newsletter-march-200.. - The Scammell Register

March 2005
The Scammell Register
Founder and Past President
Founder Members
Mr W H T Bromidge
Mr D Hillier of Dorset
Mr D Hogan of Cornwell
Mr M Pugh of Somerset
Mr P Bambury of Somerset
The late Mr R D Griffin
President
Secretary
Mr J A C Kimp
25 Siskin Way
Kidderminster, Worcs., DY10 4TD
Tel: 01562 746340
Editor
Mr M S Thomas
Rushes Farm, Rushes Lane
Asheldham, Essex, CM0 7NY
Tel: 01621 773525
E-mail: [email protected]
Treasurer
Mrs S Acock
5 Berry Meadows
Fenny Compton
Southam, Warks., CV47 2YQ
Tel: 01295 770690
Membership Secretary
Mr B Partridge
Lancing Fruit Farm
Old Salts Farm Road
Lancing, Sussex, BN15 8JG
Tel: 01903 753264
Publicity Officer
Committee Members
(Chairman)
Mr D Hillier of Dorset (Founder Member)
Mr D Thorne of Dorset
Mr W Squires of Birmingham
Mr G Neate of Swindon
Mr T Daws of Kent
Mr D Spain of Kent
Life Members
Mr F Bone of Watford
Mr D Hillier of Dorset
Mr P Frost of London
Mr W H T Bromidge of Devon
Mr J A C Kimp of Kidderminster
Mr G Rees of Watford
Mrs S Acock of Warwickshire
Honorary Member
Major P B Widdows
Membership fees are due on the 1st January each year and should be sent to the Membership Secretary
at the above address.
Please make all cheques or postal orders payable to The Scammell Register.
Editorial
Welcome to this, the first Newsletter for 2005 and my first effort as Editor. When I
read, with sadness, that Chris had decided to resign, I thought I would offer to give it
a go. Once I had a call from Jack to say that my offer had been accepted, I began to
wonder exactly what I had let myself in for! I was always most impressed by the
extent to which the Newsletter improved under the care of Chris and the enormity of
the task began to dawn on me. So, with some trepidation, I have put it together, ably
assisted by Sue Hanson, a friend and work colleague.
What I need to know is - am I getting it right? I am of the strong opinion that, in a
club like ours, where most Members don’t have the opportunity to meet, the
Newsletter should be the main means of communication. My aim, therefore, is to
produce something which will appeal, at least in part, to everyone. On this occasion,
I was short of articles, so a significant part has been written by me. What I now need
is your help and comments. In particular:
¾
What do you think of the colour section? It is more expensive and much more
time consuming to produce, but, if there is sufficient interest, I’ll try to include
it in at least some issues, if not every one.
¾
Do you like the idea of the Member Profile? If so, would you volunteer to be
included? Some photos, a few notes, and a telephone call is all I need.
¾
What else would you like to see included in future Newsletters?
¾
Do you have anything you’d like to submit? I appreciate that many of you will
be pleased to receive the Newsletter, but won’t want to contribute, and that’s
fine. However, many of you must have something you could contribute. It
can be anything from a tiny snippet of information, a request for help with a
Scammell related problem or query (someone will probably know!), a
restoration tip or a photograph, through to a full article. Don’t worry if you
can’t type - Sue and I will sort that. Equally, I’ll happily turn rough notes into
an article. In some articles, I have asked for information where I have a query.
It will be impossible to continue production without input, so please get in
touch by phone (leave a message on my ansaphone), post or e-mail.
¾
Have you any sales or wants? As you’ll see, there is only one this time.
Finally for this issue, I have the unenviable task of including “red letters” to those of
you who have not yet paid your 2005 subscriptions. I hear rumblings that some
Members plan not to rejoin because of past issues. I would very much hope that, for
the good of our hobby and the Register, you will rejoin - if only for the Newsletter!
Let’s put the past where it belongs - in the past - and carry on the great tradition of
ensuring that the legend which was Scammell really does live on!
I look forward to hearing from you and to receiving contributions to help me to make
the Newsletter an enjoyable read. Happy Scammelling to you all!
1
Secretary’s Notes
Firstly, I would like to thank all those members who sent me Christmas cards and
best wishes for 2005.
