great photo’s Mark .
DEANB:
Some intresting old removal trucks.Click on pages twice to read.
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Hi Dean,
Great article’s and photos …a real but of nostalgia there especially Copseys Dennis…I just love the integrals proper removal van…Britannia Willis that’s a lovely shot of there integral…thanks for posting Dean.
Regards Mark
Taken in your yard today mark 
A perfect line up 
This is the boy to have 
One for mark
OOOOOH love the Leyland freighter/cruiser John ? ,and yes that is a proper removal wagon line up .
JAKEY:
OOOOOH love the Leyland freighter/cruiser John ? ,and yes that is a proper removal wagon line up .
HI John & Steve,
The line up there is the early days of Derrick Avis who started Vancraft…well established now…could sell send to Arabs could Derrick !
Hi lads a couple more the daf is hell of a sleeper the one in the middle played joey in bread
ohhh I love the old DAF .
JAKEY:
“the hoff” in Dulverton nr Tiverton unloading with the trade assistance of NORTH DEVON REMOVALS .
Hi Steve ,take a pic of the inside of the cab and sleeper as I would like to see what’s it like cheers John
Hey all
Long time no chinwag, I’ve been off here for some time because of Other Stuff but it’s terrific to see this thread being kept alive by people still in the game.
@ smallcoal - thanks for the pics of the DAF’s (the 1900 was the successor to the 2100 [the old plodder] two of which I drove), they took over when removals mobs needed something bigger than a KM or D1617 that was rugged and relatively mechanically easy to work on, not to say reliable.
@ DEANB re: your photos 2nd July. The Bedford (second photo) in Richmans of Gillingham livery was part of the fleet owned by the same family that “SemmyTrailer” on Semmy Trailer | Flickr flickr comes from. I would bet real cash money that was his old man in the LDOY competition. I also remember Renwicks (Newton Abbot) from when I was young. See also: flickr.com/photos/semmytrai … 2904863858
Cheers fellas
ParkRoyal2100:
Hey allLong time no chinwag, I’ve been off here for some time because of Other Stuff but it’s terrific to see this thread being kept alive by people still in the game.
@ smallcoal - thanks for the pics of the DAF’s (the 1900 was the successor to the 2100 [the old plodder] two of which I drove), they took over when removals mobs needed something bigger than a KM or D1617 that was rugged and relatively mechanically easy to work on, not to say reliable.
@ DEANB re: your photos 2nd July. The Bedford (second photo) in Richmans of Gillingham livery was part of the fleet owned by the same family that “SemmyTrailer” on Semmy Trailer | Flickr flickr comes from. I would bet real cash money that was his old man in the LDOY competition. I also remember Renwicks (Newton Abbot) from when I was young. See also: flickr.com/photos/semmytrai … 2904863858
Cheers fellas
Hi Park Royal welcome back glad you like the pics
Hi mark and Steve ,how’s your day been ,it’s to hot to work ,it’s murder with no air- con
marktaff:
Carl Williams:
marktaff:
2Hi Mark, a bit ago you mentioned tail lifts. From about 1973 onwards all vans we had either Marsden or Vanplan build for us had tailifts mostly Radcliffe. The biggest problem we had was the rams were fitted up at the top of the rear and the mechanism including the metal ropes ran down rails on the side pillars, which left the backs of the vans looking untidy and all the dirt from splashing etc got into the mechanism which needed greasing to stop it seizing which again looked awful.
About 1977 I talked to Marsden about that problem and they designed (As seen on that van) a way of putting the ram inside the top, where when as previously we had used roller shutter & tailboard, the shutter rolled into and the mechanism inside the back frame inside the van. This necessitated full length rear doors (as you see with that van) which enclosed everything and the tailboard just closed over the bottom of the doors. This produced a very tidy rear but kept the tail-lift mechanism weatherproof.
In that case they appear to have the tailift tailboard at a height that made a handy step, and so as such weren’t using it. However It would lift almost to the top of the van which was handy if packing a tight load up to van height at the rear. This was often handy when taking furniture in and out of upstairs windows. Left vertical the taillift could be dropped to floor height so for places you may need to load or unload with a loading dock you could reverse up drop the tailboard without opening & then open the doors & you had a straight through floor.
So all in all making the van very vercatile. However like everything mechanical they did go wrong but that was greatly reduced by Marsden’s new design.
Hi Carl,
That must have been fantastic experience for young Eric Nelson back then Carl…in all fairness back then was a bit different to how easy it is today at ports and borders…also to drive into Paris for the first time it’s always been like a race track…I’ve had many conversations with some of the retired lads who also ran Europe in the 70s. …they always said it was as busy in Paris then as it is now.
Did Eric Nelson go on to drive the HGV trucks with you back then Carl ?Marsden and Vanplan were with out doubt the best in the business Carl in there time…a lot of top removal body builders today model themselfs off as it was at the end Marsdenvanplan…some of the ideas they came up with after concerns like yours would be raised with them…they brought the removal body styles of today into the industry. …they built huge fleets of bodies for companies large and small like your company with integrals …Carl i remember you were the main contractor to Thorne EMI. …I also remember Marsden and Vanplan built a lot of integrals for Hadfields with tailifts. …didn’t they also deliver appliances to ?
