HI everyone, i found these photo’s from the 1980’s, i will post them as and when i get time with my shift. I took these at work at BAe hatfield civil aircraft division, cameras were strictly forbidden as the other side of the airfield was BAe dynamics which worked on military and space vehicles. Alot of people were mad on planes and had there cameras hidden in lockers incase a special plane came along, but i was always truck mad! so you can see where my lens was pointed !!
I was always truck mad from a little boy, at school i didn’t know anyone else who liked trucks, nor did i know any lorry drivers. My teacher told me that if i wanted to drive trucks, then the best thing i could do is train as an apprentice truck mechanic. I wrote to loads of companys, but in 1979 1980 things were abit like they are now on the job front. (at least you got reply letters in those days) !! thanks to my mum, i got an interview with BAe hatfield for an apprenticeship. In the interview, i was told that i was being considered for an airframe engine apprenticeship ! i knew nothing about planes, they told me that if i started as an aircaft mechanic, i could swap to the vehicle workshops later. They must have been impressed with my shirt and tie as i was offered the apprenticeship. So in september 1980 i started as an apprentice aircraft mechanic rather than the truck mechanic i so wanted !! i was quickly told that the vehicle workshops were possibly shutting down, so i would have to stay on the aircraft side. As it happens, they stayed open for a few more years. I got friendly with one of the apprentice truck mechanics, he let me drive one of the leyland mastives on test around the site, and i took him up into the cockpit of the plane i was working on !! An excellent swap i think !!
cheers, hope you enjoy, more soon.
Welcome aeronick. thanks for shareing photos.regards mick/
When i started with BAe hatfield, the truck fleet was all leyland. I understand that the unions at the time were keen to promote British companys, so British trucks were bought, i think Tesco and other companys had a similar policy ■■ BAe hatfield had mainly articulated trucks, being Leyland Boxer and Leyland Mastive tractor units. The Boxer units were unusual, but as the loads were light they were cheaper?? The Leyland Mastives had the Perkins V8 engine in and i loved the sound they made on tick over. The trailers were 12 metre stepframe flats with dropdown sides 2 thirds from the front, with the rear third a plain flat ? i often wondered why the dropside didn,t go all the way to the rear ? I also saw a 12 metre stepframe trombone trailer, as apprentices we were given the day off to watch the roll out of the new BAe 146 plane, but i was more interested in how you extended the trombone trailer that i nearly missed the roll out ! Here is a picture of a Leyland terrier 7.5 ton truck i photographed, around the mid 80’s the fleet was being changed to Ford cargo’s . more soon i hope .
Here is a couple of leyland tankers, these were used by ROLS ROYCE engines. ROLLS ROYCE had a test bay at an airfield near watford, they moved to BAe Hatfield on the Dynamics side of the airfield. Here they tested aircraft engines and components, before the test bay was moved i think to DERBY ?
Here is a Pickfords Scammell moving a BAe 146 mock up. The aircraft is made of wood and is being moved to the new sales and marketing hanger about 1986. The aircraft was used to kit out the cabin to show customers what there aircraft interiors might look like. The large hanger in the back ground is the flight test centre, it was from this hanger that the worlds first jet airliner the COMET was tested , also the TRIDENT airliner came from here. Hard to imagine that that hanger is now a gym and the airfield long gone !! Something the british truck and aircraft industry has in common ■■
Here is a couple of Bedford runway sweepers, LACRE had a workshop about a mile from the airfield at ST ALBANS road, it was the only place i have seen that sold trucks with a showroom with a glass front for trucks, like you would find for cars !!
Hi again, here is a pair of wings for a BAe 146 aeroplane, they were made in the USA and shipped over on a cargo plane, then by road to HATFIELD BAe, first of all they came in an oversize crate chained to an AMERICAN trailer by ship then a uk tractor pulled the usa trailer on our roads, the usa trailer was exactly the same as the AMT model kit if you know what i meen !!
great pics aeronick,keep em coming!
Glad you like them ANDREW here is some more ! BP and ESSO aviation tankers delivering aviation fuel around 1986.
Here is a snow plough, ex military 4x4 bedford, sometimes pulled a snow blower trailer behind, they also tried a artic trailer with a JET engine on the back to melt the snow and blow it away !! dont know how well it worked !!
BAe Hatfield had their own refuse truck with 2 man crew full time, going around the site ! it loaded via the big round metal bins, it was a crew cab leyland boxer but i didnt get a picture of that ! here is a sludge gulper that was used, i think it was second hand ■■
Hiya…just sneaking in with the areospace lorries, this is a nice little DAF that came out of BA Broughton works
last year, it’s only done 60,000ks. a good friend of mine uses her to MOT trailers nowadays.
John
3300John:
Hiya…just sneaking in with the areospace lorries, this is a nice little DAF that came out of BA Broughton works
last year, it’s only done 60,000ks. a good friend of mine uses her to MOT trailers nowadays.
John
lovely little motor that,i had a k reg daf 1900 four wheeler not long after i first passed my test-12 speed splitter and eminox stack,felt like i was king of the road lol.one of the best lorries(and job) ive had.
Here is a cementation construction ford cargo sweeper, this was in use while the new assembley hanger was being built,
Here is a nice shot of a HALES CONTAINERS leyland constructor 8 wheeler waste eater, if i remember correctly it emptied whole skips into the back !! The new BAe146 assembley hanger can be seen in the back ground under construction.
Here is a photo of a TRENT ALLOYS LEYLAND ROADTRAIN artic besides the flight test apron. I think it may have delivered ally ingots, but they did pick up scrap or swarf alloys in skip trucks. At one time, BAe Hatfield had the biggest horizontal milling machines in europe, with underground swarf captures which was blown straight into enclosed skips ready for recycling !!
aeronick:
Here is a nice shot of a HALES CONTAINERS leyland constructor 8 wheeler waste eater, if i remember correctly it emptied whole skips into the back !! The new BAe146 assembley hanger can be seen in the back ground under construction.
i remember doing a clutch change on one of these when i first left school at a workshop that i won’t ever repeat it’s name or revisit!. We gas axed a hole in the bottom of the body and hoisted the gearbox up, done the clutch and welded the floor back up.
here is a couple of pictures of one of the aircraft tugs, as driven by TED SANDS, who also drove the refuelers !!
aeronick:
Here is a snow plough, ex military 4x4 bedford, sometimes pulled a snow blower trailer behind, they also tried a artic trailer with a JET engine on the back to melt the snow and blow it away !! dont know how well it worked !!
Here it is fitted to the front of a AEC Mammoth Major 3000 Gallon Tanker.
