Bedford Lorries, you used to see them everywhere

[valkyrie]

Lawrence Dunbar:
0My mate Arthur Lowdon at Seaton Burn ran a lot Bedfords, Even before the war his father Geo Lowdon was a Bedford man, They ran quite a lot of Ex WD Bedfords on the opencast coal jobs in the area, Its now called surface mining, Anyway Arthur ran some S types for a long time and Ive only heard good reports from him as to the durabiltey of these motors, This was one of his in the 50s driven by his younger brother Geo, who is now long retired of course, An A Type with heavey duty rear springs & an Eaton two speed axle, Regards Larry.

Thanks for the above photograph,Larry,of the early 1956 Northumberland-registered Bedford A-Type 4x2
Tipper Lorry,KNL 586 . The very interesting sight of the partly dismantled Bedford O -Type Lorry (for
spares?) and the large petrol pump in the background adds great character to the photograph

Bedford.Chevrolet and GMC Styling Similarities.

As you will know,Bedford was part of the American General Motors Corporation,as was - and is - Chevrolet,
and the styling of the Bedford A-Type Lorry is very similar to the styling of the 1947 to 1953 Chevrolet
Motor Trucks:-
Chevrolet Stake Motor Truck of 1948-1953:-
images1.americanlisted.com/nlarg … 103224.jpg

Chevrolet Pickup Motor Truck of 1953:-
jimcartertruckparts.com/images/Colin_Murphy.jpg

Chevrolet 1-Ton Panel Van of 1948:-
stovebolt.com/gallery/nugent_tom_1948.html

Chevrolet Fire Engine of 1953:-
google.co.uk/imgres?q=1948+t … 35&bih=653
The Chevrolet Cab Over Engine Motor Trucks of 1947 to 1955 had a family resemblance to the normal control Chevrolet and Bedford lorries:-

Chevrolet COE Fire Engine,that looks as though it’s been converted in to a flat-bodied motor truck:-
farm9.staticflickr.com/8175/7946 … 6ca4_z.jpg

The GMC Motor Trucks of 1948-1955 also had very similar styling:-
GMC Hastert Pumper Fire Engine of 1953:-
nifm.net/images/1953%20Hastert.jpg

VALKYRIE.

[retired_old_fart]

My father was awarded the first TK, c/w Thorne’s double-deck livestock container purchased by his employer. This was in about 1960, and must have been the first of about 15 of them that the firm had over the years and he loved it, having previously had a petrol engined A-type.
I don’t think the brakes were too bad, after all they were designed to run at the same weight as the outgoing S-type, which always seemed quite reasonable to me, given that they were not a Leyland or an ERF! In our experience, the worst thing from a driver’s point of view about the TK was it’s “soft” springs which resulted in an unacceptable amount of roll on corners, especially when loaded with straw bales 9-high.
The mechanics were REALLY pi**ed-off with the TK- try taking the front two injectors out without dislocating your shoulder.
Power , although not setting the hedges on fire, was acceptable when the 330 was loaded to 14 tons gross. If you wanted to stick 12 tons on a four-wheeler you should have bought something a lot more expensive!

[valkyrie]

Bedford Lorries,Motorcoaches,Buses and Vans.TruckNetUK.
PART 4,PAGE 3.

The Workhorses of the British Military:So pleased was the British WD = War Department,later the
Ministry of Defence,with the wartime Bedford QL’s,etc (many of which remained in military service
in to the 1960s at least) that the S-Type based RL 3 - 4.5 Ton 4x4 Lorry model became the main
vehicle in it’s weight range in the British military.There were both petrol and diesel versions
of the RL,and it was sold in Civvy Street until 1969.

Bedford RL Boxvan-Office-bodied 4x4 Mobile Special Unit RYX 499.
flickr.com/photos/triggersca … 736138472/

Bedford RL Covered Fixedside-bodied 3-Ton 4x4 General Service Lorry NSJ 844
This is a classic British Army lorry:-
flickr.com/photos/old_motors/4462315223/

Bedford RL 4x4 Green Goddess Fire Engine NYV 709
flickr.com/photos/16797800@N07/5686718283/
Auxiliary Fire Service

Bedford RL Tanker-bodied 4x4 Lorry NOY 643E 1967
William Nicol Kintore
flickr.com/photos/43744379@N05/4990125924

Bedford RL Hopper-bodied 4x4 Lorry KYX 782D 1966
C.W Sproston Lime Ltd Poplar Services
flickr.com/photos/16797800@N07/5641636074
This lorry brings back some happy memories:A quarry near Ruston Pava,near Driffield,East
Yorkshire,use to operate some Bedford RL Hopper-bodied 4x4 Lorries,which were ex-British military
and petrol-engined.They were always going through Driffield,and I happened to meet the manager of
the quarry in a public house in Kilham one night,who informed me that he had bought the Bedford’s
at good prices and,although they were a bit heavy on fuel,they were giving really good service.I
was surprised that he had bought petrol-engined,and not diesel-engined,RL’s,but it was a case of
what was available I suppose…and he didn’t seem to mind .

