GHP 994L

GFM 882

'Pullman transport for bloodstock' …'from stable to covertside and race course, with safety comfort and speed' was how the Hammond 'Newmarket' horse-box was described to potential customers. And in fact, for some 40 years, the highest in the land chose Hammond vehicles to move their prized race horses, some of the most famous, including Golden Miller and Brown Jack 'riding Hammond'.

Although the company used a wide variety of vehicles Percy Hammond was a devotee of AEC from the earliest days in the late 1920s. By 1976, when the enterprise in High Street, Newmarket, finally closed, there were about 20 horse-boxes in Hammond's own fleet.

Rolling chassis were sent to the coachbuilder after a mechanical check. Some bodies were constructed by a local company called Watson, but Strachan, Thomas Harrington in Hove and later Lambourne were used. The whole exercise took about six months.

Harrington are thought to have built horse-boxes exclusively for Mr Hammond and it is probably Vincent who can claim the distinction of making the very first motor 'box' at around the same time as Mr Hammond's 'Newmarket' design was launched.

Mrs Anne Rolinson the surviving daughter of Mr Hammond remembers one of the AEC's in particular. 'We had just finished a beautiful example for a nobleman who sadly died just before delivery. His son cancelled the order and it was a worrying time, especially as the horse-box was already painted in their racing colours. However, the trainer suggested father drove the 'box' to the front of the owner's house and parked it with its ramps down where the new earl and his fiancée would pass it on their way back from church the next Sunday. That trainer proved a very good friend because the successor to the title could not resist showing off 'his' new horse-box to the young lady and the payment for that big expensive AEC was honoured'.

When AEC took over Maudslay in 1948 the Coventry firm's chassis were also used by Hammond and became the star attraction on the AEC/Maudslay stand at the Tattersalls Newmarket horse sale. It is a Maudslay which is used for the Dinky model of a Hammond horse-box produced by Meccano between 1953 and '61.

Illustrated are an early offering on the AEC chassis, a stunningly beautiful interpretation on a 1950s Regal coach chassis and the cover of a brochure depicting a special low-loading chassis, probably from the mid-1930s.

Photos and article courtesy of Martyn Nutland, who has checked his research with the Hammond family. Martyn advises that the gentleman driving the Regal is Joe Froman; he wonders if Joe is still alive and welcome the opportunity to speak with him or members of his family.

Martin Ingle knows a bit about the horseboxes too. In July 2006 he wrote:
"There were three postwar Regal chassis bodied as horseboxes for the UK. Chassis number O6624782 was HXA 167 and 6821A157 was CCF 822, both with Vincent bodies. Can anybody advise me of the reg of chassis number O6625487 and who bodied it please? And maybe provide a picture? One of them survives as a preservation project and was the subject of an earlier Messageboard post by Keith Finlay on 23/1/06 – unfortunately the email address given then no longer functions. Can anybody put me in touch with Keith please?"

Well, we now know that BCF 662 pictured above, one of those sent by Martyn Nutland, is the third Regal.

Martin also heard a rumour that one of the ex Railway Company Maudslay Marathon - Harrington horseboxes is derelict on a farm in the area of the Severn Tunnel Junction – i.e. down Chepstow way. Has anybody any knowledge of it please?

You can contact Martin at joyandmartin.lamornacove@talktalk.net

AEC TRAINS

AEC provided the running units for a number of manufacturers of diesel railcars and multiple units in the 1960s when British Rail was sourcing these types of trains from multiple builders to speed up the modernisation process. In the case of the 'Class 103' multiple units, Park Royal also built the bodywork. The standard engine used for these was the A220, which was an 11.1 litre unit and was a precursor of the AH690. Two engines were fitted to each carriage (or "car", in railway parlance).

Graham Thornton, who owns the only surviving 'Class 105' "Cravens" unit, has provided the following information about preserved AEC multiple units:
The Cravens is unique and is based on the East lancashire Railway at Bury; it is a class 105. A Park Royal class 103 set is at Helston (in Cornwall) for use there. There are approx 10-12 preserved DMU vehicles on A220 engines including a class 126 based at Bo'ness in Scotland (4 engines), three cars at the Midland railway centre at Butterly - one being a class 100 built by Gloucester carriage and wagon (two engines), the other two cars being Derby lightweight vehicles (4 engines). The class 103 Park Royals have two power cars saved one as above and the other in Coventry (again two engines each). Finally there is the Wickham class 109 on the Llangollen railway with two engines! So the A220 is alive and well as most of the above are working vehicles.