G;day fellas,
I picked up a trucking mag today here in NZ and there was this great article inside about heavy duty Atkinsons in Australia. I’m sure there was a pic of one of these on Bubb’s thread the other day? It was owned by Mayne Nickless,who were a trucking company and early Atkinson agents in NSW and Victoria.
Anyway I thought this would be of interest to you blokes as the Aussie and Kiwi Atki’s were a bit different.
Cheers Jamie
NZ JAMIE:
G;day fellas,
I picked up a trucking mag today here in NZ and there was this great article inside about heavy duty Atkinsons in Australia. I’m sure there was a pic of one of these on Bubb’s thread the other day? It was owned by Mayne Nickless,who were a trucking company and early Atkinson agents in NSW and Victoria.
Anyway I thought this would be of interest to you blokes as the Aussie and Kiwi Atki’s were a bit different.
Cheers Jamie
Thanke very much for that, Jamie - Pete Lynch is the authority for all things Atki down there. In fact he has published a comprehensive book, ‘Atkinson Down Under’, which chronicles the whole tale. A surprising number of quite elderly Aussie Atkinsons are still in service too. Over time, they were more than a bit different to U.K. Atkis, though!
Mayne Nickless were a very large outfit, and I believe that they had shares in Atkinson Australia too. If I remember rightly, they had a U.K. presence with Parceline at one time.
Here’s the cover of Pete’s book, and which also shows the cab fitted to NZ Atkis for a period, and which was made locally by Taylor Hull
Perhaps less well remembered nowadays, is that Atkinson also had a factory in South Africa:
Here is a 3800 still at work, taken very recently in Melbourne.
Certainly has a look all of its own!
roadcommander2:
Here is a 3800 still at work, taken very recently in Melbourne.
Certainly has a look all of its own!
Nice one! The Mk.3 RP cab with the full sleeper.
Below is the first RP-cabbed Atkinson, on display in 1966:
Yeah mate,that book’s a good 'un,I also have his book on ‘Inters’.
Good pic that too Road Commander. I saw quite a few when I was living in Western Australia,they don’t have an annual ‘MOT’ test so there are still heaps of old bangers on the road.
I’ll dig some pics out and stick them up. Cheers Jamie
If you liked that one, how about a little “dog box” sleeper!
Sorry its not the best pic, bloody van!!
Jamie, which mag is that article in, I might try and get a copy?
Thanks
Mark
Hey Mark,it’s from New Zealand ‘Trucking’ March 2010
Thanks Jamie,
I reckon that mag has improved alot lately, after a bit of time in the “wilderness”.
Pity someone doesnt improve Truckin Life!!!
Is New Zealand Truck & Driver mag still going??
Cheers
Mark
roadcommander2:
If you liked that one, how about a little “dog box” sleeper!Sorry its not the best pic, bloody van!!
Thanks
Mark
Ah, a Mk.2, nice pic! Is that a recent one too?
G’day Mark yes mate,Trucking magazine has got a lot better in the last year,it has a wide variaty of articles now,some on trucking around the world,it’s a bit like Trucking International used to be back in the 80’s.
I haven’t seen NZ Truck & Driver in a while,I’ve a feeling it’s finished up. As for Truckin Life,I’ve not bought an issue in ages,just doesn’t do it for me mate.
Now here’s a magazine that’s been around in NZ for a few years now,if your into your older gear and storys about when the old timers used to run it the this is the mag for you. There’s always great pics of old motors here in NZ during the 60’s and 70’s. If you want I can give you the E-mail of the editor,who I’m sure could fix you up with a subscription.
Anyhow,back to the thread in hand.
He’s a mk3 that I saw back in 95,parked up south of Perth
And check this big banger out.
Named ‘Detroit Delinquent’ this was one of two twin steer tri drive 3800 Atki’s,powerd by a 465hp 8V82TA Detroit through a 13 speed road ranger. That’s a fair bit of grunt for the early 80’s. This is one of the trucks on the Atki book cover. Just imagine the fuel consumption of this truck when pulling three or some times four stock crates.
I wonder if they have survied?
’
A few older ones from the Atkinson archives:
This one had the first 180 Gardner in Australia, in 1967
And finally, one of the well-known fleet of Shell Roadtrains from the late 1960s, one of which still exists
Top pics mate,I like the first pic,I bet the driver stoped and had a BBQ chicken sandwich. The first one realy looks the part with the dog box sleeper and sun visor. The mk1 Aussie cabs look great too,perhaps not to everyones taste though. I’ve never seen one of the mk1’s.
I’ll have a dig through my books and see what else I can find.
NZ JAMIE:
Top pics mate,I like the first pic,I bet the driver stoped and had a BBQ chicken sandwich. The first one realy looks the part with the dog box sleeper and sun visor. The mk1 Aussie cabs look great too,perhaps not to everyones taste though. I’ve never seen one of the mk1’s.
I’ll have a dig through my books and see what else I can find.
Had this morning’s Premium Bond cheque been for £1 million instead of £25, I’d have been looking for an Aussie Mk.1 to import to the U.K.!!
One of Pierce’s “dog box” U.K.-cabbed machines still exists, by the way - I have seen recent photos of it.
Wheelnut won’t like any of those 8X4/10X6 rigids pulling drawbars and roadtrains and 6x4 tractor units 
.It just go’s to show what could be done with a British motor when it’s given to those who know how to spec the things right in a country with better regs and it seems that they also put some decent Detroit two strokes in some of them (By the way NZ it should be 8V92 not 8V82) because a Gardner would’nt pull a roadtrain or much else and that should upset Bewick as well as Wheelnut
Carryfast:
Wheelnut won’t like any of those 8X4/10X6 rigids pulling drawbars and roadtrains and 6x4 tractor units
And perhaps it would upset you to know that some White Road Commanders were built in Australia with Gardner 8LXB engines? Once you’ve got over that, I hope you’ll manage not to drag this thread down too? A Detroit 8V92 wouldn’t pull a 72teu freight train, but I don’t see that as a reason to denigrate it.
240 Gardner:
Carryfast:
Wheelnut won’t like any of those 8X4/10X6 rigids pulling drawbars and roadtrains and 6x4 tractor unitsAnd perhaps it would upset you to know that some White Road Commanders were built in Australia with Gardner 8LXB engines? Once you’ve got over that, I hope you’ll manage not to drag this thread down too? A Detroit 8V92 wouldn’t pull a 72teu freight train, but I don’t see that as a reason to denigrate it.
It won’t drag this thread down or any other just by making a few constructive observations.But I’m actually for once making some positive comments where they’re due and there’s nothing wrong with that outfit which NZ posted.I was just making the point that a spec like that would’nt be appreciated by ‘some’ on here.There’s no connection with using truck engines to run freight trains but it’s obvious that the Gardner would’nt be much use at the type of weights which they were running over there in most cases on the road not on the railway.But you’re probably right that they did run some Road Commanders there with Gardners.Probably until they found out that something with a Detroit in it would do the job a lot better 
I knew it was a forlorn hope that you would take a point: I’ve no further comment. As far as the grown-up chaps here are concerned, please do carry on! As my mother used to say to me all those years ago, “Ignore him and he’ll soon go away”.
Hey,nice idea about bringing one back 240 mate. Is this the one of ‘Pierce’s’ that you were talking about,nice looking old banger. It’s not one of my pics and I hope the owner of it wil not mind me using it.
