Don’t miss the spectacle of 200 superb historic commercial vehicles as they take to the road on the Historic Commercial Vehicle Society’s 44th annual Run from London to Brighton on SUNDAY 1ST MAY 2005. Every kind of vehicle will be joining in, from the smallest delivery vans to fire engines, buses, lorries of all sizes and types, military vehicles, taxis, coaches and impressive steam wagons.
The event will be starting from the South Terrace in Crystal Palace Park, Anerley Hill, London SE19 (A214) between 7:00am and 9:00am.
Spectators can only access the park via the Upper Terrace. Approach is via the roundabout at Crystal Palace Parade; proceed 490yds down Anerley Hill turning left into the Upper Terrace area, which will be clearly signposted.
Spectators displaying a Disabled badge will be allowed access to the South Terrace car park, where the entrants will congregate prior to departure. Approach is via the roundabout at Crystal Palace Parade; proceed 500yds down Anerley Hill turning left into South Terrace car park.
The vehicles can be seen as they progress along the A214 to join the A23 at Streatham Common. The route continues along the A23 through Purley, Redhill and Crawley, where the entrants will make a half-way halt at Broadfield Stadium, which is on the Crawley bypass. The stadium is highlighted by a giant football positioned on the roundabout.
The route then continues with a diversion from the A23 onto the B2110 at Pease Pottage ‘Welcome Break’ Services and passes through Handcross Village, Watermans Green, Staplefield, Cuckfield, Ansty, Burgess Hill (A272 and A273) to Pyecombe, where the route rejoins the A23 to Brighton.
Have a great day out in Brighton seeing the vehicles arrive and on display along Madeira Drive from 10:30am with the Concours d’Elegance Awards Presentation at 4:00pm with the Mayor of Brighton & Hove.
It’s a fantastic display of vehicles that never, ever looked like that during their working lives.
If you want to see gleaming sumps, cab beading screws with all the countersinks filed down so the slots line up and stained and varnished planking on flat bodies, then go to Brighton and watch the polishers.
If you want to see wagons looking like they used to when they were working, go to the Trans-Pennine in August (Birch Services, M62 to the Stray, Harrogate). That’s a rally attended by people who actually do some or all of the restorations themselves, rather than paying someone else to do it all for them.
Gaydon is the static version of the Trans-Pennine. Too many exhibits trailered to the event for my liking - there are more & more each year.
Had it stayed at Crick and the organisers insisted that exhibits got there under their own power, it wouldn’t be packed like sardines as it now is at Gaydon each June.
marky:
Gaydon is the static version of the Trans-Pennine. Too many exhibits trailered to the event for my liking - there are more & more each year.
Had it stayed at Crick and the organisers insisted that exhibits got there under their own power, it wouldn’t be packed like sardines as it now is at Gaydon each June.
The polishers are taking over at Gaydon as well.
Agreed.
Which is probably why I’ll do the East Coast run again this year (same weekend) instead of Gaydon. Not only that, but I’ll probably save about £100 worth of Diesel!
marky:
Gaydon is the static version of the Trans-Pennine. Too many exhibits trailered to the event for my liking - there are more & more each year.
Had it stayed at Crick and the organisers insisted that exhibits got there under their own power, it wouldn’t be packed like sardines as it now is at Gaydon each June.
The polishers are taking over at Gaydon as well.
HEAR HEAR!! I recall a top-notch restorer saying some years ago that a certain highly-polished and chromed Octopus and trailer from Staffordshire would be hugely enhanced by 15 tons of wet fish on the flat!
Also, for working lorries, check out the Phoenix (nee North of England) Run. The 1998 video of JRN 38H climbing a 1:8 hill near Haltwhistle (Glenwhelt Bank) with the concrete test weights is a treasure: you can identify each wheel nut coming around! It’s an especial contrast as the previous motor romping up there was an unladen rigid drven by a certain ex-policeman…
