Fordson Thames van of Lunts Bakery in Liverpool from about 1949.
I seem to remember that some of these vans had a V8 petrol engine.
The Mersey Group of North Western Gas Board had a large number of
“Bonneted” Ford Thames lorries, some had the V8 petrol engine, some
had a 4 cylinder petrol engine which we called a Cost Cutter, and the
later ones which were badged 4D had a 4 cylinder diesel engine under
the bonnet. The Ford Thames lorries of the Mains Department had a
canvas tilt body, Some of the Fords were 5 ton tippers carrying coke,
and some were artics with Scammell Hitch coupled to Brockhouse
tipper trailers. I worked on all of them at the vehicle maintenance
workshop at Bond Street, off Vauxhall Road. The 2nd picture is from
the late 1950s at Linacre Lane Gasworks in Bootle, Liverpool.
Click on 2nd picture for a better image.
Ray Smyth.
