Wellington, Quick Trip.

Did a quick trip to Wellington and back today, to take Alice back to her flat, after her weekend at "home".
Saw this big Scania 730 on the wharf all loaded up to go somewhere.

On the way home I looked in the window of Motomart in Lower Hutt to dream over what I might buy if I won Lotto.
As a a current BMW owner I guess an R1200RT is the obvious choice, but it's a big bike with 125hp (compared with my present 50) and with prices in the mid 30s it isn't what one would call cheap.

Honda's ST1300 is also a big bike, but it's more than $10,000 less.

I somehow think with the riding I do these days the F800GT would probably do the trick. Much lighter , but with 90hp I'm sure it would have enough power for my uses. I do prefer shaft drive (which the other two do have) but at least its rubber belt doesn't need lubrication. I think the price is just over $20,00.
But I would miss the beat of my boxer twin.
Maybe if I won Lotto I would just keep the old one and pay for repairs as needed.

The Heavies

Here are a couple of great photos I have recently accessed which are not mine, but definitely worth sharing. In both cases they are moving forestry gear.

Max Youle managed to snap this PTS Freightliner Coronado on No.1 Line in Palmerston North.
Excuse the slight blur, but Max's wife alerted him to its approach and Max had to grab his camera and race out to his deck  and grab this before it was gone.

This great pic is from Alec Birch, who managed to snap Satherley's Kenworth T904, from Masterton's municipal buildings, as it negotiated the Lincoln Road, Chapel Street roundabout. 

Advertising.

Here are some of the commercial vehicle and coach body-building advertising from my 1950 British vehicle industry book, and I think all companies here, are no longer in existence,

Old Commercials in Colour

Here are some coloured photos from the old book I discovered on the British motor industry.

Atkinson 8-wheeler with Gardner diesel power.

Metropolitan-Cammell-Weymann body on a bus of the Midland Motor Omnibus Company, but unfortunately it doesn't tell us what the chassis is..

Guy Arab single decker.

Scammell 8 wheeler. Note the big balloon singles on the back axles.

32 seater Foden with body by Wadham Brothers Limited.

A Sentinel diesel with the engine mounted between the chassis rails under the deck.
This must have been good for space in the cab and cab temperature, but perhaps not always as easy for the mechanic, though some of the engines mounted in the cab were fairly tricky to get at too.

Old British.

I recently purchased an old book on the British motor industry, from a second hand book shop.Some of the car photos I have posted on the Old British Cars facebook page, but here I am showing some of the commercial vehicles.

This 1928 Sentinel steam truck was a large truck in its day and must have been an uncomfortable ride on its solid tyres, but at least it had a semi-closed cab.

This earlier Foden has much more of a locomotive look, with a roof, but no windscreen..

This 1907 Sentinel has an open deck and an open cab.

Although this Sentinel, of 1933, has pneumatic tyres, a closed cab and a much more conventional appearance, it is still powered by steam.

A Foden of the 1940s is diesel powered.

Daimler buses of the late 1930s were typical of  British buses of this time, with their driver in a separate compartment.
A design referred to as half-cab.

The Commer Avenger of 1929/30 was also of similar design.
Later Avengers from the 1960s on, were powered by the powerful, but noisy TS3 two-stroke diesel.

Diesels were becoming the power plant of choice in  buses of the 30s, but many operators still preferred petrol powered units, like this Dennis Lancet

Late 1930 Leyland has the passenger area extended further forward than was normal for its time.
This was partly due to the fact that the engine was under the floor.

Earlier buses, or chars-a-banc as they were called, had folding tops, similar to cars of the time.
This one is a 1911 Karrier.

This 1912 model is also a Karrier, but has a solid roof, but no sides and forward control.

The 1905 Dennis, shown here, has a solid roof and folding side curtains.

Double deckers were an early British idea, as can be seen by this steam powered Thornycroft of 1902.
Early double deckers usually had an open top deck, but this one has a canopy, mainly to prevent the passengers being covered in soot.

One of Scammels solid tyred articulated rigs of 1923, only a year after the company began.

By 1926 Scammel were already building tanker trailers which were frameless.

The Dennis A type was used throughout the First World War.