Already having a couple of other ex-Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) vehicles (a green goddess PGW 326 and a Bedford RL petrol carrier GYL 32C), did I really need another in my life. Not really. Two is enough. Happy days.
(You can follow the progress of these vehicles - http://pgw326.blogspot.co.uk/ and http://afspetrolcarrier.blogspot.co.uk/)
Then, there was that fateful day in mid-May 2014 when browsing some of my saved eBay searches (AFS, Commer Q4...) I spotted the following advert:
Seemed like a nice vehicle and a few others on RSOLES (the online AFS and Bedford RL community) saw it. And that was that. Happy days.
But, something was gnawing away.... I had (foolishly) commented a few times that whilst you see many ex-AFS vehicles around, they are mainly the Bedford green goddesses and Bedford RLs trucks. You never see a Commer Q4. Wouldn't it be nice if you did??
Was it time to put my money where my mouth was?
A quick chat with a friends suggested that transport and storage might be available, so perhaps I should bid?
I mulled over it, then saw that only a few hours into the 10 day auction, a couple of others had. So, I entered the fray and placed a bid, setting it straight away at my maximum. 9 days is an awfully long time to wait!!
brilliant to see 519ELM receiving some well deserved tlc. my father was the previous owner that owned it for 20 odd years. he and my mother traveled in it during the early 90s and i have very good memory's of playing in at as a child on are family farm in hampshire. it was always well looked after by my father and im sure he would still own it if he could. we still have many photos of it from over the years my father owned it. im sure he would like to get in touch with you to share any info or experiences he has had with it. best of luck with the project :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for your message Samuel.
DeleteIt's always nice to hear from previous owners of vehicles like this - it adds so much to the history! I'm glad seeing the pictures has brought back memories of happy times. I'd love to hear more and perhaps to see some of the photographs, and to hear from your father too. You can drop me a line here or my email address is duncan_wright@hotmail.com
Thanks, Duncan.