Well, here we are with the first Newsletter of 2005, and also the first one with our
new Editor - Mike Thomas - who has volunteered to take over this post. We are very
pleased that he has stepped in to do this most important job and I implore you to help
him greatly in his task by sending him photos and articles for inclusion in future
Newsletters, as it is your input that can make his job more easy and also make the
Newsletter more interesting for all. It would also help to let him know what you
would like to see in the Newsletter. Mike’s contact details can be found inside the
front cover.
The other good piece of news is that, through the good services of Bill Bromidge, we
have now got back all our photograph collection from Paul Frost, and at this moment
they are with Mike Thomas who is endeavouring to catalogue them all. However,
there is still some Register’s property to be recovered from Paul and I will keep you
informed on the progress of this matter.
Another item that I feel should be raised, is that we do not seem to be getting many
registration forms on members’ vehicles returned to us. I know this can be a
controversial subject to some members, but I wish to confirm that all these
registration forms are kept strictly confidential within the Register, and no
information on them is disclosed to anyone without the consent of the owner. If
anyone would like additional copies, please let me know.
At present we have not made any definite plans on which rallies to attend - once
we’ve decided, we will let all know.
With reference to merchandise, at the present time we are having some problems
with our suppliers and printer contacts, but I am hoping that these problems will be
sorted out in the near future.
We are still looking for a volunteer to take over the Publicity Officer’s duties, so if
anyone would like to take over this job, please let me know.
Where are all the budding artists to give us some ideas on graphics for our display
vehicle? Come on, scratch your head and give us your thoughts.
This is all for now, except to wish you all a very successful rally season for 2005,
and to hope to see you all in the future.
Take care
2
MoD Crusader Chassis Records
by Mike Thomas
The British Army was a fairly large purchaser of the Crusader. To my knowledge,
they bought three types of Crusader as follows.
¾
20 tonne capacity (38 tonne gross) 6x4 tractor units. [Tractor, wheeled, semitrailer, CL, 20-tonne, 6x4, to give it the army designation.] These were the
day-cabbed version, designed for a two man crew and were supplied to the
Royal Corps of Transport. It appears that 106 were supplied, before they were
replaced by the lighter 4x2 Seddon Atkinson. Do any still exist today?
¾
35 tonne capacity (61 tonne gross) 6x4 tractor units with a winch. [Tractor,
wheeled, semi-trailer, CL, 35-tonne, 6x4.] These were the sleeper-cabbed
version, designed for a four man crew and were supplied mainly to the Royal
Engineers for transport of plant. A small number were operated by the Royal
Corps of Transport for the movement of light armoured vehicles and some are
reported to have been assigned to the Royal Electrical and Mechanic Engineers
(REME). They were the most prevalent as it appears that 250 were supplied.
¾
Recovery vehicles, again 6x4 with a sleeper cab, based on the 35 tonne
chassis, they also had a four man crew. They entered service in 1977. A total
of 133 were supplied, most, if not all, going to REME. They had the Swedish
Eka underlift recovery gear and were capable of the suspended tow of a 16
tonne vehicle or straight tow of a 30 tonne vehicle. They had a 20 tonne main
winch and a 7 tonne front winch, mainly for self recovery, but capable of
dealing with small vehicles.
Most of the Army Crusaders were
Leyland badged, although many
of the recovery version, as shown
left, were badged as Scammell. A
number still survive and some are
still working in “civvy street”,
including the fine example
operated by R&L Morter and
pictured in the colour section.
All the Army Crusaders had Rolls
Royce Eagle 305 engines.
The 20 tonne version had the Fuller 9 speed box while the 35 tonner had the Fuller
15 speed box.
The following list, kindly supplied to me by Jack Kimp from a contact at Scammell,
shows the Army allocations by chassis and sales number.
