rigsby:
hi 240 gardner , who was the buxton firm you worked for ? i have worked out of buxton all my life [retired now ] & can’t think who had the atki with the coffin sleeper . the only one i drove was my mates s80 foden with a jennings , middle of winter , b****y freezing . the bottom of the pod was attached with an aluminium strip & every time i turned over my back touched it & i nearly shot out of bed , hope the atki wasn’t that bad ,
Hiya rigsby. it was,nt 240 Gardner who worked in Buxton he had more sence. It was me 3300John.I bought a new Diahatsu from Glutton bridge
and Graham Shatwell asked if i wanted to work for him. The pay was good and the work. He left me to it, so that side was good the problem was
that you could,t get credit anywhere so i had to buy my own diesel and tyres(if you had a punchture) and he payed you back at the weekend.
I,d worked 7 years at Harrisons in Stoke (ERF earlier photo) for about 6 years and there trucks was all secondhand and Shatter offered me a new
MAN and i was fooled. Never mind i had a good 3 years doing what i wanted he just left me to it.
The atki was a L reg 240 Gardner it was blue with a red chassis the a chap from Leek just bumped the back of another truck(the atki was still drivable)
but a chap breaking trucks ( blast the names gone) at Harpur Hill knew of a cab in Barnsley. This was poped on and away you go.( the atki was a flyer 75mph)
the origanal cab was only a day cab but they fitted a sleeper that was better.Graham then bought about 14 trucks ERF,s and Marathons from Wardell,s at warringtom and started up GB freight lines doing Spain with 2 trucks, rags down and fruit back.I never did that job i had a regular work carring scrap
from Sheffield to bangor and girders from Stoke to Oughtybridge and a little stone job Bangor to Knutsford three round trips a week.
John
Hi John
That wouldn’t have been a chap called Eric Williams (I think) as I had a few dealings with that man from Buxton
Regards Pat
Thanks Pat i could,nt think of his name I,d got stuart johnson…frank buxton and a few others
but eric would,nt come…he,s downed a few pints over the years. ha ha
John
lightswitch:
I cant believe I did this, I went to Italy in this Ford Cargo for Keddys upper Heyford for the launch of the New Primera, this was a 3 week trip in April 97 .
if you look closely at the cargo on the pumps you will notice the coffin cab.
please remember I had to have enough stuff for the 3 weeks which was great on the way out with cars on, as all my stuff was in boot of last car. But when i tipped the cars in Rimini there was not a lot of room in cab ! Reloaded in Rome 1 week later. Got my storage back.
Great trip though !1Just coming out of Mount Blanc Tunnel0
I worked for Concord roadshows before comming here and we were taken over by Keddy during my last year there. Keddy was a crap employer who cut our income by over 30% and ruined the whole company. I had so many arguments with Keddy bosses and they told me to leave if I didn’t like it, then withdrew the request when they realised the customers liked me and it would take a lot to train someone else to run the unit I had. I did quit eventually and told them to stuff it … after they paid my large bonus into my account
Chris Webb:
Thanks for the pic Killsville,never thought I’d see one again
In that case, you can have a special treat and see the same cab again! This time it’s got some bits under it…
The sleeper on this Atki ventura was Built in My dads garage in Stalybridge cheshire . He bought KBU371P from our local scrap yard R&P Commercials in Audenshaw m/cr . The truck was purchased new by AJ Clarke demolition from Oldham . When they replaced it with a doble drive Volvo 150 tonner the then local dealer Taits said the truck was a heep of scrap and sent it to R&P . For some daft reason only known to him my old man decided that with the new increase to38t it would make a great addition to our fleet . At the time we were running an Atki day cab wich was a spare moter Volvo f88 290s and scanias . So why buy a day cab only he knows . Barney Heally and myself built the cab to fit the driver Bob Greanwood ( Wobbly ) was abig old boy so we made the cab wide and deep , But it still had room for 2 large lockers under the 3/4 mattress . The lockers had doors on the outside for access. We fitted a bostrum suspension seat webasto night heater and power stearing . the cab was then mounted on rubber blocks . This suprisingly made big bird Wobblys name for her a nice truck to drive . 1st time out on the Cast container contract Bob found out that she would only do 48 mph flat out . We changed the gearbox giving it 10mph more but still reving its head off so a change of diffs was needed this gave it a more comfortable 65mph cruising speed and great mpg . John Killingbeck bought her when Tremar transport finnished trading .
Interesting info, thanks! There is a photo of it in Bubbs’ Scrapbook thread, in its pre-Tremar days - perhaps when you had it? I’d no idea who had had it new, so you’ve cleared that up for me. The first time I saw it was in 1985, when there was an informal event at Winery Lane to mark the 10th anniversary of the end of true Atkinson production - Tremar brought it along and it was looking quite smart. I think that that was where JK first cane across it.
