British Transport Films… a window on a bygone age

[flint]

Interesting find Clive, could be. Found a mention of them here, converted oil field trucks:
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205209109

I had a look at some pics of Autocar and White oil field trucks that could have been out there at the time, but I think the Marmon is a more likely bet. As far as I know, the pic that I posted was taken in the early 40s when she (the relative) was out there entertaining the troops (in a nice way !).

 

[clivehorridge]

I notice that “ your” truck Flint, is very low slung compared with the MH, but I saw some similarity in the cab styling.

The grille in your pic is much more angular than the rounded one on the MH.

I’ve been all evening drooling over old truck photos, there’s been some really bizarre styles over the years.

I was looking at White and Autocar too, but they seemed to be a much squarer cab shape like the later (70s) Kenworths.

Oh what fun... old truck porn, I’m sure there’s something wrong with me...

 

[flint]

I wouldn't worry, I like it too and I haven't gone blind.....yet !
Aha, I found this and if you go down about halfway on the page, I'm pretty sure that it's the same wagon, still going (if a bit tatty, ignore what's passing it). When I saved the pic, the title said it was.....a Marmon.
https://chrisarbon-roadtrips.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/middle-east-trucking-in-1930s.html
Beware though, the link might lead to harder stuff.

 

[flint]

Oh bugger, just found this and halfway down it's pictured again and the learned discussion reckons it's a White. I'm going to bed !
http://forums.aths.org/27658/Marmon-Herrington-600-Series?PageIndex=2

 

[StarCruiser]

That's a most interesting link Flint. It seems these could have been the 'first overlanders'. They would make bases for some interesting conversions. It seems one or two still exist, at least as wrecks with talk of restoration.
I never knew such vehicles existed. Thanks for posting.

 

[Pat]

Great films.

But that’s a laff, our railways beating the world... i’ve just seen this... and its 8 years old...

Astounding but—-frightening too,I noticed the overhead bridges and in our little Piece of paradise we have the under privileged dropping things onto vehicles Below.police and courts seem powerless to stop it.lets have life at
A slower pace.Pat

 

[Pat]

Just been going through some old photos left by a late relative. This 4x4 + bus was taken in Iraq, probably in the 40s, not sure of the make. Could be a Kenworth ?View attachment 139446

A Kenworth no doubt.

 

[Pat]

1923 Marmon-Herrington ??
View attachment 139458

That’s about the same vintage as L190 International trucks is early 50s.
The yanks were way behind the British in the heavy diesel trucks.My father was in transport from First World War days and we had international.whites and federal 4 wheelers but the only way to get a 6 wheeler was to fit a nz made trailing axle.after the 2nd war we got surplus GMC,INTER tandem petrols but when you got back in action the Leyland,fodens,thornycrofts etc started to
Come in and apart from a few Inters,whites,the brits had the market until the 70s.pat

 

[clivehorridge]

A Kenworth no doubt.

I tend to agree with Pat, that the “family” photo first posted by Flint is likely a Kenworth, although I cant find a photo to confirm.

There’s a marked difference between the style of the fenders even though the styling of the cabs look very similar.

Enjoyed the Nairn link, even though a cold shower was needed, after...

 

[clivehorridge]

Astounding but—-frightening too,I noticed the overhead bridges and in our little Piece of paradise we have the under privileged dropping things onto vehicles Below.police and courts seem powerless to stop it.lets have life at
A slower pace.Pat

You’re right Pat, but at the same time you know it will never happen.

Developers wont be happy until we can travel at the speed of light, so there’s a long way to go yet.

As I’ve said before, I’m lucky that I’ve lived in an era of transport akin to the rest of this post, and not what’s to come. My daughter will see some astounding changes, I’m sure.

I can hear it now, “when I was small, it would take us 7 hours to cross the country in my old man’s jalloppy, it had wheels on it ha, ha, can you imagine? Now we just think of where we want to be and teleport”.

 

[flint]

A Kenworth no doubt.

I thought so too, but after a bit more digging it seems most ikely that it was a special bodied job built on a White 691 chassis in 1937. I can't find better images of the article below, hard (very) to read, but seems to be the one.

 

[clivehorridge]

Well, the special body would explain why I couldn’t find a similar photo. They article was a good find, it’s a pity its almost unreadable.

I wonder if Nairn was the only carrier running passengers that way, in those days in the Middle East?

I would love to get behind the wheel of a monster like that, imagine down-shifting with a full crash-box and no power steering...

 

[StarCruiser]

Clive, you are saving me writing. So many times you say what I'm thinking!

 

[clivehorridge]

Clive, you are saving me writing. So many times you say what I'm thinking!

We do think alike at times, don’t we mate

 

[Rob-o]

There are a series of books that may interest people here, ‘stories of round timber haulage’, ‘men mud and machines’ (I can’t remember the name of the third). Fantastic accounts with pictures of haulage (mainly forestry and timber hauling) between 1930-1970ish. Lots of AEC Matador, Latil and Scammell pornography!

 

[clivehorridge]

There are a series of books that may interest people here, ‘stories of round timber haulage’, ‘men mud and machines’ (I can’t remember the name of the third). Fantastic accounts with pictures of haulage (mainly forestry and timber hauling) between 1930-1970ish. Lots of AEC Matador, Latil and Scammell pornography!

Oh dear, maybe I should retire from work even sooner... time to start searching...

 

[flint]

At the risk of further palm hair, if interested, lots on Nairn here. After ploughing through quite a bit of it, that bus gets a mention, it was built in 1937 with an air conditioned Budd body on a White chassis with a Cummins diesel and Timken axles. When it was retired in the late '50s, it had clocked up over 2 million miles.
http://fuchs-online.com/overlandmail/Index.htm

 

[StarCruiser]

A rather topical one here considering there was a train stuck full of people for 16 hrs.

 

[Pat]

A rather topical one here considering there was a train stuck full of people for 16 hrs.

A rather topical one here considering there was a train stuck full of people for 16 hrs.

Thanks for the post,great viewing when men knew how to work.I was surprised that they were not using long handled round mouth shovels as I guess you now you can throw further with them.Interested to see what folks think because I have no knowledge of shovelling snow.Pat

 

[StarCruiser]

I think at the time those type shovels would not have been available in the UK. I agree, they are far better.