Prototype
WHV 52228
29314
Returned and fifth wheel replaced by ballast
box
3
Contract 1
67 vehicles
Contract Number - WV 10312
35 tonne RE plant
Chassis No
Sales
Order
Code FM4612156 R&L
Chassis No
Sales Order
WHV 52720
30529
WHV 53050-1
30535-6
WHV 52721
30554
WHV 53052
30556
WHV 52871
30530
WHV 53243-60
30557-74
WHV 52909
30531
WHV 53261-72
30536-47
WHV 52917
30555
WHV 53273-93
30575-95
WHV 52931
30532
WHV 53294-99
30548-53
WHV 52941
30533
Contract 2
103 vehicles
Contract Number - WV 11390
20 tonne
Chassis No
Code FM4662156
Sales
Order
Chassis No
Sales Order
WHV 53301
33001
WHV 53357-72
33017-32
WHV 53319
33016
WHV 53375
33033
WHV 53333-56 *
33002-15
WHV 53388-457
33034-103
Contract 2a
3 vehicles
Contract Number - WV 12018
20 tonne
Chassis No
Sales
Order
WHV 53733-5
Sales Order
Contract Number - WV 11754
35 tonne RE plant
Chassis No
Sales
Order
WHV 53495-521
34609-35
Contract 4
107 vehicles
Chassis No
34722-4
Contract 3
76 vehicles
Code FM4662156
Code FMB4612156 27 RHD 49 LHD
Chassis No
WHV 53522-570
Sales Order
34636-84
Contract Number - WV 11983
35 tonne RE plant
Chassis No
WHV 53591-696
Sales
Order
35090-195
Code FMB4612156
Chassis No
WHV 53839
36 RHD 71 LHD
Sales Order
36205
* Chassis numbers appear to be wrong, in that they don’t tie up with sales orders for 14 vehicles.
4
Contract 5
3 vehicles
Chassis No
Contract Number - WV 11482
EKA Wrecker Recovery
Sales
Order
WHV 53702
34719
WHV 53714
34720
Contract 6
130 vehicles
Chassis No
WHV 53870
Chassis No
WHV 63104
Chassis No
WHV 53721
Sales Order
34721
Contract Number - FVE 21B/51
EKA Wrecker Recovery
Sales
Order
36531
Contract 6?
1 vehicle
Code FMB4612180R
Code FMB4612180R
Chassis No
WHV 53871-999
Sales Order
36613-741
Contract Number - FVE 21B/102
EKA Wrecker Recovery
Code FMB4612180R
Sales
Order
37352
The author’s lorry, purchased ex-army as one of a batch of 15 sold by Witham
Specialist Vehicles in March 2003, is chassis number WHV 53591 and, as such, is
the first vehicle from
Contract 4. Having
entered service in July
1976 as Army registration
number 64 GJ 05, it had
done only 6,349 miles
when sold - and only one
“careful” owner!
Strangely, as can be seen
from the photograph, it has
neither Scammell nor
Leyland badges. Neither
are there any holes to take
the letters, suggesting that
it was “nameless”!
I have, however, purchased a replacement radiator cover, complete with Scammell
letters, and that is how it will appear when it takes to the road in due course. My
intention is that it will be liveried in the colours of a fictitious operator who
purchased it ex-army - so watch this space!
5
A Tale of Three Crusaders and a Folk Band
by Mike Thomas
I had been building up a collection of Scammell (mainly Crusader) brochures and
other memorabilia when I came across an LP for sale on eBay - “White Line Fever”
by the Rye Whiskey Road Band. Not normally of interest to a Scammell enthusiast,
you may think. However, as you can see, the sleeve features the band posing in front
of a line up of three
Scammell Crusaders from
the Hill of Botley fleet. The
link with lorries would
appear to be the title track
from the LP which is about
a long distance lorry driver.
But why Hill and why the
Scammells? If anyone has
any information, I’d be
really pleased to hear from
them and will publish the
answer next time.
Turning to the identity of
the three Crusaders featured
on the LP sleeve, reference
to the fleet list in Jack Hill
and Bob Tuck’s excellent
book 1 shows that Hills ran a
total of seven Crusaders. A
check of the fleet list would indicate that the first in line must be SAR 457J which,
according to the book, is a Detroit engined, left hand drive model, bought from
Roebuck Truck Sales of Wolverhampton in July 1975. It cost Jack Hill a mere
£4,320!
