Ex-State vehicles - An Post, ESB vans, etc

Silvera · 28-04-2006 7:17pm #1

I have often noticed that UK classic car/van magazines often feature ex-Post or Electricity Board, etc vehicles which have been restored to how they would have looked during their working days.

Does anybody here own an Ex-An Post, ESB, P&T, etc vehicle?
Is it in it's original colours?

I have yet to see such a vehicle on display at a car show.
It would be great to see, for example, a Renault 4 van in the old ESB colours of orange and white ......or an old Telecom Van..

I once read that Eddie Jordan had a collection (museum?) in the North which included a restored Ex-An Post Renault 4 van ........and he was occassionally spotted driving it around the local area!

Or how about a restored ex-Garda car like this one (1984 pic) !

corktina · 28-04-2006 8:08pm

or better still...this one....

http://i3.tinypic.com/wmcsol.jpg

Santa Claus · 28-04-2006 8:15pm

A friend of my father has 6 or 7 squad cars from the 60/70's and is trying to restore them (he's a retired garda so managed to get some old style lights etc from the garda museum)...

The transport museum out in howth (at deerpark castle) has a few old P&T and ESB vans/trucks that they are trying to restore also.

ds20prefecture · 28-04-2006 9:16pm

Remember that post with the Garda 2cv Truckette? I'd love to know where that is.

Citroen Guru · 01-05-2006 10:04am

Should have my garda 2cv van on the road later this year. 30 years old in October. Chassis is repaired now.

ds20prefecture · 01-05-2006 12:35pm

Cool! Did you put in a new galv chassis, or repair the existing?

Silvera · 01-05-2006 7:30pm

Citroen Guru wrote:

Should have my garda 2cv van on the road later this year. 30 years old in October. Chassis is repaired now.

Will it be repainted in Garda colours, crest, etc. ?

Santa Claus · 02-05-2006 1:14am

Silvera wrote:

Will it be repainted in Garda colours, crest, etc. ?

You have to get permission from the Dept of Justice to use the crest on anything..

Citroen Guru · 02-05-2006 8:51pm

I repaired and strengthened the chassis where it had bent when it was delivered on a spec lift.
Original colour is a light fawn but I've got a big tin of Scania creamy yellow. Its not original now anyway- fitted an 87 engine & box with disk brakes.
My old Lancia has gone to a new home in Tralee so some of you might see it. Been replaced by a Volvo PV544 - heard they make pretty good rally cars. Must be entering second childhood!

green-blood · 03-05-2006 8:50am

my father used to have an ex-AerLingus VW minibus, it was in bits and we hadn't the wherewithal to sort it out, it ended up scrapped. My dad has never really forgiven himself

A mate of his has recently acquired ad ex P+T split screen VW panel van, its in total bits but he is determined to restore it

ta2kev · 03-05-2006 10:08am

Is this the one you're talking about, fair play to him, it's a hell of a restoration job. http://type2ireland.org/newforum/index.php?topic=474.0

FatTony2000 · 10-05-2006 8:44am

The P and T is mine . Its going to be a very long journey:D . If anyone nows more about the p and t vans i'd love to know. How many there were and what years the vw panel van was used and for what, that sort of thing. I know where there is at least one other and it is in quite good shape insured as of 2 weeks ago,although its not in origianl colour.

FatTony2000 · 10-05-2006 8:51am

Oh by the way Green_blood who's your father? Its not Brian is it.

Xlaxeo · 06-12-2009 11:05pm

I am now the owner of an ex-Post van. Does anybody know where I can find the colour code for the green used for Post vehicles?

1948Wolseley · 06-12-2009 11:16pm

I used to have an ex-Garda Renault 4. I sold it on some time around 2002, but according to Mywheels it hasn't been taxed in a long time. ZS 3514, are you still out there?

trevorbrady · 06-12-2009 11:17pm

we'll be needing pics of said post van

Xlaxeo · 06-12-2009 11:29pm

Here is the van. Anybody can help with the paint number/code?

