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for the cab floor, which was just 13 inches (330 mm) above the ground, to provide easy access for a roundsman. The vehicle was fitted with a 3.5 hp (2.6 kW) motor manufactured by the
Electric Power Engineering Co., and powered from a 60-volt battery. Standard 162 Amp-hour batteries gave a top speed of 16 to 18 miles per hour (26 to 29 km/h) and a range of around 35 miles (56 km), but a larger range was available by fitting 216 Amp-hour batteries. A press statement announced that this was the first in a series of vehicles which would be produced by the company, and further details of other models would be announced soon afterwards.
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level, could be raised to 9 inches (230 mm). They also showed battery electric road vehicles at an exhibition organised by the South
Eastern Electricity Board and the Electric Vehicle Association. In 1954 they added another stillage truck, the XL1, to their range, showcasing it at the Mechanical Handling Exhibition at Olympia. They showcased their GP20 pedestrial controlled pallet truck at the same exhibition two years later. Manufacture of the vehicles ceased at Wolverhampton around 1960, when Diamond Motors were
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with a range of 8 to 10 miles (13 to 16 km) on normal door-to-door delivery work. It could be supplied as a flat platform truck, with an open body suitable for milk delivery, or as a closed van, suitable for delivering bread. The motor, gearbox and an automatic clutch were mounted on the single front wheel forks. A chain formed part of the final drive. The control system included a contactor manufactured by
237:. The second is a 1951/52 Model 90 which was supplied to United Dairies in London and carried the registration number XMP 457. In the early 1960s, when United Dairies were scrapping PCVs in favour of ride-on milk floats, this one was overhauled and repainted, to be transferred to a cheese manufactory at
190:
Commercial Motor carried a review of the
Graiseley PCV in 1940, which stated that this model had been in service with commercial operators, including bakeries and dairies, for two years. It came with a 0.75 hp (0.56 kW) motor, and was designed to travel at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h),
174:
The company moved to new premises on Upper
Villiers Street, Wolverhampton, in 1935, and began producing pedestrian controlled milk trucks, which were marketed with the Graiseley marque. They soon found that they could sell into other industries, and the vehicles were used in hospitals, factories and
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In
January 1937, Diamond Motors produced their first battery-electric road vehicle, a four-wheeled van with the cab in front of the front wheels, suitable for a payload of 8-10 cwt. The frame, which was made from 3.5-inch (89 mm) channel with tube and channel cross members, had a lower section
202:
In 1945, Batley education committee bought a
Graiseley for the delivery of cooked foods, particularly soup, pastries and puddings, to schools. The three-wheeled PCV was powered by a 0.75 hp (0.56 kW) motor and a 24-volt battery. The motor drove the front wheel through a reduction gearbox
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Between 1948 and 1952, the company sold a large number of
Graiseley PCVs to United Dairies. In 1953 they demonstrated a stillage truck at the Factory Equipment Exhibition in London. It had a 2 hp (1.5 kW) motor, and two speeds. The platform, which was 6 inches (150 mm) above ground
219:
Graiseley were listed in
Commercial Motor's directory of vehicle manufacturers in 1960, but in 1969, when two Graiseley trucks were exhibited at the Materials Handling Exhibition, held in the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, the manufacturer was called Lister Graiseley. By 1971, Graiseley vehicles were
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and chain. A tubular column at the front of the vehicle allowed it to be steered, and pushing it downwards applied the brakes. A separate hand-brake was also fitted, and the single front wheel was mounted so that it could be turned through a wide angle, giving exceptional manoeuvrability.
241:, Leicestershire run by Wilts United Dairies. It was used for internal transport within the facility until its closure in 1975. The works manager, Walter Grewcock, bought it and parked it in his garden, where it rested until 2001, when his son donated it to
195:, and the centrifugal drum clutch was designed to engage when the motor reached 250 revs per minute, providing a smooth start without the need for starting resistors. The three-wheeled PCV was produced in three sizes, the Model 60, with a payload of 8-10
147:. They had previously made motor cycles, but began producing battery-electric road vehicles (BERV) in the mid 1930s. They were best known for their three-wheeled pedestrian controlled vehicles, although they also produced conventional four-wheeled
199:, the Model 75, with a 12-15 cwt payload, and the Model 90, which could carry 22 cwt. Because the primary focus was on the dairy industry, the model numbers represented the number of imperial gallons of milk that could be carried.
