omv's from back in the day

[acw6535]

was that the old commer vans that looked a little like the vw caravanettes??
what about the bedfords where you would sit in and the steering wheel was offset. or was it me.

I did my changeover training in an old Commer thing...gear stick was about 4ft long and nearly cut you in half
when you put it in reverse.
You couldn`t hold a conversation with the person sitting next to you because the noise from the engine was
deafening.
One fold down bench seat in the back...used to convey several postman,their bikes and bags,all piled together in the back.
..and not a seat belt to be had anywhere

[rachris]

Does any one remember the old electric hand carts? we had it for town parcels.If you forgot to charge it up the day before,by the time you got to the end of the delivery.you had to pull the bloody thing.
Still before that, we had a hand cart.Made you look like Harold Steptoe.I used to get fed up of people taking the piss out of me.This would be about the late 70's.Happy days.

Yep remember the old hand cart used to do Town parcels with one in the early 90s, Yep still had one in rural lincs the old red glassfibre one with a dodgy lid that would fall on your head could get loads in it and we also had a spare one too! Trouble is I'm short(5,7) and couldn't see to well over the top of the cart... cleared one or two 4 year olds up with it..lol

[rachris]

Anyone remember the Mini metro vans and what they were like and how often they went wrong, I wasn't working for RM at the time they had these vans, But I used to work in the local Austin Rover garage on the parts and the Post Office Mechanics would come in for s**t loads of spares for these vans and normally take 9 or 10 in quantity off the same parts that they were fitting at the time cus you could bet they would be in the next day for the same part. The Mechanics used to blame posties driving, They reckoned posties drove like absolute tw*ts. Any body remember the old Metro van!!

[tony T]

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.

[hoofer]

Anyone remember the Mini metro vans and what they were like and how often they went wrong, I wasn't working for RM at the time they had these vans, But I used to work in the local Austin Rover garage on the parts and the Post Office Mechanics would come in for s**t loads of spares for these vans and normally take 9 or 10 in quantity off the same parts that they were fitting at the time cus you could bet they would be in the next day for the same part. The Mechanics used to blame posties driving, They reckoned posties drove like absolute tw*ts. Any body remember the old Metro van!!

THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SOUND BUT BLOODY HELL THEY WERE FUN
YOU COULD REALLY THROW THOSE LITTLE sh***s AROUND AND FRONT WHEEL DRIVE,
THEY WERE THE ONLY VANS THAT WENT ANYWHERE IN THE SNOW FUN LITTLE MACHINES!!!
In the days when this was a job you got on with and enjoyed with a sence of humour
unlike the s**t hole its turned into!!!!!

[majeed]

Your right there mate.
but im glad we got the vans we have today though with nice radios and soft seats.
christ im talking like im old.

I've got a bike mate. The new Mailstar. Heavier than a Harley Davidson, the left pedal works loose because they've used a right handed thread, the bloody bag makes turning very dodgy and if the bottom bracket isn't oiled every other day, it sounds like a million seagulls following a trawler. Apparently they've been on trial. The stupid sod who passed them fit should be on trial, never mind the bike.

And what about those new regulation boots that drop to bits after a few weeks?

[k979aaa]

Anyone remember the Mini metro vans and what they were like and how often they went wrong, I wasn't working for RM at the time they had these vans, But I used to work in the local Austin Rover garage on the parts and the Post Office Mechanics would come in for s**t loads of spares for these vans and normally take 9 or 10 in quantity off the same parts that they were fitting at the time cus you could bet they would be in the next day for the same part. The Mechanics used to blame posties driving, They reckoned posties drove like absolute tw*ts. Any body remember the old Metro van!!

THEY MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SOUND BUT BLOODY HELL THEY WERE FUN
YOU COULD REALLY THROW THOSE LITTLE sh***s AROUND AND FRONT WHEEL DRIVE,
THEY WERE THE ONLY VANS THAT WENT ANYWHERE IN THE SNOW FUN LITTLE MACHINES!!!
In the days when this was a job you got on with and enjoyed with a sence of humour
unlike the s**t hole its turned into!!!!!

SMART CAR'S NEXT downsizeing the order of the day from this :lfo to this :cfo !.

[smokerjim]

Any chance of them downsizing our duties, our workload, our shame for the state of the Service? :lfo :cfo

[Stormproof]

I used to enjoy driving my Sherpa with the sliding doors especially when the weather was hot and it made delivering packets alot easier, especially the 100's of catalogues we used to get. Must admit I nearly fell out the door a few times after which the door stayed open and the seat belt went on.

[majeed]

I used to enjoy driving my Sherpa with the sliding doors especially when the weather was hot and it made delivering packets alot easier, especially the 100's of catalogues we used to get. Must admit I nearly fell out the door a few times after which the door stayed open and the seat belt went on.

...so now you like riding while you're wearing a belt, so you don't fall off. Intriguing... And who is this "Sherpa" of whom you speak? Sounds distinctly foreign... mmmm...

perhaps internal affairs may also want to be involved....?

[OMV 5]

i started out on the old 240's snud nose with kick pedal to open the door then wrap your belt round it to keep it open what were we thinking about back then we also had a bandit alarm on the dash bored set that off many a time turning sharp conners at speed or what made me laugh well now it does telling your escort not to touch the red button on the dash lol lol then comming back to the van with the alarm going and the engine shut off magic as for sherpas death traps no road holding give me my old fav 360cf omv 5 my van is my name lol not leyland daf

[johnnyp]

i started out on the old 240's snud nose with kick pedal to open the door then wrap your belt round it to keep it open what were we thinking about back then we also had a bandit alarm on the dash bored set that off many a time turning sharp conners at speed or what made me laugh well now it does telling your escort not to touch the red button on the dash lol lol then comming back to the van with the alarm going and the engine shut off magic as for sherpas death traps no road holding give me my old fav 360cf omv 5 my van is my name lol not leyland daf

Wow the old Bandit Alarms,ive set a few of them off in my time all by accident of course

[TrueBlueTerrier]

This is an OHV from back in the day:

[tbi1959]

They were certainly happier days than now. Managers got where they were by knowing all about the job. A few years walking, then driving, then in the locker, then on the acting list. These days it's whoever is the biggest brown nose/bully and general all round turd. If they were any thicker, they would set solid.

I used to enjoy coming to work then!!!

[NWpostie]

I well remember them old vans, I started in 1987 so things where a LOT different then, we used to sit in the back of van on bags as sometimes they don't have seats on them also Minibuses had flip up seats that ran the length of vans, sliding doors !, how can I forget them, I too did drive with no seat belts and doors open in the summer, God, I was young and stupid then, I used to think it was great, the older vans when I started were very very basic, metal dashboard and a small Single plastic dish with speedos and dot lights in them, they were really were museum pieces, even a basic car had more inside them.

Now much older and wiser, its seat belts on follow procedures, keys out (nearly everybody left keys in and engine running then) and round to the back to make a delivery or collections, no corner cutting etc.

Those day are gone gone gone .............................