Dinky Models 621 Bedford RL Covered Fixedside 4x4 British Army Lorry…no,I’ve never had one
of these - but I’d like one! :-
flickr.com/photos/buzzer999/5665317483/

The other workhorse of the British Military was the successor to the Bedford RL:the Bedford MK
4-Tonne 4x4 Lorry,which started to enter service in 1970. A civilian version,designated M-Type,
became available in Civvy Street in 1970.

Bedford MK Covered Fixedside-bodied 4-Tonne 4x4 General Service Lorry 33 KA 72
British Army
flickr.com/photos/kenjonbro/5475267358/

Bedford MK Boxvan-bodied 4x4 Radio Communications Lorry Royal Air Force
flickr.com/photos/12831473@N00/5978100606/

Bedford M-Type Luton Van-bodied 4x4 Police Control Vehicle F349 HPN 1988
Parked next to a Foden S36 Sabrina 6XB6/22 Drive-On bodied 6-Wheeler Lorry PWS 123S Penfold &
Sons
flickr.com/photos/42428853@N06/4341163732

Bedford M-Type Dropside-bodied 4x4 Circus Lorry F553 EHA
John Lawson’s Circus.
flickr.com/photos/36917100@N06/5477051831/

In 1974 Bedford entered in to the heavy weight league of Scania,Foden,AEC,et al,with the
Bedford TM Lorry range.
Bedford TM 4x2 Boxvan-bodied Articulated Lorry WXE 278M Publicity photograph
flickr.com/photos/62532775@N03/7125530305/

And who is actually driving this Bedford lorry? Non other than PETER DAVIES.Yes,THE Peter Davies .
The very first edition of TRUCK Magazine was published in October 1974,and on the front cover
is a photograph of a orange-painted Bedford TM lorry being driven by Peter Davies - it was
probably the above Bedford TM,WXE 278M. Peter Davies worked in Bedford’s Publicity Division.

The Bedford TM lorry range was powered by variety of engines:The Bedford Blue Series,■■■■■■■
and the superb Detroit Two Stroke Diesel Engines.

Bedford TM Techmaster 4x2 Boxvan-bodied Articulated Racing Car Transporter Lorry C999 XPX 1985
Haas-Beatrice-Lola Formula One Grand Prix Motor Racing Team Poyle Berkshire
flickr.com/photos/21437618@N02/5036854537/

Bedford TM4200 Aerodynamic Long Haul Concept 6x4 Tractive Unit of 1978
flickr.com/photos/62532775@N03/6370089141

commercialmotor.com/big-lorr … -tmsuper-s

flickr.com/photos/33865953@N05/6405706891/

Bedford TM6000 H Sleeper-cabbed 60 Tonnes GTW 6x4 Tractive Unit powered by a Detroit Diesel
6V92TA Silver Series 313 BHP Two Stroke Diesel Engine
Developed and built mainly for the Saudi Arabian market:-
farm6.static.flickr.com/5182/557 … 08782e.jpg

The Bedford TM was called up,and like all military Bedford’s of yore,it served the British
Military well

Bedford TM 4-4 GS Covered Fixedside 8 Tonnes 4x4 Lorry E173 KHK Royal Air Force
Bedford 82/205TD Turbocharged 8198 cc 206 BHP Diesel Engine,6F1R gearbox 2-speed transfer
box.
flickr.com/photos/12831473@N00/5978102100/

Bedford TM 6-6 GS Covered Fixedside 14 - 16 Tonnes 6x6 Lorry 39 KE 16 British Army
Same specifications as TM 4-4 GS.
flickr.com/photos/24467251@N02/6740109303/

Ex-Military Bedford TM’s,like all ex-military Bedford’s of yore,served - and still serves -
Civvy Street well :-
Bedford TM 4-4 Tanker-bodied 4x4 Lorry
flickr.com/photos/21437618@N … 830212273/

Bedford TM 4-4 Holmes 750 Recovery Crane and Garwood Winch-equipped 4x4 Heavy Recovery Vehicle
HANNIBAL II,Panes,Upton on Severn,Worcestershire.
flickr.com/photos/21437618@N02/6018898966/