A careful examination of what is visible of the second in line Crusader reveals an
unusual grill. This matches with SBN 431J, another Detroit powered vehicle which,
coincidentally, is the only Crusader pictured in Jack and Bob’s book. It was bought
in June 1972 from Brinksway Motors of Stockport for £7,500, having been new to
Avis Truck Hire in 1971. At first, looking at the grill, I thought it must be the
prototype Crusader. However, a photograph in Nick Georgano’s book 2 which is, in
my view, one of the best books on Scammell, shows that the top part of the grill on
the prototype was split into three horizontal sections whereas this lorry has a single
section.
1
Hills of Botley; Jack Hill, Bob Tuck; 2001; ISBN 0 9521938 X
2
Scammell, The Load Movers from Watford; Nick Georgano; 1997; Nynehead Books, ISBN 1 871565 26 X
6
I assume the prototype is the lorry which appears on the Scammell brochure shown
below. The three sections in the top part of the grill can be seen clearly, whereas, on
SBN 431J it is a single
section which looks
identical to that on the
Samson. Further, as the
prototype was exhibited in
the commercial vehicle
show in September 1968,
but the Hill’s lorry is
quoted as being new in
1971, the dates don’t
match.
As an aside, does anyone
know what became of the
prototype?
In another of Bob Tuck’s
books 3 , which has a most interesting chapter on the Crusader, I found a photo of
LRA 435J, in the livery of Heanor Heavy Haulage. As can be seen from the picture
taken from the Register photograph archive (see later article) this Heanor lorry has
the same grill style as the Hill’s lorry in question, and is also a day cabbed version.
According to Bob Tuck, LRA 435J was exhibited at the Earl’s Court Motor Show in
1970 and was the first of
five similar Detroit
powered Crusaders bought
by Heanor. Clearly, at that
time, a different grill to the
“normal” Crusader grill was
used on at least some
vehicles. Can anyone shed
any light on this grill type
and why it was used? Also,
was the Hill’s lorry one of
the Heanor batch? Again,
I’d be very pleased to
publish the answer if
anyone can help.
The last in the line up on
the LP sleeve could be any
one of the five other Crusaders listed in the Hill fleet list in the book which, for
completeness, are NVO 203L; XTP 324L; EWW 259L; JOG 20L and MRB 229P.
3
King of the Road; Bob Tuck; 1999; ISBN 0 9521938 4 1
7
From Folk to Jazz
by Eric Day
You may wonder what Jazz has to do with Scammell - the answer stems from a
series of coincidences. After leaving the Army in 1958, I spent the next 20 years in
the road haulage business, operating Bedford, Commer, Guy, Foden and Seddon
vehicles (not Scammell).
After retiring from the road haulage
industry, I spent the next 22 years
buying and selling machinery and
equipment, mainly ex-Ministry.
This is how I came to own
Scammell NYM 866E. In 1997, I
was viewing a Ministry surplus
equipment sale at MoD in
Aldershot. One of the lots
happened to be the Scammell
Highwayman that we now call Ella,
after the world famous jazz singer
Ella Fitzgerald. It was love at first
sight, although she did look a
‘sight’. It was a matter of “I’ve got
to have you”. I did not sleep that
night, thinking - what would I do
with that little Scammell if I was
successful in buying her?
Brainwave One a Mobile Jazz Band
For the past 10 years I have been in
an amateur jazz band called “The
Caldon Canal Stompers”. I play
the saxophone and the clarinet.
Why not gear a trailer up with a
stage and tow it around to carnivals
and shows etc? What a great idea!
Next, off down to Aldershot for the
auction, only to be told that the
Scammell had been withdrawn
from the sale. Total shock and
dismay! After frantic enquiries as
to why she had been withdrawn it
transpired that all MoD vehicles
were to be handled by a firm in Lichfield. I immediately contacted the firm and
asked what the situation was concerning the Scammell. I was told that she would
8
have to be carried up to Lichfield from Aldershot and then be sold. Would it not be
better to sell her to me off site and save yourselves the transport costs, I asked, Yes
came the answer. Right I replied. A price was negotiated and she was mine. She
was one of two or three that the Property Services Agency had purchased in 1967 to
be used to tow large generators around in the event of mains electric failure.
