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Scammell Explorer 1955.


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As you can see from the following reply, it has been a busy day, however, I have managed to do some work.

The front hitch was stuck solid in the front cross member, so it had to come out and work as it was intended in the first place when put back.

I used several lengths of wood and a short length of scaffold pipe to act as a lever to work the hitch in both an anti clockwise and clock wise to start it moving.

We finally got it moving but it took 3 hours of working it back and forth until I could just turn it myself with out the aid of the trolley jack.

I removed the big nut on the back, and my wife came up with the idea that we have another lorry, so why don't you pull it out with that.

I coupled up the lorry and put the explorer in gear, brakes on and it had no affect what so ever. So I kept the tension on the strop, and belted the end up inside the cross member with the nut fitted back on and slowly it came out.

When I cleaned up the inside I noticed little grooves which I had seen before when I did the front fairlead rollers, so with a lead light I searched for the grease nipple, this I removed check it worked okay and cleaned it up before placing it back in it's position.

Once I had cleaned up the jaw I painted it and the front cross member and made up a new toggle as the front one was missing totally, put the whole lot back together and stood back to admire my day's work.

Easier than producing 8 pup's LOL.

 

The Governor.

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David, fantastic information, from first hand user.

I notice the front grill is yellow and the radiator cap red also. Was this standard colours for their use.? and being 94BD06 did it serve in the same part of the world as mine.

white caps on the end of the wheels, also a safety thing ??

 

The Governor.

 

Governor,

Congratulations on the pups - looks like a fine litter. In answer to your questions - don't get hung up on how our unit painted Explorers - our paint schemes were neither definitive nor indicative of what the rest of the Army was doing. For a start, we were an RCT unit - most recovery vehicles were operated by REME. Secondly, we were a support unit and not a front line unit, so we were not expected to put on camouflage netting and hide in the hills on exercise. Our primary role was in support of 20 maritime Regiment RCT - mainly in the loading and unloading of ships on jetties and beaches using our Explorers as shunting tractors. The final iteration of our paint schemes were in an attempt to improve Health & Safety. We often operated at night time in extremely bad weather conditions where poor visibility was a hazard. In the 70's we had a horrendous safety record with a number of fatalities and severe injuries, some of the accidents being quite bizarre in nature. The paint scheme was in recognition that our vehicles were used as MHE (plant) rather than trucks whist we operated on shipping tasks. Funnily enough, this was semi-recognised due to the standard FV binnacle on the scammell housing a mechanical odometer - i.e. it would roll off miles when the vehicle was reversing. As we could operate all day running trailers down the jetty and in to the ship, then reverse back on full hand throttle, we could empty the 70 gallon tank of petrol whilst only adding a couple of miles on to the odometer! Hours runs (as recorded by plant) was a more appropriate measure of use rather than miles. As to the history of 94BD06, I have no idea - during my career I drove well over a dozen different scammells on a regular basis and probably about 20 if you include those that I drove occasionally or ferried to workshops on behalf of other uses. I used to enjoy reading the history in their record books, but that was more than 35 years ago so I have no memory of where any individual vehicle served. If you are interested, then Wally Duggen, who post regularly on this forum - he used to run the Museum of Army Transport at Beverley and he seems to still be able to access the records of individual vehicles.

I have added some pictures - the first two show 92BD03 as we got her and as we painted her. The third is 94BD06 midway through a paint job to add stripes (if memory serves me, she bit the dust before the job was completed!) and the last shows our full Hi-Vis look which was used right up to the point when the Scammells were replace on the ship loading task by Muir Hill 171's.

 

Regards - David

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David, once again you have given us an insight, to the different units that operated these lorries, and there very different uses.

Perhaps if Wally is reading this thread, he will pm me with his call sign, and I will be able to find out more history of this lorry. Blue Belle has made a good start, I would like to know in it's green format, as it is this coulour at present I am restoring it to, what marking's it had and colours that certain parts were.

Kind regards,

 

The Governor.

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well well you told me that you had an explore , but I have never seen it . now I know who you are from your highwayman in the photo . I have seen the standard of restoration that you turn out so I will be keeping an eye on this . the photos of my armoured matador are in a blog on this site . Doug fleet

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Morning Doug,

I had a look at your blog last week, and said to myself what a small world it is, I will catch up with you some where in the not to distant future.

I did not realize it was your blog, what took my attention was the fact it was used in the showman,s world, I then checked to see the author, and saw your matador all marked up with your name.

I will have to make a special effort to continue my quality restorations.

Kind regards,

 

The Governor.