G Luxel · 07-12-2009 12:56am

I spotted a few months ago, a P & T van Renault 4, orange and white , in a field. Last year I also spotted in a field, a Bedford Beagle Van (HA) in ESB livery....its like grey and yellow I think.

junkyard · 07-12-2009 1:34am

Xlaxeo wrote: »

Here is the van. Anybody can help with the paint number/code?

As far as I know if you look up Renault on your paint mixing scheme or who ever is mixing the colour for you, look up the green section and it will be listed as an Post green, it is on my scheme any way.

sogood · 07-12-2009 2:38am

There's a guy just off the Listowel road (heading out of Tralee) that has a number of ex post vans, mostly Renaults. Don't know what he does with them though, they are all just parked up outside his house. Is he any of you guys, if you know what I mean?

trevorbrady · 07-12-2009 9:27am

there's one of those Renault vans in orange parked at a house on the Stradbally-Portalaoise road, if you have a high vehicle you can see over the wall where it is. If you're in a car you're most likely to miss it...

Pdfile · 07-12-2009 10:29am

Santa Claus wrote: »

A friend of my father has 6 or 7 squad cars from the 60/70's and is trying to restore them (he's a retired garda so managed to get some old style lights etc from the garda museum)...

The transport museum out in howth (at deerpark castle) has a few old P&T and ESB vans/trucks that they are trying to restore also.

do they take volenteers ?

bijapos · 07-12-2009 12:04pm

Saw this in Durrow this year.

MercMad · 07-12-2009 6:17pm

There was an ESB van and an An Post van at the Fingal show.There are usually some CIE and once I saw an RTE van there too.Those guys are big into their commercials.

carchaeologist · 07-12-2009 7:35pm

sogood wrote: »

There's a guy just off the Listowel road (heading out of Tralee) that has a number of ex post vans, mostly Renaults. Don't know what he does with them though, they are all just parked up outside his house. Is he any of you guys, if you know what I mean?

Your right,bit i think its mainly newer stuff he has,Berlingos and Kangoo vans.All for sale as far as i know too.
If there was an R4 id buy one myself!
Good to see people preserving the older ones.

MercMad · 08-12-2009 12:07pm

There was a guy just North of where the Lissenhall roundabaout is at Donabate, a sort of slip road parallel to the old N1, heading North, and he had literally dozens of R4's and R4 vans.Probably 30 or so at one stage.Anyone remember that?

Blue Punto · 08-12-2009 1:20pm

yeah i remember that

think they all rusted away into history

Xlaxeo · 08-12-2009 2:50pm

MercMad wrote: »

There was a guy just North of where the Lissenhall roundabaout is at Donabate, a sort of slip road parallel to the old N1, heading North, and he had literally dozens of R4's and R4 vans.Probably 30 or so at one stage.Anyone remember that?

He had actually had 300 or so of them. People must have dumped their old R4s there as if it was a graveyard.

Nobody was interested in them so he had them scrapped around 1998.

He kept about 20 or so of them, and after most of them were scrapped, people started showing interest in them and he managed to sell every single one of the remaining ones he had, for decent prices despite their condition.

Pdfile · 09-12-2009 10:04am

Xlaxeo wrote: »

He had actually had 300 or so of them. People must have dumped their old R4s there as if it was a graveyard.

Nobody was interested in them so he had them scrapped around 1998.

He kept about 20 or so of them, and after most of them were scrapped, people started showing interest in them and he managed to sell every single one of the remaining ones he had, for decent prices despite their condition.

i know where theirs a few hidden, going to wait till i can afford them.

pics to follow.

renny4 · 28-01-2012 11:25pm

hi i just bought zs 3514 today

chevyv8 · 29-01-2012 1:16am

Silvera wrote: »

I have often noticed that UK classic car/van magazines often feature ex-Post or Electricity Board, etc vehicles which have been restored to how they would have looked during their working days.

Does anybody here own an Ex-An Post, ESB, P&T, etc vehicle?
Is it in it's original colours?