Bedford TM 6-6 6x6 Heavy Recovery Vehicle F111 XCS Bedford Kerr and Smith
I’m not sure about this beauty being an ex-military vehicle,but it is both definitely impressive
and is based on the military TM 6-6.It’s powered by a Detroit Diesel 6V92TA Silver Series 313 BHP
Two Stroke Diesel Engine,and has a ZF 9F1R gearbox.
commercialmotor.com/big-lorr … ed-bedford

flickr.com/photos/beepee2004/4785871961/

PART FIVE OF Bedford Lorries,Motorcoaches,Buses and Vans WILL FOLLOW SHORTLY .
After some delay PART FIVE appears on PAGE 6 and PART’S 6 and 7 are on PAGE 7

VALKYRIE.

[moomooland]

[gordon_wil]

May like to see a couple I was around at work many years back. The Yellow Bedford S was the airport deicer for a few years. The Bed TK was my fathers lorry when the Tk first came out. If I remember it had the Vauxhall engine and not the usuall Perkins, and it was always a problem. The Bed J was used on the Light aircraft re fueling. Hope they are of interest?
I have other Bedfords from truck shows and Malta if you would like to see them?

Regards, Gordon Wil

[retired_old_fart]

Yes, please.
Couldn’t you just kick yourself for not carrying a camera for all those years?

[lawrence_dunbar]

This one had a Leyland Comet Engine in , & mind you it was a goer, it could pull like a train, It belonged to my cousins who ran Bedfords a long time, Regards Larry.

[lawrence_dunbar]

VALKYRIE:

Lawrence Dunbar:
0My mate Arthur Lowdon at Seaton Burn ran a lot Bedfords, Even before the war his father Geo Lowdon was a Bedford man, They ran quite a lot of Ex WD Bedfords on the opencast coal jobs in the area, Its now called surface mining, Anyway Arthur ran some S types for a long time and Ive only heard good reports from him as to the durabiltey of these motors, This was one of his in the 50s driven by his younger brother Geo, who is now long retired of course, An A Type with heavey duty rear springs & an Eaton two speed axle, Regards Larry.

Thanks for the above photograph,Larry,of the early 1956 Northumberland-registered Bedford A-Type 4x2
Tipper Lorry,KNL 586 . The very interesting sight of the partly dismantled Bedford O -Type Lorry (for
spares?) and the large petrol pump in the background adds great character to the photograph

Bedford.Chevrolet and GMC Styling Similarities. The Bedford in the background according to Arthur Lowdon was the last WD Bedford they had, Regards Larry.

As you will know,Bedford was part of the American General Motors Corporation,as was - and is - Chevrolet,
and the styling of the Bedford A-Type Lorry is very similar to the styling of the 1947 to 1953 Chevrolet
Motor Trucks:-
Chevrolet Stake Motor Truck of 1948-1953:-
images1.americanlisted.com/nlarg … 103224.jpg

Chevrolet Pickup Motor Truck of 1953:-
jimcartertruckparts.com/images/Colin_Murphy.jpg

Chevrolet 1-Ton Panel Van of 1948:-
stovebolt.com/gallery/nugent_tom_1948.html

Chevrolet Fire Engine of 1953:-
google.co.uk/imgres?q=1948+t … 35&bih=653
The Chevrolet Cab Over Engine Motor Trucks of 1947 to 1955 had a family resemblance to the normal control Chevrolet and Bedford lorries:-

Chevrolet COE Fire Engine,that looks as though it’s been converted in to a flat-bodied motor truck:-
farm9.staticflickr.com/8175/7946 … 6ca4_z.jpg

The GMC Motor Trucks of 1948-1955 also had very similar styling:-
GMC Hastert Pumper Fire Engine of 1953:-
nifm.net/images/1953%20Hastert.jpg

VALKYRIE.

[lawrence_dunbar]

This one was one was Smiles for Miles, In L S M Livery, Regards Larry…

[andrew_s]

Lawrence Dunbar:
0This one was one was Smiles for Miles, In L S M Livery, Regards Larry…

great pic,but why does it only have one headlight fitted? was there still a blackout in 1950 ?

[lawrence_dunbar]

No, the blackout was long gone, It would the way it was when they bought it, & musnt have bothered to change, anyway I dont suppose they did much driving in the dark ■■>Regards Larry.

[lawrence_dunbar]

Heres Harry Goodwills WD, But with the lights coverted plus a fog lamp, Regards Larry.

[dave_the_renegade]

Unicorn Transport from Weobley,Herefordshire with owner Jack Jones in the middle and drivers Lewis Jones and Grenville Tomkins.

