Michael Marshall takes a fascinating look at another collection of disused and derelict lorries spotted over the years.
This sad looking Foden S21 six-wheeler, had been a recovery for Amey’s based at Gallows Hill near Wareham. It is seen here ending its days in a nearby scrapyard. From the opening in the bottom of the grille, it would appear to have once been a mixer.
Following on from my Disused and derelict article in the December edition of Heritage Commercials, I thought I would follow it up with a second helping of lorries that, having come to the end of their working lives, have been abandoned and are now seen in varying states of decay and dereliction.
This AEC Mandator is seen at Rosser’s of Pontlliw, still in the blue livery of B Morgan (Transport), Swansea, minus front grille and bumper, etc. First registered as KEU 225K in August 1971, the AEC had been new to Cyril Williams (Brynmawr) Ltd and was only used by Rosser’s as a source of spares to keep its ageing fleet of Mandators going.
As before, these photographs were taken by me at various locations over the years, including at a well-known scrapyard in Hertfordshire.
This 1979 Leyland Marathon 2, BTH 892V, has come to the end of its eleven-and-a-half year working life. It's seen here shortly after retirement in the summer of 1991, still in the smart livery of its last owner – MJ Williams Transport Ltd of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.
It should be remembered that most of the photographs included here were taken a long time ago, so many of the lorries featured will have long since disappeared. As far as I am aware, none of the vehicles featured in this article were saved, or have been restored, which is a great shame.
This retired Leyland Bison mixer, EBC 434T (Leicester 1979), of Pioneer was obviously being kept and used as a source of spares after its retirement in 1989.
Ferrocrete normal control Leyland Comet flat, just like the Dinky Toys model; still complete with its proper body loaded with equipment, in a Somerset yard during the mid-1980s. Another Comet, RYD 366, from 1954 that had also languished here for many years was, thankfully, rescued and restored in the livery of Massey & Wilcox Ltd.
Rapidly returning to nature. This pair of LAD Albion Reiver mixers with Ford donkey engines that have been put out-to-grass, formally with a mid-Devon operator. Showing all the hallmarks for which these cabs were notorious, such as missing roofs, front panels and doors, for some reason a section of door has been cut-out on the Albion on the right.
The remains of a roofless 1968 Derbyshire-registered Leyland Badger artic, YRB 213G, perched on top of a 1965 Croydon-registered Guy Invincible, ABY 907C, still carrying the name Henry Froud, are seen in a well-known Hertfordshire scrapyard in May 2010.
This unusual and rather battered-looking crew-cabbed Leyland Octopus wrecker, was photographed in a Somerset yard in the late 1980s. Its history was unknown to me, although a local firm did have a couple of these motors. I expect that it got the chop in the end.
This 1968, Bristol-registered Commer Maxiload bulker, NHW125F, hadn’t long come-off the road with a North Somerset agricultural merchant when photographed. It suffered the ignominious fate of being chopped and turned into a farm trailer.
The remains of a Leyland Octopus in a Herefordshire breaker’s yard that has been cut-down to a quadruped. It had once been a petrol tanker with a local firm of Philpotts Fuels Ltd of Kington, who had a Gulf agency and it would appear are no longer trading.
Well-known Bristol HG6L rigid 8×2 flat, ROA 89, seen in a Somerset orchard. Built in March 1955, it features a Bristol Bodyworks cab and was new to BRS as No.4E.812, later No.1E.224/EA12 based at Cheapside Branch, Birmingham. It was still here in 2007 and I wonder what has become of it? Chassis No.96041.
Also in the same scrapyard was this Guy Big J6 mixer chassis, YGT 907G (Greater London 1969), which was well beyond redemption. It is still in Ready Mix Concrete orange livery, and carried a Leicester phone number, plus had and fleet No. 46J16 on the door.
This feature comes from the latest issue of Heritage Commercials, and you can get a money-saving subscription to this magazine simply by clicking HERE
