Matador Gallery

[Smithy]

Three I saw today at Banbury:

 

 

 

 

Scott

[jaces]

Went yesterday,did you see the towing display,over two hundred ton of brit iron being towed at one stage !

 

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/100646892131776028079/albums/5894934120205082465?hl=en

 

Ron outve memory card before last pull,gutted

[Smithy]

Went yesterday,did you see the towing display,over two hundred ton of brit iron being towed at one stage !

 

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/100646892131776028079/albums/5894934120205082465?hl=en

 

Ron outve memory card before last pull,gutted

 

I did indeed, in fact I've just posted a picture up of one of todays smaller loads here: http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?7057-Scammell-Explorer-Gallery&p=374305#post374305 :-D

[jaces]

Amazing when you think how old some of the ol beasts are,modern truck have bells an whistles,lights coming on all over the dash lol

[CornishMade]

I was having am browse through this thread and I thought this may be the right place to post these,

 

looking a bit sad, parked quietly in the middle of nowhere

[Smithy]

I was having am browse through this thread and I thought this may be the right place to post these,[ATTACH=CONFIG]79032[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]79033[/ATTACH]

 

looking a bit sad, parked quietly in the middle of nowhere

 

Amazing to see that they are still out there just sitting around, thanks for posting.

 

Scott

[N.O.S.]

If you work your way back and forward through this set there are some interesting Matadors and Militants as well as some amazing period truck / plant pics!

 

[rog8811]

If you work your way back and forward through this set......

 

Well that was a pleasant way to while away an hour or so, thanks for the link

[gritineye]

Well that was a pleasant way to while away an hour or so, thanks for the link

 

Agreed, some really evocative pics in there, great stuff!

[N.O.S.]

I spent 2 hours going to the left, and never reached the end - or was it the beginning?

 

There were loads of pics of a ministry truck dealers yard somewhere in the south - chalk cliff? Can anyone i.d. the yard / dealer?

[pc1959]

Well, after a long time looking at rather knackered Matadors that had had a hard life in the woods and just missing a nice timber tractor I have managed to get hold of a Bus Recovery Matador with a gert big Harvey Frost on the back.

 

I don't know anything (yet) about its military career but it was with Central Scottish Busses, Dallas Recovery in Glasgow, the Beith Transport Museum and finally a field near Hereford before I got it.

 

Here it is as I bought it, the body frame is pretty rotten, panels coming loose but everything there.

 

 

 

Handy workshop behind the cab:

 

Stern warning about taking bulbs without permission:

 

That mystery object again

 

Cramped driving position, I need to lose weight:

 

Arriving

 

 

So far so good, unfortunately the brakes failed while it was in neutral resulting in an argument with a hedge,

It knocked a lump off the cab which I then ran over for good measure:

 

Safe at last!

 

It's a good runner and my plan is to strip the panels off and store them, sort out any mechanical issues then build a similar body incorporating elements of the existing (workshop roof panel and sliding cab doors) but make the sides stop at chassis level, remodel the front panel and perhaps fit drop-sides to the rear.

Edited August 20, 2013 by pc1959
Spelling!

[N.O.S.]

I'm sure now that the mystery object is for dragging a bus sideways back onto the hardtop.

[Grasshopper]

I had a similar incident in my old Matador while shunting; brakes failed and it rolled backwards into a fire engine that had just been sold.... fortunately the damage wasn't too bad on either vehicle.

[radiomike7]

I'm sure now that the mystery object is for dragging a bus sideways back onto the hardtop.

 

By bolting onto a hub? That would make sense, not too many hard points on a bus. Not convinced about loading a bus onto a LR hardtop though.....:-D

[Snapper]

Undeniable that it looks wonderfully authentic in that livery. What are your plans for it. Keeping it in that scheme or back to original layout?

 

MB

[Grasshopper]

I found a couple of pics of my old Matador here:

 

 

It was in Green livery when I had it and had been sat for while. I had to replace the engine which had a crack the length of the block and had also "run away" when we tried to see if it would start. APart form a new cab pillar she was pretty sound. Hope she's still around, seemed to disappear after I sold her on.

[James Shopland]

Amazing to see that they are still out there just sitting around, thanks for posting.

 

Scott

 

Ripe for restoration....

[Grasshopper]

Having spent a while searching on-line for clues on the whereabouts/current state of my old Matador wrecker (which I regretfully had to sell due to redundancy/loss of storage) I'm getting a bit emotional about it :embarrassed:

[Tony B]

Bet she could tell some tales! :-D Be aware though, good runner yes, good stopper , essential. I know one now at Finmere being used to build a private railway, that has a big plate in the cab saying Don't stop on manhole covers.

[Tony B]

I'm sure now that the mystery object is for dragging a bus sideways back onto the hardtop.

 

One person, (NOT me!) who was new to the job of bus driving got lost, we all do it. However! Rather than contacting the garage and owning up, they decided to turn the vehicle, a nearly new VERY expensive double decker Volvo, on the village green. Might have worked if it hadn't been for the weeks worth of rain before hand!

[N.O.S.]

By bolting onto a hub? That would make sense, not too many hard points on a bus. Not convinced about loading a bus onto a LR hardtop though.....:-D

 

It didn't look right when I posted it but I couldn't think what was wrong - now I can see i meant BLACKtop! :blush:

[pc1959]

Undeniable that it looks wonderfully authentic in that livery. What are your plans for it. Keeping it in that scheme or back to original layout?

 

I love all the signwriting but I think the shape of the body, especially the cab, is a bit ugly.

I plan to carefully remove and preserve the original signwritten panels and then rebuild the body as a recovery truck with sides that don't go below the chassis and a nicer front end.

 

First job is to get the brakes working though........

[Smithy]

I found a couple of pics of my old Matador here:

 

 

It was in Green livery when I had it and had been sat for while. I had to replace the engine which had a crack the length of the block and had also "run away" when we tried to see if it would start. APart form a new cab pillar she was pretty sound. Hope she's still around, seemed to disappear after I sold her on.

 

Have you got a registration you could give us? A book published a couple of years ago all about Matador's lists quite a few survivors.

[Rosco]

Hi,

 

I have looked in my copy of the book mentioned. All there is for LSU 304 is that it was with the bus companies Aldershot and District and then Alder Valley but nothing about subsequent owners.

 

Its an interesting book is well worth buying if you haven't already got it.

 

Regards

 

Ross

[Grasshopper]

Having looked at some pics on line my first Matador was ex Alder valley and the second was ex Aldershot & Distict/Alder valley.