Old Telecom pics

[cortinaboy]

Ive been going through my Dads old photos, and found a load of from when he was a mechanic at BT. He used to take pictures of stuff just before they went off to auction after BT were finished with them... 

Just thought Id put them on here, hope you all like

 

The last HA Viva van and Dodge Spacevan on the Bury St. Edmunds fleet, before they were sold

 

The last Sherpa on the fleet

 

Some Maestros just before they were sold

 

Dad used to do most of the bodywork jobs, this was before BT used body repair shops, and did everything in house. He used to take pics of some of the bigger jobs he carried out 

 

Maestro side panel replacement;

 

 

 

 

 

And some smashed up stuff that was beyond repair...

 

 

 

I think theres more somewhere but I cant find them right now, I'll bore you with them as and when I find them

 

 

 

[twosmoke300]

Any more? My dad sold hundreds of ex bt vans and will love me showing his these

[Andrew353w]

Thanks for posting these-I love those old Bedford HA vans! Surely British Telecom were THE last firm who bought these in any numbers!

[greengartside]

Nice to see some local (to me) BT chod - the yellow van era was definitely the best - you knew what sort of vans they were, not like now where they blend into insignificance.

[trigger]

These are excellent Jono, I bet none of them are about any more. I wonder how long that Maestro lasted before that rear quarter rotted out?!

[Timewaster]

They are brilliant. My dad worked for BT and there was always a yellow van on our drive as far back as I can remember.

Minors HAs Itals ending with a transit that started Buzby yellow but went grey with age.

I had an interview for an apprenticeship at a BT garage but nothing ever came of it.

dad told me they never took on any apprentices that year. He may have been protecting my feelings.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Wonderful pictures!

[Felly Magic]

Top photos, I wonder how that Transit ended up so mangled

[Lord Sterling]

These are excellent pics Cortina_lad. Do you have anymore? Thanks for sharing them!

[DVee8]

Fantastic stuff just love those Dodge spacevans.

[inconsistant]

Superb pix, thanks for posting. The reg plate on that HA is getting me hot and bothered.

[dollywobbler]

Brilliant. They're all good, but that first one is absolutely awesome.

 

I still have a memory of a BT chap in a Spacevan fitting a phone line at my friends house (probably mid-1980s). The engineer forgot to close the rear doors and we did have a giggle when he pulled away and all of his tools fell out...

[Rusty_Rocket]

These are excellent Jono, I bet none of them are about any more. I wonder how long that Maestro lasted before that rear quarter rotted out?!

 

DVLA says E31EEV went AWOL in '99.. at a mere ten years old.  About the right innings for an 80s Maestro? 

 

The pics are great, thanks for sharing.  We at work have an identical Sherpa, with the same body, still in BT yellow

[Shep Shepherd]

Excellent photos which take me straight back to my younger days

 

I wonder if the Sierra was eventually reshelled? It looks fairly new in the photo.

[cortinaboy]

Glad you like the pics everyone, I'll have a dig about and see what else I can find, I may take a while as I have to scan them all first. And I'm lazy

[brickwall]

Really excellent post Cortinaboy. Seeing the Dodge Spacevan gave me a major flashback to when I was a nipper.

[I_am_Diesel]

Thank you for sharing these with us.

 

Takes me back seeing the HA and the spacevan.

[scruff]

Excellent!! I too have a liking for the old Telecom stuff. There's an ace flickr group if you need another fix: https://www.flickr.com/groups/1207602@N21/pool/

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Great pics, reminds me of when I saw a BT Spacevan t-bone a BT Spacevan at Holborn Circus (London) in about 1983. I'm sure all 4 wheels of the hitter left the ground along with the near side wheels of the hit, it all stayed the right way up and the drivers got out and started punching fuck out of each other.

[cortinaboy]

Not sure what happened to the Sierra, dad recovered it from a deep ditch, the driver was standing on the drivers door when he turned up. Dad never knew exactly what happened to the smashed up transit, but remembers it was lucky no one was sitting in the passenger seat. They took the engine out to keep as a spare

[Grundig]

Great photos - this thread has cheered me up a bit after reading about that stolen Metro 

[fordperv]

Great pictures keep em coming, shame the maestro van only made it until 1999 though

[steve_earwig]

Crikey, that lot takes me back, I started working for BT external (as it was) back in 1983 and drove Commer 15cwts (spacevan? Wtf?), an A.series Transit box van and various Sherpas. I seem to remember there were still HA's about when I started but then I remember my dad's one (SMG 412S I think). Before that he had a green Anglia Van.

 

I well remember BT's in house bodyshop repairs*. To be fair they were just mechanics where I was (West Green TSVC North London) so not something they were good at, it was mainly bang it all out with a big hammer and slap some paint over it with a brush.

[chaseracer]

 

Was there any particular reason why the number plates were mounted above the bumper?

[fordnut]

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/North+End,+81+London+Road,+Portsmouth,+Hampshire+PO2+0BH/@50.811652,-1.080247,3a,90y,-159.74h,97.43t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sR1IhZlYbpiYDXJDgSplzcg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x48745d16c3518b05:0xdd3459cfdc573ea6

 

This BT spec Sherpa has been in this spot for years. Will check the reg number out as the one in the picture that was posted looks familiar and comes up a 'untaxed'.

[quicksilver]

Now these bring back memories - my next door neighbour worked for BT and often brought a van home. The grey livery was just so bland after the bright yellow and must have been almost invisible on dull days, just what you need when parked in awkward places. What were they thinking when they came up with that?

[comfysofa]

Your Dad knew how to take a good picture Cortinaboy! really enjoying these...i spent a fair chunk of 2000 looking for a ex-BT or GPO to hoon around in, i was 20 at the time so a Sherpa was a no-no and i just could not find a Maestro or Astramax that had belonged to them that was not rotten or overpriced in those pre-Ebay days...

[Timewaster]

 

Was there any particular reason why the number plates were mounted above the bumper?

I think so they didn't get knocked off. Does look odd though.

[mercrocker]

I remember a lot of GPO vans having their rear numbers up on the roof particularly J2 and J4 vans....Well played to Cortinaboy senior for taking those photos - it would be great if there were other big fleets where somebody had the foresight to do that. I always feel it was safer for line workers and the like back in the day when you could instantly recognise a Telecom van and look out for the little red and white canopies....

[kinkersaab]

Lovely pics. It reminded me of this thing i have had for years. Its telecom related so the right people might see it and tel me what is was for.