Discussion
frisbee said:
I've encountered a tank with L plates on coming the other way on a small country road before. I reversed back to a passing spot very quickly!
A German farmer encountered a 'tank' with L plates on it in 1989, just outside Osnabrück. He didn't reverse, and neither did the 'tank'."Dink!" "Dink!" "Dink!" went the blade spacers on the combine harvester blade he was towing on a trailer, as one of the many stowage brackets mounted on the side of the 'tank' caught them all and bent them over.
The poor fella was almost literally jumping up and down, shouting something about "50,000 Deutschmarks". The military police turned up, along with a liaison officer/interpreter, and it all got sorted out. And I went on to pass my category 'H' test three years before I got a car licence (doesn't happen nowadays). Sadly this 'tank' was only an FV 432 APC. I had to wait another year to get a chance to nearly flatten a Volvo estate at the Clouds Hill junction near Bovington Camp when I went on to learn to drive a Chieftain.
louiechevy said:
yellowjack said:
Jaguar in a Scorpion though... (4.2 litre straight six) 
Leyland L60 in a Chieftain.
Rolls Royce K60 'multi fuel' (diesel in practice) engine in an FV 432 APC, and I think Ferrets had Rolls Royce engines too. Oh, and the Rolls Royce Meteor in the Centurion and it's predecessors at the tail end of WW2.
Whoops yes it was a jag engine! I'm getting old that's my excuse. The school was opposite the armoured vehicle supply depot at Ludgershall so we had all sorts of bits and bobs donated. And of course the reason I ended up there was because my grandad who came from up north was posted there and my grandmother who came from Cornwall was something to to with the army cooking and they just stayed in the area.Leyland L60 in a Chieftain.
Rolls Royce K60 'multi fuel' (diesel in practice) engine in an FV 432 APC, and I think Ferrets had Rolls Royce engines too. Oh, and the Rolls Royce Meteor in the Centurion and it's predecessors at the tail end of WW2.
williamp said:
Wait Here Until Green Light Shows said:
Brilliant program. I must say the thought of that beast clanking down a people lined high street is a tad sketchy to say the least! I think on balance they made the right decision.
A diffficult one and I am inclined to agree. They had terrible visability, and Guy martin in the tank would have created large crowds, difficult to police. You'd need a lot of high viz walking alongside it with (due to the noise) no radio comms. On balance, the right decision. Shame, but there you go. Excellent project, and again, kudos to the companies who spent a fortune helping build it.
King Herald said:
williamp said:
Wait Here Until Green Light Shows said:
Brilliant program. I must say the thought of that beast clanking down a people lined high street is a tad sketchy to say the least! I think on balance they made the right decision.
A diffficult one and I am inclined to agree. They had terrible visability, and Guy martin in the tank would have created large crowds, difficult to police. You'd need a lot of high viz walking alongside it with (due to the noise) no radio comms. On balance, the right decision. Shame, but there you go. Excellent project, and again, kudos to the companies who spent a fortune helping build it.
yellowjack said:
I was at Perham Down around 1992 to 1994. I served with 3 Field Squadron, when it became 3 Armoured Engineer Squadron. Our re-role parade was held on that old barracks site opposite your school, on the other side of Somme Road from the AVSD. I used to live in one of the (long since demolished) "upside down" houses off Kennet Road, right next to the bus stop where Richmond crescent now stands.
You wouldn't recognise the place now all the hangers etc have gone at the depot its going to be new housing, And as I typed this it just occurred to me that not only was my granddad a tank driver my dad worked at the depot after the second world war diving tanks starting on shermans and ending on centurions and my brother also worked there driving yep tanks from the centurion AVRE to the challenger! 
Laurel Green said:
I believe the police would not agree because the tank lacked seatbelts.
Thats a very daily mail headline and almost certainly b
ks designed to annoy the "typical police, in my day...etc etc". Besides, racing harness are £100 each and easy to fit so this would not stop them. ecsrobin said:
I posted a video earlier of a WW1 tank driving through Trafalgar Square and then down to horse guard parade. Just had a couple of mounted units walking behind. It’s not like the thing can go very fast.
But the tank barely fitted down the high street he wanted to drive it, as they showed by measuring with bits of rope.I wonder if anyone near Batley, West Yorks is reading this and knows about the tank they put on display in Wilton Park there? It's one of the most bizarre things i've ever seen in that area and that takes some beating! I'd love to know more about it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggQyOqqrt7U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggQyOqqrt7U
carl_w said:
Apologies if it was explained during the programme but I presume the original tank didn't have a bloody great stainless steel exhaust with silencer running down the back of it?
Stainless steel is just the modern option to make it last longer and help to stop it leaking gas into the tank.
williamp said:
Laurel Green said:
I believe the police would not agree because the tank lacked seatbelts.
Thats a very daily mail headline and almost certainly bks designed to annoy the "typical police, in my day...etc etc". Besides, racing harness are £100 each and easy to fit so this would not stop them. XCP said:
I would imagine that registration and insurance might have been an issue, but if the police had closed the road that would have been easier I suppose. Would have made a mess of the road surface too I guess.
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