Invincible Mick

Hi Johnld, No expert here, but was told not to use modern EP oil in Diff or side casings due to the sulphur content attacking the bronze worm wheel and any other plain bronze bearings. I think the gear box is all roller needle or ball bearings and know of people that say its OK. Personally, given the mileage and use they get now I just stick to the original straight oils. Mick

Hi everyone. It was me that did the original post after I went to buy a couple of batteries there and looked in amazement to see a 70+ year British lorry stood there. Glad to hear that it has finally been rescued. As I said in the original post it was too good to scrap although I suppose when you look closer there's more work than you think (as always). Great positive outcome, which is more than I can say for some of those earlier posts.

Hi All, Since the trip to Normandy back in 2014 we also took the Pioneer to the VE Day Commemorations in London in May this year. We were lucky enough to be considered and ended up as one of the gate guardians to the entrance to St James's Park from the Mall for the three day event. Needless to say it was busy. We drove the Pioneer down from Wolverhampton over night ending up in the rush hour traffic on the Friday morning which was quite an experience. The rather long cab video is on you tube at and there is another of the other vehicles in and around the Park at

Hi everyone, Getting back to the intention of the original posting which was to more widely make aware that this old motor is in a scrapyard and available, rather than the economics of whether its worth bothering to restore, is there anyone out there interested? There are a lot of good points about a Hippo that have already been mentioned and once you accept the size there are a number of advantages, not least is the convenience and room of making the back into accommodation for the weekend rallies (Ask long standing Hippo owner Phil Palmer). I am no expert on these vehicles but I would say that it is probably mechanically pretty sound and generally an easy restoration. It appears complete and original and to be honest I have seen worse vehicles being rallied. I am sure that they would be open to sensible offers, so it may come for £2000 or less and it must surely be worth that in spares to someone (The body would cost more than that to make) rather than go for its metal value. So back to the original thread. Is there anyone out there interested?

Bill. In case you haven't received my PM reply the yard is actually located on the large island where the A41 and A444 Black Country New Road meet. Its a large vehicle dealers and scrap yard with rows of lorries for sale on the front. Its about 4 miles off J10 of the M6. Their number is 0121 526 3109. The address given by google is 1 Church Street, Darlaston, WS10 8DS but I don't think that this is the yard so beware of instructions from Sat Nav. What I mean when I say they will have little time for time wasters is that this is a business with a large turnover of vehicles at 10 -20K apiece and the Leyland is peanuts in the scale of things. It is far too good to scrap, especially after surviving 70 years, but they have scrapped old motors in the past. Mick

Hi. This WWII Leyland is in a scrapyard in Darlaston, near Wolverhampton. I am told it starts, runs and, drives and as obviously been preserved in the past by it's age related plate. There is a fair bit of work to the cab etc but not that bad really and all original as far as I can see. The asking price is £2500 and ultimately if no one buys it will go for scrap. The scrapyard is Rickards on the A41 island and they will not take kindly to time wasters.

While we are on the subject of towing Buses, heres one round Wolverhampton 45 years after they took the wires away.

Pioneers are usually able to pull anything but "birds" but is this the exception.

Best to get new ones if possible. Many years ago I bought an odd S/H one for £100 which seemed OK and matched the other patterns. Fitted it to the rim and left it inflated to find it had split and was scrap. Also you will need to measure the circumference and try to match them to each side as if they are too diferent it winds the gears up in the casings and they get hot. There are set tolerances which perhaps someone else will know. I had five "identical" tyres that had never been fitted on rims before and their circumferences differed by 5 inches. Cheers

My chassis No is 4260 and it was delivered on 25-6-43 under contract TM 5019 issued on 28-7-1941. According to Pat Ware's book Pioneer which lists contract numbers, chassis No 4977 was built under contract S3164 issued 21 months later. given a rough production of 10 a week 4977 would have been built around October 1944. As for 1944 on the crane they all seem to have this on. Could this be a model number? happy Scammelling.

Hi from another fully paid up member of the Scammell asylm (Pioneer Ward). Looks a bit rough at first glance but most of its there, which is the main thing I suppose. Love the scammell signs on each side. Whoever went to all that trouble must have loved it even in its working days. I am guessing, but by some of the features it looks close to mine which is chassis no 4260. Anything I can be of assistance with is an e-mail away. Look forward to more pics.

