British Twintub Washing Machines 1959 - 1990

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Hey Mike,

Sometimes all this thinking makes one quite dizzy, we just need a time machine to go back and check them all out and even bring a few back..!!

I have that Goblin washer, the agitator doesn't float in that one, I guess there wouldn't be any W140 around now as the rubber agitator would have crumbled away.

Good inside shots of the Acme Twin-Speed !! Call the Midwife used that very machine.

Cheers
 
British Twintub Washing Machines 1959 - 1990

Ref the Goblin Double D wash action, I wonder if its something like this Acme twintub, which unlike the big model above with the agi pellor is based on the Rolls cabinet or badged ?
So the use of this with recirculation jet placed in the tub may provide said effect ? (pic courtesy of MatchboxPaul)

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Hi all.

I remember visiting the KAYS catalogue archive many years ago and first seeing the ACME Challenge machines - so bright and vibrant and a real shame that one has not surfaced yet.

There appear to have been at least 5 variants of Challenge twin tubs sold from 1963 through to early 1969. From what I have been able to deduce from sources, it looks to have gone something like this (note - any corrections would be appreciated):

1963 saw the first two models arrive on the scene, with KAYS Spring Summer '63 offering the first model in the accompanying photographs, whilst Autumn Winter saw it joined a more 'deluxe' version, with the flattened ovoid fascia on the front of the cabinet (photo 2).
Strangely the later version was described as 'MkIII' - assuming that the earlier version was MkI, means we are missing a MkII (was this sold through the pages of another catalogue?).
Both the 1963 offerings were based on the ACME Conquest, again introduced in 1963.

1965 saw changes at ACME, with the original Conquest updated into the Conquest MkII and two new models introduced - Models 715 and 915.
The 715 was to form the basis of the 1965 Challenge and the 915 the basis of the Challenge De Luxe - both pictured in photo number 3.

Any one any idea what happened to ACME, cause 1965 appeared to be their final year of Twin Tub production?

For the 1966 season the Mail Order companies went to English Electric, who provided them with a Challenge version of their second generation Twin Star - this machine is in photo 4. This model last appeared in the pages of KAYS catalogue Autumn Winter '68-'69.

Apart from Servis and the Challenge machines, did any other manufacturers produce such bright colour offerings on their white goods?

Paul

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Some quick additons ...

Mentioned earlier n the thread was the Colston autoplus.

There were possibly three versions of this:

1st dating from 1967 and running through till 1970, then model '2301' running from 1970 to 1973 - I don't know if these are one and the same models?
1970 seems to have been a start point where the offerings, previously described as 'autopride' and 'autoplus', started to be described as models 2201 Coronet (either a simple renaming, or a new model?) and 2301 Autoplus.
Model 2351 Autoplus seems to have run from 1973 though to at least 1976, possibly into 1977.

The first photo (drawing) is from 1969, so will be the first Autoplus (possibly the 2301), whilst the second photo is from 1973 and will be of the model 2351.

Also of note is that there were a fair number of exclusive Colston twin tubs produced, variously branded as Singer, Electra, Aristocrat, Emelec, Easeelec and Elite, mostly based on the base model Coronet, but a couple based on the Autoplus.

Paul

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and a quick Philips update ....

Following on from the earlier discussion on Philips models, I found a photo (albeit a line drawing) of what is model HN3206, which appears on the scene in 1970 and shows better the dial cover arrangement.

A previously uploaded image I think is the HN3207 from 1971 - note the fascia height lip running the full length of the back of the wash deck and the Philips badge on the front - both these details leading into the AAC870, which was introduced in 1973.