The next four years of my life were spent restoring the Highwayman with the help of
my wife, Helen, and son, Stuart. I won’t elaborate on the finer details of the
restoration, it would take too much space. She was finished in dual blue and red (my
old haulage livery), as shown in the colour section. Now it’s time to find a trailer
either ready to use, or one that would easily convert (famous last words). Cutting a
long story short, we had trouble finding a trailer that was right.
Next Brainwave - Change of Direction
Why not forget the trailer and put the band on the back! There’s not enough room oh yes there is, just about. It was decided to go ahead. I think the rest of the band
thought I’d got a screw loose.
The next twelve months were
spent installing seats, rails,
canopy and PA system - and we
were mobile!
The final result is what you see
in the pictures. We can
accommodate up to seven
musicians, usually six. Ella is
normally driven by my son
Stuart, who is a long distance
lorry driver, enabling me to play
my sax and clarinet with the rest
of the band. In Stuart’s absence,
the band drops to five and I drive Ella. The response we get when we’re out is quite
staggering. As a member of the Scammell Register, I am proud to keep the
Scammell flag flying in this unusual way.
May I take this
opportunity to
congratulate the Editor
and Committee on the fine
job you have done in the
past and wish you all the
best for the future.
9
Farewell to the Scammell Commander
by WO2 (SSM) E R Wilton
It was a significant and memorable day for 19 Tank Transporter Squadron RLC (The
Carmens) and all those involved with tank transporting when we bade farewell to the
final convoy of Scammell Commanders on Friday 14th May 2004. The Scammell
Commander had been in service with 19 Tk Tptr Sqn for the past 20 years (almost a
full 22 years long service!) from March 1984 - June 2004, having replaced the Antar,
and is now being replaced itself with the Oshkosh M1070F.
During the past 20 years, the Commander has clocked up many miles of service, “on
drag”, carrying Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) across the UK and on operational tours in
Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo, and on major exercises like IRON HAMMER and SAF
SAREEA II, and any other places requiring tanks! (Loading and unloading at
Marchwood became a familiar scene!) The Commander, operated by 3, 16 and 19
Squadrons, played a key role in Op GRANBY in the Gulf and has more recently
returned to play a part in Op TELIC - sand and heat have always been good for
seizing up engines, and with no air con in the cab, crews were always in desperate
search of ice to keep cool!
Everyone involved in tank transporting was impressed with the Commander when it
was first put into service. Its main taskings have been heavier ‘A’ vehicles, such as
MBTs and AS90 guns, with Seddon Atkinsons taking responsibility for the lighter
vehicles, such as the Warrior and the 43 series. With its impressive statistics such as
a length of 19.60 metres, a weight of 38 tonnes (combined weight with trailer), a total
weight carrying an MBT of 101 tonnes and limited to a maximum speed of 60 kph,
convoys of Commanders have become familiar sights, especially round the “easy to
negotiate” country lanes of Bulford, Catterick and Fallinbostal. Drags to
10
Castlemartin and Otterburn became well known routes within the UK, and at the
peak of the commitments, convoys of 30 Commanders travelling at snails’ pace
along the A303, A1 and motorways of the UK would always prove an interesting
sight to other motorists. Probably due to the many miles of tarmac covered, the
Commanders became legendary for their ability to break down, usually on a busy
main road, motorway slip road or blocking a rural country road on the way to
Castlemartin! During 1994 - 95 the Heavy Lift Fleet (Commanders) used over 400
tyres each year, consumed over 0.6 million litres of diesel and drove over 1 million
miles! (Stats from the History of 19 Tk Tptr Sqn publication.) The REME fitter
crews have always been an integral part of any drag by fixing the inevitable
breakdowns and allowing convoys to reach their destinations. With ever increasing
commitments and less manpower, each Commander had been out on drag much
more frequently, and due to the size and nature of convoys (and Highways’
legislation), the Sqn Ops has always had the headache of informing numerous
civilian agencies of the route of each drag, and then awaiting clearance from
everyone before a convoy could be given the go ahead.
