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This is one of a series of photos of Merseyside's ERF that were taken shortly after the truck was delivered to Merseyside PTE's Edge Lane Works. The photos were given to me a number of years ago although I am not sure if they were MPTE's or Perris & Kearon's offical photos. It is seen here almost surrounded by former Liverpool Corporation MCW bodied Leyland Atlanteans.

Delivered in 1975 to the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive this ERF replaced a former military AEC Matador, which had been acquired by Liverpool Corporation in 1947. It took the AEC's place as fleet number 53, and operated on trade plates 079 KA.

Painted in a very pale shade of yellow and fitted with a Gardner 6LXB engine and a Fuller 8-speed gearbox, it was supplied via Perris & Kearon, ERF's North West dealership.

The recovery equipment consists of a 20 tonne TFL hydraulic crane and a 50 tonne powered winch, which was very similar to that fitted to P & K's own ERF recovery vehicle.

No. 53 remained unregistered until January 1988 when it was registered Q700 GBG to comply with a change in the regulations which prohibited the practice of allowing recovery vehicles to operate on trade plates.

Allocated to the MPTE's Edge Lane Works, the ERF became a common sight on the streets of Merseyside attending defective buses. It remained unique in the fleet as the three subsequent recovery vehicles were all based on Ford D series chassis.

After the deregulation of the buses the ERF passed to Merseybus on its formation in 1986 and to its successor, MTL in 1992. However, by the late 1980s the rare original steel MW type cab was well past its best, so it was removed and a second-hand C series fibreglass cab fitted by MTL

After the closure of Edge Lane Works, the ERF was transferred to Carnegie Road Garage and continued to be used on a regular basis, although by this time it was beginning to look a bit worse for wear. In 1997 a change in company policy made both the full time recovery crew and the wagon surplus to requirements. It was parked up at the rear of Carnegie depot and forgotten about!

In 1998 it was acquired for preservation and is now part of the Merseyside Transport Trust collection. Hopefully its restoration will commence soon.