I have yet to see such a vehicle on display at a car show.
It would be great to see, for example, a Renault 4 van in the old ESB colours of orange and white ......or an old Telecom Van..

I once read that Eddie Jordan had a collection (museum?) in the North which included a restored Ex-An Post Renault 4 van ........and he was occassionally spotted driving it around the local area!

Or how about a restored ex-Garda car like this one (1984 pic) !

esb never used orange and white as their colours , that was the p&t, esb reno 4s were grey and yellow.

Blue850 · 29-01-2012 10:07am

Forgotten about this thread, spotted this last year

chevyv8 · 29-01-2012 1:08pm

Blue850 wrote: »

Forgotten about this thread, spotted this last year

yep , i am esb staff, and worked in the garage foer 22 years in leopardstown, that was a project of ours, it came out of polefield, very small mileage for its year, we worked on it , getting it road worthy for a show in the RDS, the hardest part was getting the original esb flash in gold sorted, we put new brakes, new tyres, it still had its original tyres from the 50s on it and these were cracked to hell , it got new seat coverings, anything that was needed was done, i remember taking her out for a test and the bloody brakes were next to non nothing, frightened the life outa me on stillorgan dual carriageway. i sent a chap out to fill her up with petrol and he rang me , he couldnt find the filler, i left him for half an hour, he couldnt find it anywhere, its ubder the drivers seat, talk about health and safety.we got new canvas for it , all the brass fittings were polished up by myself, that took ages, its a petrol engine 4 cylinder job, no power steering, good memories of it, i have loads of photos of esb stuff. thanks for bringing back some good memories there man,:D:D

Davy · 29-01-2012 1:37pm

chevyv8 wrote: »

yep , i am esb staff, and worked in the garage foer 22 years in leopardstown, that was a project of ours, it came out of polefield, very small mileage for its year, we worked on it , getting it road worthy for a show in the RDS, the hardest part was getting the original esb flash in gold sorted, we put new brakes, new tyres, it still had its original tyres from the 50s on it and these were cracked to hell , it got new seat coverings, anything that was needed was done, i remember taking her out for a test and the bloody brakes were next to non nothing, frightened the life outa me on stillorgan dual carriageway. i sent a chap out to fill her up with petrol and he rang me , he couldnt find the filler, i left him for half an hour, he couldnt find it anywhere, its ubder the drivers seat, talk about health and safety.we got new canvas for it , all the brass fittings were polished up by myself, that took ages, its a petrol engine 4 cylinder job, no power steering, good memories of it, i have loads of photos of esb stuff. thanks for bringing back some good memories there man,:D:D

What are the brackets for that are mounted on the front?

chevyv8 · 29-01-2012 1:48pm

Davy wrote: »

What are the brackets for that are mounted on the front?

i take it you mean the ones on the front bumbers and wings. that landrover was originally used in polefield depot of the esb, its where the timber poles were kept, they were covered in some form of cresote to stop them rotting , but that stuff was highly flamable . the landrover was a fire tender , just in case... those fittings were for the hoses with the brass fittings, at the back of the landrover there is a water pump and a water tank for holding water to put out fires.as i said it was kept in polefield all its life and if memory serves me right there was not 15,000 on it.. i will see if ihave more photos of it when we were working on it.:D

Blue850 · 29-01-2012 2:07pm

Davy wrote: »

What are the brackets for that are mounted on the front?

Carrying the firehoses like this one

chevyv8 · 29-01-2012 2:13pm

bang on the nail.

