outfit – oen with a superbly sheeted flat trailer behind – steaming its way down the road warmed the heart of anyone with the slightest drop of diesel in their veins. Established in 1924, the father and son combination of William and James Riding, based in the sleepy settlement of Longridge in northern Lancashire, had long believed in doing things their own way. And even aer James decided to sell out to the Transport Development Group (TDG) in 1970, in practice nothing changed, as his two sons James (junior) and Tom stayed very much involved. e management of the TDG saw that the Riding formula was a winner. So, while virtually every other member of this huge group was to adopt a corporate style of livery and even to standardise on vehicle buying policy; in lots of respects, W&J Riding was just le to its own devices. is meant the traditional style of Riding signwriting was adorned on Tom’s much favoured Gardner powered Atky/ERFs which were all given strong-sounding personal names. While the
16 Heritagecommercials.com
The Scammell Rigid 8 was in production for around 20 years, but only approximately 25 were built each year.
Classic restoration
Punctual The AEC Mercury was one of the most popular commercials of the Swinging Sixties. Bob Weir went to Aberdeenshire to meet Bill Milne, and his late model Mk II. Words: Bob Weir Photography: Bob Weir/As stated
B
ill has lived in the Aberdeenshire area all his life. He is a joiner to trade, but has tackled many jobs over the years from quarryman to farmhand. Bill and his wife Kathleen also used to run the local post office. “I’ve owned a number of different trucks and tractors in my time, and still enjoy taking them to rallies,” he explained. “e Mercury is my current favourite, but I also own an early 1958 Atkinson.” e Atkinson is one of the first examples fitted with a glass fibre (MK I) cab, following a change in the Construction & Use Regulations. Bill said: “I knew it was an early model when I first spotted it, because it doesn’t have an illuminated headboard like a lot of the later Atkinsons. e lorry is equipped with a Gardener 120 engine and five-speed gearbox, which was pretty standard at the time. “I believe the vehicle was originally new to E Brown and Sons of Beverley in Yorkshire. It was then moved on to a showman in Glasgow. e lorry was subsequently bought by enthusiast Melvyn omas, who also has fairground connections, before I acquired it off him in 1991.” Looking back, Bill explained that he bought the lorry for a particular reason. He said: “I was collecting a lot of 1950s tractors at the time, and wanted to take them to shows on the back of a contemporary lorry. I felt that a more modern truck would have looked a little out of place, and the Atkinson certainly seemed to fit the bill. A lot of rallies are held on grass, and the Mk I cab also has the advantage that it is 6in narrower than the later MK II. is made it easier for negotiating entrances to fields.”
AEC AddiCt
Over the years Bill has also been keen on AEC commercials, and it was only a question of time before he decided to acquire a lorry of his own. “When my children were growing up we lived close to a quarry to the west of Aberdeen,” he recalls. “ey were using a lot of AEC vehicles, and I used to see them on a regular basis. Like a lot of commercials from that era, they had a bit of character about them. DLE 362C (chassis no: 10576) was originally new to the Porton Down government establishment based in Wiltshire, and was registered on May 11, 1965. e lorry is equipped with the AEC 470 engine, and sixspeed gearbox.”
38 Heritagecommercials.com
Porton Down near Salisbury is a government military science park. It was originally set up in 1916 to provide a scientific basis for the use of chemical warfare. It is now home to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, which is part of the MoD (Ministry of Defence). e site covers 7000 acres, and is believed to be one of the UK’s most secretive and sensitive government facilities for military research. Bill said: “What surprised me most about the lorry was its very low mileage. Although it had been owned by several companies, it only had 11,461 miles on the clock.” What the Mercury was used for during its years at Porton Down is anyone’s guess. But once the vehicle was eventually moved on it was acquired by Bristol generators, a now defunct company based in Avonmouth. “From the information I was given the Mercury spent most of its time at Avonmouth sitting on a site with a generator on a trailer,” Bill said: “e lorry is registered as a 12-ton LWB (Long Wheel Base) tractor unit. It certainly didn’t do a lot of work, because mechanically it was as sound as a bell. “When Bristol Generators ceased trading, the lorry was acquired by Alan Coward Transport. At the time, the company was also based at Avonmouth. Apparently Bristol Generators had owed £2000, and Mr Coward was looking to acquire the lorry in lieu of the debt. Unfortunately the receivers had already taken possession of DLE 362C, and he ended up having to buy it with his own money. Having acquired the vehicle it then sat in a shed for nine years, cooling its heels.” Bill eventually acquired the Mercury in October 2009. He said: “I originally spotted the lorry on eBay. I thought the asking price was a bit high to risk a purchase unseen, so I decided to go down to the south of England and check it out for myself. Kathleen and I took our grandchildren along, and made a busman’s holiday out of the trip. “When we got to Avonmouth I discovered that the lorry had been covered up to protect it from the weather, and was surrounded with straw. Although the bodywork was a little rough it seemed reasonable given its age, so I did the deal and hired an Aberdeen haulage company bring it back north on its next return trip.”
