The 25 r / 420 Forward control lorry (Leyland Beaver) is 1/72, the 35 b and C   M.G.s are 1/63. I do not know the scale of the other 35 series. The car carrier which is also a Leyland Beaver is 1/48.

Kevin

I've got the photograph which is excellent and will attribute copyright accordingly.

I am really grateful for all of your effots and help.

Regards

Hugh

Nobleco

Many thanks for your help in getting the photograph posted.

Hugh

Thank you Hugh and Cam


Cam and Hugh, thank you for your pictures of the tractor.

The notch at the botom of the grill is a bur and it is different on every casting. It should look like the second picture.

Unfortunately, Cam's pictures are too small to see if there is a difference between the two.

I had a hell of a time getting close ups of the grill but here is the best I can do. I have also included a picture of the tow hook on the 066 Bedford.


Cam


 





 


066 Tow Hook

Thank you Cam for the pictures.


The top one has 12 bars, the botom one 11 only. So we have three variations of the grill.

Cam those latest images of the tractor grill area are looking good.

Well I suspect I had best carry on being a Paramedic as I doubt I would make it as a photographer!


Cam

I see the grey Bedford flat truck has a boss on either side of the tow hook for positioning. My Bedford has nothing there at all. Blank.

There were at least two castings of the Bedford. The one with the tow hook is a lot tougher to find. I scored mine a number of years ago off ebay for about 10 bucks. Surprisingly I was the only bidder. It also came with a box although it was in tough shape. I have only seen the tow hook version with the gray knobby wheels as well.


 


Cam

My bedford doesn't have the tow hook either.



 

Yours has the smooth wheels. I have four varieties of the 066: Smooth gray, knobby gray w/tow hook, knobby gray w/o tow hook, and black knobby wheels.


Cam

So which came out first or were they a bit like Matchbox whatever was available. I gather the tow hook was on the first issues is that correct Cam.

As far as I know the tow hook was introduced in September 1959 and the Bedford truck deleted from the Dinky range in 1960.


Nobleco.
Do you mean that your truck with tow hook has no bosses either side of the hook or that your truck has no tow hook. A large picture of the underside of the truck with tow hook and no positioning bosses would be welcomed if it exist.

Cam

No.066 Bedford Flat truck has produced a few questions. The model was introduced at the launch of the DD range in December 1957 at a price of 2/-. Nothing special about the model except the elongated flat bed which is out of scale and done so to accommodate the Hornby Dublo container. No colour changes it was battleship grey all its life!

I have only seen 3 model variations and 3 box variations.

Variation1: Plain grey wheels in an early style yellow picture box.

Variation2: Treaded grey wheels in an early style yellow picture box.

Variation3: Treaded grey wheels and a rear hook in an early style yellow box but with no picture. Very rare.

Variation4: Treaded grey wheels and a rear hook in a later style no picture red box. Rare.

I believe these are listed in order of release. I have never seen this model, as an original, fitted with treaded black wheels - that's an interesting one. The overall casting quality of this model wasn't good and it could vary, the were rough pitted surfaces, flash lines and in the worse cases voids where pockets of air or moisture had become trapped.

In 35 years of collecting and following DD I have only seen variation 3 come up for auction twice - I'm talking near mint to mint with a near mint box. There would have been a tooling modification to accommodate the two lugs where the hook sat. 

The Bedford Flat Truck was withdrawn in October 1960, the final price was 1/9d - note there had been a price reduction which happened within a year of its realease, probably due to low sales and competition.

This model offers two of the rarest variations in the range - and two of the most sought after, where on the other hand variation number 1 is one of the easiest models to find in a near mint to mint boxed condition.