Trolleys 968, 969, 970 and 971

This to record that on this morning, the fine new drain cover on West Hill was not subsiding, but it was not draining either. Full up, with the water from further up the hill washing over it.

My first trolley was a pair captured outside Epsom Station, one small and one. The small one was not dirty, but it was rather weather beaten - which did not stop it being snapped up and being in use on the shop floor when I got back with the next one. It was dated September 2018, so seven years old and perhaps time for the wash-up-brush-up place up north, noticed at reference 2. 

My impression that small is a popular size, despite their rarity. They seem to get snapped up fast enough when I take one in: I imagine that they are much easier to manage in the not very wide aisles than the rather larger medium small, never mind medium and large.

All of which prompted me to think of a good way to change gear when I reach 1,000 trolleys. I won't necessarily stop collecting trolleys, but I will stop noticing each capture. Instead, I will just record the capture as a line on an Excel worksheet. Some hard thinking needed about the columns of this worksheet, maybe starting with a bit of full-on data analysis. Date of manufacture has to be a strong candidate.

My second was a medium large, captured outside B&M, presumably abandoned by someone catching a bus with their shopping.

While my third was a Sainsbury's trolley which came from the bus stop a little way short of Kiln Lane. Another trolley abandoned by someone catching a bus.

Two non scoring trolleys by the side of the Sainsbury's store itself. It might take a while for the trolleyman to get to them, but they are in range of the cameras. And behind them, an anonymous white panel lorry doing something or other. No livery or labels at all. But which does manage to rather mask one of the two trolleys in the snap above.

Sumac looking well in the noon-time light in the passage between the gas depot and what is now Travis Perkins, once the garage for Epsom Coaches. No doubt it will need to be cut back, but it is looking well for the moment.

Google Image turns up lots of similar images from people on social media asking what it is. Plus some websites talking of sumac and some confusion with the tree of heaven of reference 6, which I think is the wrong answer. Stag horn sumac is to be found at reference 7, and while I would be happier if we had some of the distinctive flowers, I stick with that, or a relative for now. It certainly manages to thrive where lesser plants do not.

Quite a good class of car parked outside the Padel centre in Blenheim Road. Plenty of Audis, Mercedes and BMWs. Better average than our road.

Then, just to be contrary, a bit nearer home, this Chelsea Tractor from Lotus, not the first sporty car outfit to try and get a slice of a bigger market. Not enough money in sporty. Carcheck says a Lotus Eletre from last year, capable of (a battery powered) 165mph. Bing says built in Wuhan in China and one might cost you £85,000 - so a very expensive car by our standards.

Some Waitrose Victoria plums for lunch. Not bad, but not as good as the Reeves we had before. From the same grower though, Baker of Gloucester.

My fourth trolley, bringing August to a close at 971 trolleys, 41 for the month, was captured by the bus stop outside Enterprise. A medium small from the M&S food hall, manufactured in March of this year. Very clean and shiny it was too.

Another fancy car, this one on a trailer for some reason. A Merlin rather than a Morgan, as I had first thought. According to Carcheck, a Merlin CD 2 Plus 2 from 1972. In good condition for a car which is so old. Respray job?

Not to be confused with Marlin Cars from the west country, who do get a Wikipedia entry. Merlin cars are to be found at reference 4 - where the date does not agree with that above. There were kits, there is fibreglass, there is a German connection and there may be a connection to the famous Rolls Royce engine.

It looks to be very much a collector's car and I failed to find a price for one.

Without giving him any clues, Google Images turns up lots of Morgans, but also the odd Merlin, including the one snapped above. So not necessarily very expensive at all.

While PicClick of reference 8 appear to make a living off the back of eBay. I knew about people who make a living dealing on eBay, but not about people offering ancillary services: I have always thought the eBay search quite good and not needed any help. Not that I use it that often.

A tricky looking bit of metalwork, found on a post on the way in. From Humanscale and which does not appear to work any more. Completely jammed. But what is it, apart from being another test for Google Images?

He does quite well, turning up Humanscale of reference 5, without being given the clue. I have failed to find the exact thing there, but it does look to be the monitor end of an expensive contraption for holding one or more computer monitors on a wall or on a desk. Which explains the holes on the plate, which do not look right for either a wall or a desk fixing. But do the backs of monitors have matching holes or lugs? Who sets the standards? Does some kind of a sticky pad with locating lugs, sitting between the plate and the monitor do the business?

A company from New York whose wares get into various museums, including the Museum of Modern Art. Searching for 'humanscale' at reference 9 turns up 8 results, seemingly to do with some installation which includes a bit of Humanscale kit, something called a Personal Safety Pac.

Probably this jacket with accessories, image lifted from MOMA. Counts as art in the US. If only we could afford such indulgence!

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/09/trolley-967.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/06/trolleys-886-887-and-888.html.

Reference 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Eletre.

Reference 4: https://merlincars.eu/en/. 'A Merlin is a roadster developed and produced in England between 1980 and 1998. It is available in two variants, as a pure 2-seater (Merlin TF) or with 2 additional emergency seats (Merlin +2). Around 1000 units were produced, of which around 650 were the Merlin +2'.

Reference 5: https://www.humanscale.com

Reference 6: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_altissima.

Reference 7: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_typhina.

Reference 8: https://picclick.co.uk/.

Reference 9: https://www.moma.org/.

Group search keys: trolleysk, 20250831.