As the role of tank transporting has been adapted to meet the changing needs of the
Army, the Commander is now being replaced by the Oshkosh. This moves the focus
away from specifically moving tanks, to a more versatile Heavy Equipment
Transporter (HET) Sqn, with the capability to move light armour, as well as tanks,
ISO containers and pallets of ammunition amongst other things. Whilst all the tank
transporting world recognise the need for progress and change, it was with mixed
feelings that the farewell was organised for the Commanders, sending them on their
way to their new home with the Jordanian Army.
Everyone lined the route for the final convoy to exit Ward Barracks on their way to
Ashchurch, escorted by one of the Sqn motorbikes ridden by Cpl Huckstep. The
convoy of Commanders made a graceful departure across the parade square and left
the camp with the familiar horn blowing. The final convoy of Commanders was
driven by Cpl Brass, LCpl Mair, LCpl Cleary and Pte Little, with the last
Commander driven by LCpl Hendrie and Pte Hawker. Then all personnel in the Sqn
(those not on Op TELIC, Op CRUCIAL and courses etc!) gathered on the parade
square for a final Sqn photo aboard one of the remaining Gate Guardian
Commanders, taken by our loyal friend Col (Retd) Mike Young - who never refuses
the opportunity to record significant moments with his trusty camera and keep the
Sqn scrap books filled!
Whilst the job of tank transporting has not changed greatly over the years, providing
movement between barracks, training areas and into theatre, we are now moving into
the next stage of tank transporting, with all of the Sqn already trained on the HET,
and ready now to put theory into practice on drag. As an added dimension to the
role, we are now working closely with FastTrax, as a civilian support agency, who
will be sharing the tasking commitments.
As the workload for the Sqn keeps everyone busy, there’s still time to look back
fondly on the good old Scammell Commander, and hope that it serves the Jordanian
Army as well, and for as long as it did us!
11
The Scammells of Austen Brothers Circus
by Mike Thomas
In the early 80s, I became interested in vehicles used by Austen Brothers Circus their heavy fleet was predominantly Scammell with two Atkinson 6x6 ex-gritter
lorries converted to heavy towing tractors. At that time, the Scammells comprised
the prime mover, Contractor VLH 434G, a Routeman carrying the elephants and a
fleet of between four and six articulated tractors which were a mix of Trunker and
Handyman units. The above photograph, showing most of the Scammells and, on the
far right, the two Atkinsons and the elephant lorry, with the body still on an Atkinson
chassis, was taken in Inverness in 1980.
The Contractor joined the show from Pickfords in 1979. It initially travelled in
Pickfords blue before it was painted in the livery made famous by the Corgi model.
It is shown below with the load which comprised two trailers, one 40 foot and, at the
rear, one 20 foot. The first one carried the entire big top, poles, canvas, seats and all,
while the rear one carried the show’s main generators. Of interest is the way in
which all the seats and associated material were palletised, allowing loading by the
heavy-duty fork lift which was carried on a trailer pulled by the elephant lorry. This
innovation in handling led to record times for “pull-down” - I witnessed every
vehicle being off the site within an hour of the finale of the matinee.
12
The Routeman (VLA 589M), which was ex Grundon Transport, carried the elephants
and was in the same red, blue and
white livery as the rest of the fleet,
including the tractors, one of which
appears in the colour section. The
elephant box had been transferred to
the Routeman, from an Atkinson
Defender, late in the 1980 season in
York. As noted below, it finished its
life with Austens on an ERF B Series
chassis.
Another Routeman joined the show
and was photographed by me in 1985.
In the new yellow, orange and red livery, it was operated as a fifth wheel tractor
pulling the living van used by one of the Austen brothers, Patrick. The box between
the cab and the fifth wheel
was used as a dressing room.
I wish I had seen the circus
in the days before the advent
of the articulated vehicles in
1978, as all the loads were
on dolly trailers pulled by a
variety of Scammells.
An image scanned from a
1977 programme shows three of the Scammells operated that year, and illustrates the
interest which eldest brother, Brian, had in the Scammells. The extra long bonnet on
13
the right hand of the two Highwaymans, which is recorded in the programme as
having been operated by heavy haulage contractor Annis, is stated to have been
designed to accommodate an eight cylinder Gardner engine. In another photograph
in my collection, it appears to be badged as a Gardner 240.