[dave_the_renegade]

Jack Jones with two of his Bedford TK’s,plus a Commer.

[dave_the_renegade]

C W Griffiths Bedford TM six wheeler tipper,seen loading under the tarmac plant at Strinds/Dolyhir quarry.

[valkyrie]

Lawrence Dunbar:
No, the blackout was long gone, It would the way it was when they bought it, & musnt have bothered to change, anyway I dont suppose they did much driving in the dark ■■>Regards Larry.

Lawrence Dunbar:
0Heres Harry Goodwills WD, But with the lights coverted plus a fog lamp, Regards Larry.

Hello Larry and all Larry,you are right:The Blackout in Great Britain lasted from Friday,1st September,1939 to Sunday,29th April,1945,but to quote from WIKIPEDIA “As German war-making capability declined, a “Dim-out” was introduced in September 1944, which allowed lighting to the equivalent of moonlight. A full Blackout would be imposed if an alert was sounded.”

You are right too about the Bedford’s lighting:Many British War Department -WD - Military Vehicles were built with the right hand headlight blanked off and/or not fitted at all (depending on individual vehicle designs),while the left hand headlight was usually masked. After the end of WW2 many WD motor vehicles were demobbed and bought by civilian operaters,some of whom converted these vehicles to full lighting with two headlamps,while other operaters didn’t bother and operated their ex-WD vehicles with their (now un-masked) single headlights both in the light and in the dark - Regulations on motor vehicle lighting were far more relaxed in those post war years

The Smiles For Miles,in LMS livery,Bedford lorry is almost certainly an ex- WD military Bedford OY.

On the other hand,the 1944 ? Northumberland registered Harry Goodwill Bedford Lorry,B NL 873 is a 1944-1946 civilian Bedford OW Lorry which was originally built with two headlights.

VALKYRIE.

[lawrence_dunbar]

Thank you for the info on the lights & the civillian models, Regards Larry. Heres another Harry Goodwill Bedford a Tynemouth Reg.

[andrew_s]

VALKYRIE:

Lawrence Dunbar:
No, the blackout was long gone, It would the way it was when they bought it, & musnt have bothered to change, anyway I dont suppose they did much driving in the dark ■■>Regards Larry.

Lawrence Dunbar:
0Heres Harry Goodwills WD, But with the lights coverted plus a fog lamp, Regards Larry.

Hello Larry and all Larry,you are right:The Blackout in Great Britain lasted from Friday,1st September,1939 to Sunday,29th April,1945,but to quote from WIKIPEDIA “As German war-making capability declined, a “Dim-out” was introduced in September 1944, which allowed lighting to the equivalent of moonlight. A full Blackout would be imposed if an alert was sounded.”

You are right too about the Bedford’s lighting:Many British War Department -WD - Military Vehicles were built with the right hand headlight blanked off and/or not fitted at all (depending on individual vehicle designs),while the left hand headlight was usually masked. After the end of WW2 many WD motor vehicles were demobbed and bought by civilian operaters,some of whom converted these vehicles to full lighting with two headlamps,while other operaters didn’t bother and operated their ex-WD vehicles with their (now un-masked) single headlights both in the light and in the dark - Regulations on motor vehicle lighting were far more relaxed in those post war years

The Smiles For Miles,in LMS livery,Bedford lorry is almost certainly an ex- WD military Bedford OY.

On the other hand,the 1944 ? Northumberland registered Harry Goodwill Bedford Lorry,B NL 873 is a 1944-1946 civilian Bedford OW Lorry which was originally built with two headlights.

VALKYRIE.

sorry, iwas being flippant when i asked if there was still a blackout in 1950 -i do realise the blackout ended with the threat of being bombed by germany.
great pic larry.more of the same please!!

[lawrence_dunbar]

Some more old Bedford workhorses, Regards Larry.

[valkyrie]

Hello Larry and Andrew.S

Andrew.S It’s alright You must have some knowledge of World War Two history The problem is that some people are not well up on the history of World War Two and/or on history in general,and I myself was curious about the exact dates of when the Blackout started and when it finished - because I’m interested in history - so I thought that I would share this information and history on the Blackout and motor vehicle lighting on TruckNetUK in this Bedford Thread

Thanks for the photographs,Larry The Tynemouth-registered Bedford O-Type Lorry,FT 6305,of Harry Goodwill,dates from 1948.
The other photograph has an interesting line up of Newcastle Co-Op Dairy Bedford lorries and possiably other marques.
The Bedford W-Series,nearest the camera,dates from the mid to late 1930s - I cannot make out it’s registration.

VALKYRIE.