Remember Marsh Blackpool van Transport had quite a few atkis l always thought they looked well. mostly white with red vans the same, anybody got any pics? Used to see them a lot Sainsburys etc mid to late 70s think they may have worked for Untited Biscuits or some body simular
Bewick:
ramone:
Limey:
Bewick:
I know its maybe not the thread for this shot but this was one of a number of Merc 300E’s that I ran and they were as smooth as silk just like the Atki’s and this particular '88 one was nearly the same fleet colour as the motors!That’s the first decent motor on this thread!
Couldn
t afford to run a 300E these days Dennis with the price of fuel , i was looking for another Volvo recently and noticed a S80 on a 56 plate with 80000 on the clock going for £5500 and thought it was cheaptil i saw it had a V8 petrol in it beautiful £40000+ car going for a songIf you don’t do a lot of miles the price of juice isn’t as important and you can pick up a cracking motor for little money! Those 300E’s I ran were non turbo 6 cyl diesels and they always averaged up in the mid /late 30 mpg’s I ran them up to 60k miles then swapped for a new one,the Merc Dealer could retail them warrented providing they were under 60k miles.If I got close to 60k before the new one was delivered I dropped the speedo off the gearbox!! and could drive on the rev counter speedwise.Well it wasn’t my fault if the new one was late! I had a transport operation to run which meant I was all over the place every week! Cheers Dennis.
Sounds a bit like ‘The World According to Hugh Gardner’ 
All the best, Andrew
THE YARD, ILLTYD THOMAS, SWANSEA.
Saviem:
Evening all, hard old day, come into the office for a shower before tea, make the big mistake of switching on the computer, and there we are, Dennis you have started it with this thread! Trying to answer some points, ( if the old grey cells work at all) .Kenny, Black Knight,(I would call a Mk1), 1964,“freighter and tanker series” to meet the new 1964construction and use regulations a range of 4, 6, and 8wheel rigid chassis, powered by Gardner 5LW, 94 BHP 6LW 112bhp, 6LX 150bhp,Engines Gearboxes, David Brown 557/500 5sp,657 6sp, TR557 10sp splitter, ZFAK 6-75 6sp, ZF power steering, Eaton 18802 2sp axle or tandem drive Kirkstall T48 Gold Knight was the tractor range, if the memory is right, but with (initially) a ■■■■■■■ 180 option), Now the controversial ERF/Atkinson debate! I bought and sold both brands, new and used. Personally, in their day I consider the Atkinson to have been the better product, untill the advent of the “Group axle”. I hated the ride in the LV and A Series, the cab always seemed to be out of phase with the chassis , like two dancers, one doing a fox trot, and the partner a Rhumba! Doors always seemed to be a problem area with ERF, but I wholeheartedly agree with the issue of windscreen security in Atkinsons! I well remember proudly wheeling into A G Birds premises, (heavy haulage at Featherstone on the A460) with an Atkinson Venturer ■■■■■■■■ 15sp Fuller 6x4, “special types 75ton” (or so the brass plate on the cab rear stated). As I crossed the pavement the passenger windscreen took flight, to land infront of the unit. If that was not embarrasing enough, on exit, having endured much leg pulling from Geoff and Ken Bird and their pro Foden staff, the drivers screen emulated the egress of its sister, and needless to say it was a very wet day!! I am pretty certain that that particular chassis ended up at Rawcliffes at Mawdsley. Finally, ramone, Spiers of Melksham, after their demise I seem to remember Chris Kelly ended up with most of the fleet, and resold them. I shall now take refuge from the pro ERF brigade, (but gosh I had fabulous service many years later from ERF E Series), and seek solace in a large glass of nicely chilled Bollinger, Adieu mes Amis, (as they say in downtown Bilston)
Were the mandators sold over here or were they exported cant see much call for mandators in the early `90s over here i used to pass them regular on the M65 with some specialised trailers which looked like they were carrying soot , i think they used to go to Keighley
daibootsy:
THE YARD, ILLTYD THOMAS, SWANSEA.
Looks like a proper haulage yard
daibootsy:
BLUELINE TRANSPORT.
I love these old black n white pictures … can imagine the neighbours not too pleased in the early hours when he started it up and the air was down 
THE YARD, ILLTYD THOMAS. SWANSEA
THE YARD, plenty of smoke from the trusty gardners, in the wintercold frosty dark mornings.
Gardner, and heaters never got on.
Morning all, those Welsh motors do bring back the memories, I had many a deal with Stan Ross, Ross Garages,and Ross Roadways, mainly in the Bar at Cardiff market. Exported many a perfect English lorry to the principality, and provided a rest home for “lightly used” Welsh Atkinsons. It must have been the quality Welsh water I was plied with! It is a wonder some of them actually made it back across the border, let alone went on to succesful second careers hauling steel in the Black Country!! Sorry ramone, I do not know what happened to those Mandators, when I see Chris I will ask him. I do recall that back in the 90s he had located an ex B&W 110 demonstrator in Cyprus, when he got to the operators yard there was one of my old 1628 Mercedes, with our company name still on it, and the 110 was scrapped!! Hey, let no one doubt the ability of those Mercedes 300 diesels, Dennis, you must have travelled at greater velocity than me, I used to get 40 to 48mpg consistently. Lovely car, (for a taxi) they would do some miles, I loved them, untill the quality fell off. When I sold my Viewline, WAN384G to the Roberts Brothers, I took a Mercedes190 diesel, chocolate brown, with fawn upholstery, as a part exchange. Used, (abused) as a farm hack untill she was showing 263000 miles, no breakdowns , should never have sold her!! Now the Viewline, there was a windscreen to worry you on a bumpy road, Cheerio for now.
I can see where you are coming from now Dennis ,pure luxury
And this is what they turned into, 
Hello,heres a few Grafters…apologies if you’ve seen them on the scrapbook. 
Cheers Bubbs,