Credit to Richard Say for this photo.
Oily
Bump again: an AEC Mercury run by Chalker of Weymouth
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I thought this thread has disappeared during the " changes " spent ages looking for it, search didnt turn it up, and now here it is . Happy days
Thought you’d like it, PR.
Thanks for posting that SDU, I didn’t think there were any Marsden/ Vanplan Bedfords still out there, common as rocking horse s hit I would say. I’d love to see one or both on the classic truck scene, they’d be a real feature among the usual Scania/ Volvo/ Atki/ AEC/ [insert marque] stuff on show. Carl Williams @carl_williams would be chuffed to see this if he’s still on this forum.
I did give this thread a nudge or two with no result, so I’m chuffed to see a little interest. @suedehead2 might remember Marsden removals wagons too.
Marsden again, but not a Bedford:
I worked for pickfords aberdeen for 6 months during the eighties the worst job i ever had . My father worked for them ,i had just passed my class 3 as was .they were short of hgv drivers .on my first day i was given a lift down to scottish road services to pick up a hired truck the only one they had was a bedford tl 14 ton FREEZER box so my first job was moving some poor customer was with a freezer box with meat hooks ! The book cartons were j&b whiskey cartons the manager had bought a load of them on the cheap ,i know because i went down one saturday to pick pallets of them from a box manufacturer in broxburn .when i did finally get a pickfords pantechion its was a v reg ford d series from god knows where the less said about that the better the worst wagon i ever drove .it took 5 months to get overalls one teeshirt and two 2 peice jacket and trousers of very poor quality i never wore them . The final straw when i went down to unload in leeds and the causal porter they give me was drunk and stinking of drink ,i went on to work for another top notch firm in aberdeen a remained with them for years !!!
Talking of how poor Pickfords were:
Mid 1976 I had 6 removals to load for the Middle East, 1 to Amman, 4 to Beirut and one to Istanbul.
The Istanbul was loaded last, the others were all previously Export Wrapped and collected from various company warehouses, one of which was Pickfords in Enfield.
When I got to Beirut things were kicking off and the customers were having 2nd thoughts about their decision to relocate.
Anyway, due to customs regs there, the offloading had to be done at the port & transhipped for final delivery. All the customers were there and the effects came flowing off the trailer in perfect condition, happy customers.
Then came the Pickfords consignment, what a lash up of poorly packed goods and an unhappy customer, “why is all my stuff damaged and the others are perfect?”
“It’s Pickfords work, what do you expect” I replied.
“But I thought they were the biggest and best” I did feel sorry for him but had to say “well you know better now”"
All ended well, I gave the Amman load to my agent Albert Malouf and had a couple of days off in a beach front apartment.
Then a nice drive homebound up the coast towards Tripoli and then inland through the Bekka Valley towards the border and Homs - very quiet and scenic, plus a nice rural restaurant stop for a late lunch.
I hoped you popped into the big winery there - oldest continuously running winery in the world. I liked the Bekaa valley. 
Was this in the early or late 80’s?