Working vehicles past their sell by.

[martc]

On 03/08/2025 at 12:16, danthecapriman said:

Haven’t the MOD only recently pensioned off the last of their Bedford fleet? I’m sure I read something somewhere that said the only Bedford trucks now still in MOD service were a handful of special purpose ones.

The Joint Services Driving School is quite close to me (at Leconfield, north of Beverley). Until quite recently there were the odd Bedfords (usually TM's) and an occasional Foden seen  kicking around on the roads of East Yorkshire. They were of the 8 wheel variety with a built in, folded up, crane behind the cab, but now it's just MANs (and Rheinmatells) performing the same role, and all the other roles as well.

The MoD also has a fair few IVECO tippers and tractor units. These were also quite old but have recently been replaced with IVECO Trakkers.

[goosey]

1 hour ago, reb said:

This Summerhill? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summerhill_School

They showed us a documentary about that one when I was at school, memorable moments include pupils sitting around drinking lager and smoking fags with a teacher, and some pupils euthanasing a rabbit with myxomatosis.

My Goodness 

[goosey]

1 hour ago, horriblemercedes said:

I think it'll be this one:

https://www.summerhill.dudley.sch.uk/

It’s changed massively since I went there 

[martc]

19 hours ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

That reminds me off the story I was told ( dunno if true) about tanks & exhaust pipe emissions, no problem re emissions of depleted uranium coming out of the other pipe!

And that reminds me of a telephone conversation I had a few years ago... I used to work for a company that was an MoD approved supplier. One of the products we made was used to waterproof cardboard tubing which certain types of munitions, flares etc are enclosed with. Our customer rang me asking if it contained any lead as the MoD was cracking down on it. It didn't; but I did point out that if it did it would be in considerably lower concentration than the bullets they used. How we laughed.

[Inspector Morose]

2 hours ago, goosey said:

What’s his Surname? 
if you don’t mind me asking 

Freeman. 

[goosey]

2 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

Freeman. 

Did he used to have a Cortina based kit car ? 

[Inspector Morose]

Just now, goosey said:

Did he used to have a Cortina based kit car ? 

The Rotrax? Yeah, I ended up with it. And his P1800, 

[goosey]

Just now, Inspector Morose said:

The Rotrax? Yeah, I ended up with it. And his P1800, 

Small world ! 
Yes it was a Rotrax, I sort of maybe remember the P1800 was it in quite poor condition ? yeah we had him for Science he was sound I think he was my head of form as well,  hope he’s doing ok 

[Inspector Morose]

Dunno, we haven't spoken in years, but I think he's retired from there now. I used the Rotrax on my 50-mile commute to work through one winter. It didn't have a heater and the wet weather gear was a right arse to put up and get mildly weathertight. This was his second kit car; the first was a JC Midge that was built from a Mk3 Spit on the drive opposite our Mum's house. Can't remember if we ever finished that one.

Sold it on because I couldn't keep it in front wheel bearings (Cortina running gear and big chunky off-road wheels don't mix).

The P1800 was a bit rough around the edges, but quite a rust-free and original car. I had a P1800ES once, so I fancied a try in a coupe. The moral is, don't revisit your heroes.

[Lord Sterling]

4 hours ago, goosey said:

He had a red (?) Mazda E2200 before this, used to see it about as he’s local to Summerhill School were I went in the 90s 

Ah cool. You (still) local then?

Edit* Just seen it in your profile. I'm literally in the next town to you (In fact, I had to walk through town to get back home and back through it when I picked up the Jag)

I'm always passing through on my way to work.

[808 Estate]

On 01/08/2025 at 22:51, quicksilver said:

These big beasts (the Oshkosh M1070 Heavy Equipment Transporter) must be worthy of this thread now. The army bought 92 of them in 2003/4 and they're all still working at over 20 years old with no apparent plans to replace them in the near future. 

There arent many alternatives apart from the MAN

Or the Faun.

[AnthonyG]

The last Bedford badged vehicles were assembled by Marshall in the mid/late 90s for MoD contracts, Marshall bought the remnants of AWD after they went under, and somehow got permission from GM to use the name - I guess this was after all the vans had renamed Vauxhalls anyway. 

Think it was TMs and TKs. Although they were assembled circa 1995, I expect most of the components were a few years older. AWD themselves only seemed to last a couple of years and probably got off the ground because of govt/Mod contracts - can’t imagine anybody investing in it for any other reason, even before the early 90s recession. They make LDV look like a wildly successful concern, which in comparison they were…

[danthecapriman]

9 minutes ago, AnthonyG said:

The last Bedford badged vehicles were assembled by Marshall in the mid/late 90s for MoD contracts, Marshall bought the remnants of AWD after they went under, and somehow got permission from GM to use the name - I guess this was after all the vans had renamed Vauxhalls anyway. 

