Oh yes! But because we were not in the EEC, they had to be exported to Europe as CKD kits (completely knocked down) and reassembled in Brussels; and were subject to tariffs and poor exchange rates etc. When we joined the EEC in the early '70s, the new 7MW version of it, the ERF NGC, came into its own because it could be exported direct and it was very successful there.
I (seem to) remember the Atkiâs having a âblockâ to prevent accidental selection of reverse gear.
With various layers of blankets, bedding, etc draped over the âbonnetâ or engine cover, the gear stick had to be slammed into it to engage R.
Said insulation didnât do much to stop the fumes of hot oil (Cummins) or warm oil (Gardner) from getting into the cab though. Nor the noise (both)
I managed to avoid the old Atki. I once wistfully on here mentioned in passing that I wouldnât have minded a crack at the Borderer but someone, Oily perhaps (?), said that I hadnât missed anything. 
The Cummins NTC 335 enjoyed warm fuel return, which kept many an ERF going in the Alps when others foundered in winter 
I had 2 Borderers.
A âKâ reg 180 Gardner with a 6 speed DB and power steering, and graduated to an âMâ reg, Cummins, 10 speed Fuller, and no power steering.
I doubt I would be capable of reversing that thing today. At least not if it needed a couple of shunts.
Previous to them I had an âEâ reg ERF with a 150 Gardner that had been uprated to180! Coupled to a 5 speed box and 2 speed axle, plus power steering!
From here, I struggle to see why the Atkis seemed better at the time?
I would enjoy a day or twâŚmaybe an hour or so?..playing around in them.
But as tools?
They were good in their day, but
the past is not in the EU
as L P Hartley never said.
Yes, all fairly crude motors for run-of-the-mill work in their time. The '70s saw a steep climb in standards all round didnât they! From cabs to drivelines. The irony was that you could actually get much better British stuff even in the late '60s but the haulage industry (as opposed to the manufacturing industry) still wasnât really interested, or couldnât afford it. Did you know that for Continental work, in addition to ERFs like the one above in the late '60s / very early '70s you could get a LHD full sleeper-cabbed Seddon, Guy Big-J ditto, a LHD AEC Mandator with a sleeper cab built in Belgium, a LHD Atkinson with a Krupp sleeper cab - and a few others besides? All had bigger engines than the A6 sloggers and gearboxes to go with it. History is stranger than fiction!
My dad had a MKV 9.6 Mammoth Major with a 5 speed box 38mph flat out. A 1959 model so one of the first MKVs.He got it in '62 and had it for 10 years.The problem was they put a drawbar trailer on it which it wasnât designed for and it was well out of its depth. The irony of it though is in '72 he got a brand new Atki with a 180 Gardner and a DB6 box and he didnât like that at all. To be fair they had been buying Mandators up to '71 which were a bit more nimble but after the Atkis arrived (they bought 2) they became Mercedes agents under the Northside Truck Centre name. The first new Mercs arrived on the fleet shortley after his Atki arrived.1418s were what they were buying so probably no better on the hills than the Atkis or Mandators but much more comfortable.I think they did the continent in them
Which belongs on another thread in a year from now!
SorryâŚtime to bite my tongue again.
1 Like
They wonât have been much better on the hills indeed, but those 1418s just kept going and going.
You still see them plugging along in various parts of the world today.
Bonus random question for 10 points: what was the best ERF you drove?
I was very young when those 1418s arrived.It must have been around 1972 L registration i think and they were still running MKV MM8s and trailers. They were amazing compared to what those drivers had been accustomed to
The first is the Atki my dad got new , the second many years later after being on shunting duties.The third , one of the MK V MM8s still in use parked next to a 1418 and the last one could have been one of the first 1418s they operated.Loaded with Heinz from Wigan
3 Likes
Nice question! My all-round favourite was a CP-series (Cummins/Fuller/Rockwell) double-drive unit because it ticked most of my personal boxes as a driver. The potential favourite was a '74 LHD NGC, which I only drove off-road. If you asked me what I would choose for a nostalgic long-haul run, Iâd go for the ERF C60, which was a LHD 6x4 Middle-East spec (Cummins NTE 350 Fuller RTX 14609) C-series beast from the '80s.
The most modern ERF I drove was an ECT but I didnât like that irritating Comfort-shift. And I drove lots of models in between (B-series, EC10, EC11, EC14, E10, E14, C-series, ECS, ECX etc).
Do I get my 10 points? 
TSA673 originally an Aberdeen wagon at guess Munroâs.
Youâre through to the next round!
I have had very little experience of ERFs over the years, but alot on Atkis so my opinion is biased. But one I did drive briefly at Midland Storage when my Atki was in the shop, as the Yanks say, was comfortable and acceptable enough but for one thing.
That bloody ratchet handbrake. I pulled into a traditional transport cafe for a break somewhere, parked on the traditional moonscape lorry park and, after winding up the brake, set off for the walk to the caff. After 30 seconds or so I heard a loud click, mystified I turned round to see the ERF settling itself comfortably in the bottom of the nearest crater.
It seemed content so I carried on and thought no more about it 'till I was later parked on a slight slope at my delivery, on the trailer rolling back the sheet to handball the load. The trailer shuddered and I heard that mysterious click again, a bit slow on the uptake I wondered why we were slowly rolling forward across the road. It mounted the pavement on the opposite side then very gently kissed the low brick wall protecting the steep slope down to the next factory.
There was nothing I could do, the only way into the cab was via a stepring on the wheel and I didnât fancy getting dragged down with it.
The wall, in cahoots with the drive axle meeting the kerb, stopped the progress and I heaved a sigh of relief. Until, that is, I watched in slow motion, more than 30 feet of the wall collapse down the dreaded slope.
After that it was always parked in gear with a couple of hefty chocks nursing the wheels whenever parked.
2 Likes
Iâm picturing something along the lines of Mastermind (Magnus Magnusson, the chair, the spotlight all that. âOur next contender please.â âŚ
âYour name?â
âRowena.â
âAnd your specialist subject?â
âMiddle-eastern spec ERF lorries of the 70s and early 80s.â
Spot on!
Except I used to, rather uncharitably, call him âSmugness Smugnussonâ!
Not sure who had it first but i will find out.Longs bought it second hand and it did come from Scotland.It was identical to the one my dad drove to look at but had the 11.3 and 6 speed box which made a big differnce.60 mph for a starJust looked back it came from Laurencekirk via Stanley Hughes who iâm guessing were a dealer.Thereâs a model of it with a full load of wool on board
Calm yerself down Les, we all know that Mr Carryfasts contributions are, mainly, c rap. No offence Mr Carryfast but with the best will in the world you are your own worst enemy. Remember the well known sayingâŚâwhen youâre in a hole and trying to get outâŚstop diggingâ
So, a word of advice to all our correspondents, thatâs those of us who really DO know just a bit about lorries, how to use them, and doing the road haulage job, accept Mr Carryfast as good, FREE, entertainment. Because you mustnât, under any circumstances, take him seriously. If you follow the advice your blood pressure will be normal and you sure as hell will get a smile/laugh along the way
2 Likes