newsletter-march-200.. - The Scammell Register
Transcription
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: mike-thomas@dial.pipex.com 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. 15 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; 16 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 horn.chevy@blueyonder.co.uk 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. 17 18 19 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. 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 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