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I loved these as a Kid

Hi Alf: A long time ago in the Birmingham area when British Rail was British Raiways you would see Scammell lorries all over the place and I can remember at New Street Station-Queens Drive seeing them lined up all the way down the drive waiting to pick up the parcels. I also remember them in the late l950's in the Birmingham Wholesale Market areas. Good work horses for sure.
 
Did you ever see the TV programme when they restored a scammell I think it was a Cadbury's one but they changed it to something else. Someone will know what I am on about:confused2: I hope!
 
Before World War 2, Dinky Toys used to make a 'Mechanical Horse' like that. I had one in Great Western Railway colours, which I treasured because my nan was a teacher at All Saints' Infants, opposite Hockley Goods Depot, where there were scores of these lorries.
Peter
 
Sounds like a great toy Peter. So that's where the "Mechanical Horses" stables were in Hockley.:)
 
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When I was a boy, I had a friend who would delight in riding his bike behind one of these trucks and reaching out and hanging on to the back of the trailer and allowing the truck to pull him along.
One day, while he was doing this, the truck hit a bump, the tailend lifted off the ground and dropped back down over his handlebars. The handlebars were trapped underneath, there was no weight pressing down on them but he could not get them out from under the truck. He said it was a terrifying experience as he pictured himself tugged along at thirty miles per hour to heaven knows where and probably being unable to find his way home.
Luckily, after about half a mile, the truck hit another bump and it released him, but he never tried it again.
 
hi there slightly off post but an interesting story about an ex-neighbour who used to drive a scammell for the railway . he saved all of his holiday entitlements and travelling vouchers which he used to get as an employee and used the lot on 4/6weeks holiday ,he loaded his vw camper on the train transporter at Sutton coalfield and via continental railway network travelled to Yugoslavia he then drove his way back to England
one of the places he called at was Monte Carlo he was actually at prince Rainier and Grace Kellys wedding the close up photos he got was incredible
sorry for going off post but my memory of the mechanical horse is of George turning it in an incredible tight circle every day as he was going back to work
33bus:)
tom
 
Lovely story Tom.

I went to Monte Carlo once and were advertising the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra 1974 and never seen the Prince how's that for bad luck:D
 
I remember the scammel too........I'm not sure of the make but I also remember my parents using a "handyman" to do repairs to the house and he drove a 3 wheeled van, I used to love getting a ride in it when he had to go for materials...
 
Wendy, Nobody else answered but yes, I saw that, they restored this ex Cadbury's Scammell then painted it in "blood and custard" colours with period signwriting to look like a 1950's British Railways version. The bloke who owned it had originally drove one for BR.
Mike
 
Pete collects dinky corgi miniatures etc and has an original of one of these boxed with a number on. He's got boxed collections of buses as well. Jean.
 
found this on youtube of a mechanical horse at transport museum.fasinating vehiches

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wO-oGgx8xM"]YouTube - mechanical horse at aston manor[/ame]
 
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