Dennis Javelin:
I think this is a cracking shot showing the style change to the cab. I have always had a soft spot for the Seddon and I thought this cab was so much more stylish than what was on offer from other manufacturers at the time
The Big J used the same Motor Panels cab as the Seddon except the cab front’s were different which I always supposed it was to differentiate between the two makes. I ran both Seddon 32/4 's and Big J’s at Bewick Transport and they both gave reliable service , great fleet motors, and at the time, very economically priced units ! 
Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
Dennis Javelin:
I think this is a cracking shot showing the style change to the cab. I have always had a soft spot for the Seddon and I thought this cab was so much more stylish than what was on offer from other manufacturers at the time
The Big J used the same Motor Panels cab as the Seddon except the cab front’s were different which I always supposed it was to differentiate between the two makes. I ran both Seddon 32/4 's and Big J’s at Bewick Transport and they both gave reliable service , great fleet motors, and at the time, very economically priced units ! Cheers Dennis.
Hi Dennis, hope you might have the answer to this (others are free to comment though). What was the last tractor unit that Albion produced/sold? Did they manufacture any after the introduction of the ergonomic cab?
ERF-NGC-European:
Dennis Javelin:
I think this is a cracking shot showing the style change to the cab. I have always had a soft spot for the Seddon and I thought this cab was so much more stylish than what was on offer from other manufacturers at the time
They didn’t have a wonderful press but they must have had something about them, otherwise this ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ Vick example wouldn’t have successfully run to Baghdad and back!
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I only ever drove one Seddon in the whole of my career, and that was that cab but in primer when, after I left Stirlands they bought some and left one with trade plates to ferry in new trailers. I remember it being a nice motor to drive but can’t for the life of me remember from where I got the trailers. Perhaps CF from Dereham where I had previously used a similar F86 for Dixons of Derby. 
I was on day hire in both cases, ie not on agency, making time for some extra money while ploughing my own furrow. 
Dennis Javelin wrote; What was the last tractor unit that Albion produced/sold? Did they manufacture any after the introduction of the ergonomic cab?
The last named Albion tractor would have been the Clydesdale CD41 produced in 1970. This model used the same Ergomatic cab styling as the Leyland Lynx and Bison, the high datum type with those bland horizontal lined grilles. These were basically a Turbocharged version of the Super Clydesdale that used the naturally aspirated 401 138bhp Leyland engine. The turbo version becoming the 410 155bhp for a gross combination weight of 24 Ton, Albion units being only medium weight market offerings. The tractor came with a six speed overdrive box only compared to the similar engined Reiver RE41 (produced at the same time) 6x4 rigid which had a ten speed range change option. They were by this time really Leylands anyway and when the Albion name ended the Bathgate factory turned to building the Blueline models, Leyland badged but still using the Albion names. Franky.
By the way forgot to mention at the end of the last post, I believe these new Albion’s apart from those examples built for the Comm Motor Show sadly never went into production but they remain the last Albion tractor units built. Franky.
Geordielad:
By the way forgot to mention at the end of the last post, I believe these new Albion’s apart from those examples built for the Comm Motor Show sadly never went into production but they remain the last Albion tractor units built. Franky.
So the updated hi datum Albion never made the market?
essexpete:
Geordielad:
By the way forgot to mention at the end of the last post, I believe these new Albion’s apart from those examples built for the Comm Motor Show sadly never went into production but they remain the last Albion tractor units built. Franky.
So the updated hi datum Albion never made the market?
The last Albion we bought new was a 4 wheel tipper in about 1970 with the LAD cab, that was reg TPT 228K.
12 months later inquired at FW Cawthorne about an Albion 6 wheel chassis and we were directed towards the Leyland Bear. This had the High Datum cab with a 401 engine (Turbocharged IIRC) and 6 speed box. The reg on that was VPT 993L. Went to get another chassis about 9 months later and by this time the new Reiver with the G cab was available. The first one we had was reg APT 826L.
