bird's eye view by the hawk Commercial Motor takes road
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haulage very seriously. However, once a week our quirky correspondent, the Hawk, steps off his perch to take a humorous look at the industry to keep us all sane. If you have any off-beat yarns that illustrate the stranger, or sillier, side of the business, he'd like to hear from you. As a softhearted old bird, he's also happy to publicise charitable works— and is always interested in events for the vintage vehicles he drove as a fledgling. Drop the Hawk a line at Commercial Motor, Bird's Eye View, Rm H203, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Sun-ey SM2 54S, or fax him on 0181 652 8969.
The return of the Foden
hat you see before you is a glimpse of Hawk Heaven; this First World War Foden steam wagon is believed to be the only one of its type in preservation. This summer the old soldier received a bit of a make-over when Historic Steam (specialists in steam engine restoration) gave the vehicle a major overhaul at Kew Bridge Steam Museum in West London. The work involved removing the boiler from its frame and manufacturing and fitting a new fire box, front tube plate and tubes. The team also had to make new rivet dies to reproduce the Foden-type conical rivet heads The finishing touches were then applied when the Foden was painted in its
original colours and the correct lettering was added. The vehicle first saw action when it was supplied by Foden to the British Army in 1916 to help make up roads behind Allied lines in Northern France After the Great War it was bought by a kcal contractor in Cambrai,famous as the site of the first mass tank attack. It was from there in 1975 that its present owner Denis Brandt repatriated it. Once home it was completely restored by Historic Steam with the he4) of the Imperial War Museum. Now the veteran trooper is the star attraction at the numerous steam rallies and vintage steam vehicle runs that it attends. Not bad eh2 Still pulling after all those years...