omv's from back in the day

[galaxie500]

i remember the old commer 240 an 360 an driving with the back full of posties an the rear shutter up trying to go as fast as i could to see how many would fall off the bench seat lol also the sherpa vans so basic an you had to pull a lever to turn the engine off an not a radio in site an the old 7.5 tonners with no power steering an i do miss the sliding doors they were great in the summer to let fresh air in an so much quicker to get in an out i remember when i was early twenties on nights racing each other down the m1 with our doors open wouldnt dare do that now
how were spoiled now pas an radios but more work an late starts bring back the good old days lol

[norbert]

2935638041_bcb01f28c7_m.jpg

RM Moggie.jpg

i remember the old commer 240 an 360 an driving with the back full of posties an the rear shutter up trying to go as fast as i could to see how many would fall off the bench seat lol also the sherpa vans so basic an you had to pull a lever to turn the engine off an not a radio in site an the old 7.5 tonners with no power steering an i do miss the sliding doors they were great in the summer to let fresh air in an so much quicker to get in an out i remember when i was early twenties on nights racing each other down the m1 with our doors open wouldnt dare do that now
how were spoiled now pas an radios but more work an late starts bring back the good old days lol

try a RM vans search on http://www.flickr.com/
I remember seeing one being used as a camper van on there

this lady does a very good job scanning old slides in - not my cup of tea but old pictures of streets , people etc can be of interest

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/1428971097/
her profile : - http://www.flickr.com/people/8050359@N07/
there's a few people on here who would like to put a certain union official on the first train back there
that's the lady who took the Moggie picture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/meg-nicol/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/welshharlequin/
( The BSA Bantam Motorbike )

[johnsouthwales]

[johnsouthwales]

[norbert]

there is a group on Flickr for PO vehicles , there's a even a picture from 1953 with all these GPO BSA Bantams in a showroom in Small Heath .

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1014601@N23/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

the guy who runs it , is a still a keen cyclist , he used to race in time trials & road races . People can join Flickr for nothing .

[twinkle]

remember sitting in 1 ton van in back with shutters up and when it was your turn to get out for walk . the van kept moving so you put poch on chest and jump out back and shouting one thousand two thousand check conopy

[ExSG]

and the minivans - smashing the sump when driving down a track to a farm in the icy weather and the rock hard ridge in the middle made contact with the engine!

and that bundle of letters you mislaid - where the hell did it go? - thank God for a brilliant inspector who (you'll be amazed, but this was the 70's) reckoned 'it would turn up' - no discipline other than feeling stupid. Then a few days later, banging on the brakes to avoid something and out shot the bundle from under the rear floor on the passenger side - no seat there of course.

Did anyone do overtime cleaning phone boxes? We had a duty cleaning boxes out in the sticks in Herts and Bucks. Wreck of a van, I think a Morris. You kept the bucket, full of filthy water after a couple of boxes - no supply other than when you left the Office - on the passenger side in a 'cradle'. No chance of putting it in the back so, yes, going round corners was fraught with risk and yes, I got drenched just the once. Talk about stink.

And then there were the REM runs . . . . . Never got attacked, presumably the local villains could not believe that anything of value was carried in a van by two old codgers who couldn't even lock the van up when delivering to a TSO .

and the Morris tonner delivering parcels in Bushey, Herts. Always delivered going up the hill 'cos otherwise the sliding door would shut never to be opened again except by an engineer and his trusty crowbar. It happened to a mate but he'd left his engine running

[Postie558]

I've only been a driver for 11 or 12 years, so I missed out on the archaic vehicles some of you have experienced. I do however remember how much arm muscle you needed to drive an LDV 200 (Sherpa in old money) without PAS! I had to drive a spare one once after being used to a new-ish (at the time) LDV Pilot with PAS, and couldn't believe how heavy the steering was, although I suspect in true Royal Mail style there was probably something wrong with it. A couple of years ago I had reason to drive a Transit minibus (not Royal Mail) without PAS, and even that wasn't too bad considering, unlike the old LDV.

My present 'steed' is an 08 short wheelbase Maxus. Driving wise, I find it quite pleasant. I dare say there are better driving vans out there, but for the short hops I do it's fine. Not so the quality though. Whilst the old Pilots and Convoys (and no doubt the 200 / 400 and Sherpas before them) were quite 'rough and ready', they seemed to have a robustness which is lacking in the newer kit. Open your doors carefully if it's windy! Seem to have a lot of clutch problems too. With no disrespect to anyone who worked for LDV, at least now they have gone we might get better vans next time!