Think it was TMs and TKs. Although they were assembled circa 1995, I expect most of the components were a few years older. AWD themselves only seemed to last a couple of years and probably got off the ground because of govt/Mod contracts - can’t imagine anybody investing in it for any other reason, even before the early 90s recession. They make LDV look like a wildly successful concern, which in comparison they were…

The one the surprised me most of all was that the Bedford TJ was manufactured until 1998!! It was considered ancient back in the 70’s. Of course from the mid 70’s onwards they were export models only but even so, that’s insane.

[AnthonyG]

Yep, remember being amazed they were still being made in the mid 80s, let alone the late 90s.

I suspect the demand was due to the TJ being the mainstay of a sizeable Commonwealth military like the Nigerian or Kenyan army, who just took a very, very long time to be weaned off them! 

Maybe they are now happily running around in Renault Midliners or something as we speak….

[danthecapriman]

15 minutes ago, AnthonyG said:

Yep, remember being amazed they were still being made in the mid 80s, let alone the late 90s.

I suspect the demand was due to the TJ being the mainstay of a sizeable Commonwealth military like the Nigerian or Kenyan army, who just took a very, very long time to be weaned off them! 

Maybe they are now happily running around in Renault Midliners or something as we speak….

India and Pakistan were massive lovers of the TJ too. Simple and durable so they liked it and didn’t want to let go!😄

[AnthonyG]

India would have wanted to at least assemble them locally, if not make them from scratch.

For a long time (circa 1955 to 1995 or so) imported vehicles, even for official or govt use, were highly restricted in India and very rare, hence the Ambassador being the standard car for a government minister. Always in white, with a uniformed driver!

But Pakistan had/has very limited industrial capacity, so they seem the likely buyers of 1980s/90s TJs.

[danthecapriman]

9 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

India would have wanted to at least assemble them locally, if not make them from scratch.

For a long time (circa 1955 to 1995 or so) imported vehicles, even for official or govt use, were highly restricted in India and very rare, hence the Ambassador being the standard car for a government minister. Always in white, with a uniformed driver!

But Pakistan had/has very limited industrial capacity, so they seem the likely buyers of 1980s/90s TJs.

Just been looking, apparently the Indian market TJ’s were assembled in India - Calcutta by… Hindustan Motors!

Id imagine they were made here then sent to India as kits and assembled there. 
 

[Landy Mann]

30 years for the fire engine and over 100 years for the kettle.

https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/news/people/northants-firefighters-steam-over-to-help-flying-scotsman-after-water-tanker-trip-hits-the-buffers-5257692

[N19]

ULEZ has killed most of the examples like this around here, sadly.

Until recently, there was a C-reg Bedford van which was trundling around locally (I suspect that @uk_senator  has a picture / knows more, as it was often parked round his way). 

Local self drive company had a large fleet of Transits which were kept in very good nick and were often sent out on hires until very recently. Sadly, much depleted nowadays, although a couple are kept on fleet as static adverts. Must ask super nicely next time I'm hiring, if I can be allocated one...

Speaking of adverts, that's pretty much what this one is, just outside the ULEZ.

 

There's also this, in private ownership, which seems to come back as ULEZ exempt, and seems to shuttle various bits of equipment around.

All of this generation fell foul, by default, of the earlier LEZ which had a £100 fee. However it was possible to retrofit something (can't remember what) to become compliant and thus all was good until the ULEZ came in. Still, for something used rarely, might still be worth it. I do see a few sole-trader types in Mk6/Mk7 transits but in all honesty most of them have gone now other than the marginal ones.

Also, no photos, but I remember that up until about 2016-ish years ago, Tollcross fire station in Enbra had an E-reg appliance still on service. I think they actually bought it secondhand due to delays in new vehicles being delivered or something.

(Edit: yes, here 

)

[155V6]

Probably doesn't count,but this was a pizza being delivered to the flats I live in yesterday

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, 155V6 said:

Probably doesn't count,but this was a pizza being delivered to the flats I live in yesterday

IOW reg and a one piece fibreglass front!

[SunnySouth]

5 hours ago, 155V6 said:

Probably doesn't count,but this was a pizza being delivered to the flats I live in yesterday

That is fucking excellent - I hope they tipped him! I’d feel less pissed off at paying a delivery charge if they all turned up in something like that. We had a Dominos this evening, it arrived in something Korean and dull and quite unworthy of being photographed. Meh.