The nice shots which follow were taken in Cornwall in 1978 between Plymouth and
Truro. I purchased them
from Nigel Vanstone. The
first shows the Explorer
illustrated in the programme,
which joined Austens when
they split away from Gerry
Cottle in 1975, pulling two
trailers and appearing to
make slow progress up the
hill! The first trailer is
probably a “beast wagon”,
judging by the style, while
the rear trailer is the bandstand, a trailer which survived, along with the Contractor,
until the circus was sold to Gerry Cottle in 1988.
In earlier years, the circus operated at least two other examples of the Highwayman
and a Constructor, XSX 355R, which can just be seen following the Explorer.
Apparently it was the only Constructor travelling with a circus at the time, although
it was later to travel with Circus Hoffman.
The close up shot of the Constructor, below, clearly shows the body on the lorry, a
body which survived to
the very end, being the
one on the smaller trailer
pulled by the Contractor
which was shown earlier.
It also illustrates the
extent to which the
trailers were decorated in
the early days of the
show.
In 1986, all the Trunker
and Handyman tractors as
well as the Routeman were replaced by B series ERFs, leaving the Contractor as the
only Scammell in the fleet, ending its working days with Austen Brothers in the red,
orange and yellow livery shown in the colour section. It joined Gerry Cottle’s circus
and was, I believe, sold into preservation. Does anyone know of its whereabouts
now?
14
This was taken in 2002 when Carters made a rare and welcome trip to Essex. It shows three of the seven Scammells on tour that year. They are (left to right) No14, WUU 777, “The
Maidonian”; No6, 203 BGO, “Why Worry” and No12, 694 GXO, “Victorious”. Others present were No1, HWV 982, “Kathleen”; No3, NHT 464F, “Old Ugly”; No4, GLD 661, “Why
Me”; and No15, TGJ 315, “Perserverance”.
Above - Austen Brothers Contractor, VLH 434G, in the third and last livery
before the circus was sold to Gerry Cottle.
Above - Ex-military wrecker operated by R&L Morter and seen at the
Milbank rally in 2004.
Below - One of the Trunker tractor units in the original livery. It is pulling the
“bunk van” (living accommodation) which formed part of the show front.
Below - Scammell Highwayman “Ella”, the mobile bandstand for the
“Caldon Street Stompers”.
Member Profile
Pete Sanders
Having read an excellent article on Pete and his Scammells in “Old Glory”, I
contacted him and he readily agreed to provide the first Member Profile. Pete, from
North Devon, was only eight when a tractor on his family farm ran away and became
stuck in a ditch. Despite the efforts of neighbouring farmers, there it remained, until
an Explorer from Filleigh Garage effected a recovery. Pete rode in the Explorer and
was so impressed by how easily the tractor was
recovered using the Explorer’s winch that, at this
tender age, he became a Scammell enthusiast.
Many years later, Pete was looking for a lorry to
pull the trailer for his preserved Blackstock oil
engine (the flywheel weighs around a ton!) and
purchased a Pioneer (MSK 782) from the same
garage. It was the predecessor of the Explorer and
was in a sorry state, being home to dead rats and
pigeons!
The Pioneer, dating from 1942, was demobbed in 1968. It took four years to restore
to its magnificent condition, being completed in the early 90s. Named “James”, after
Pete’s son, it is in an immaculate red livery with
gold sign writing.
However, the slow speed of the Pioneer convinced
Pete to buy a second Scammell, a 1958
Highwayman (UYP 867) which was new to Shell,
being one of the first batch of five to be supplied
with Leyland 680 engines. Pete is now well on with
the restoration, which he hopes to complete in
around two months - colour scheme to be decided.
Pete wants to know whether “Henrietta” (No 7) was
actually used by a showman and, if so, who, when
and where. If anyone can help, please contact the
Editor and I’ll pass on the details.
If you want to read Pete’s full story,
look for the write up by John Hobbs 4
in the March 2005 edition of “Old
Glory”.
And the future? Pete says the
Highwayman won’t be his last
Scammell - he fancies a Contractor, or
even a Commander - let us know,
Pete!!
4
Many thanks to John Hobbs, who wrote the “Old Glory” article, for the use of the photographs which illustrate this profile.