Sorry i should of said my dads firm was TREMAR transport from Stalybridge , The pic you told me about is ace ,I loaded those flags out of a mill in Bacup for del to melksham . thats one of the few pics whith no red stripes or signwriting on her .
kings 260:
Sorry i should of said my dads firm was TREMAR transport from Stalybridge , The pic you told me about is ace ,I loaded those flags out of a mill in Bacup for del to melksham . thats one of the few pics whith no red stripes or signwriting on her .
I imagine that you were there with the lorry at this event in 1985?
I had taken the Mk.1 parked next to you, but now own the white 6x2 Mk.2 parked on the opposite side. This photo was taken on Walton Summit before we all drove to the old factory at Winery Lane, and the event was to mark the 10th anniversary of the end of Mk.2 production.
kings 260:
Sorry i should of said my dads firm was TREMAR transport from Stalybridge , The pic you told me about is ace ,I loaded those flags out of a mill in Bacup for del to melksham . thats one of the few pics whith no red stripes or signwriting on her .
I imagine that you were there with the lorry at this event in 1985?
I had taken the Mk.1 parked next to you, but now own the white 6x2 Mk.2 parked on the opposite side. This photo was taken on Walton Summit before we all drove to the old factory at Winery Lane, and the event was to mark the 10th anniversary of the end of Mk.2 production.
Hiya is the Tremar cab the same one thats been loaded on page three■■? And is that the cab thats now on the Lawrence 8 legger.
John
3300John:
Hiya is the Tremar cab the same one thats been loaded on page three■■? And is that the cab thats now on the Lawrence 8 legger.
John
Yes John, the Tremar cab is the same one on page three of this thread, but it’s not the one on the Lawrence 8-legger. The Lawrence motor has this cab:
The sleeper conversion was carried out by W & J Riding in Longridge.
Strangely enough, LCK 480N itself has been preserved too - having had a spell as one of John Killingbeck’s “Mk.3 Atkinsons”, with a 400 Series cab (which is why the original Mk.2 cab was sold separately from the lorry), it was sold as an engine-less chassis cab and has now been rebuilt with a Mk.2 cab from elsewhere:
rigsby:
i hope harry gill doesn’t see that photo of the killingbeck atki / pandoro trailer , he will make him strip it & resheet it tidy , rigsby
hiya,
Worked for Killingbeck’s twice in the 1960s and we got a lot of horrors like that shipped in in from Eire but as you say i would have had to do something with that one before setting off, or would have to wear the old wig and sunglasses to pull that mess, look how they’ve tackled the front a proper water trap, no could’nt put my handle to that and would have to take sandwiches could’nt park that amongst proper sheeted loads on a transport cafe’s got to think of you’re image, drove an old ex Shell long nosed Scammell the first time there and the only thing “coffin” on that would have been me the fumes was something else had to stick your head out of the window when climbing the least bit hill, still happy days young and daft.
thanks harry long retired.
rigsby:
i hope harry gill doesn’t see that photo of the killingbeck atki / pandoro trailer , he will make him strip it & resheet it tidy , rigsby
hiya,
Worked for Killingbeck’s twice in the 1960s and we got a lot of horrors like that shipped in in from Eire but as you say i would have had to do something with that one before setting off, or would have to wear the old wig and sunglasses to pull that mess, look how they’ve tackled the front a proper water trap, no could’nt put my handle to that and would have to take sandwiches could’nt park that amongst proper sheeted loads on a transport cafe’s got to think of you’re image, drove an old ex Shell long nosed Scammell the first time there and the only thing “coffin” on that would have been me the fumes was something else had to stick your head out of the window when climbing the least bit hill, still happy days young and daft.
thanks harry long retired.
If I remember rightly (I took the pic in 1986!) it was bales of ‘Acrilan’ from Monsanto at Coleraine. This was Saturday morning and the trailer had just been collected from Fleetwood, for delivery to Yeadon depot on Monday morning.
hiya,
Chris i know this has nowt to do with coffin cabs but in my times with Killingbeck’s the main work was via N.I.T.S and just about every trailer that we pulled had to have the ropes and sheets sorted before departure, remember the tri-axle trailers that N.I.T.S had in the 60s once took one to Prosper De Mulder’s at Doncaster pulled it with a TK Bedford i got there eventually the motor would barely pull the trailer when empty, and you had to make sure you pulled up in a straight line and lock the back axle up with a peg before attempting to reverse it on the dock, it floated when forward running to supposedly save tyre wear.
thanks harry long retired.
harry_gill:
hiya,
Chris i know this has nowt to do with coffin cabs but in my times with Killingbeck’s the main work was via N.I.T.S and just about every trailer that we pulled had to have the ropes and sheets sorted before departure, remember the tri-axle trailers that N.I.T.S had in the 60s once took one to Prosper De Mulder’s at Doncaster pulled it with a TK Bedford i got there eventually the motor would barely pull the trailer when empty, and you had to make sure you pulled up in a straight line and lock the back axle up with a peg before attempting to reverse it on the dock, it floated when forward running to supposedly save tyre wear.
thanks harry long retired.
