Mobile Shop for 1752
Page 49
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'EXTENSIVE use is made of plastics materials in a range of IL, ice-cream sales vans being manufactured by Graham Bros., Ltd., Church Street, Enfield, Middx. The vehicles could well be adapted for use also as mobile cafés, gown vans, fish and chip bars or even small motor caravans. The Vendor van sells for £752 in standard trim and unpainted.
The original vans of this type built by Graham Bros., Ltd., had aluminium roof panels, but current models have a one-piece glass-fibre moulding which extends from below the windscreen to above the rear doors. The standard Bedford windscreen is retained. Glass-fibre mouldings, supplied by Rydgeway Plastics, Ltd., Harold Wood, Essex, are employed for the full-height rear quarter panels and rear wheelboxes as well as the roof.
Body-side and door panels are of 16-gauge aluminium alloy and the deal floor is covered with grade A linoleum. Standard lining panels for the body are of plywood, but pale blue colour-impregnated glass-fibre panelling can be fitted. Interior layout can be varied according to customers' requirements, but in all cases Avtrev plastics-faced chip board is used for shelves, cupboards and so forth.
There is a large window on each side, either or both of which can include a sliding panel about 2 ft. 6 -in. wide. Double rear doors are fitted, but these are not intended for use during a sales round and external handles are omitted to avoid risk of children opening the doors. A standard fitting in all vans is a Smith's sink unit, which incorporates an insulated 8-gal, tank which keeps the water hot for 12 hours.
Order for 100 Vans
One hundred of these vehicles being supplied to Toni's Cream Ices, Ltd., Borehamwood, Herts, have a fixed 8-cu.-ft. cold box and a removable 13-cu.-ft. unit. These boxes are insulated with either Isocolor or Polyzote expanded polystyrene material and contain a galvanized-steel tank.
A slightly different van has no rear doors, but a wide top hinged window. At the rear are two cold boxes adjacent to the serving area at the near side, so that the roundsman will have less walking to do.
As supplied to Toni's Cream Ices, Ltd., the complete vehicle has an unladen weight of 1 ton 3 cwt. Three vans are being built each week.
It is of interest that, whilst • vehicles of this type operating in the south of England generally carry all their ice-cream in block form, in the north and Midlands there is a greater demand for ice-cream in bulk.