Past Present and in Between in Pictures (Part 1)

[oiltreader]

pv83:
Found these…might be Dave Lee’s originals…?

Cheers, Patrick

Cheers for the pics Patrick, I like the reg on the Hill’s wagon
Oily

[oiltreader]

I have recently written to Shaun Ballisat for permission to use from his collection of lorry snaps taken over a number of years, he has kindly agreed on the condition I gave that I would copyright mark his photos.
Oily

[lespullan]

[robert1952]

I was thinking this evening (smell of burning sawdust!) - I’ve always admired Park Royal bodywork on AEC buses and AEC lorry cabs; and I know that they made bodywork for many other bus chassis; but did Park Royal make cabs for any other truck manufacturers? Probably a question for Anorak and Gingerfold! Robert

[pete_smith]

oiltreader:
I have recently written to Shaun Ballisat for permission to use from his collection of lorry snaps taken over a number of years, he has kindly agreed on the condition I gave that I would copyright mark his photos.
Oily

Hi Oily,
That Atki was a shunter in Servo Steel at Stourbridge and a Bedford TM took its place when Atki retired for preservation, Cheer’s Pete

[gingerfold]

A good question Robert, and PRV probably did build cabs for other chassis makers pre the formation of Associated Commercial Vehicles (ACV) in the early 1950s. That was the takeover by AEC of Maudslay, Crossley, Park Royal Vehicles, and Chas. H. Roe (PSV bodybuilders). The subject of cab builders in the era of coach built cabs is a fascinating one to me; there must have been hundreds of them. Here in Bolton Bromilow and Edwards (part of Edbro back in the day) built cabs for AECs and Albions to name but two, but I have never seen a preserved example.

[pete_smith]

gingerfold:
A good question Robert, and PRV probably did build cabs for other chassis makers pre the formation of Associated Commercial Vehicles (ACV) in the early 1950s. That was the takeover by AEC of Maudslay, Crossley, Park Royal Vehicles, and Chas. H. Roe (PSV bodybuilders). The subject of cab builders in the era of coach built cabs is a fascinating one to me; there must have been hundreds of them. Here in Bolton Bromilow and Edwards (part of Edbro back in the day) built cabs for AECs and Albions to name but two, but I have never seen a preserved example.

Did Edbro buy out Pilot cabs Graham?

[gingerfold]

Hello Pete, back in about 1914 there were four Edwards brothers and they designed the first hydraulic tipping gear. The original company Edwards Brothers became Edbro, they bought out James Bromilow, which became Bromilow and Edwards, and started Pilot Works which was the tipper body building division (but also supplied a badge engineered tipping ram if a customer wanted an “alternative” to Edbro). So a customer could order his chassis from whomever and the Edwards family businesses could make a cab, fit tipping gear, and build a body for it. All that remains of this empire now is Edbro, that was acquired by Harsh a few years ago. About 12 years ago I had a factory tour of the Edbro works, it was still a successful operation with about 70% of its annual output exported. They also made a big hook skip system and made the skips as well. Incidentally, the steel for making the rams is very specialised and is imported from the USA. There is no comparable steel made in the UK or Europe.

[pete_smith]

gingerfold:
Hello Pete, back in about 1914 there were four Edwards brothers and they designed the first hydraulic tipping gear. The original company Edwards Brothers became Edbro, they bought out James Bromilow, which became Bromilow and Edwards, and started Pilot Works which was the tipper body building division (but also supplied a badge engineered tipping ram if a customer wanted an “alternative” to Edbro). So a customer could order his chassis from whomever and the Edwards family businesses could make a cab, fit tipping gear, and build a body for it. All that remains of this empire now is Edbro, that was acquired by Harsh a few years ago. About 12 years ago I had a factory tour of the Edbro works, it was still a successful operation with about 70% of its annual output exported. They also made a big hook skip system and made the skips as well. Incidentally, the steel for making the rams is very specialised and is imported from the USA. There is no comparable steel made in the UK or Europe.

My Albion Chieftain has a Pilot cab fitted to it! Cheer’s for the information

[gingerfold]

The buildings and frontage of what was Pilot Works is still extant on Manchester Road, Bolton. It is now an estate of small businesses (including a hydraulics and tipping ram repair engineer). It also has a very good sandwich shop which we use quite often.

