1970s lorries in Stanstead

[canaldrifter]

Found this unused Pathe footage very interesting, as I used to drive low loaders through Stanstead often in those days. There is a shot of a Nichols Ford D1000 low loader. We often worked with them on local plant moves, and the Volvo F86 on general haulage could be one of Jack Sunderland's fleet from Kings Langley. It is in the right maroon colour scheme. He was one of the first to use Volvos in this country. There is also a very early Scania 80, and a great selection of various current British built wagons. Ropes and sheets everywhere! Not a sleeper cab in sight!

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=74446

Tone

[essexpete]

Great to watch but no sound or was that me? Thanks for posting.

[FOWLER MAN]

Great to watch but no sound or was that me? Thanks for posting.

And only four of all those vehicles that werent British made!!
We had a proud tradition then, but sadly we seem to have lost our way.
Fred

[martyn williams]

A lot of these Pathe films were silent,some were taken from a Super 8 film with no sound strip.Very interesting look back in time.As Fred said,nearly all UK built vehicles.We have gone wrong somwhere I have over 24 hours of colour cine film that was taken in the early 1970's,hopefully I can get it transfered to DVD one day.
Thanks for posting
Martyn

[essexpete]

Great to watch but no sound or was that me? Thanks for posting.

And only four of all those vehicles that werent British made!!
We had a proud tradition then, but sadly we seem to have lost our way.
Fred

We were losing our way by then in truth. Combination of poor management and union leaders with too much power.

[canaldrifter]

Great to watch but no sound or was that me? Thanks for posting.

And only four of all those vehicles that werent British made!!
We had a proud tradition then, but sadly we seem to have lost our way.
Fred

We were losing our way by then in truth. Combination of poor management and union leaders with too much power.

Up until that point we were the main worldwide exporters of trucks too. But to be honest, when Scanias and Volvos appeared they were way in front of our vehicles in all-metal construction, power for size, comfort, visibility, driving ease and quietness. They had power steering and syncro-mesh boxes while we were still struggling with crash boxes, manual steering and even wooden framed cabs on some wagons.

I think the most advanced cabs we built in those days were the AEC/Leyland Ergonomic cabs. OK, it had a good gearshift and power steering, it was fairly fast, powerful enough with the right engine and quite a good heater, but you still had the engine in the cab with you.

I was very fond of the Guy Big J in those days. With either the Gardner of the Cummins, driving a trunk motor for Smiths of Maddeson for a while, it was a novelty having a wagon that would cruise at 75mph. You could go faster but you would blow the trailer tyres!

The Ford D series and Bedford KMs and TKs had comfortable, if small, walk through tilt cabs, with good heaters, power steering, syncro boxes and a bit of space behind the seats in the Bedfords, but they were all grossly under-powered.

Tone