Yes Mark, Thorn EMI made Cookers & Fridges at Spennymoor under the Tricity name & the more expensive cookers as Moffat, and its hard to believe in the seventies 80% of British homes had either a Tricity cooker or Tricity Fridge with many having both and in fairness they were very reliable and good products at the cheaper end of the market. We also delivered all Hoover products into Yorkshire & North east England, ■■■■■■■ and all of Scotland. As we did for AEG the expensive German manufacturer, and one or two smaller brand.
with regard to Hadfields I often wondered what they delivered. and asked drivers to find out, but they never did. Just recently I saw an article that explained they carried the fruit & gaming machines to all the pups cafes etc and think they also carried coffee machines (Where you inserted your cash for a cup of coffee). I don’t think they ever delivered white goods & think they still do the same today. Of course they started as Removal Contractors with their vans painted black
Hello John , we not used the MAN this week as Phil was on holiday ,he has pulled the curtains to stop the sun blearing in , I will try later and take a photo as I asked the my wife to wash his curtains for him and I will have to unhook them .
Carl Williams:
marktaff:
Carl Williams:
marktaff:
2Hi Mark, a bit ago you mentioned tail lifts. From about 1973 onwards all vans we had either Marsden or Vanplan build for us had tailifts mostly Radcliffe. The biggest problem we had was the rams were fitted up at the top of the rear and the mechanism including the metal ropes ran down rails on the side pillars, which left the backs of the vans looking untidy and all the dirt from splashing etc got into the mechanism which needed greasing to stop it seizing which again looked awful.
About 1977 I talked to Marsden about that problem and they designed (As seen on that van) a way of putting the ram inside the top, where when as previously we had used roller shutter & tailboard, the shutter rolled into and the mechanism inside the back frame inside the van. This necessitated full length rear doors (as you see with that van) which enclosed everything and the tailboard just closed over the bottom of the doors. This produced a very tidy rear but kept the tail-lift mechanism weatherproof.
In that case they appear to have the tailift tailboard at a height that made a handy step, and so as such weren’t using it. However It would lift almost to the top of the van which was handy if packing a tight load up to van height at the rear. This was often handy when taking furniture in and out of upstairs windows. Left vertical the taillift could be dropped to floor height so for places you may need to load or unload with a loading dock you could reverse up drop the tailboard without opening & then open the doors & you had a straight through floor.
So all in all making the van very vercatile. However like everything mechanical they did go wrong but that was greatly reduced by Marsden’s new design.
Hi Carl,
That must have been fantastic experience for young Eric Nelson back then Carl…in all fairness back then was a bit different to how easy it is today at ports and borders…also to drive into Paris for the first time it’s always been like a race track…I’ve had many conversations with some of the retired lads who also ran Europe in the 70s. …they always said it was as busy in Paris then as it is now.
Did Eric Nelson go on to drive the HGV trucks with you back then Carl ?Marsden and Vanplan were with out doubt the best in the business Carl in there time…a lot of top removal body builders today model themselfs off as it was at the end Marsdenvanplan…some of the ideas they came up with after concerns like yours would be raised with them…they brought the removal body styles of today into the industry. …they built huge fleets of bodies for companies large and small like your company with integrals …Carl i remember you were the main contractor to Thorne EMI. …I also remember Marsden and Vanplan built a lot of integrals for Hadfields with tailifts. …didn’t they also deliver appliances to ?
Yes Mark, Thorn EMI made Cookers & Fridges at Spennymoor under the Tricity name & the more expensive cookers as Moffat, and its hard to believe in the seventies 80% of British homes had either a Tricity cooker or Tricity Fridge with many having both and in fairness they were very reliable and good products at the cheaper end of the market. We also delivered all Hoover products into Yorkshire & North east England, ■■■■■■■ and all of Scotland. As we did for AEG the expensive German manufacturer, and one or two smaller brand.
with regard to Hadfields I often wondered what they delivered. and asked drivers to find out, but they never did. Just recently I saw an article that explained they carried the fruit & gaming machines to all the pups cafes etc and think they also carried coffee machines (Where you inserted your cash for a cup of coffee). I don’t think they ever delivered white goods & think they still do the same today. Of course they started as Removal Contractors with their vans painted black
I came across this article about this Bedford KM Hadfields had where Vanplan put a sleeper extension behind the cab…but would think the body on this KM is not a Vanplan body Carl.
But not a suprise Marsden and Vanplan put many sleeper pods and altered many cabs with out putting there own bodies on to the chassis cabs.
Was this something WH Williams ever had carried out Carl to any of the vehicles you ran…cabs altered or bodies altered ?
Regards Mark
Hi Steve,
How’s things are you still busy mate.
Hi lads, bet it was fun driving that in the wind with no deflector and just a wall hitting the wind