Leyland Trucks VTT

[Father Ted]

Planning consent has been granted for a small village worth of Barratt boxes to be built on the former Leyland Motors Vehicle Test Track, and this evening I found myself up there - well it would have been rude not to have a look round....

Perimeter Test Track

 

REALLY HUGE blocks to test your suspension.

 

Top oh hill looking towards skid pan

 

Sledgeing on a sign?

 

Skid pan 1

 

Skid pan 2 with water pumping house

 

Remains of water pump

 

Garage

 

Opening the orange valve in the picture above would once upon a time filled the ford with water...

 

Wibbly Wobbly road

 

Danger Loving.

 

More Later

[Lankytim]

Wow, surely thats got to be a great venue for some sort of Shite meet up??

[Father Ted]

You cant take a car on there (though TBH the state of the track you wouldnt want to) But you can take a push bike or motorbike on there

[Split_Pin]

Wow that's superb. I loke the 'ford' test area!.

 

The Leyland Trucks Plant in Bathgate closed in 1986, the same year we moved to the area and I was always sorry I didnt get up there to take pictures. Being 6 at the time didnt help!

 

They've done a similar 'Barrat' wendy house type thing there and built one of those huge anodyne estates (like mine!) but at least there is a 'Leyland Road' there.

[eddyramrod]

They did the same on the ERF factory site at Sandbach. I used to take timber for the builders.... in an ERF. Bloody lovely trucks, sold to MAN and unceremoniously killed. In the same job I supplied the builders on USAF Burtonwood, or what was left of it. I suppose you have to put new houses somewhere, and it's better than using green sites, but still... makes me sad.

[willswitchengage]

Bloody lovely trucks, sold to MAN and unceremoniously killed.

 

...all to get that big MoD order, although the new MANs do look the business.

 

TBF as well we already have MIRA and Milbrook, and it would probs take a fair amount of dosh to bring this centre back up to scratch.

 

[trigger]

Excellent, those blocks look like they could do some serious damage though!

[eddyramrod]

That's the idea Trig. Lorry suspension is tough stuff!