I think Philips offerings ran as follows:

EA5400 Top Twin De Luxe (1963 through to 1967) - PHOTO 1
EA5402 Top Twin Super (1963 through to 1966) - PHOTO 2
HA8030 Top Twin De Luxe (1967 through to 1969) - PHOTO 3
HN3202 Top Twin (1969 to 1970) - PHOTO 4
HN3206 Top Twin (1970 to 1971) - PHOTO 5
HN3207 Top Twin (1971 to 1973) - PHOTO 6
&
AAC870 Top Twin (1973 to 1975) - PHOTO 7

Any corrections/thoughts on the above gratefully received and thanks to those whose photos I have reattached here :-)
Paul

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Colston

Many thanks Paul for taking the time to search & delve into the timeline history of those brands , and for the spreadsheets , breakfast reading as we speak.

I hadn't noticed the drop down cover panel on the Autoplus , Craig mentioned it in his post. The Philips Topline certainly went through a transformation from the heavy but very practical control panel to the sleeker flatter version of the final series , the whole range looked stunning in their silver & blue livery !!
 
Hoovermatics .

Nowthen "How Far Can A Hoovermatic Pump Water" ....if you've ever used a Hoovermatic twintub you will be very aware of the rate of flow at which they pump out into the sink, have seen many a sprayed and flooded kitchen if the pipe is not fixed firmly over the sink ....

 
Thanks for those pictures

Paul, I notice the first picture of the acme challenge spring 1963, was based on the original acme, minus the twin speed, it describes agitator action, 5/6lb load and clearly has the spin deck of the original, no giveaway rolls bolts either side of the machine and is £70. I can't quite make out the descriptions of the two acmes in photo 3, was the deluxe the agitator machine and the standard the impeller, two different cabinets though both look to be built on a plinth. All fasinating to see and think over.

Seeing these catalogues with machines of various pros and cons, and options for payment terms, show how the wide range of the markets spending ability was being served. Wasn't that one of John Blooms' goals, to sell a washing machine to every Council house.

Mathew
 
Acme Twintub Washing Machine

So where does the Acme I took pics of at Housams props place fit in datewise? Mathew having read your question and going back over the Which 1963 info and now Pauls further info, the 1963 report that machine is like the blue ones with a stainless band around the washdeck, Housams has a rubber band like Hoovers, same spinner but the washlid is tilted back like the Servis and it has a knob front left of the washdeck like a Servis wringer ? pump engage perhaps ? or agitator on / off ?
Questions Questions..

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Bylock 'President'

It seems to be a Rolls 'Super 66' by another name. Same - or similar - control panel.

Pic courtesy of thenostalgiashop.co.uk.

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Bylock President

One might think it was a Rolls, and indeed I did myself until I took a good look at the photo, the control near the bottom of the machine was never seen on any Rolls, there is an inset plinth around the machine and its missing the two screws on the spinner side which all Rolls seem to have

The curious thing was that Bylock came to manufacture motors for Rolls (if they were not already doing so in 1961) and were bought over by Rolls in 1963 only to crash with them in 1964 when Rolls went bust. So there may well have been Bylock branded Rolls machines but this does not look like one of them
 
Morning Al,

Just looking at the Bylock "President" I wonder if it Bylock used some of the parts from newly amalgamated company by Rolls.

I had a look at some other Rolls machines and the Electromatic didn't have any spin-dryer cabinet side screws.

I think there was a cross over of lots of parts, like I mentioned earlier Acme used the same rubber discharge arm as the Thor Automagic fill flume.

All these quirky oddities that come out of these threads.

Cheers Keith

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When I moved out of my digs in 1988, I bought a second-hand Hoovermatic from a vendor who supplied spare parts to our cleaning supplies firm. It had the 'orange trim' switches. Loved that machine and I donated it to a charity when i left the job to return to college in 1989. I also used the Hoovermatic wash motor to drive a replica of an "R2-D2" robot we built for a school musical in 1982. It was removed off a scrap twin tub from a neighbour. Dad used parts of its chassis to fabricate new hinge mountings for the boot lid off my Mum's 1976 Fiat 128 - the car was just 6 years old but the boot lid was already falling off as the hinge mountings had crumbled with rust! Unbelievable that could happen to a 6 year old car today!!
 

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