Hi Desert Rat I looked out the info sent to me in 1994 by the Curator of the Army Museum of Transport, Wally Dugan. He wrote: - " I feel RASC markings would be appropriate for your tractor as depending on where it operated, it could have been used in the Italian campaign by either the 8th Army or the 8th Armoured Division both of whom served in the Italy with the RASC". He then enclosed a brief history of the division which is on the scanned document shown. There was no mention of colour but in the end I used matt mid bronze green with matt black "mickey mouse ear" being applied with a 6" brush. I don't know how correct it all was but it was the best I could do at the time with the info available. I always thought that the RASC signs and Divisional marking were on the wrong sides. In the end it looked alright and I just concentrated on getting it out on the road. Hope it may be of use to you in some shape or form. Invincible Mick

I had a neighbour who had been in the RASC in Africa and I think in Italy latter on so I did my Pioneer in RASC markings until I went to Normandy with it in 2004 and changed it to REME. I had all the info from the now defunct Museum of Army Transport in Beverley and would need to dig the letter out to give you the full details if you want. In the meantime here is a photo of it in the markings, unfortunately the diamond tread tyres split some time back, but I always thought they looked better than the bar grips.

Thanks for the compliment. The name came from someone who took a look while it was being worked on and described it to his father who was in the R.E.M.E. for National Sevice and he told him they were invincible, so I thought "his words not mine" and so it stuck. Here are a few pics at Onslow Park Rally 2008 when she wasn't so Invincible as the ground got the better of her grip, although we were pushing 23 tons plus the gear drag up to this point for over half a mile. Even on the front we couldn't get a grip so the loader was put on the front of the Sacmmell and then at the back to pull the Fowler into its allotted place. Great fun though!

Thats right it is Mike. He never before saved so much fuel by going that steady.

Paul Wallis may be in the Scammell and Nigel in the Ward. I am not sure from the photo, but you are right on the location as we left the Jeep at camp. Whole crew was 5 of us, Paul Wallis, Nigel Dain, Mike Harrison, myself and son Richard. Here is one of Paul's jeep hanging around in the square of Douvres la Delivrande on June 6th

It might be big, but its not fast. Keep the Jokes coming, PLEASE.

It certain is Spood + the Ward behind and there should be a Jeep somewhere. Is this on the main coast road from Arromanches? Keep em rolling Mick

Owner of Scammell Pioneer recovery since 1981. I think I've got the hang of the gears now. Don't know how I ended up with a military vehicle, but there you go Im quite settled with it now. Started off on Traction Engines in the early days and moved on to lorries. Scammell has been restored since 2000 and has done mainly local rallies bar the two trips to Normandy (2004 & 09). Like to put it to a bit of use and have regularly unloaded Tracton Engines, craned things and once took trolleybus to the town show, plus winching out the odd tree and of course helping out with the RBL's Poppy Appeal Look forward to a few more years with her yet, hope to see you around at the shows. Mick P.S. it's the Scammell thats called Invincible.

I think it is an axle of anearly Albion, but not sure and yes it is Len Crane's TK.

Or even the year before that! Yes Smithy, they did an article and a video on the website when I took it down as a suprise to ex R.E.M.E. driver Ted Aldhous from Wombourne who drove them in the war and had some great stories to recall.

Thanks for the info. Will try harder next time. Found a few more pics as well from 2006. These are all with dummy weights on the front. The showmans wasn't too much trouble. The low loader had just settled in a bit and came out OK, but the wet ground defeated the old girl for the first time ever, although I pushed the Ploughing engine back on the low loader at the end of the show (Onslow Park) with no trouble.

How do you post a new thread? I struggle to work this thing, its not like a Pioneer. Any way here are a few pics of lifting off a Bedford TK cab. Needles to say we put it back on later.

I originally made mine from planned 4" x 4" timber straight from a timber merchants and they fooled many. I did use 1" dia bits broom handles glued in at the ends for the handles as well. I later managed to but 3 real ones and found that these were pretty rough in comparison so if you do go for wood don't be too fussy and in hindsight would recommend steel bars for the handles and again not worry if they are not straight. I did find pushing traction engines around on fields that the front end was too light and even keeping the bar staright the front got pushed over quite easily, but with just the 3 weights in the second row this was cured even for a big plowing or crane engine. However If I am not going to a rally to do a bit of "Work" I use the wood ones as the steering becomes quite a bit heavier and I was once told they flatten the front spring over time if left on.

The floorboards on my SV2S were loose tongued, that is each plank has a groove and there is a loose tongue between them. The side boards are a traditional tongue and groove board with the tongue uppermost, if I recall correctly they were all ex 11/4" timber i.e. about 1 1/8" finish. I can only assume that it was built this way so that water could eventually drain away.