A was for Austin, but now B is for Bedford

I was most interested in refuelling one of those magnificent Lufthansa Focke Wolf Condors. Best airliner in the world just prior to WW2 and fabulously successful sinking over 100 ships in the early part of the war as a long range maritime bomber before the British worked out how to get fighters on the scene. A couple of models had diesel engines and they could fly for over 20 hours. First non-stop flights from Berlin to New York over 19 hours each way.

Lang. this is essentially a sidenote: your pictures led me to a little more research into Piedmont Airlines, Newfoundland. Fascinating and totally useless to recount here, but I still enjoyed it while having my lunch.  

ALSO   A post from 2011 by the maker of the red and silver model:
"I'm very interest to collect any informations about INTAVA. Supplier of aviation fuel. Intava was active during "about" 1930's to 1948. Then it joined to Esso. It is very hard to find almost any information. Only few photos about Intava tankers I have found on the internet during about three years.
The most interesting find would be a colour photo about Intava tanker truck. Intava tankers would be lower part coloured red like Esso? and upper parts it can be silver or white? But I don't know is that correct?"  

RED & YELLOW
 
Colourised by F.Eaton.

AND
Some background info here (specially for Mrsmackpaul) . . .
bobsganderhistory.com/refuelold.pdf

The plot thickens.  

I have never heard of this fuel company before until a few days ago

All very interesting to me

Thanks Lang for the photos, all amazing stuff

Paul

Paul:  I've done a bit of editting in the post immediately before yours, including some info for you at the end, if it will open for you??? 

I just copied and pasted the link

The jet age I guess spelt the end to a lot of this business as planes could fly so much further and quicker and the need to refuel at shorter distances was all but gone

Paul

I personally would not put too much store in that colourised photo. Almost certainly hand done from a limited selection of colours and a wild imagination..

I find it hard to imagine an Esso/Mobil Company would be using Shell colour schemes a bit like Holden and Ford using the same logo.

When I was flying, the refueling contractor at Archerfield and a number of other places had their tankers fully BP painted on one side and Shell on the other. The brands are all BS anyhow as there is usually only one refinery and every company sucks out of the same pot.

Here is one put through a colour app. You can see the stripe on the tyruck is different to the main colour. Is it really charcoal/black main body or has the app missed it is dark red and put this up? Was it dark blue which was a Mobil common colour? Hard to trust these auto apps.

 

Here is an old tanker with two brands. These are only stickers but the Australian trucks were fully painted each side with a line down the middle.
 
 

I think I'll go with however I paint it, and then say, "That's what it should be as far as I'm concerned."  

Not only that, one day I may have the Herald and the Bedford out together and they'll match nicely.

I think this would look fantastic on a petrol tanker.

 

Hardly historic though Lang!?

That would be more akin to the Bedford's sitting on Holden or 4WD chassis and with a a thumping great V8 in 'em.  


Was tempted to use a Pajero chassis but having been through the Government Garage previously, without any real problems, decided to do it the simple way and leave it standard.
(PS  Sold a Jeep Cherokee engine and overdrive auto this morning that I had planned to use in B for.)​​​​​​

Meanwhile (although I'm busy clearing out surplus crap ready for a free dump day at our local tip on Sunday) I've started removing the sheet metal extensions on the front bumper to straighten them out and weld up some fracture lines.

PLUS I've even added some pictures: 
 

Trial clamping, but will have to come apart to allow discing metal clean prior to welding.  

And another month goes by with seemingly endless little jobs continuing. I had considered calling this particular post 101 things left to do but after some consideration realised 1001 would have been closer to the mark!?

However, things are happening, the front bumper bar is back on but will have to come off again later to tidy up a couple of small issues. After moving the original (rear) number plate to the front it will do for now until whenever.
 
The two signs that were going to be used up higher have been shunted down to this position to cover the windows when windows are not required. 
 
The window originally intended for this spot had been deferred, but now will be reinstated. This necessitated a section of tubing that had been added to be removed accordingly (Doh!). The frame and sheeting were separated and reduced in height . . . 

It is angled at one end to suit the lettering that will eventually be painted on the sheeting . . .

Like this using my instant corflute mock-up letters.   

The whole shebang then will be hinged at the top to open up as shades over the windows behind.

So you see, I am still progressing.

There have also been a few other things that may get a mention over the next week or so, depending on temperatures dropping to a more comfortable working level. At least we have no flooding around this neck of the woods! 

PDU over and out.