[robert1952]

gingerfold:
A good question Robert, and PRV probably did build cabs for other chassis makers pre the formation of Associated Commercial Vehicles (ACV) in the early 1950s. That was the takeover by AEC of Maudslay, Crossley, Park Royal Vehicles, and Chas. H. Roe (PSV bodybuilders). The subject of cab builders in the era of coach built cabs is a fascinating one to me; there must have been hundreds of them. Here in Bolton Bromilow and Edwards (part of Edbro back in the day) built cabs for AECs and Albions to name but two, but I have never seen a preserved example.

Thanks Graham. I think my favourite remains their cab for the AEC MkV Mandator . Robert

[oiltreader]

robert1952:

gingerfold:
A good question Robert, and PRV probably did build cabs for other chassis makers pre the formation of Associated Commercial Vehicles (ACV) in the early 1950s. That was the takeover by AEC of Maudslay, Crossley, Park Royal Vehicles, and Chas. H. Roe (PSV bodybuilders). The subject of cab builders in the era of coach built cabs is a fascinating one to me; there must have been hundreds of them. Here in Bolton Bromilow and Edwards (part of Edbro back in the day) built cabs for AECs and Albions to name but two, but I have never seen a preserved example.

Thanks Graham. I think my favourite remains their cab for the AEC MkV Mandator . Robert

This one has had a change of livery, with thanks to Shaun Ballisat.
Oily

[oiltreader]

Flash motor, looks the business.
Oily

[lespullan]

[pv83]

Public transport…on Antarctica…

Cheers, Patrick

[leyland600]

Graham, here is a photo of a Pilot cab on an Albion which I photographed in Dumfries on the occasion of the Solway Road Run seen here in the livery of J&E Transport. Pilot cabs were distinctive on Albions by having a one piece windscreen although I believe some had a split screen. Messrs W.P.Bell & Sons of Wigton had a Chieftain with a one piece screen on contract to Carr’s Flour Mills hauling bagged flour to bakeries and shops, I knew the driver well and in recent years have tried to get a copy of a photo his daughter says she has but unfortunately cannot find it.
On the subject of PRV cabs they made made cabs for AEC Mercurys in batches of about 100 at a time both composite construction from about 1958 through to fibreglass Mk II versions until about 1966 and their production far outstripped bus body building production. They did build one fibreglass version of the Ergomatic cab as a prototype but I dont know if it was ever fitted to a chassis. PRV built many bodies on WW2 Ford and Crossley and AEC Matadors plus other bodywork on later military lorries AEC Militants etc. They also built a small number of integral furniture vans on Guy Vixen ? chassis for Pickfords removals division.
Most of this information is quoted from my Park Royal Vehicles book by Alan Townsin which contains lots of excellent company photographs by the ACV group. I have recently been trying to sell the book on ebay but amazingly has had no takers unlike others sold as I downsize my collection of transport literature.
Cheers, Leyland 600.

[gingerfold]

Thank you for the photo and info “600”. I remember the (in)famous Stanley Smith who ran Bolton Transport and Trading, he had several Albions with Pilot Works / B & E cabs. I use the term Albions loosely, he cobbled together his own lorries pre- Testing and Plating and what the driveline consisted of was anyone’s guess. It usually featured a Gardner engine either a 4LW or a 5LW, or very rarely for an artic a 6LW. The entire fleet seemed to carry the same registration number! Incidentally Bromilow and Edwards also built bus bodies for Bolton Corporation Transport (a very loyal Leyland customer, with a few Crossleys and AECs down the years), and also one or two other Lancashire municipal bus fleets.

[oiltreader]

pete smith:

oiltreader:
I have recently written to Shaun Ballisat for permission to use from his collection of lorry snaps taken over a number of years, he has kindly agreed on the condition I gave that I would copyright mark his photos.
Oily

Hi Oily,
That Atki was a shunter in Servo Steel at Stourbridge and a Bedford TM took its place when Atki retired for preservation, Cheer’s Pete

Ta for the info Pete
Oily

[oiltreader]

Thanks to lespullan, Leyland600 and pv83 for the pics

SNCF maintenance unit, road, rail, diesel and electric pantograph, and sideways movement tracks.
Oily

[ray_smyth]

Hi Ed, The SNCF lorry is an amazing machine. .It looks like an electric traction motor
between the steel rail wheels below the front bumper,which will feed off the
pantograph on the roof. Nice Mercedes Benz, I am surprised that SNCF didn’t have
it built on a Renault chassis. Ray Smyth.