Richard Peskett Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Recently acquired by a West Midlands collector is this Tilling-Stevens petrol electric complete, chassis no. 832 new in January 1916 to the WD. It would seem that these vehicles rarely managed to get photographed ?. Numbers purchased by the WD run into at least 300. Tilling-Stevens ran a serries of adverts at the time depicting lorries looking to be on home front duty carrying the 'O.H.M.S.' lettering. Many by 1920 had found their way into 'bus company use , Midland Red being one of the largest purchasers. More common in photographs would be the Dennis-Stevens used for search-light work. The radiator of one of these possibly still survives at the winter quarters of a Hampshire fairground proprietor. Richard Peskett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Oh nice find! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 A nice find indeed. A number of similar Tilling-Stevens were also used by the French. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 What are the owner's intentions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charawacky Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Looks fantastic How is it to be bodied? Is that the body behind supported on drums? Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfy Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 A friend of a friend who I camped with at War and Peace has one of these. In fact he has 2 to make 1! He showed me the photos of them, he would probably love to chat to you about them, he said he's only met one other owner of these...maybe its you? Colt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 (edited) I assume this T-S is the same that appeared in The Automobile magazine, November 1999. At the time it was up for sale and was said to be chassis number 632 - so presumably a typo along the way somewhere. The article said: ...Tim Olding has made good progess with his 1916 Tilling-Stevens TS3 petrol-elecric bus. Due to other demands on his time, he is unable to complete it. The engine (number 407) has been overhauled and all the tubes and side plates of the radiator reconditioned. The chassis started life with the War Department. From 1920, it belonged to Southdown [bus company], who sold it back to Tillings for reconditioning in 1931. It then joined the fairground circuit, where, as ever, its dynamo was the principal attraction. It was rescued from a showman's yard in 1964. An appropriate [bus] body with an equally intriguing history was later united with the chassis. Edited August 1, 2010 by Runflat Trouble with the trypewriter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Peskett Posted August 1, 2010 Author Share Posted August 1, 2010 History of the Tilling-Stevens chassis coming up ; you are making me work hard. !. The chassis no. is 832 ( recent photo attached) and the quoted history is not correct. I first heard of the vehicle in Sept. 1964, as I mentioned in my Crossley tender notes recently Jack Sparshatt at Portsmouth was a good friend. Had a call one day to say he had a couple of lorries he did not want for his collection and would like them to go to a good home. At the time we were all very keen and memebers of the 'Worthing Historic Commercial Vehicle Group'. Anyhow Brian Johnson and I went one Saturday morning in Oct. '64 to Jack's Farlington depot to view what was on offer. Outside on some adjacent waste ground was a complete Leyland chassis appearing to be in reasonable order , possibly just post WWI 'G' type. ( many years later this became the basis for one of Mike Sutcliffe's excellent 'bus restorations). Inside was the Tillings, complete chassis except the radiator core had been taken out. The deal was that he would like the 'Group' to have them but to make it a legal sale we would have to pay for them. A price of 1/- each was agreed and duely paid by the 'Group' this included delivery to Bognor Regis. Unfortunately I never asked Jack where they came from so in all truth the Tillings history is unknown from sale by the WD untill Sept. 1964, but both vehicles had never been left outdoors for any length of time. The Leyland went of in one direction and eventually ended up as just mentioned. The Tillings was taken on by a group member who was very interested in Southdown buses, and at this time he discovered that the Southdown had bought chassis 830 from the WD and subsequently used it as a bus so the grand scheme was to alter the identity of 832 to that of 830. Nothing came of the project, eventually changing hands a couple of times, in the interim a 1915 Birch built double deck bus body was obtained but this had started life on a Daimler 'CC' chassis for the 'British' company in London and was not suitable for the chassis. It eventually was bought by my good friend as in the picture. The 'British' body has now been reunited the an appropiate 1913 Daimler 'CC' chassis and the Tillings has a much better future in front of it. Richard Peskett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Thanks Richard. Nothing like a bit of myth busting. And if you look at the photos in The Automobile it's quite obvious the bus body didn't quite fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Thats fascinating stuff. So, where is the CC now? Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Peskett Posted August 6, 2010 Author Share Posted August 6, 2010 Further to the use of the Tilling-Stevens petrol-electric model TS3 by the WD in WW1, I have found a couple of photographs which clearly show some did have the more standard type of GS body. This is one of many purchased from the WD by the Midland Red bus company after WW1 . Owing to the desperate shortage of usuable vehicles linked with the rapid increase in people wishing to travel the Midland pressed into use on a temporary basis these vehicle which were known as lorry buses. A hasty conversion involving the use of the existing tail board and the fitment of seats seem to have sufficed. London also went down this road with some 180 ex. WD A.E.C. 'Y' types being used for the same purpose for a few months in 1919. Possibly the ultimate restoration project having a solid tyre WW1 lorry and a bus all in one !. Could this be the next winner of the best 'non bus' bus at Seaton ??. Richard Peskett. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minesweeper Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 Wonderful Richard - love it! Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 What a great picture Richard. Thanks. I understand that there are two potential "Y" Type lorry buses in the restoration pipeline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted August 7, 2010 Share Posted August 7, 2010 OHH I'd love to have a go on one of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted September 19, 2010 Share Posted September 19, 2010 For amusement, from Sept 1914: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted September 19, 2010 Share Posted September 19, 2010 A picture from my collection (not for reproduction). Almost certainly taken in the 1920s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted October 18, 2010 Share Posted October 18, 2010 Another advert - Lord Mayor's procession, November 9th, 1915 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 A couple more adverts: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted October 25, 2010 Share Posted October 25, 2010 I'm intrested to see RNAS on the loory sides. Were RNAS totally in charge of home defence during the early part of the Great War? The site of the current Joyce Gtreen Hospital at Dartford had some intresting 'Flying' style buildings in the undergrowth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Time for another picture. This one from Motor Traction April 16th, 1919. Apologies for the quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rlangham Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I'm intrested to see RNAS on the loory sides. Were RNAS totally in charge of home defence during the early part of the Great War? The site of the current Joyce Gtreen Hospital at Dartford had some intresting 'Flying' style buildings in the undergrowth. Only for London, the rest was left to the Army, up until mid-1916 I believe. There's some great photos out there of the De Dion Bouton armoured 75mm auto-canon in RN service in London Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redherring Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Is there any chance the T-S restorer might post restoration progress? Have been long fascinated by the T-S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charawacky Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 (edited) Is this a WW1 T S demonstrating wheel chains? http://www.geschiedenis24.nl/speler.program.7028826.html 6.37 minutes through. http://www.prewarcar.com/images/stories/editor_images/1924-tilling-stevens-concours-1.jpg Edited February 1, 2012 by Charawacky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redherring Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Love to see a few more photos of this chassis and its workings... please... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runflat Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 The series of photos starting here, won't be that different: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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