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Product Review - V8.jimmy’s Scammell Archive
by Mike Thomas
Some time ago I purchased a CD on eBay and, having looked at it, I thought it was a
real gem - the ideal purchase for any Scammell enthusiast with access to a computer!
The CD comprises scanned images in four categories.
¾
Brochures
These are, for me, the best part of the package. There are 40 brochures, dating
from the 1950s to the late 70s, with many having several pages. For example,
one of my favourites is the Military Specials brochure, which has 26 individual
images. As well as Scammell brochures, the CD includes related brochures
from Motor Panels cabs, Locomotors sleeper cabs, Cummins and Rolls Royce
Eagle engines, a page from which is shown overleaf. Finally, there is a
Scammell price list from 1977 and a booklet entitled “Scammell The Story of
a Company”.
¾
Advertisements
Also very nice are the ten high quality scanned adverts, in colour and black
and white. One example of an advertisement from 1952, “Scammells have the
capacity - to solve your transport problems”, printed direct from the excellent
CD, follows the brochure.
¾
Spec sheets
The fourteen sheets cover the Contractor, Crusader, LD55, Routeman, and
Super Constructor.
¾
Photographs
Over sixty pictures are included. They are divided into downloaded pictures
(32), including a nice line drawing of a Constructor, shown below;
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scanned pictures (11), including the one shown below and three nice shots of
Routemans; and photographs (23) of a wide variety of Scammells. The
photographs have been taken by Jim Horn who produces the CD.
As you will see from the reproductions, the quality is, in the main, excellent. The
only exception is some of the photos, where the quality could be slightly better.
However, allowance has to be made for the fact that they are taken in a variety of
locations and they are still well worth a look!
Once loaded, the disk runs autoplay which has a number of options as follows.
¾
Copy pictures to your computer.
¾
View a slideshow.
¾
Print the pictures.
¾
Open folder to view.
Anyone interested in purchasing the CD should contact Jim Horn by e-mail at
[email protected] or by post: Jim Horn, 6 Glen View, Bo'ness, West
Lothian, Scotland, EH51 OPQ. He is charging £10 plus £2 post and packing and will
accept cheque or postal order. Please mention the Scammell Register if you do
decide to order.
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Scammell Register Photo Archive
by Mike Thomas
Having taken on the role of Newsletter Editor, I visited Jack Kimp’s home to discuss
a few issues and collect the photographs which belong to the Register. I understand
that they are the ones which were part of the Arthur Ingram collection and were
purchased some time ago by the Register. They have been retrieved by Bill
Bromidge before being passed to me via Jack.
They comprise five A4 archive boxes containing twelve ring binders full of photos in
plastic sleeves. I’ve counted one binder and it contains around 130 photos! In
addition, there are three Twinlock books (and I’ve filled a fourth) of photos, marked
in the covers as belonging to “HV Sales”. There is a huge variety of topics ranging
from the horse drawn trailer (see below) through to the Commander (see front cover
and Commander article for examples), S24 and S26. There are many publicity shots,
including the marvellous line up of army Explorers (see next page) and shots inside
the factory (see page 22). Unfortunately, none are dated and there are no
descriptions. This makes it hard for someone with my relatively limited knowledge
to identify the close up shots of components and cab interiors. There are a further
seven ring files of brochures, press cuttings and articles covering, Crusader,
Highwayman, Contractor, Routeman, military, trailers and engines. Finally there is a
box file, a lever arch file and a stack of loose photos to be sorted.
As Jack mentioned in his notes, I plan to catalogue the whole collection - but you’ll
need to bear with me as it will take some considerable time, given my day job! I’ll
also need help with identification in some cases, such as the above trailer!
We then need to think how we can best make them available to you the Members.
Initially, I intend to include more examples in future Newsletters - requests please! I
then wondered about scanning them all, for possible sale to Members. However, I
need to discuss my ideas with the Committee, and will let you know the outcome.
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Scammell Mart
For sale
Scammell Explorer
Fitted with Leyland TL11 engine,
Starts on the button,
Vehicle complete but some work required.
Situation of vehicle - Hawick, South Scotland.
For more information, contact Mr Claude Harper, telephone 0131 449 5808