Normally the mail arrives by Astra van. The postie parks up on the slight slope outside our kitchen window, fires our post through the letter box, vaults athletically over the ornamental wall between us and our neighbour's and legs it two steps at a time up the stairs to next door. Having regained his driving seat he winds the motor up to about 3000 rpm before dropping the clutch and with a scrabble from the Astra's front wheels the rest of the Royal Mail continues on its way round the village.
Not today. There I was enjoying a quiet coffee with Mrs H when the sound of a diesel engine announced the likely arrival of more junk mail and bills. Then it went dark. Instead of an Astra outside the window there was a Sherpa van. Bang went our letter box and the postie's hairy pins pumped up and down as he rocketed up next door's steps. Unaccountably, the Sherpa van began to move. The engine was still just ticking over so it was extremely unlikely that the postman was driving. A quick check through the other kitchen window showed him still shovelling letters through our neighbour's post box unaware that the Sherpa was apparently programmed to complete the round on its own.
Skidding on the carpet of unwanted letters I unlocked the door and went outside. I should explain that the road outside our house adjoins a grass verge that slopes down about 3 metres and ends in a small beck about 5 metres wide. There was the Sherpa in the middle of the stream with water up over its axles. It was exactly at right angles to the banks and, apart from a bit of bumper trim missing at the front, was undamaged. The engine continued to tick over noisily.
The postman was in a bit of a state, having never lost his van in quite such a dramatic way before. Apparently they were short of vans and he didn't like the Sherpa one bit. I pressed a cup of tea into one hand and a phone into the other for him to arrange for recovery. He then borrowed my wellies so he could wade out and turn off the engine. A small crowd had gathered. Things got much more raucous when a couple of Land-Rovers emptied out half a dozen laughing orange-overalled workmen onto the opposite bank. After some good-natured chaffing a huge 4wd John Deere tractor appeared driven by one of the orange overalls. Another produced a chain that looked like it might have once held a destroyer's anchor. A flourish of spades turned one bank into a muddy ramp. With admirable control and gentleness the Sherpa was hauled out backwards by the step under the rear door.
I claimed my wellies back and, out of curiosity, asked postie to try the handbrake. He tugged it vertical and released the footbrake. The Sherpa, eager to continue the vital work of the Royal Mail, lurched forwards ...
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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Well recounted, v amusing Hawkeye, thank you
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Good tale! Presumably by Sherpa you mean one of those LDV things that can trace their ancestry back to the original Sherpa, which was basically a bonneted version of the BMC J4 van of the 1960's.
Cheers, SS
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>>>>>Well recounted, v amusing Hawkeye, thank you.
Copy that.
Great stuff. Life is far too ridiculous to be taken seriously and this illustrates it once again.
Must surely have been a "Tensing" moment as the chain pulled tight on that Sherpa.
(scuffling and muffled comments off-stage) -- get him out of here, now!
OT for a second. What you may not (or even may) know is that the US Postal Service vans are RHD so that postie can flip those little levers on America's mailboxes and deliver(and pick-up) your mail. An old school chum of mine married an American lady and lives in retirement in the wilds of Kansas. Looking for something to do he applied to the USPS for a job as a postal delivery person. He was given the job instantly since "you Brits know how to drive on the wrong side of the road".
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Isnt it great when life shoves you one of these classic moments makes the world seem so much better. Well told story,
Re the US postal vans being R/H drive - I didnt know that but does that explain why UPS in the uk use American vans (ie vans shipped over from the states) with R/H drive?
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Re the US postal vans being R/H drive - I didnt know that but does that explain why UPS in the uk use American vans (ie vans shipped over from the states) with R/H drive?
No, they're fully little Postman Pat style vans, but in white - the picture sequence here www.freefoto.com/browse.jsp?id=04-30-0 almost shows the R/H drive facility in use. I imagine the whole van is custom built for USPS
Don't know the story with the UPS vans.
