Wigan Album

Be very carefull the cables from the electricity pylons are live. The truck looks like a Scamall.

Now that's what I call smart; primed and ready.

As a matter of fact Garry, the owner of this vehicle was hospitalised for several months as he happened to be leaning against it when the crane operator accidentally touched the overhead cables. 33,000 volts passed through his body, earthing through the nails in the soles of his boots. He carried the two rings of burn marks from the nails, on the soles of his feet for the rest of his life. The crane operator was unharmed due to the heavy duty rubber tyres fitted to the vehicle. Primarily as a result of this incident, the cables were subsequently taken down and buried underground.

A Coles crane mounted on what appears to be An Ex army A E C
with an engine driven generator behind the csb to power the crane These cranes were mostly mounted on long nosed Thorneycrofts and used a lot by the R A F

So far in this series of excellent pictures I have heard of two very nasty accidents. First an operator of a trenching machine loosing an arm when it became trapped in the moving parts, and now the electrocution of a vehicle driver when it made contact with live cables.

Who was it who was saying H&S is (at least to him) a pointless waste of time?

You're perfectly correct of course AB. The vehicle is, as you say, an ex M.O.D. 5 ton 6x6 A.E.C. with a Coles crane mounted on the back. As you will recall, after the war years, the country was awash with surplus M.O.D. equipment. In fact, I'm inclined to think that the infrastructure of this country was largely rebuilt , in the 50's and 60's at any rate, using equipment purchased at government auction sites.

It's an AEC Matador, not Scamall.

Garry, if I could offer a little advice. If you're going to take a blind guess at the marque of a vehicle, then try to get it right at the first attempt. Once someone else has correctly identified it, then the moment's lost. There's no point in telling everyone what it is, once we already know what it is. You did quite well on the Bedford and the Dodge, even though you blew it on the petrol / diesel issue. You're also perfectly correct in stating that Karrier produced many kinds of municipal vehicles, fire engine chassis included. Unfortunately, the vehicle in my other photo isn't one, it's a Commer, as Derrick says. The badges of the two vehicles are completely different. Also, this is how you spell Scammell. All this may sound a little patronising, but I'm not trying to belittle you, I'm trying to help you in my own tinpot fashion. I just hope you take these comments in the spirit that they were intended.

Regards. Ozy.

Forgive me but is their some form of competition going on here? ie. First to correctly name the vehicle pictured?

Its a guy lol

I apologise, I thought it was a Scammell at first.
Sorry to AB who is correct an AEC, and the spelling mistakes.

Firstly I can't see what Garry's supposed to have done Wrong? Do you have to score points on this particular post? Do you have to be perfect and right?

Garry, don't beat yourself up pal. I do realise that you have a genuine interest in wagons, and In my book, that makes you one of us. After all , you've driven the damn things, possibly not the big stuff, but that doesn't really matter does it ? At the end of the day, a wagon is a wagon, irrespective of its size.... But it isn't about the wagon entirely Is it ? It's about the brotherhood of the men that drove the furshlugginer things. You need to resign yourself to the fact that a fair section of the population of this country would, or will, never understand what's involved in keeping the place ticking over, but you, me, and Derrick have an inkling don't we mate?

Regards. Ozy.

o.k. Howard, and secondly ?

Secondly, we need to get the trucks off our roads and invest in our railway infrastructure, before the Country comes to a standstill. Everyday, our motorways are clogged up with jams all over the place, and what about exhaust emissions flooding towns and cities. The Government need to reorganise our transport systems, and get our goods back on the railway network.

Before H&S there were all kinds of weird and wonderful things,but in most cases no one got hurt,this is one,and the photo is very nice a clear,regarding the traffic conditions today,new railways are not an option,the problem is due to two things,population and car ownership,I remember the UK population being 50 million,and not knowing anyone who had a car,now it's 70 million and growing,with maybe an average of two cars per household,and at one time almost everyone worked close to home and went on a bus,and I can't see things getting better.