- All News
- Thornycroft 9816 celebrates its 100-year birthday
On the 6th November 2024, the Thornycroft 9816 has celebrated its 100-year birthday.
The Thornycroft was built new as a tipper for W.B. White & Sons of Colne in East Lancashire and was the first to feature a hydraulic tipping mechanism, setting a groundbreaking milestone in automotive innovation.
It was fitted with hydraulic tipping gear manufactured by Bromilow & Edwards of Bolton and was fitted with solid tyres, although pneumatic tyres were available as a factory-fitted option.
W.B. White ran a foundry in Colne, East Lancashire, making Lancashire looms. The Thornycroft was bought with two demountable bodies: a tipper for collecting coal from the rail yard and delivering it to the works, and a flat for delivering finished looms.
Amazingly, it continued to carry out these duties for almost forty years, apparently without change to its 1924 specification. To the end of its working life, it even retained the original oil lamps.
It was finally retired around 1960 and, after being laid up for some time, it was sold to the well-known hauliers, W. H. Bowker Limited of Blackburn.
A full-scale restoration.
During 1961 / 1962, a full-scale restoration took place. The vehicle was returned to full running order, using the original cab, engine, gearbox, axles and tipping gear. The body was rebuilt using new timber and the existing metalwork, finished with the correct period livery of William Bowker of Blackburn, representing similar vehicles in operation by Bowker over 100 years ago.
Since that time, the Thornycroft has participated in many rallies and events, including the Thornycroft Centenary in 1996, when it was driven from Chiswick to Winchester and the Blackpool Tower Centenary Cavalcade in 1993. The vehicle has also been apart of the Bemish open air museum event for the past 30 years.
The Thornycroft remains a proud symbol of engineering heritage, showcasing a remarkable leap in innovation that transformed the logistics sector. It stands as a testament to groundbreaking advancements, pushing the boundaries of technology and efficiency that laid the foundation for modern transportation and logistics.