Pullage
After Government service the AEC was purchased by Bristol Generators. It was later acquired by Alan Coward Transport. February 2014 39
Classic Restoration Manufacturer’s history
US FORD in focus
With an illustrious history that once embraced the full spectrum of weight classes, Ford has been a major player in the US market. As Ed Burrows relates, although its heavy end was sold to Daimler North America during the Nineties, Ford has continued to produce light/medium trucks. Words: Ed Burrows Photography: Ford Motor Company, Daimler North America
The Ford Model TT was a one ton derivative of the company’s Model T car. As production increased, the base price dropped from $600 in 1917 to $350 in 1927.
46 Heritagecommercials.com
“Rather than introducing gizmos to act as a smokescreen for year-onyear price increases, Ford continued to share with customers the benefits of its massive gains in efficiency”
An after-market Model BB artic conversion with crew cab. The Model BB was the world’s first volume-produced truck with V8 power.
F
or much of the 20th century, in the US, with its cars and trucks, Ford Motor Company focused on maintaining second spot to GM (General Motors), which was at the time the world’s biggest business. Post-meltdown restructuring, GM is now number 23 in the global rankings – but is out of the commercial truck business. Ford has dipped too, but unlike GM has kept faith with the light/medium commercial trucks segment, with a range that sits above, and is distinct from, its muscular all-American pick-ups.
is situation is in marked contrast with Ford in Britain and Europe. Time was when you could scarcely drive a couple of miles in Britain without seeing a Ford truck. With flathead V8 Fordsons in the 1940s, ames in the Fiies, Traders in the Sixties followed by the D Series and Cargo successors, Ford accounted for more than a few vertebrae in the nation’s road-transport backbone. en, along came the Berliet-cabbed ‘Transconti’ which was bigger than any other European Ford. Industry restructuring subsequently led to Ford’s truck business on this side of the Atlantic disappearing into Iveco, the amalgam with Fiat with which Ford has since divested its interest. With the closure in 2013 of the Transit production facility in Southampton, Ford has ceased manufacturing vehicles of any description in the UK. In the US, Ford sold the heavy/long-haul Class 8 end of the range to Daimler North America’s Freightliner subsidiary in 1998, but retained its lighter, higher-volume output Class 6 and 7 offerings. Freightliner re-badged the former Ford Class 8s with a revival of the legendary Sterling nameplate. But under recessionary pressures, something had to give – and a few years back the Mercedes’ empire gave Sterling the chop. It is legitimate to speculate that the deal which gave Daimler North America Ford’s heavy-end products included an agreement not to compete in the Class 8 segment, but nothing is forever. With the Sterling product line out of the way, with predictable inevitability, Ford’s F-650/F-750 model lineup has grown from a top spec a few years ago of 13 tons to a Class 8 nibbling GVW of more than 18 tons. Today, Ford holds a 15% market share of the light/medium segment. Exceedingly February 2014 47
Transport heritage
Words & Photography: Mark Gredzinski
Birds Eye ran about 20 Trancontis I believe, making it one of the biggest fleet users of the type. This example was captured on the M6 in Birmingham. left: Garador is a manufacturer, unsurprisingly, of garage doors. The company currently runs MAN drawbar units but in June 1986 when this picture was taken, this very clean Transcontinental approaching the centre of Birmingham was being employed. Below: From Abergavenny in South Wales, ER Clissold, operated around seven of these Transcontis. The firm started in 1936 and was involved to a large extent in steel haulage. Very often a pair would be parked up at night like here at a Smiths flour mill in Walsall.
