Carl:
ive just been looking thruogh a book ive got and its got a photo of aatki with a steel cab made by krupp of germany its a small photo but the reg isxtj 889h and the initials dpb with a number 57 below them anyone any more knowledge on this motor.que marky
Yes, this was part of an Atkinson project in 1968/9 to expand into mainland Europe.
nv Atkinson Vehicles (Europe) was set up in Antwerp, and small range of vehicles was intended for the market: a 38 ton (not tonne!) 4x2 tractor with a Krupp day or sleeper cab, Rolls 220 engine, ZF AK 6-75 gearbox and Kirkstall axles. I actually have the factory build cards for some of them.
As far as I am aware, none were actually sold over there and, somewhere deep, deep in the bowels of my archives, I have a copy of Commercial Motor from either late '69 or early '70, in which Comberhill Commercials were advertising availabilty of 10 units, either for outright purchase or on contract hire. I suspect that that may have been the entire production!
The one that you have seen was operated by Dixon Meats (whoever they were), and has a Lancashire reg., which would suggest that it was registered by Atkinson Vehicles. I do very vaguely remember seeing one inside the factory when I was rather smaller than I am now. (My father worked in the offices at Atkis, you see)
There is also a picture of a Krupp-cabbed 6x4 rigid in Pat Kennett’s Seddon Atkinson book. That lorry has a ■■■■■■■ badge on the grille, but I’ve no idea what engine. I don’t have a build card for that one. I’ve heard that it ended up in Jamaica, but have no idea whether that is true.
scantheman:
Marky i would love to see the picture of the viewline in Barratts livery
Scan
that makes 2 of us!
I do have some, so I need to scan them and learn how to post them then!
There is a photo of it in Pete Davies’ Atkinson book, still as a day cab and on its original wheelbase. It came to Barratt’s from Robert Fletcher’s paper mill at (I think) Stoneclough, and I know that Pete Davies also photographed it in service with them, pulling a 40’ van
As soon as you mentioned Dixon Meats 240, a memory flashed into my aged brain, or rather through it and out the other side .
I have seen this motor, but where or when I have no idea, all I can remember is wondering what the hell it was and that the livery was kind of greenish. Am I right?
Come on Carl put me out of my misery - the photo .
On the subject of old hauliers and their yards I remember when I went to work for Hedley Shaw in Stapleford (Notts), there was the smashed up cab and chassis of a Leyland Comet 4 wheeler in the yard. The old pre LAD square steel cab. Story was it ran out of brakes on a steep hill, happily the driver survived intact, and it was always said of Hedley that whenever someone ‘defected’ brakes (nobody actually said ‘defected’ in those days) his stock answer was ‘what do you need brakes for, I pay you to go, not stop’.
Bet no old hands have ever heard that before , it was practically obligatory in the small haulier’s handbook.
too right dave, brakes are for idle drivers!
a few other small haulier remarks ive had said to me.
“the brakes are wore out because youre using them too bloody much”
“take your time, and hurry up back”
engine blown in cornwall, i call the gaffer he says “what do you want me to do about it!”
the one that made me laugh the most, i rolled in at 8 am to go to soton, the gaffer says " where the ■■■■ you been theyre expecting you there now" i said “why didnt you tell me then” to which he says “what the ■■■■’s it go to do with you”! a classic!
Spardo:
As soon as you mentioned Dixon Meats 240, a memory flashed into my aged brain, or rather through it and out the other side .
I have seen this motor, but where or when I have no idea, all I can remember is wondering what the hell it was and that the livery was kind of greenish. Am I right?
I took a load of pictures over that weekend (approx 350) and I’ve lost the lot.
They were on my computer and the hard disk died. I also had them on a Smartmedia card which I cannot find. There were videos from the Saturday night as well as all the pictures of the wagons in the mist on Sunday morning.
marky:
I took a load of pictures over that weekend (approx 350) and I’ve lost the lot.
They were on my computer and the hard disk died. I also had them on a Smartmedia card which I cannot find. There were videos from the Saturday night as well as all the pictures of the wagons in the mist on Sunday morning.
I am not a happy bunny…
I only took a few photos that weekend. Will see how many David took and put some on a CD for you if that will ease the pain
Not half as impressive as the length of time it took to get it in that state. I have the restoration pictures of the ‘Pea Wagon’ as it’s called in Haworth, and it was truly a monumental job. Kids grew into adults while that was being done.
Malcolm deserves a great deal of credit for the level of detail he went to with the rebuild. The thing is a moving art form - and everybody that got involved in helping Malcolm stood on with pride when the wagon won it’s class at Harrogate last August.
I’m supposed to be writing an article about that job, but I’ve a feeling that it could turn into a book of it’s own if all the spin-off stories that happened along the way are included. Just the bits I know about are both hilarious and infuriating so God knows what Malcolm is planning to do as an encore…
marky:
Malcolm deserves a great deal of credit for the level of detail he went to with the rebuild. The thing is a moving art form - and everybody that got involved in helping Malcolm stood on with pride when the wagon won it’s class at Harrogate last August.
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, it was practically obligatory in the small haulier’s handbook. 
