Anyone remember what the paraffin man's vehicle looked like 1970s?

[Zincubus]

Anyone remember what the paraffin man's vehicle looked like 1970s?

So the paraffin man would come round in a vehicle with a big tank/dispenser on the back of his vehicle. He'd pump his horn and you'd grab a gallon plastic container, queue up at his vehicle in the street and get your container filled.

Does anyone remember the type of vehicle used e,g. a Bedford or Leyland?? I would love to see a picture of one from the 1970s, but all my internet searches have only come up with earlier vehicles which looked just like a van. The paraffin vehicles from the 1970s I remember were more like pick up trucks with a big tank/dispenser on the back. I know time plays tricks on your memory but it wasn't a closed van type of vehicle.

Share your memories, but better still point us all in the direction of a picture

goodtimes

As I mentioned earlier .. it was our family business !!


My grandad was THE paraffin man in the Bury area 1940s onwards then his two sons ( my dad and my uncle) took the reigns in the 50’s .. my dad and mum took their share of the business and invested it in their own Esso station ( petrol and car repairs ) .


Anyways ‘68 onwards I used to work a few hours a week on my uncles paraffin Van .. he drove and I’d be the door to door runner getting the orders taking them back to their house and collecting the money ..

They were transit sized vans with the back doors chopped off so the back was completely open .. shelves down both sides and a kinda product display area .. paraffin was the main thing obviously but we also sold chopped wood , charcoal , dish cloths . disinfectant , soap , scourers , tin openers , light bulbs ..plus similar items .

The best bit apart from the pay ( and tips ) was I got to sit / ride on the back flap of the van .. I perfected getting off a moving van


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[hazel]

Re: Anyone remember what the paraffin man's vehicle looked like 1970s?

From what I remember locally it was an Austin / Morris / Leyland FG series. The cab door could be opened within the width of the vehicle which made it easy for urban deliveries.
I do remember a sort of elephant character called 'Pink Pongo'!

Sorry to bump an old thread, but Oh my god, someone else remembers Pinkie Pongo!! There was a cartoon decal of him on the pump at the petrol station near my house when I was tiny, he used to fascinate me. I think he was used to advertise Pink paraffin. I had a badge of him that said 'Pink Makes a Pongo Happy.'


just found this too: http://centuryads.blogspot.com/2015/...e-dog-and.html

[hazel]

Re: Anyone remember what the paraffin man's vehicle looked like 1970s?

From what I remember locally it was an Austin / Morris / Leyland FG series. The cab door could be opened within the width of the vehicle which made it easy for urban deliveries.
I do remember a sort of elephant character called 'Pink Pongo'!

Sorry to bump an old thread, but Oh my god, someone else remembers Pinkie Pongo!! There was a cartoon decal of him on the pump at the petrol station near my house when I was tiny, he used to fascinate me. I think he was used to advertise Pink paraffin. I had a badge of him that said 'Pink Makes a Pongo Happy.'

[Hair Bear]

Re: Anyone remember what the paraffin man's vehicle looked like 1970s?

Definitely a Bedford J!
A Leyland WF has a very similar profile.

[CrystalBall]

Re: Anyone remember what the paraffin man's vehicle looked like 1970s?

This is the nearest I've found, a 1950s paraffin truck.
Open back with a tank/dispenser on the back.
So imagine a 1970s version of this, Do you remember seeing one like this but 1970s in style?

For the record would anyone know the make and model of the vehicle in the picture?

This is the photo I was referring to in my post above. As far as I know it is a Bedford TJ series. Probably built in the 1960s and they were still around in the 1970s.

[goodtimes]

Re: Anyone remember what the paraffin man's vehicle looked like 1970s?

This is the nearest I've found, a 1950s paraffin truck.
Open back with a tank/dispenser on the back.
So imagine a 1970s version of this, Do you remember seeing one like this but 1970s in style?

For the record would anyone know the make and model of the vehicle in the picture?

[Hair Bear]

Re: Anyone remember what the paraffin man's vehicle looked like 1970s?

From what I remember locally it was an Austin / Morris / Leyland FG series. The cab door could be opened within the width of the vehicle which made it easy for urban deliveries.
I do remember a sort of elephant character called 'Pink Pongo'!

[Zincubus]

Anyone remember what the paraffin man's vehicle looked like 1970s?

I personally cannot remember the delivery trucks but can recall Esso Blue and Pink Paraffin being advertised by hardware stores. The delivery trucks could have been any common light/medium truck of the 1960s/70s era, e.g. Bedford TK, Ford D Series, Leyland Terrier or Karrier Bantam. If you Google 'History of Esso in the UK' it takes you to a page on the ExxonMobil website which shows a photo of a vehicle similar to the ones you are describing. It looks more 1960s than 1970s but I think the truck is a Bedford TJ which would still have been around in the 1970s.

My uncle ( just passed away a few weeks ago sadly ) was A paraffin man [emoji4]

He had a transit sized van with a completely open back end plus a little step - where I used to sit occasionally..
He basically sold everything you'd need for the house - apart from food and drink ( and clothes ) .

The family used to chop wood and make fire lighters and bags of chopped wood to get coal fires going ..

They also had a huge container of some horrid smelling liquid which they bottled and sold ( maybe a detergent or something ) ,.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[CrystalBall]

Re: Anyone remember what the paraffin man's vehicle looked like 1970s?

I personally cannot remember the delivery trucks but can recall Esso Blue and Pink Paraffin being advertised by hardware stores. The delivery trucks could have been any common light/medium truck of the 1960s/70s era, e.g. Bedford TK, Ford D Series, Leyland Terrier or Karrier Bantam. If you Google 'History of Esso in the UK' it takes you to a page on the ExxonMobil website which shows a photo of a vehicle similar to the ones you are describing. It looks more 1960s than 1970s but I think the truck is a Bedford TJ which would still have been around in the 1970s.

[goodtimes]

Re: Anyone remember what the paraffin man's vehicle looked like 1970s?

We use to have paraffin heaters in the 70s. All I recall was cartoon character and the phrase Esso Blue.

Which reminds me....

What's got four bums but cannot fart?























"Bum Bum Bum Bum

Esso Blue!"

Yuo'll either totally get this or be scratching your head

[Moonraker]

Re: Anyone remember what the paraffin man's vehicle looked like 1970s?

We use to have paraffin heaters in the 70s. All I recall was cartoon character and the phrase Esso Blue.

[goodtimes]

So the paraffin man would come round in a vehicle with a big tank/dispenser on the back of his vehicle. He'd pump his horn and you'd grab a gallon plastic container, queue up at his vehicle in the street and get your container filled.

Does anyone remember the type of vehicle used e,g. a Bedford or Leyland?? I would love to see a picture of one from the 1970s, but all my internet searches have only come up with earlier vehicles which looked just like a van. The paraffin vehicles from the 1970s I remember were more like pick up trucks with a big tank/dispenser on the back. I know time plays tricks on your memory but it wasn't a closed van type of vehicle.

Share your memories, but better still point us all in the direction of a picture

goodtimes