The Big A (A proper wagon!)

OUT OF HOURS TRANSPORT PHOTO FORUM (MEMBERS ONLY)
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I’ll ask Kerr Ramsey if that mirror setup was added while the wagon was at Holt Lane, or if John Hall (the current owner) added it later.

That mirror arm assembly actually post-dates the introduction of the Mk II - the first ones had a stem mounted mirror assembly carried over from the Mk I. The final mirror assembly was introduced 1969/70 and remained for the duration of production.

There is an example of a MkII (Borderer) in existance with a 5-speed Self-Changing Gears semi-auto transmission, coupled to a 240 ■■■■■■■■ It belongs to Jim Murphy and has been restored to it’s original Schweppes livery.

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marky you here correctly panel work on the off side front has been done i.e the step you climb in. it past the mot with flying colours, and its due to have a bit of a tidy up on the back panel as it has started to go a bit rusty…apart from that it runs like a dream, i had a drive in the summer :open_mouth: boy wot a experience that was solo but loved every minute…,now he,s arfter a lowloader to carry his diesel roller to take to shows with ethel,does any one know how it got the name ethelred,

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Yes - I know how; it took so long to finish the restoration that everyone concerned thought it’d never be ready (from Ethelred the unready…)

Perhaps I should come clean at this juncture - the chap whose livery Ehel is still in and the chap who did a helluva lot of the restoration work on it are good friends of mine.

Chris (the chap who bought Ethel from Ribble Valley Training all those years ago) told me in mid-October that Ethel had moved on to Dean’s ownership and he was very pleased that the livery was being retained. For what it’s worth I’m chuffed for him as well. We all (that’s everyone who ever had anything to do with Ethel) miss it, especially a chap we know as OMT (Old Man Tank) who loved that wagon to bits.

I rode in Ethel back from the garage who put it through it’s test just before it went down to Chris in Newbury. It was a short but memorable trip; not least because of the look of amazement on so many people’s faces. We held up a long line of traffic all the way through Whitestake and Lostock Hall - the Gardner 6LX roaring away under the strain of 16 tons of concrete on the trailer…

Chris was right all along - Ethel’s 150 thinks it’s a 240…

Here’s a picture of Ethel the day we brought it home…

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marky:
Chris was right all along - Ethel’s 150 thinks it’s a 240…

Ethel went like a 240 with that trailer on. (It definately pulled it better than my ■■■■■■■■

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marky:
There is an example of a MkII (Borderer) in existance with a 5-speed Self-Changing Gears semi-auto transmission, coupled to a 240 ■■■■■■■■ It belongs to Jim Murphy and has been restored to it’s original Schweppes livery.

And it looks like this!

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killsville:
The 320 ■■■■■■■ always sounded great blowing through an eminox stack. You could here them coming from miles away.

Now that brings back memories…

I used to drive an E14/365 erf, with an Eminox on it, sounded bloody gorgeous!

The company I was pulling for however, were not quite so keen, as they had just gone out and bought a fleet of brand new, white curtainsiders, which very soon turned into ‘white with a sooty black stripe!!’ curtainsiders!
Anyway, easy solution, lift the stack slightly, so the smoke went over the top, rather than down the side, only problem was, the trailers were 15’ tall.

Out with the calculator…

the top of the silencer was about 8 foot from the floor, which means I needed a 7foot long pipe to clear the trailers. Now it doesnt take a genuis to figure out that a 7foot long bit of pipe is not going to hold with a sngle clamp in the top of the silencer, so the only solution, is to make the pipe long enough so it goes right through the silencer, and is clamped both top and bottom…

Of course then you effectively have no silencer whatsoever, just a straight though exhaust on a 14l ■■■■■■■■ now that did sound nice!!! :smiling_imp:
Had some usefull side effects, my load was always out ready when I got to the yard, as they could hear me coming from about 5 miles away!!!

Used to love going through Dartford with that thing!!