167:. AJS also made sidecars, and Walter Vincent Ford, the managing director of Diamond Motors, was approached with a view to buying the sidecar business from AJS. They paid £475, and this price included the Graiseley
249:, Wiltshire. It was owned by Calne Dairies and carries the registration number OPP 886. The registration number indicates that it was first registered between July 1951 and July 1952 in Buckinghamshire.
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There are at least three
Graiseley vehicles still in existence. The first is a 1950 built Model 90, originally supplied to groceries shop A.G.Braddon of Sidcup and is currently under restoration at the
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245:. It was moved to the museum in January 2002, and was put on display in June 2006 after a thorough restoration. The third is a PCV float which is on display at the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum,
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manufactured by Gough
Industrial Trucks Ltd of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. They were listed as producing pedestrian operated refuse trucks, hospital service vehicles, and industrial trucks.
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A diagram of the Graiseley 3-wheeled pedestrian controlled battery-electric chassis dating from around 1938. The diagram was part of the application for patent no. 504604.
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171:. They continued to make Graiseley sidecars for a number of former AJS customers, but after a downturn in 1933, ceased to make their own motorcycles.
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Diamond Motors Ltd were based in Wolverhampton, and made motor cycles. Another Wolverhampton-based manufacturer of motorcycles,
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A Graiseley Model 90 pedestrian controlled vehicle with a milk float body dating from 1951/52. It is preserved at
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Many Graiseley vehicles were classified by their payload, which was measured in
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were produced by the British company Diamond Motors Ltd of
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Electric vehicle manufacturers of the United Kingdom
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386:"Cooked meals by pedestrian controlled electric"
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757:Manufacturing companies based in Wolverhampton
752:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England
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337:"For house-to-house and internal transport"
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512:"British electric vehicles model by model"
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292:. Wolverhampton History & Heritage.
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747:Battery electric vehicle manufacturers
422:"Show of electric vehicles at Dorking"
131:or 51kg, and is abbreviated to "cwt".
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560:"PP registrations - Buckinghamshire"
296:from the original on 2 February 2017
440:"More uses for handling appliances"
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566:from the original on 7 July 2017
540:from the original on 2 June 2018
458:"Mechanical aid for every trade"
404:"New appliances at factory show"
316:"A new battery-electric vehicle"
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494:"Materials Handling Exhibition"
117:Footnotes / references
392:. 9 February 1945. p. 31.
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476:"Directory of Vehicle Makers"
322:. 8 January 1937. p. 30.
243:The Transport Museum, Wythall
32:The Transport Museum, Wythall
428:. 10 April 1953. p. 35.
410:. 27 March 1953. p. 31.
374:. Transport Museum, Wythall.
617:UK milk float manufacturers
231:Black Country Living Museum
141:Graiseley Electric Vehicles
47:Graiseley Electric Vehicles
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518:. 9 July 1971. p. 58.
500:. 23 May 1969. p. 54.
482:. 6 May 1960. p. 135.
464:. 11 May 1956. p. 62.
446:. 4 June 1954. p. 51.
343:. 1 June 1940. p. 36.
262:Battery Electric Vehicles
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290:"The Graiseley Electric"
193:British Thompson-Houston
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530:"Diamond Motorcycles"
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534:historywebsite.co.uk
163:filed for voluntary
721:Wales & Edwards
691:Morrison-Electricar
562:. Old Classic Car.
260:Hills, S M (1943).
55:Commercial Vehicles
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372:Signage on XMP 457
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19:Diamond Motors Ltd
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253:Bibliography
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224:Preservation
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175:warehouses.
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92:Headquarters
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676:Manulectric
215:Acquisition
165:liquidation
149:milk floats
71:early 1960s
741:Categories
630:Milk float
570:14 January
544:14 January
354:Hills 1943
271:References
209:liquidated
110:Milk float
42:Trade name
711:Tomlinson
681:MetroVick
656:Graiseley
239:Swepstone
169:trademark
84:Successor
646:Bluebird
564:Archived
538:Archived
294:Archived
129:long ton
106:Products
79:Bankrupt
52:Industry
706:Sunbeam
701:Smith's
686:Midland
661:Harbilt
623:General
300:31 July
155:History
100:England
68:Defunct
60:Founded
726:Wilson
716:Victor
666:Helecs
235:Dudley
651:Brush
247:Calne
63:1930s
696:Ross
572:2020
546:2020
302:2016
76:Fate
233:in
197:cwt
161:AJS
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610:e
603:t
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34:.
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