:D

101sean · 29-01-2012 3:48pm

There's a quite a few Series 1 fire engines around as they led such a cosseted existence in heated garages. Several were in service with various Counties until fairly recently, chatted to one owner last year who said the current whereabouts of them are all known. They were also popular with factories etc like the ESB one.

kev1.3s · 29-01-2012 4:11pm

there was a series 1 firetender in powers the land rover specialist's in wicklow some years back and also a esb series 2 landrover in hills of arklow around the same time. Wanted that s 2 so bad at the time but alas I was only 14 or 15! Wander where it is now?

chevyv8 · 29-01-2012 5:57pm

kev1.3s wrote: »

there was a series 1 firetender in powers the land rover specialist's in wicklow some years back and also a esb series 2 landrover in hills of arklow around the same time. Wanted that s 2 so bad at the time but alas I was only 14 or 15! Wander where it is now?

the ESB had a few landrovers , the leopardstown garage serviced all the vehicles out leopardstown , bray and wicklow depots. there were 2 mid 7os landrovers that i remember very well, both of these vehicles have since been long sold off, the one from wicklow/bray i remember bringing it over for to be sold , it had no 2nd gear or reverse in it, it was bought by some company who deliver drink to folks houses. as far as i know its still being used in rathfarnham...

1948Wolseley · 29-01-2012 7:51pm

renny4 wrote: »

hi i just bought zs 3514 today

Cool!

Do you have any pictures?

trad · 29-01-2012 8:02pm

Citroen Guru wrote: »

I repaired and strengthened the chassis where it had bent when it was delivered on a spec lift.

From memory (if this was the Pearse St 2CV) the bend in the chassis would have been caused by the occupants, one was called Yogi, can't remember the other guy but to say they were overfed was an understatement.

SilverBullet · 29-01-2012 9:47pm

chevyv8 wrote: »

kev1.3s wrote: »

there was a series 1 firetender in powers the land rover specialist's in wicklow some years back and also a esb series 2 landrover in hills of arklow around the same time. Wanted that s 2 so bad at the time but alas I was only 14 or 15! Wander where it is now?

the ESB had a few landrovers , the leopardstown garage serviced all the vehicles out leopardstown , bray and wicklow depots. there were 2 mid 7os landrovers that i remember very well, both of these vehicles have since been long sold off, the one from wicklow/bray i remember bringing it over for to be sold , it had no 2nd gear or reverse in it, it was bought by some company who deliver drink to folks houses. as far as i know its still being used in rathfarnham...

Buddy of mine bought this for the beer deliveries, blew the head gasket and was parked up in his garden in Rathdarnam for a couple of years, has since disappeared, must find out what happened to it

chevyv8 · 29-01-2012 10:45pm

SilverBullet wrote: »

Buddy of mine bought this for the beer deliveries, blew the head gasket and was parked up in his garden in Rathdarnam for a couple of years, has since disappeared, must find out what happened to it

cant be gone that long, seen it last year some time, id be interested in finding out about it.:cool::cool:

101sean · 30-01-2012 12:31am

It'll be either in someone else's garden waiting to be restored or be spread around a number of other Land Rovers as spares!

kev1.3s · 30-01-2012 10:53pm

Also there was a guy just outside Aughrim who had a forward control and some early 2dr range rovers doe's anybody know what became of them? sorry for going off topic.

Gmin · 31-01-2012 11:45pm

There was an ex ESB Leyland truck in the grey/blue and yellow livery at the side of the road between Dundalk and Jonesborough last time I travelled that road.Not sure if it had a Hiab but if I recall correctly it was twin rear axle and had ballast weights on.

renny4 · 11-02-2012 5:42pm

1948Wolseley wrote: »

Cool!

Do you have any pictures?

not yet would take too many pic as its in so many bits . any tips on where to get parts

Capri · 12-02-2012 10:32pm

kev1.3s wrote: »

Also there was a guy just outside Aughrim who had a forward control and some early 2dr range rovers doe's anybody know what became of them? sorry for going off topic.

Anyone remember the (Sahara gold ? ) RR 2 door the Gardai had with a big blue light / telescopic searchlights ?
I still have same blue light/searchlight unit off a Ford D-series V8 I bought from Limerick CC some years ago - gearbox blew in Tipp, got her towed to Abbeyleix where a friend kept it in his field till I moved it on.

Carazy · 05-03-2012 3:10pm

bijapos · 05-03-2012 5:09pm

SNAP! From Durrow '09.

Ex-State vehicles - An Post, ESB vans, etc

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