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25
ESB NETWORKS LTD
June/July 2013 www.esb.ie/em
“One of the first things we did was to buy a car. The next thing we did was to buy a truck. Now, we were ready for work.”
- anonymous ESB staff member circa 1937
the USA. The Irish agents were Mac Lysaght & Douglas of 40 Dawson Street in Dublin, also agents for Peugeot cars in Ireland.
Other users to take delivery of Hupmobiles in 1927 would have been McMullan Brothers (MAX-OL) and Cumann Na Gael - both still with us today.
The first commercial vehicle to be registered to the ESB was in early 1928.
The vehicle was a green ‘Ford AA’, registration ZI 1437. This was followed by other Ford and Chevrolet trucks.
THE ‘BATH CHAIRS’
An unusual entry in the registration books is the entry of 12 red Triumph ‘Bath Chairs’ to the ESB in 1929. An official description for a motorbike with a ‘side car'.
THE FIRST LOGO
During the 1930s the fleet slowly built up. In the early part of the decade the colour red became the norm. Early vehicles had the company name ‘Electricity Supply Board’ hand-painted in gold script.
The first logo, the gold spark with ESB in red, did not appear until the 1930s. Unusually, there was a ‘left’ and ‘right’ logo.
BIG RED WAGONS
Photographs in the transport archive from the ‘30s show some unusual equipment: steam-powered vehicles approaching ESB Greedier Waterford with load.
THE EMERGENCY(1939-45)
During ‘The Emergency', supplies all but dried up and there is little record of vehicles entering service until the late 1940s.
HEAVY HAULAGE
The 1950s brought great activity in construction. So as to move giant equipment from sea ports to sites a fleet of heavy hauliers was established out of the Dublin Erne Street stores: Latil, FWD, Foden tractor units, and then for even heavier loads, the Scammell units entered service.
The Scammells retired in 1995 - replaced by an ERF and Semi-Trailer, registration: 95 D 25066. Heavy haulage by ESB ceased in 2003. The last of the Scammells, ZC 7975 and FZO 678, are undergoing restoration in the UK by a private collector.
RURAL ELECTRIFICATION
Several promotional photos feature in the Tallaght Gallery. These promoted the electrification of Ireland. Transport featured heavily in St Patrick's Day parades for many years.
The red colour with gold spark livery lasted until approximately 1960. During this period one variation was used. In 1954 a batch of mobile showrooms were purchased. These were the first VW vans and they were in the care of salesmen who promoted locally electrical goods following the introduction of electricity in rural Ireland. These vans were, as usual, red but painted ‘Ivory’ on the top to differentiate them from the rest of the fleet.
It was during the 1950's that the Transport Section’ established itself at South Lotts Road and from here managed the nationwide fleet for many years.
SAFE DRIVING
Driving Safety was a very important function of the Transport Section. Several driving instructors were employed and they tutored ESB drivers in the skill of truck driving. One renowned Supervising Instructor was Terry Fitzpatrick who was the recipient of several awards for driving skills by the safety organisations of the time (1964).
YELLOW AND GREY
In the early 1960s, the colours of the fleet changed to yellow and grey. The logo also changed from the spark to what we call the ‘TV Screen’ with ESB inside. Later in the ‘60s the ‘TV Screen’ was dropped leaving just ESB.
CART TO HOIST
The ‘60s and ‘70s witnessed the start of mechanisation. Everything was going ‘up’ and the electrician had to follow. Elevating towers, rotating ladders became the order of the day. The time was up for the electrician with his hand-cart.
BLUE AND YELLOW
In the early ‘80s the fleet received its third livery, yellow with the wide dark blue band. This livery was very short lived and the fleet went all yellow in the late 1980s.
PRESERVATION
Several vehicles from the past have in recent years been rescued from the scrap yard and have been restored by private collectors. These vehicles are displayed at classic shows throughout the summer and contribute to the raising of thousands of euro for local charities.
PROMOTING THE PAST
In 2008 a detailed study of the history of transport in ESB was carried out. Much detail was catalogued and recorded in the ESB archive for future reference. A commemorative poster showing transport through the years was produced in addition to examples of replica ESB vehicles in miniature.
All are on display in the Tallaght offices of Fleet and Equipment.
