GPO Platform Elevating Simon M28

History

For overhead line work the Post Office Telephones fleet used hydraulic platforms, and in 1968 it took a batch of about fifteen Land Rover Series IIB Forward Controls — the 30cwt, 110-inch petrol chassis with the cab set over the engine — carrying the Simon Hoist M28, a two-section articulated boom with a single-man bucket that folded down over the cab for the road. britishtelephones.com's works photograph shows WLA 990G at the Regional Training Centre, Bletchley Park, where linesmen were taught to use the hoist; it wears TRAINING UNIT on its locker body and the Post Office Telephones fleet lettering on the cab door, with an amber beacon on the roof.

The registry's model is a Series IIB Forward Control in GPO green with the locker body, folded M28 boom and bucket, beacon and WLA 990G plate; in the game it carries the amber warning lights.

Imagery

Registry record

Manufacturer

Land Rover (Series IIB Forward Control 30cwt)

Manufactured

1968 batch

Modifier / coachbuilder

Simon Engineering, Dudley (M28 hydraulic platform)

Engine type

Rover 2.6 L six-cylinder petrol

Production run

About 15

Country of origin

United Kingdom

Operated in

United Kingdom

Status

retired

Catalogue data

Record kind

Named model

Model line

Series IIA

Wheels

4

Nominal wheelbase

110″

Catalogue fields describe the vehicle's structure and body as this registry records it. They are not certified factory measurements, and no performance figures are published here.

Sources & citations

Researched sources

• Land Rover Forward Control — Simon M28 hoist (hoists 001) ↗ — britishtelephones.com (accessed 2026-09-11)

Catalogue references

• https://www.britishtelephones.com/vehicles/hoists/001.htm https://www.britishtelephones.com/vehicles/hoists/001.htm ↗