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The hills were high, the day and engines hot, yet almost 250 historic commercial vehicle enthusiasts turned up again for the 21st trans-Pennine run. Commercial Motor was among the veterans.
• Guiseley, Yorkshire, one of the biggest climbs in the Pennines, and the sixcylinder engine on Mick Goulding's 1948 Albion FT3 gives up the ghost.
In the heat and queue of traffic, fuel is evaporating before it can reach the carburettor. But Goulding, one of 250 enthusiasts taking part in the 21st annual Manchester to Harrogate trans-Pennine run, is prepared.
As Sunday motorists honk their indignation, he pours water on the fuel lines and waits for them to cool. "This happened all the time in the old days when the weather was hot." he says of the four-tonnepayload Scots-built truck, which spent its early years carrying a fairground helterskelter.
RESTORING
Goulding bought the Albion in 1984. "Some people play golf," he says. "I spend my time restoring commercial vehicles. It takes over your life, but with this hobby, you are left with an asset."
He values the truck, which has only covered 1,600km since its restoration, at £7,000 and keeps it in a garage, taking it out only a few times a year for rallies. A glazier, who has been tinkering with trucks since childhood, Goulding claims the vehicle is "99.9% authentic": the only pieces not true to the original design are a few wires and the indicators.
The Albion was originally bought by Great Yarmouth showman 1)13 Cole to carry a helter-skelter from his yard to the seafront. It passed through a few owners until the 1970s, during which time it sported a wide variety of liveries.
Goulding restored the original colour scheme. He stripped and renovated the floor, wings, glass and front panel. He also rewired and repaired the fuel system. Albions from this era are particularly fascinating, he says, because their coachbuilt wooden-frame design was becoming dated compared with the steel-framed Leylands then appearing. Albion was taken over by Leyland in 19M.
GOOD PUBLICITY
Goulding reckons that about half the participants in the rally are in road transport professionally. For some hauliers, including BRS, having a pristine vintage vehicle on show means good publicity. For those not in the industry, it is simply an enjoyable day out.
"We're trying to recreate history," says Maurice White of the Historic Commercial Vehicle Society. Taking part in this year's event were several trucks which took part in the first rally 21 years ago.
The run started at Belle Vue, Manchester, and passed through Rochdale, Halifax, Bradford and Shipley, finishing at Harrogate Stray by mid-afternoon.
0 by Murdo Morrison