Roger pickering photo's

pete smith:

DEANB:
Cant make out the reg on the Atki Pete,but i am sure thats its the same motor. Cant have been too
many with a roof conversion like that. I am sure 240Gardner will know for sure !

Pic from a article.

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Hi Dean,
I think that is the one, I think it may have attended one of the Atki gatherings at Leyland Museum in the late 1980’s, as Dean said over to you 240 Gardner! Cheer’s for the pic Dean

It’s the same chap, Graham Woodcock, but there were three different Atkis: the blue-and-white one in the magazine scan is a Borderer for 32T, and he also had a red Borderer. I’ve a vague recollection that the blue one came from Ernest Thorpe, and that he later lost in a fire.

Anyway, he upgraded to an ex-Killingbeck 38T double drive tractor. Of course, considering where he bought it, it wasn’t entirely straightforward…

RAO 207M started life as a ‘Searcher’ 6x4 rigid with Edenhall Concrete of Penrith, fitted with a 180 Gardner and 6-speed gearbox. ‘Dr John’ Killingbeck converted it to a tractor, with a 240 and Fuller, and added a Riding sleeper cab.

Here’s a photo from Chris Richards’ photostream on Flickr:

RAO207M by chris.farnah, on Flickr

Graham Woodcock ran it in various guises:

RAO 207M by Terry, on Flickr

RAO 207M Atkinson Searcher by Chris Gardner, on Flickr

It’s now in preservation with John Ramm:

Atkinson RAO 207M by Gyles Carpenter, on Flickr

I believe the original cab is still intact, with a well-known Atkinson restorer:

flic.kr/p/dLeX3R