Unfortunalely had to remove it in the end when I went on the continent, boss reckoned the gendarmes wouldnt be too keen on it! (and before you ask, yes I was daft enough to go on the continent with a 10 year old ERF!!)

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Couldn’t think of a better motor to take on the continent, Simon. (Much better than some of the foreign interlopers on our roads today)

I bet the men at the ministry were none too pleased about the exhaust too. A long climb to get the emissions probe in the end of the pipe!

Do you have any photos of the ERF?

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killsville:
Couldn’t think of a better motor to take on the continent, Simon. (Much better than some of the foreign interlopers on our roads today)

I bet the men at the ministry were none too pleased about the exhaust too. A long climb to get the emissions probe in the end of the pipe!

Do you have any photos of the ERF?

Must admit it was pretty good on the hills out there! Had to go into a DAF dealer once, to get an electrical problem sorted (on the trailer, not the unit!) they didnt know what the $%*£ it was, never seen one before!

I dont think I’ve got any pictures, will have a dig about.

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killsville:
Ok, a few days ago I posted a picture of an Atkinson belonging to John Huddlestone, a vehicle which still works.

Well here is another! It belongs to a man who I know won’t mind me calling him a nutter, Terry Godbold of Harleston in Norfolk.

This Atki is powered by a 14 litre 350bhp ■■■■■■■ coupled to a 13 speed Fuller gearbox. The result is a truck capable of 90+mph. (Basically it is an E14 ERF!)

Anyway, enjoy the picture - more to follow soon.

I saw this today on the A47 loaded with sugar beat for Cantley. :sunglasses:

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Was it going fast Andyroo?

Terry is not a big bloke but his right foot can be a bit heavy sometimes!

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killsville:
Was it going fast Andyroo?

Terry is not a big bloke but his right foot can be a bit heavy sometimes!

Wasn’t doing too bad, hard too say though really cos it was approaching/going round/pulling away, from a roundabout as I went past. Besides which I was in my car and my right foot ain’t light either. :wink:

Certainly looks like a motor than can still hold it’s own though. Very smart. :sunglasses:

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Andyroo:
Certainly looks like a motor than can still hold it’s own though. Very smart. :sunglasses:

As it is speed limiter exempt, it has no problems keeping up with modern motors. Ok, it sometimes loses out in the power stakes on the hills, but more than makes up for it on the flat.

I don’t suppose you wound your window down to hear what it sounded like?

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killsville:

Andyroo:
Certainly looks like a motor than can still hold it’s own though. Very smart. :sunglasses:

As it is speed limiter exempt, it has no problems keeping up with modern motors. Ok, it sometimes loses out in the power stakes on the hills, but more than makes up for it on the flat.

I don’t suppose you wound your window down to hear what it sounded like?

Hills? What are hills? :laughing:

Didn’t really have time for a decent look, let alone listen, what with the roundabout and me getting past (I nearly got hit by a flying sugar beat a few weeks ago and since then I’ve not stuck around near wagons loaded with them).

Hope I see it again soon.

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If you get chance Andyroo, stop and talk to the driver - Terry is a real character! (But then again I suppose you’ve got to be to drive an old Atki for a living!)

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I certainly will if I see it parked up.

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Terry told us a while back that he doesn’t drive the Atkinson any more - he’s got a DAF 85 now. I think he said that his son-in-law takes the Atkinson out now, but it’s mainly only for beet.

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We’ll see how long he lasts in the DAF. He’s done this sort of thing before but still gone back to the Atki.

Did you know Huddy has got rid of his Atki?

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He’s had two up for sale - I know the 58 single headlight Mk 1 was going and that he’d had interest, but I heard that he was open to offers on the 6-wheeler as well.

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Spoke to Huddy’s driver (I think they call him Colin) and he said that the Mk 1 hadn’t been sold yet but the 6 wheeler went for around £6k even though it needed some work.

He also told me that they had exported a Crusader to America for a collector out there and there was even talk of a Borderer going as well.

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I’m working out of Harleston now, so I’ll be on the lookout.