There was still a handful of those left on the road when I started at Pandoro in 1976, Harry, all 30’ skellies
Hiya …I was working at s coopers in macclesfield and the bedford km i was driving had come to its end. The next cast off was a 4 wheeler sed-ak
i said to the tsp manager could i go to work sat /sun to make a coffin for my next cast off(I,d worked at jennings/erf so i had my own idea)
the reply was no… i got to work on the monday and my work was set out with a DAF1900 top sleeper…wow i,d queue jumped three other drivers
by getting this 4 year old daf…it was,nt to bad for them as they got new ones about 4 months later.the tsp manager said he was,nt shaw what i
would have come up with, so gave me the DAF…he would have got something very similar to the Geo Beer conversion. brillant.
John
Ahhhh the old Atki Borderer…what a tool in its day…we had them when i was on fridge work for a company called S.A.S. one of the partners of the firm was an ex sas high rank and he had to get permission to use the name…split sometime afterwards and Ruby started to run the firm with her new partner…the son and son in law still run the firm today…anyway…we only had them for a while after i started and steve the polish driver didnt want to give his up for one of the new volvo F88…eventually he had no choice…heap of crap compared to todays vehicles…what about the TK Bedford…i could just about fit on the back shelf…which was used in my early days of european travel for a r.a.c. recovery company…night heaters hadnt been invented back then either…you were lucky to get a lorry with a heater that worked let alone anything else…the gas bottle did the trick…
Hiya… whoose sleeper was this on the Atki i had one the same on a Buxton firm but did,nt know what
body builder had done them, Adam jones from the midlands had a couple the same.
John
It’s only recently that I first saw a photo of a sleeper conversion just like that, Joh, and it belonged to Quad Transport of Ashton-in-Makerfield. I’ve never actually seen one like that in the flesh, though, and I’ve no idea who built it. I’ve a photo of an Adam Jones Borderer with the more usual Jennings pod on it.
The Adam Jones borderer was my dads truck which he had from brand new . They only had 1 unit with the jennings pod on it. i would love to see the photo u have of this i would like to print off and give it to him as a present along with corgis new model of a joneses aki , itll bring back memories for me and my dad because when i was a kid the vibration was that bad in the cab it gave me a nose bleed. lool.
Hiya… whoose sleeper was this on the Atki i had one the same on a Buxton firm but did,nt know what
body builder had done them, Adam jones from the midlands had a couple the same.
John
It’s only recently that I first saw a photo of a sleeper conversion just like that, Joh, and it belonged to Quad Transport of Ashton-in-Makerfield. I’ve never actually seen one like that in the flesh, though, and I’ve no idea who built it. I’ve a photo of an Adam Jones Borderer with the more usual Jennings pod on it
Hiya.240 Gardner. i had a atki like that Levis cab at a Buxton frim. The origanal cab was knocked off and we found a s/hand replacment from Barnsley way.
(Wombway Oils) I think, Any how the replacement cab was ex Adam Jones, It was still all lettered up.The cab did,nt have as much room as the Jennings
type sleeper…Who was the other famous person for doing atki sleepers was it Prestons haulage Lancs…I think John Killingbeck made his own from demick
cabs as he made the roofline level which gave more room than a Jennings…I agree with 240 Gardner i bet the Headlights was usless compared with the
twin 5inch ones.
Yes mate that was my dads aki he had from brand new when he drove for Adam Jones . They are unusual and very rare conversions. any photos ull be great.
John
alexbennett:
The Adam Jones borderer was my dads truck which he had from brand new . They only had 1 unit with the jennings pod on it. i would love to see the photo u have of this i would like to print off and give it to him as a present along with corgis new model of a joneses aki , itll bring back memories for me and my dad because when i was a kid the vibration was that bad in the cab it gave me a nose bleed. lool.
That would be NHA 331M? There is a picture of it in Peter Davies’ Atkinson book - 8LXB & Jennings pod.
Hi Guys! I work for the t.v. show American Trucker that airs on the SPEED Channel in the U.S. We need photos of the old coffin cabs and I see that you guys have plenty of them! Any chance I could license some from you? I would need to get them today so if you can help me out quickly I would GREATLY appreciate it!!
truckerresearch:
Hi Guys! I work for the t.v. show American Trucker that airs on the SPEED Channel in the U.S. We need photos of the old coffin cabs and I see that you guys have plenty of them! Any chance I could license some from you? I would need to get them today so if you can help me out quickly I would GREATLY appreciate it!!
You can use mine if Trucknet agree & I get acknowledgement.
