Over to the third (and last for now) installment about Alexander 'Sandy' Fraser's vehicles, with some more great inventiveness from Lincolnshire. For Frazer didn't just build the AF Spider (click here) and Grand Prix (click here), there was quite a lot more. It started with a fire engine loosely based on a 1934 vehicle and built for children's rides. I don't have any pictures of that, but I understand it was used for many years "And to the best of my knowledge it is still doing just that!", Sandy told me in 2009. Who knows it goes even on today?
The fire engine was followed by a steam engine but things become of interest here with the build of a 1928 Hants & Dorset Leyland Lion PLSC3 single deck bus, made by Fraser in an approximate 5/8 scale. This was powered by a Mini engine and used as the Fraser's family transport for a number of years! Taking it out with the family must have been something and it proved to be such a hit that several more similar vehicles were made. The next four were open topped Leyland G-type double deckers of which Fraser had used a picture as the only reference. There was also a model of the B-type double decker as built by the London General Omnibus Company in 1910. A hybrid of the two types of buses followed, too.
But there was also a WW1 RAF Leyland truck and this came in a slightly larger scale then the previous 5/8 projects. Last in line was a duo of miniature AEC Matadors. Sandy said: "Quite a small scale, but boy, could they pull! This was down to a 1275cc Mini type engine, very low gearing and 4-wheel drive" Yes - four-wheel-drive! I'd love to see how that worked.
Last but perhaps not least I've had some comments about the picture credits used in my previous Alexander Fraser articles, and hope to have amended these now to anyone's approval. I must add though that back in 2009, when I visited Sandy Fraser to photograph one of his cars and interview him for Maximum Mini 2, he was kind enough to let me copy much of his own files and photographs and so that is how they came into my possession. It goes for the pictures copied in below too.
The television programme mentioned is indeed Blue Peter with presenters Peter Duncan on the left and Simon Groom standing on the right (both of whom I remember from my childhood). Keep up the great work Jeroen! Keith
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Keith!
DeleteThis Morgan was Sandy's work as well. The website link shows photos of its current decoration scheme as well as Sandy's. Also seen is the gypsy caravan he would pull with it. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2014/10/21/not-your-average-beer-truck-1930-morgan-super-aero-van
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for that, and what a lovely creation.
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