Oily’s history sound a bit like mine, about 1960 ish, Guy Arab double decker, Yorkshire Woollen District transport ‘in house’ examiner. Twice round Dewsbury…“you’ve passed, All Types.”.
Happy days.
I passed by driving test just after my 17th birthday and joined the royal Navy a few weeks later. After my basic training I was posted to Rosyth to work in the office of the Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland. His job covered all the naval establishments and and related civilian sections throughout Scotland and we often had to send out secret documents to them by post. Some bright spark (not me) decided it would be safer to have them hand delivered so as I was the only one in the office who had both security clearance and, most importantly actually had a driving licence, Still only 17, I got tasked to do this. Despite having a civilian licence I had to pass a “naval driving test”. I went to the transport section based in Rosyth dockyard feeling nervous. After all, if I had already passed a civilian test but needed a “naval licence” how much harder would it be. Would I need to be able to carry out evasive manoeuvres in case of any attempt to steal the secrets I was carrying or what?
Gets to the garage and the “instructor” shows me to a Bedford CA minibus. These had column gearchanges and not only had I never driven one like that before, I’d never seen anything like it. Any, he gives me a quick demonstration and we go for a 5 minute jaunt round the dockyard, back to the workshop and he hands me my “licence”.
A stock picture, not one of me actually with the thing.
A lot of cars (and vans) had column-change in those days - it was a '50s fad I think. Most Vauxhall/Bedford ones did, along with most Routes-group cars and some Triumphs, Thames 15cwt vans - all sorts. I drove quite a few older ones in the early '70s but I always much preferred a stick sprouting from the floor!
I get that there were a few of them about at that time but I had never seen one before. Add to the fact that I thought I was going to be “tested to the limit” it was quite daunting starting off. As it turned out it was quite easy and I actually enjoyed that style of gear change.
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A 1934 Roe bodied double decker AEC Regent according to Bus Lists On The Web.
Probably from the City of Leeds bus fleet then, as it appears here to be in the employ of its Highways Dept. There’s a fleet number under the driver’s window if you can read it!
Yeah, it was originally with them, fleet no 142.
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Best steering column gearchange ever ?? SAAB cars 95/96.
The mid 1970’s Saviem and MAN 240/280 had a column gearchange
Not all of them did. The MAN 280 I drove had 13-sp Fuller with a stick through the floor.
Some of our MANs were fitted with column shift 15 speed RoadRangers, the deep reduction valve was on the dash.
Does anyone remember/know of a MAN gearbox with the reverse in a second gearbox/transfer case? I have seen two, one in a 6x4 fuel tanker, when I was an apprentice, the other in a crane carrier.