Ers an Oldie Cheers Chris
These are some of my dads old ones
just delivered
late 70s early 80s fleet line up
early 90s fleet line up
Nice photos of those old workhorses. I remember unloading a Casserleys van when I was at Pickfords of Amesbury - where they ever taken over by Pickfords? They certainly look very similar to the 80’s Pickfords fleet! How could Pickfords, who used to do loads of European work, operate such an inadequate fleet of vehicles? If you were over 6’ tall you had to bend you neck to such an extent to stop your head hitting the roof and also to be able to see out the windscreen. No sleeper - just a parcel shelf. You had to fit your own radios. But they were reliable which is why so many removal firms used them. When I started up on my own, my first vehicle was a TK but it did have an extended parcel shalf that made a good sleeper. Not so good for my mate though who had to sleep across the seats. I bought it from Abels of Watton. When I get a scanner I’ll put some pictures up of the removal vehicles I have driven and seen. I know most on here don’t count removal drivers as proper truckies but we do the distances and work hard unloading the vehicles ourselves - not just backing onto a loading bay or waiting for a forklift!
Moonraker:
Nice photos of those old workhorses. I remember unloading a Casserleys van when I was at Pickfords of Amesbury - where they ever taken over by Pickfords? They certainly look very similar to the 80’s Pickfords fleet! How could Pickfords, who used to do loads of European work, operate such an inadequate fleet of vehicles? If you were over 6’ tall you had to bend you neck to such an extent to stop your head hitting the roof and also to be able to see out the windscreen. No sleeper - just a parcel shelf. You had to fit your own radios. But they were reliable which is why so many removal firms used them. When I started up on my own, my first vehicle was a TK but it did have an extended parcel shalf that made a good sleeper. Not so good for my mate though who had to sleep across the seats. I bought it from Abels of Watton. When I get a scanner I’ll put some pictures up of the removal vehicles I have driven and seen. I know most on here don’t count removal drivers as proper truckies but we do the distances and work hard unloading the vehicles ourselves - not just backing onto a loading bay or waiting for a forklift!
driving is not just artics and your right loading and unloading yourself in fact I much preffered class2 work instead of artics as I hated all the hanging around at warehouses for 3 or 4 hrs so bloody boring I did botle banks for a while and loved the work was allways in front of you fill up with glass up to harlow to tip and go again and clear another area normaly herts and many london boroughs and sleep in my own bed every night
Seeing those brought back some memeories!! Nothing like the custom built scanias etc I see today. I had the pleasure of driving both types there, the TK and the pantechnicon body.
At least with the pantechnicon you had some sort of bunk area (for one!!), with the TK it was across the seats, in the back or squeeze on the shelf!! 
With the TK`s, those long mirror arms used to blow in with the wind so I used to hold them in place with a tie to the bumper.
With the pantechnicon body, as it was built around a TK chassis the was quite a gap between the drivers seat and the door, enough to get another bod in the cab squeezed up by your right shoulder. Had one with a 2000 cube body on it and no power steering!!..always gave your arms a good work out when loaded!!
No power steering, no night heaters and a straight 5 speed box, 4 on the older versions!!
Access to the engine on the pantechnicon was through a little door on either side of the cab body just behind the bunk. You needed a T key or broad bladed straight edge screw driver to open the doors but when inside there was plenty of room to work around…surprising what some people would put in there as well, especially when coming back from abroad!!! 
I would agree with the comment about removal drivers not being thought of as “truck drivers” back then, especially when I was doing it in the early 80`s. I remember some drivers from Brian Yeardley making some smart arse comments once because we had all been stuck in Bolougne for a few days due to a strike of some sort and places on the ferry back were rationed, we got on and 2 of theirs were left behind on the dock,even though we had been there longer, but as they were “proper Continental drivers” (their words) they felt their mates should have been allowed on before us!! 
A have a couple of pics somewhere, when I ever find them I will scan them up.
no we were neve taken over by pickfords went in to liquidation in 2000 and the assets were bought by thomas transport of wrexham.
This lorry is mine one of by dads old one he sold in 1986 i have owned it since it retired 3 years ago and its now under restoration
and a few more as there was some intrest
austin or morris
vanplan the bodybuilder at warrington took this one
Interesting comments and some good photos. Sorry to read of the demise of Casserleys. Their fleet certainly looked much like the Pickfords of old. I think Pickfords bodies were built by a firm called Arlington. The comment above reference the lack of power steering in the TK’s is spot on. If we were ever trying to get into a tight driveway and the vehicle, particularly the “luton”, was fully loaded, the driver would be pulling on the wheel with all his might whilst the porter was kicking the tyre !! I’d never even heard of a night heater when working on Pickfords - I used to take a hot water bottle and get it filled in the Truckstop before going to bed - which more often than not was in the back of the van rather than curled up across the seats!
Pickfords had about 180 depots nationwide in the 70’s and 80’s and as a driver we would often go up the road on our own and report to the local destination depot for assistance with off-loading. Because the “local” depots always kept their own full-time staff for their own work, the “foreign” driver would often be left with the casual, agency or job centre labour to unload a full household of furniture. This often led to problems when handling and manoeuvring large or delicate pieces of furniture, when the only experience some of these labourers had was in demolition and road building!! If having an afternoon unloading time of 2.00 p.m., often the labour would be p***ed and barely capable of lifting themselves let alone a wardrobe! However, if you were back-loaded from one of these depots with that depot’s own work, you always got the best men to load you!
I left Pickfords in 1986, months after receiving a new Bedford Marsden with a sleeper! Typical. I started up on my own, using some of the money made from the NFC share issue to which all NFC staff were invited to partake and am still doing removals to this day.
I worked for pickfords out of enfield many years ago what a great job taught me how to drink in those days beer money was just that,regarding the bodies fitted to the vans the n f c owned a firm in pompy called star motor bodies.
reading your post has brought many memories flooding back
Hiya i was talking to a chap i’ve known a long time he let me get some snaps of the family fleet. the Ford is still like new
and spent most of its life under cover at nights some of the pikkys are distorted it may be me having to much red wine.
I 've done the best i can.
John
Bit of a long shot, looking for pics of the old Coopers Removals co.
Hi re request for photos of coopers removal vans,I think this firm came from the midlands. the photo was taken at our yard a few years ago of a 1986/87 Leyland Daf Roadrunner. I hope its of interest
The fleet photo of Turners of Croydon taken in the early sixties. If any body has any memories or photos of Turners vans or any removal firms from Croydon it would be appreciated
A couple here from Stanfield one based on a Thames Trader.
And an old Albion.
TIPIT:
A couple here from Stanfield one based on a Thames Trader.
And an old Albion.
Would that one of Fowlers been one of the earliest sleeper pods ?
Here’s some pictures of my dads old motors.
This one is for Wolfie,
This old banger was parked up in the yard where I did my time as a fitter in the early 90’s in Devon. We used to use it for a second hand parts store,most of which were old Bedford bits. The 500 engine had long since been removed,It was scraped in the mid 90’s and the only thing to survive was the Bedford badge,which is still on the front of my toolbox 17 years later here in NZ.
I have a few more van pics that I’ll stick up.
Cheers Jamie
A couple of oldies here for you,hope they are ok on this thread
JOHN.