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T
Ford’s
BIG idea
We have a look at some of the working examples of Ford’s 1970s/1980s heavyweight, the Transcontinental.
he Ford H series Transcontinental was a formidable lorry, manufactured to spearhead Ford’s line-up in an evolving heavy truck market. Launched in 1975 its imposing presence caused rival manufacturers to take note, as prior to this Ford had little impact in the 32 ton market. ere had been an anticipated upsurge in demand for heavier 40 ton tractors and Fords new weapon really did fit the bill. On paper, it was a canny move with savings made on tooling costs by buying in the cab and drivetrain, while utilising a chassis frame from the Ford Louisville L-series from America. Since the high tensile steel frame was ready built to take Cummins power-plants, this would ease assembly. All the ingredients seemed set for success with a lorry that literally towered over everything else.
One snowy December day in 1990 I captured this example of Ford’s finest. It was probably on its way back up to Sunderland and belonged to Corning Glass, which shut its doors in 2007. Left: Based in Merthyr Tydfil, TP Trucking, although no longer operating, ran this well used Ford with a tri-axle tipper on coal haulage duties. It was taken in Gloustershire on the A40 in August 1989.
Words & Photography: Mark Gredzinski
The market town of Brynmawr in Gwent is where this colourful example appears to be from – or at least that’s what the trailer indicates, as it cruised up the M6. This was one of the last Trancontis I got on film back in 1995, as they were fast disappearing from our roads at the time. February 2014 67
next month
on sale February 20, 2014
rebel with a cause
there’s no business like snow business...
Stewart Kaye certainly has a passion for motorway gritters, so much so that he has actually bought and restored the same 1972 Atkinson 6x6 lorry twice. Alan Barnes paid him a visit.
Being involved in the specialist world of recovery has allowed Phil Nash to indulge his passion into things which are different. And wreckers don’t come much more different than his 1980 White and his 1987 Freightliner. Bob Tuck heads for Phil’s home town of Braintree in Essex to discover the power of the ancients.
Power to the PeoPle
After spending something like 35 years crumbling away under a tarpaulin sheet in South Wales, the 1947 DG 6/7 Showman’s tractor ‘Lonesome’ has been returned to its original, fabulous, power generating condition. The painstaking project showcases the restorative talents of John-Leonard I‘Anson but as its owners Gary and Maggie Grysa recall, it was a task they couldn’t walk away from.
Plus
Haulage company history – Guest Road Services. Airfield guardian – the Alvis Salamander. News and events. Archive album. On location. & More. Editor Stephen Pullen Publisher Julie Brown Design Michael Baumber Reprographics Jonathan Schofield Group production editor Tim Hartley Divisional advertising manager Sandra Fisher sfisher@mortons.co.uk Advertising representative Andrew Bruce abruce@mortons.co.uk Tel 01507 524004 Subscription manager Paul Deacon Circulation manager Steve O’Hara Marketing manager Charlotte Park Production manager Craig Lamb Publishing director Dan Savage Commercial director Nigel Hole
Managing director Brian Hill Editorial address Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle LN9 6JR Website www.heritagecommercials.com General queries and back issues Tel 01507 529529 24hr answerphone Archive enquiries Jane Skayman jskayman@mortons.co.uk Tel 01507 529423 Subscription Full subscription rates (but see page 32 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £50.40. Export rates are also available – see page 32 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax.
Subscription agents Australia: Greg McNiece, Tel 3-5824 1734 America: Wise Owl Worldwide Publications, Tel 310 944 5033 New Zealand: White Bus Family Productions, Tel (064) 027 221 7763 Distribution COMAG, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex, UB7 7QE. Tel 01895 433600 Printed William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton Published date Third Thursday of every month Advert/editorial deadline January 28, 2013 Next issue February 20, 2014
© Mortons Media Group Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher. ISSN No 1476-2110
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