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The Royal mail did, actually trial LHD Combo vans, about 4 years ago.They offered me the chance to buy them
The experiment was over in 9 months & forgotten about.They offered me the chance to buy them, but I declined. seems they had a funny idea over the residual values.Like the vans being of a premium price!!
VB
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I like the story... Well written.
At least postie won't get into trouble if the handbrake is faulty.
I hoope the house was warm when you invited him in - CH working now?
H
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Thank you people for the comments.
On reflection, my amusement was inhibited slightly by the distress that postie clearly felt.
SS - yes by Sherpa I do mean LDV convoy, but Sherpa is how the driver described it.
Hugo - the kitchen is always warm; that's where the Aga is. Are you confusing me with someone who asked about faulty central heating? As it happens the circulator is only working after it has a whack from a walking stick and is due for me to do a service/replacement next week; but how the blazes did you know?
Psychic powers; is there no end to the talents of Backroomers?
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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UPS in the UK uses VW Transporters, believe it or not, with custom built bodies. Look closely next time you see them at the grille, lights, wheels, etc. Quite why they bother is utterly beyond me.
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UPS in the UK uses VW Transporters, believe it or not, with custom built bodies. Look closely next time you see them at the grille, lights, wheels, etc. Quite why they bother is utterly beyond me.
Are you sure? they look much much bigger than that. They're nothing like them at all, i'm sure certain?
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VW? I am talking the big brown (the ones slightly bigger than a luton size) UPS trucks here. No way is that a VW wheelbase.
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I think I know which ones you mean RF. Quite bulbous, small, squarish headlights with orange wraparound indicators?
They just look.....American!
--
Adam
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I can't speak for OOPS! in the UK as we used to call it but as a veteran of the industry I would hazard the custom van bodies may be used for some shipment processing operations, sorting, possibly bagging, contact with base taking place during the pick-up/delivery route as a time-saving or similar measure. The crews of small company planes feeding into larger hubs could speed up departures and take-offs for example if they had an idea of a/c take-off weight, required fuel load etc in advance. Or hold planes later enabling later pickups and more time-sensitive customer service. These are marketing edges in a fiercely competitive business. Just a few possibilities.
Part of the reason could be visibility/branding. There's no doubt that Big Brown's vans have unmistakeable recognition wherever you go. Another that global companies of this nature used standard operating systems and equipment for all sorts of reasons worldwide. Certainly it's about a lot more than just chucking packages in the backs of vans.
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The old Post office vans used to be factory uprated in all sorts of different ways. Motor factors parts lists often listed the standard van part with an extra entry for GPO vans. The old HA Viva for example had all sorts of uprated mechanical bits and could be identified by the reinforced towing eye. Ex GPO vans were sought after in the used van world. As for the LDV Convoy, the puny handbrake lever is straight off a Morris minor. The plastic grip is likely to slide up over the button as the brake is applied or released, making an awkward job impossible. The design of the rear brakes means that a moderate application will stop the van rolling forwards - but not backwards. The latest Convoys have a much improved system.........A massive handbrake lever with a huge button.
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"The old Post office vans used to be factory uprated in all sorts of different ways. Motor factors parts lists often listed the standard van part with an extra entry for GPO vans."
I read an article about old GPO Vans in a practical classics mag not so long ago. It appears that the GPO have always been a bit stuck in the past. Apparently, up untill the 1970s, all vans had to have a certain design of seat, which looked somewhat uninviting, and a certain maximum speed.
Mind you, the speed was not that inportant early on, as the vans they used could barely top 50mph anyway. But when the Morris Minor van came on duty (a van whcih could go over 50), the GPO just had spoil the fun by drilling a hole in the inlet manifold.
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Hugo - the kitchen is always warm; that's where the Aga is. Are you confusing me with someone who asked about faulty central heating? As it happens the circulator is only working after it has a whack from a walking stick and is due for me to do a service/replacement next week; but how the blazes did you know? Psychic powers; is there no end to the talents of Backroomers?
Psychic Powers, well that's a new talent for the moderating team to have :)
Yes I think I did confuse you with someone else on the IHAQ thread, my mistake.
H
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