Latest period J type pictures.

What more could you want, a J type, period cars and a steam engine.

OYC997 waiting in the High Street.

The latest TV advert for Ancestry.co.uk features this J type, you have to be quick to spot it, only on screen for 3 seconds.

I had to do a double take, one of my old Albions is for sale.

Since I owned it the speedo panel and steering wheel have been changed for earlier items.
The driver seat I recovered badly.

Sporting a cut down Foden front bumper, the front wings I repaired still look good.

The tow bar has been added and apart from the front wings the body was Cream  and the strange  Brown  that I had to have mixed to match the HOVIS colour.

Nice Art deco, I spent many many hours cleaning it all as it was all brown from the  cigarettes.

I replaced some of the side windows, these were very heavy but each passenger had a handle and could wind the windows up and down, they worked very well.

I had to do a double take while looking  on a classic vehicle web site to find my old Albion bus was for sale. One of two I owned/saved back in the late 1970's.
From the sale pitch.This KCD 697 is an Albion Victor FT3AB was completed in November 1949. It was initially used a demonstrator by its body manufacturer, Harrington’s of Hove, Sussex. It then passed to St. Dunstan’s home for the blind, just outside Brighton, and worked there for many years. The vendor believes that this bus was used at the World famous Star and Garter Hospital for injured serviceman in Richmond-upon-Thames and then after changing owners, this Albion was the subject to an external restoration sometime in the Eighties, painting the bus in the Hovis colours, which she is presented here today. The Art Deco style interior is completely original and in very good order. The vendor purchased this Albion in 2002 and added it to his collection of commercial vehicles and has had very little use since. This 26 seat bus is supplied with a V5 registration document and a Class V MoT test certificate. Please note if the coach was to be used for fare paying passengers it would require a full PSV standard test certificate.


Quiet a bit of its history seems to be missing, St Dunstan's sold it to Rank Hovis who used it for the sports/cricket  club. I bought it from them. While in their ownership they removed the 6cly petrol engine and fitted a 4 cly diesel.
Some of the jobs I did on it, some new side windows, rubbed down all the interior wood work and re-varnished it all with four coats. Had some seat covers repaired. Recovered the roof as it leaked badly. Made an exhaust for it. Repaired the fuel gauge, magnet/float inside the fuel tank was sized. Rewired, repainted the whole of the outside. Had it sign written Hovis, front back and sides along with the motto "don't say brown say Hovis" on the rear doors just as it had been in service but was removed when they sold it.
New tyres and brakes, engine hoses but it never let me down in 8 years of ownership. Glad to see it's still around.
I sold it to a "mate" for £350, to a good home, he had it less than 6 weeks and he had made £1000 when he sold it on. I only sold it as I was buying my first house and was short of money that's also when I had to sell my first Morris JB van, VOU 562 which is also still about I'm glad to say.

My latest trip out.

I recently took the JB van to London. The trip was to assist a fellow JB owner with his restoration. He had been working "blind" as the vehicle he started off with was very poorly, so many parts missing and corroded.
Vital measurements needed to be taken from an actual vehicle as having only vehicle pictures to work from did not give a true idea of how a J type is constructed.

Driving up the M4 motorway to London, traffic rather light.

Earls Court, roadworks and we moved forward about two vehicles at a time with each changing of the traffic lights.

A posh London restaurant on the corner of the Kings Road, at least something nice in the window.

Battersea Power station can just be seen over the distant trees. Yes more heavy traffic.

An interesting tyre supplier, they stock remould Taxi tyres in 16 inch. ( why they want to break shock absorbers, I do not know) I think the sign writer meant Brakes, not Breaks. Just me being very picky.

A full lunch was provided as a thank you for bring the van to the restoration workshop.

Is that the MI5 building I spy ahead?

Over Vauxhall bridge on my way home, more heavy traffic as one day cricket at the Kennington Oval.

Mini cab driver gets in the way of the London Eye as we crawl home. Still the JB got me there and back and a very interesting day and I hope a few more J type friends made. Thanks to "Bob" for making me very welcome on the day.

Late summer holiday.

I will be on holiday for the next week or so, need to have a break from the ongoing family troubles. So off to sunny Norfolk, spend some time on a boat and long walks on the sandy wind swept dunes.
I hope to pop in on a couple of J type owners on my travels, watch out for some interesting pictures when I return. Do check out the HBF263 Blog, its been updated, more great progress.

A feast of period Pathe Pictures.

A Police J type.

All in a days work, walking pass at least 28 GPO J type vans.

Opening windscreen on the J Type in the background.

What a way to treat a van.

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Four period pictures from Mr MYtH. Featuring a GPO J Type and the GPO TPO Trailer.
Traveling Post Office.

Copy and paste these links into your browser to see the Pathe films in full.

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=74096

http://www.britishpathe.com/thumbnail.php?img=32&media_urn=92521&stills=140&time_offset=1&record_id=74096&title=MOBILE+POLICE+STATION
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=75362

http://www.britishpathe.com/thumbnail.php?img=241&media_urn=71092&stills=425&time_offset=1&record_id=75362&title=ALL+IN+A+DAY+reel+2

http://www.britishpathe.com/thumbnail.php?img=242&media_urn=71092&record_id=75362&stills=425&time_offset=1&title=ALL+IN+A+DAY+reel+2

http://www.britishpathe.com/thumbnail.php?img=254&media_urn=71092&record_id=75362&stills=425&time_offset=1&title=ALL+IN+A+DAY+reel+2

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=1260
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=1261
My thanks to Mike Parry for sending me all these links to J type items on the Pathe site. Do check them all out.