Tyneside
I think that Scraggs from Cheadle are still trading, they had some Volvo F7 tippers at one time and one of our former drivers was injured driving one in a RTA at Catchems Corner on the A50.
Here is another of theirs that came to grief, not my pic.
Pete.
Geordielad:
Dennis Javelin wrote; What was the last tractor unit that Albion produced/sold? Did they manufacture any after the introduction of the ergonomic cab?
The last named Albion tractor would have been the Clydesdale CD41 produced in 1970. This model used the same Ergomatic cab styling as the Leyland Lynx and Bison, the high datum type with those bland horizontal lined grilles. These were basically a Turbocharged version of the Super Clydesdale that used the naturally aspirated 401 138bhp Leyland engine. The turbo version becoming the 410 155bhp for a gross combination weight of 24 Ton, Albion units being only medium weight market offerings. The tractor came with a six speed overdrive box only compared to the similar engined Reiver RE41 (produced at the same time) 6x4 rigid which had a ten speed range change option. They were by this time really Leylands anyway and when the Albion name ended the Bathgate factory turned to building the Blueline models, Leyland badged but still using the Albion names. Franky.
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Thanks for the info. The ALBION badge looks like it’s been stuck on using Letraset. They obviously didn’t care about the name by that time, everything was LEYLAND, LEYLAND, LEYLAND.
They obviously didn’t care about the name by that time, everything was LEYLAND, LEYLAND, LEYLAND.
The last Albion we bought new was a 4 wheel tipper in about 1970 with the LAD cab, that was reg TPT 228K.
12 months later inquired at FW Cawthorne about an Albion 6 wheel chassis and we were directed towards the Leyland Bear. This had the High Datum cab with a 401 engine (Turbocharged IIRC) and 6 speed box. The reg on that was VPT 993L. Went to get another chassis about 9 months later and by this time the new Reiver with the G cab was available. The first one we had was reg APT 826L.
Tyneside
Your right Dennis, AEC and Albion had become too much of a competitor with their own models when sales became tight. Tyneside’s mention of the Leyland Bear which was in fact the same spec as the shelved Reiver RE41, shows how Leyland began to push their own named models. Fortunately the excellent axles Albion built enabled them to continue with that line for a while longer, but the Rising Sun badge was never seen on cabs again. Franky.
windrush:
I think that Scraggs from Cheadle are still trading, they had some Volvo F7 tippers at one time and one of our former drivers was injured driving one in a RTA at Catchems Corner on the A50.
Here is another of theirs that came to grief, not my pic.
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Pete.
It seems the meeting was rather brutal, the chassis of the Foden tipper looks properly broken!
tyneside:
essexpete:
Geordielad:
By the way forgot to mention at the end of the last post, I believe these new Albion’s apart from those examples built for the Comm Motor Show sadly never went into production but they remain the last Albion tractor units built. Franky.
So the updated hi datum Albion never made the market?
The last Albion we bought new was a 4 wheel tipper in about 1970 with the LAD cab, that was reg TPT 228K.
12 months later inquired at FW Cawthorne about an Albion 6 wheel chassis and we were directed towards the Leyland Bear. This had the High Datum cab with a 401 engine (Turbocharged IIRC) and 6 speed box. The reg on that was VPT 993L. Went to get another chassis about 9 months later and by this time the new Reiver with the G cab was available. The first one we had was reg APT 826L.
Tyneside
Our local Readymix plant had several J or K plate Reivers which seemed very outdated at the time. I gather that, cost apart, the LAD suffered less, or more easily repaired, damage on site work.
Buzzer:
Fridays, Buzzer
Love the pic of the flatbed with the concrete blocks on. Not a corner board or ratchet strap in sight , just a good old brick net
The Volvo F10 flat, whoever decorated the windscreen like that should be prosecuted, it’s absolutely ridiculous. 