When I first drove, my attitude was rather er, slap dash with regards to security. If the van was in sight, the engine was left running and the doors were unlocked. The packets and even 'regos' were laid out on the back and front seats in delivery order. These days, everything except my next one or two drops is in the load space, and the engine is switched off and the doors locked every time I get out, for fear of a manager, IB or Security Team person lurking around to catch you out. In the present climate, I suspect any excuse might be used to show you the door, so I don't give them the chance.

[oscarmacca]

My first day on driving duties, after a cursory driving skills test, was to take a TK Bedford 600 up to the Waverley Station compound and unload 2 tons of mail handball.

With no power steering and after manoeuvering for what seemed like ages in front of an appreciative audience of Station Messengers, I didn't have the strength to pick my nose never mind unload the mail.

[tbi1959]

and the minivans - smashing the sump when driving down a track to a farm in the icy weather and the rock hard ridge in the middle made contact with the engine!

and that bundle of letters you mislaid - where the hell did it go? - thank God for a brilliant inspector who (you'll be amazed, but this was the 70's) reckoned 'it would turn up' - no discipline other than feeling stupid. Then a few days later, banging on the brakes to avoid something and out shot the bundle from under the rear floor on the passenger side - no seat there of course.

Did anyone do overtime cleaning phone boxes? We had a duty cleaning boxes out in the sticks in Herts and Bucks. Wreck of a van, I think a Morris. You kept the bucket, full of filthy water after a couple of boxes - no supply other than when you left the Office - on the passenger side in a 'cradle'. No chance of putting it in the back so, yes, going round corners was fraught with risk and yes, I got drenched just the once. Talk about stink.

And then there were the REM runs . . . . . Never got attacked, presumably the local villains could not believe that anything of value was carried in a van by two old codgers who couldn't even lock the van up when delivering to a TSO .

and the Morris tonner delivering parcels in Bushey, Herts. Always delivered going up the hill 'cos otherwise the sliding door would shut never to be opened again except by an engineer and his trusty crowbar. It happened to a mate but he'd left his engine running

I remember we had a duty that used to collect the money from the phone boxes....filthy job. Rem runs!!!!! we had one that we had to go to a particularly "rough" estate.We had to park round the back and walk round, on a monday there would be a queue waiting, and they would all say the same thing, "here comes our money" Makes me shudder just to think about it now. But they were happy days, when it was a pleasure to go to work.

[music4essex]

Some of your recollections on the omv's made me lol

I strated driving for RM in 89 and drove all the vans you mentioned including the rems, remember once driving a 400 and just as i| was leaving the office to take the last run of mail to a mail centre my bag strap got caught round the handbrake and I went straight into the railings oops

The rem run was a great laugh how we managed it with all the money on board no wonder had to keep taking the muscle building tablets moving all the coin bags.

I was cocka hoop when a new van had a cassette radio, really thought we had gone up in the world.

How things and life has changed I don't drive now just a cycle round

essex mum but my days of driving were in east sussex 1066

[gj1023]

I used to drive one,if you were over 5 and half foot tall it was murder trying to get in and out, as for bending down to get stuff out of the back!!!!!!. I have scars all over my head off the boot catch. Did anyone drive the old mini van.

I had a mini van back in the late 70`s , great fun to drive a pain to deliever mail from . On saturday at end of my rural , I went to down a track to a collection houses. Coming back a stone went through the sump as no sump guard was fitted doh. Once I walked to the phone box and rang my office, I got told I had to wait for head office to send a pick up out . Waited a couple hours , no early finish that Sat .

[arnold cheshire]

Anyone remember these old crates?.. Great in the snow had to get the old brown cloth parcel sacks(4 times the size of a mail bag and held more dust than me grannys back bedroom) under the back wheels If I ever got stuck, as there was no weight in the back to traction the rear wheel drive I always kept a supply of these sacks in the back. They were noisy old things but could do incredible milages, We had one that did 130,000 and still pulled like a train think It was a Greg, I know It doesn't sound a lot nowdays but considering they had the s**t hammered out of them I think thats pretty impressive. Also remember the sliding doors on them and the health and safety Issues regarding driving around with the doors open and no seat belt...Yep hate to admit it that was me with the technotronic cassette permenently stuck in the tape player also the volume control was dodgy too!!..lol.. Used to love it at the time ..looking back now in hindsight very dangerous and stupid...Mind u I was only 21 back then.. They later on replaced the sliding doors with hinged ones when new replacement 200s came..Guess they didn't trust us to shut the door's properly.. Shame cause the sliding doors were so easy to deliver from!

weve still got one of these 2005 reg bag or cr ap

[arnold cheshire]

i started driving in 90 and i drove a ford escort van but my favourite is the ford courier