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| Photographer / Copyright: John Marshall Images should not be reused without permission. Date added to site:03/03/12 | ||
| Details: 2358B was a Vauxhall Chevette estate car, new in June 1981 and the first of a batch of thirteen such vehicles. They carried a slightly darker than normal shade of red. When photographed at Chiswick Works on 19th December 1986 the car had no visible fleetnumbers. However, it did have an unusual advert for bus and coach hire applied to the door. Parked alongside is VLF977S, a Ford Transit bullion van with toughened glass windscreens. 2358B was sold shortly after this picture was taken. | ||
| Comments (Most recent at top) | ||
| Posted By | Comments | Date/Time |
| Thomas Young | You are right! This same allocation was shown against A981-983HLT, which certainly were bullion vans. In fact, the three Mercedes seem to have replaced Transits YMM595H and VLF975/976S, in March 1984. I have amended the caption. Note: Edited by Thomas Young, 06/03/12, 10:12. | Tue 06/03/12, 10:11 |
| Kim Rennie | If you think about it, UK police vehicles didn't have toughened glass until sometime after the 1981 riots IIRC (initially there had fixed grilles bolted over the windscreens, later the hinged pull-down ones used on public order vans today). Even 'black marias', prison vans, etc had normal-looking glass. So I suggest this van was used for some form of cash-in-transit. Note: Edited by Kim Rennie, 06/03/12, 01:35. | Tue 06/03/12, 01:34 |
| Thomas Young | Hmm, I didn't think of that. However, a little digging found that VLF975-978S were new in Sept 1977 and allocated to the 'Chief Operating Manager (Railways)(Police)(Gp1)', seemingly to replace the YMM/H batch. | Tue 06/03/12, 01:16 |
| Kim Rennie | Is the blue vehicle a bullion van? I think these were used to take staff wage-packets to depots etc. Note: Edited by Kim Rennie, 05/03/12, 19:20. | Mon 05/03/12, 19:15 |