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Governor,

Congratulations on the pups - looks like a fine litter. In answer to your questions - don't get hung up on how our unit painted Explorers - our paint schemes were neither definitive nor indicative of what the rest of the Army was doing. For a start, we were an RCT unit - most recovery vehicles were operated by REME. Secondly, we were a support unit and not a front line unit, so we were not expected to put on camouflage netting and hide in the hills on exercise. Our primary role was in support of 20 maritime Regiment RCT - mainly in the loading and unloading of ships on jetties and beaches using our Explorers as shunting tractors. The final iteration of our paint schemes were in an attempt to improve Health & Safety. We often operated at night time in extremely bad weather conditions where poor visibility was a hazard. In the 70's we had a horrendous safety record with a number of fatalities and severe injuries, some of the accidents being quite bizarre in nature. The paint scheme was in recognition that our vehicles were used as MHE (plant) rather than trucks whist we operated on shipping tasks. Funnily enough, this was semi-recognised due to the standard FV binnacle on the scammell housing a mechanical odometer - i.e. it would roll off miles when the vehicle was reversing. As we could operate all day running trailers down the jetty and in to the ship, then reverse back on full hand throttle, we could empty the 70 gallon tank of petrol whilst only adding a couple of miles on to the odometer! Hours runs (as recorded by plant) was a more appropriate measure of use rather than miles. As to the history of 94BD06, I have no idea - during my career I drove well over a dozen different scammells on a regular basis and probably about 20 if you include those that I drove occasionally or ferried to workshops on behalf of other uses. I used to enjoy reading the history in their record books, but that was more than 35 years ago so I have no memory of where any individual vehicle served. If you are interested, then Wally Duggen, who post regularly on this forum - he used to run the Museum of Army Transport at Beverley and he seems to still be able to access the records of individual vehicles.

I have added some pictures - the first two show 92BD03 as we got her and as we painted her. The third is 94BD06 midway through a paint job to add stripes (if memory serves me, she bit the dust before the job was completed!) and the last shows our full Hi-Vis look which was used right up to the point when the Scammells were replace on the ship loading task by Muir Hill 171's.

 

Regards - David

 

 

Dave,

 

Was the white hubs part of the Hi-Vis scheme?

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Dave,

 

Was the white hubs part of the Hi-Vis scheme?

 

Reply to both Tarland and Governor.

 

The white hubs were not part of our "enhanced safety" colour scheme. When I started driving these vehicles in 1973 the wheels were painted DB Green, the split rim nuts red and the road wheel nuts and hubs white. If you look at the youtube clip with the title "the bowmore boiler film" (sorry I am rubbish at working out how to insert links) you will get an idea of how Scammells were painted back in 1964. The film is in 5 parts and shows a KAPE exercise (Keep the Army in the Public Eye). A new boiler was transported on an Army Mk8 Landing Craft (LCT) from Rhu to Bowmore whiskey distillery. It's in 5 parts and the from the second part onward, there are good views of 35BC46 showing that its hubs were white. It may be to signify that the vehicle can be lifted by crane by putting wire strops around the hubs. 35BC46 at that time would be an RASC vehicle (Royal Army Service Corps) which became RCT in 1965. The vehicles markings would show RASC and Scottish Command on both the front and rear mudguards. I was privileged to drive 35BC46 for about a year before it was scrapped around 1975'ish - sadly it spent its final days in Stirling Workshops boneyard being picked clean of parts.

Red paint on the radiator cap was standard indicating the danger of opening whilst hot. The fuel tank cap was also painted red to indicate Civgas (petrol - diesel tank caps were painted yellow). There was also red bands around either side of the front differential casing which were stencilled "do not jack here".

 

Regards - David

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just watched all 5 pieces of film and incredible what the people and machines achieved.

 

more impressive is the old foden started up and worked after sitting in the sea submerged for how many days.

 

if that were a truck today it would be written off!

 

have to say the 980 coming of the landing craft was my favourite bit but i am biased lol.

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Firstly, the progress of pup's, all are getting bigger, and Mother is doing well.

I have removed the rear socket, for trailer towing, the rear disc indicator for identifying the distance of the vehicle in front thingy, and it's light.

All have had a hard couple of years and need a lot of work to make them work as they should.

The disc looks like it has been through it's own little war, with the ground and any objects that have got in the way, and bent the support as well as the disc.

The light has rusted, or the paint has stuck the out side cover that look's like it should rotate to cut down on the amount of light it emits.

And the trailer socket would be okay if you could undo the cover, but it has "fused" together with the cover, and will take quite a lot of effort to get it to open. Watch this space.

 

The Governor.

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This area is the next area to be tackled.The lorry over it's life after military use has never been given any treatment, so as difficult as it is, I will try and tidy it up without removing the rest of the lorry from the chassis so I can get to it.

 

The Governor.

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I set about cleaning up the disc, and look what I found on the back. Yellow. So it would be reasonable to presume the original disc may have been damaged, and replaced with the yellow disc that would display weight information on the front below the indicator.

It was also yellow on the front between the layer's of paint.

I did expect rain this weekend, however the sun shone, so a little outside work could commence.

The remaining wooden deck was removed, as it was unsafe to walk on because it was like walking on a trap door, and the consequence of falling through does not bare thinking about.

Now before you send me to the cells for a night, and in the morning put me before a firing squad, I apologize for using the wrong wood, but right from the start, I did explain this was not a cheque book restoration, so a cheaper alternative needed to be found in place of the oak flooring.

What I have used is a short term fix, whilst I save up to make the whole area as it should be, in the future.

 

The Governor.

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Andy, I am not to sure, however, there does appear to be a good coating of red paint, it's not just undercoat, as red and green are the wrong colour build up to the final coat of green. Added to the fact that the rear has had a stronger bar fitted that supports the upper mud guards, I think a garage used it as recovery, as did many at the time this was released from military use. It makes sense for a window to be fitted there, when working with two men winching.

But it is all guess work, if only the lorry could talk,......................... now that would be a great listen.

 

 

The Governor.

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