SXF 820 was used by Bradford Corporation Transport department from September 1968 to approx 1974 when BCT was absorbed by West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive. It was primarily used as a trolleybus support vehicle, presumably transporting equipment and maybe towing in emergencies. It's believed it was a hard-top in full BCT rich blue and cream colours, and was numbered 09 then 012 in the fleet. Its subsequent disposal and whereabouts are unknown.
Notified by Jon Ackroyd, based on information from book on history of Bradford Trolleybus System by J S King.
Much more detailed information has come from Norman Hinchliffe, who was involved in the operation of SXF 820 at Bradford City Transport in the sixties and seventies. He wrote (December 06):
I joined the Engineering Department of BCT in July 1968 and as Civil Defence was at that time being disbanded the surplus vehicles were shared out amongst the various Corporation Departments. We in the Transport Department acquired Land Rover SXF 820, together with Morris J2 Minibus CYY 337C. Both these vehicles were used as general runabouts, the Land Rover was based at the main workshops at Thornbury, and the minibus was used by the Traffic Department for ferrying staff and inspectors around the system.
The Land Rover was not specifically used in connection with the trolleybuses, but was used by all sections of the Engineering Department. It was used in and around the works for shunting 'dead' trolleybuses. We operated trolleybuses until 1972 and were the last operator in the UK. At the Thornbury Workshops many 'scrap' trolleybuses were retained and cannibalised for spare parts. This often needed much shuffling of the scrap vehicles within the confines of the works. Either a Lansing Bagnell electric 'Tow-Tractor' or SXF 820 (or sometimes both in tandem) were used to move the sometimes stubborn old vehicles (often with seized brakes!) I do remember, however, on at least one occasion SXF was unable to move a particularly stubborn vehicle. The staff performing the work had the ideal solution — hitch the AEC Matador breakdown truck onto the front of the Land Rover to help! The result was a slightly longer SXF and a towing drop plate that stuck out almost horizontal! On another classic occasion, SXF was despatched with the car transporter trailer to recover one of the staff cars. About a mile from the works, SXF and the trailer overturned at a roundabout as they were joining the Leeds Ring Road.
SXF was, however, much loved at Thornbury and was always carefully repaired, often using bus-type components such as the square 'BMAC' light units on the front wings. The Livery was, of course, the standard blue and cream like the buses.
The Land Rover was also often loaned to the Overhead Line Department to help in the demolition of redundant overhead. In this role it usually towed a two-axle car-transporter trailer which was fitted with sides, and all the cut down wire and overhead fittings would be transported back to the works in this. A BMC lorry with HIAB crane was later used for this purpose.
I worked in the Technical Section of BCT, and if we needed transport to get around our depots, etc we would borrow one of the staff cars, or if these were all in use then the Land Rover would be used. Not many staff liked to use SXF 820, but I was a Land Rover enthusiast and loved every opportunity to drive it. I fully intended to buy the vehicle when it was disposed of, but unfortunately I never got the chance.
In April 1974 under local government re-organisation the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive was formed to take over the bus operations of Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Halifax and Todmorden Corporations. I was transferred to Wakefield and only saw SXF 820 occasionally.
In May 1974 the PTE purchased the coaching operations of the long established Huddersfield operator 'Hanson' — the Hanson stage carriage operations had already been taken over by Huddersfield Corporation some time earlier.
Hanson was initially run as a separate subsidiary operation to keep costs down, and at some time between 1974 and 1979 it was decided that Hansons needed a general runabout and were promised a Land Rover. Much to the horror of the Hanson Engineering staff the smart new Land Rover they were expecting turned out to be SXF 820 transferred from Bradford, and they absolutely hated it. They complained about it constantly and not long after arriving at Hansons, SXF 820 mysteriously caught fire in the middle of the night and was completely destroyed.
I saw the vehicle for the last time parked in Hansons' Depot at Huddersfield, a blackened rusty chassis with bodywork that had largely melted. Soon after, it was sold and broken up for scrap — a sad end to a lovely vehicle! Nothing could be proved, but I still believe that the fire was started deliberately just to get rid of SXF.
[I was at the Thornbury Depot on the last day of UK trolleybus operation, but that was before SXF870 came into my life, and even if I'd seen 820, I'd not have realised the significance of it — GA].