Sid's Cafe van.

onyx(John)

Administrator
Staff member
I spotted this pic. on Google images. Anyone know anything about this, if it is in use or even still exists?
GFpM6a0.jpg
 
Agree the pink salmonella van with no prawns for sale especialy drunks in the early hours.How Cleggy managed to drive it I don't know I bet it stirred up the fat fryers .
 
I don't remember that particular van - which episode was it in? Sid's vans seemed to vary by episode, kind of like Wesley's Land Rovers early on.
 
If you look really carefully, you will see that it
sez "as seen in Last of the Summer Wine." Perhaps
this is a van for the "current" Sid's Cafe, not the Cafe in the
show???
 
If you look really carefully, you will see that it
sez "as seen in Last of the Summer Wine." Perhaps
this is a van for the "current" Sid's Cafe, not the Cafe in the
show???

That's probably correct. Its advertising the cafe, not saying the vehicle itself was in the show.
 
Could this be the van used much later in "Aladdin's ?". Sorry, can't remember the name of
that particular episode.
 
No as far as I can tell this van has never been used in any episode it looks like a mocked up vehicle just as an advertising stunt.
 
No as far as I can tell this van has never been used in any episode it looks like a mocked up vehicle just as an advertising stunt.

I am sure you are right. Sid had that awful pink dish and chip mobile shop but that was about it, although I do also recall a Transit, or similar, in 'From Wellies to Wet Suit'
 
They also used the transit in " Mending Stuarts Leg ".It was supposed to secure Compo while he took the slates up to the roof, but finished up taking him " up and down like a yo-yo ". ;D ;)
 
I saw a postcard of that van in Holmfirth if I remember rightly I think Wesley was on it too.
 
No as far as I can tell this van has never been used in any episode it looks like a mocked up vehicle just as an advertising stunt.

I am sure you are right. Sid had that awful pink dish and chip mobile shop but that was about it, although I do also recall a Transit, or similar, in 'From Wellies to Wet Suit'
It's ages since I've had dish and chips ;) ;)
 
No as far as I can tell this van has never been used in any episode it looks like a mocked up vehicle just as an advertising stunt.

I am sure you are right. Sid had that awful pink dish and chip mobile shop but that was about it, although I do also recall a Transit, or similar, in 'From Wellies to Wet Suit'
It's ages since I've had dish and chips ;) ;)

Obviously thinking about the milk lady in Open All Hours .....
 
wasn't it an old coach possibly 60's era converted into a chip van ??

Almost. It was an old bus. It was a Bedford VAS2 with Duple Midland coachwork. It was ordered by London Council, so was probably used as a bus in London somewhere originally.
Bedford did 3 types of bus chasis in the 60's, the VAS, VAM and, VAL. I presume the VA was to designate that it was a bus/coach and the S was for short wheelbase, M for medium wheelbase, and L for long wheelbase. Looking at the lengths of the chasis involved on Bedford's wikipedia page seems to confirm this.
2 films which use the VAL chasis are the original Italian Job, and, the Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour. These vehicles had tri-axles, with twin axle steering at the front.
 
It was sold for restoration. Don't think it was used in the show, it was just for advertising the cafe, not that it needed it. IMG-20220528-WA0000.jpg
 
Almost. It was an old bus. It was a Bedford VAS2 with Duple Midland coachwork. It was ordered by London Council, so was probably used as a bus in London somewhere originally.
Correct, Sid's chip van was a a converted Bedford VAS (short wheelbase bus chassis) single-decker coach with Duple Midland bodywork. It was built in July 1967 at the Willowbrook factory for the Greater London Council, fleet number 391. I am in possession of a photo taken on location - but due to copyright restriction I cannot publish it here (but if you wait, you will be able to see it, sometime!).
It was originally painted blue, the of livery the Inner London Education Authority. For the show it was painted pink. It seems the bus may have been scrapped in 1988. One of its sister vehicles has survived, fleet number 392, still in the Education Authority livery, but it has been exported.
 
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