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Photographer / Copyright
Derek Everson
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2487M H218FLB
T70 

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Date added to site
15/12/2020

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Details: Fleetnumbers 2485M to 2490M were applied to a batch of six Mercedes 814 lorries all of which had been licensed on 1st August 1990 (the first day of H-prefix registrations), though they were not all taken into stock straight away. 2488M was a demountable and was the only 814 demountable alongside a dozen of the larger 1114 model. It was for use with the new Emergency Control Unit body DB7 but curiously, although DB7 was new in September 1990, 2488M was not officially taken into stock until almost exactly a year later. 2490M was a box truck, while the other four were all dropside lorries, similar to earlier 2469M/2470M apart from having two drop-doors on each side instead of three. 2485M, 2486M, 2487M and 2489M were all delivered in red livery, rather than the new LUL white/blue, perhaps because they were intended for use by the bus companies. Indeed 2485M and 2486M were allocated thus, and passed to Leaside and London United respectively upon privatisation. 2487M and 2489M were also allocated to bus garages (Brixton and Stockwell respectively) but their destinies were different. 2487M was taken over by LUL in about 1996 and repainted white/blue, also losing its dropside doors to become a flatbed. It was photographed parked on Park Royal Road on 4th November 2001, when it was carrying Indespension tanker trailer T70. T70 was mainly used to allow on-site refuelling of track machines, and it was often to be seen carried by a lorry rather than being towed, perhaps because of roadworthiness issues. 2487M remained in stock until 2008, while T70 was eventually replaced by a new trailer by 2018. The last of the dropsides (2489M) is a bit of a mystery. It seems to have also transferred to Acton in about 1996 and is reported to have been repainted white/blue, but the only photo of it which I have seen shows it in red livery in 1992, and it was sold in 1998. According to the excellent 2003 book by Kim Rennie and Bill Aldridge, all six 814 lorries were originally intended to be demountables for emergency use. It was soon realised that heavier chassis would be required, and a batch of Mercedes 1114 demountables was ordered in replacement.

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