for instance, leyland (which is my favourite) used all wildlife names like boxer, terrier, lynx, octopus, bear bison, buffalo clydesdale, beaver ect, ect. where as aec used mandator, marshall, mammoth, ect. atkinson borderer is a great name, they also used searcher, ect.
so anyway mines leyland overall for names, in fact leyland buffalo, is my fave name from that range!
i dont mean to say whats your favourite truck maker, just the naming policy they had.
The Leyland Zoo was a well known and very popular range which spanned a great number of years; how many can we recall?
Maudslay had some good ones as well; Meritor, Mogul, Mustang, Maharanee, etc.
AECs were as you mentioned Mal, and Atkinsons as well. The Atki names were unofficial at first and came from Frank Whalley.
They were: Borderer, Defender, Leader, Raider and Searcher. While walking through one of the manufacturing sheds where I worked some years ago, I stumbled into a parts truck which had each of the Atkinson name plates screwed to it.
Scammell also had the Highwayman, Trunker, Handyman as well as the heavy stuff; Constructor, Contractor, Himalayan, Mountaineer,
marky:
D’you know, I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out why there were only five in the list I posted earlier?
The trolley at Samlesbury had six plates on it, and I’ve been sat here wondering…
Oh - and watching the snow flashing past the front window (horizontally). The kids are going to love this in the morning if it’s still here.
I think allowances can be made, considering the time!! I’ve never seen a “Raider” plate, though. Nor have I ever found any reference to the name on any period Atki literature. Come to that, they weren’t even listed in the confidential price lists that I have!
I do have a handful of new (old stock) plates in the garage though
Mal:
whats your favourite truck manufactureres names?
for instance, leyland (which is my favourite) used all wildlife names like boxer, terrier, lynx, octopus, bear bison, buffalo clydesdale, beaver ect, ect. where as aec used mandator, marshall, mammoth, ect. atkinson borderer is a great name, they also used searcher, ect.
so anyway mines leyland overall for names, in fact leyland buffalo, is my fave name from that range!
i dont mean to say whats your favourite truck maker, just the naming policy they had.
How about Guy with the Invincible (originally Goliath) and Warrior? Not to mention Thornycroft with the Sturdy and Swiftsure, to name but two?
Much as I love Atkis (my Dad worked there and I was born within sight of the factory!) I think that the Leyland Zoo has to be the ultimate, though.
Thorneycroft also had the Mastiff - a name resurrected by Leyland and extended to include the Super Mastiff (Perkins V8 in the mixer chassis was a nice motor)
And once when I was working in the Northern Territory (Oz) I came across an AEC Mustang. This was an LAD cab (yes, really) with the big AEC triangle on the front and a chrome ‘Mustang’ badge alongside. This was in about 1967, when was the Leyland takeover? If after that date it is possible that this was a one off, re-badged because it had an AEC engine. I don’t know, but the triangle looked pretty original to me. Another clue is that this was in the fleet of an operator who was almost exclusively Leyland. I seem to remember several road trains with long nosed Leylands (Hippos?) at the front. This one operator-one marque was quite common in those days. Outback Transport ran only Fodens (with great big sleeper cabs, there is a photo somewhere on here posted by (Dave) Sheeter, ‘Cows and Dingoes’ thread I think), and my boss Noel Buntine ran only Macks.
You’re right about the Leyland zoo though, although I liked the more macho AEC range. Mandator sounds really strong but you did run the risk of taunts from lesser mortals who split it into 2 words - man dater
Albion had the Riever, which although I didn’t know it at the time, meant a border raider/rustler and tended to be outlaw families living in the wilds of Northumbria and The Borders. I had a 4 wheeler with an exceptionally long wheelbase and rear overhang (once when loading first pick up for first drop on the tail, the front wheels hardly touched the ground and I had a wonderful preview of power steering yet to come ). I can’t remember the model name now but when I had to go into a repair shop in Hereford when a brake cylinder failed (another hairy story for another time) they had some difficulty in finding the right part, turned out to have been a truck cab and flat body built on to a coach chassis . If someone can reel off some Albion names, maybe I’ll spot it, or maybe I won’t, and then that is another rare motor I have been associated with . If I remember it in the meantime I’ll post it straight away.
240 Gardner:
How about Guy with the Invincible (originally Goliath) and Warrior? Not to mention Thornycroft with the Sturdy and Swiftsure, to name but two?
Much as I love Atkis (my Dad worked there and I was born within sight of the factory!) I think that the Leyland Zoo has to be the ultimate, though.
great names, im going to see how many i can find out.
marky:
Thorneycroft also had the Mastiff - a name resurrected by Leyland and extended to include the Super Mastiff (Perkins V8 in the mixer chassis was a nice motor)
yepp the super mastiff was a 6 legger as well, i think bmc had a “mastiff” as a 4 wheeler.
dave, i allways wondered what a reiver was, apart from the wagon, so thats good info! and also, waht is a mandator? i like the man dater crack, thats funny!
Mal:
dave, i allways wondered what a reiver was, apart from the wagon, so thats good info! and also, waht is a mandator? i like the man dater crack, thats funny!
I take it you mean the meaning of the word ‘mandator’?
Well I reckon it is someone who mandates, someone who commands, orders others about, tells 'em what to do, has authority.
Thus it fits in with the macho theme of the AEC names Matador, Marshall, Mercury, (well, maybe not quite so macho, but he does deliver the orders ) etc…
ive got a pic i took att the nec, very early 80’s of the new at that time f12 globe. i’ll scan it in tommow if i can remember, its not a great pic but its origional!
). I can’t remember the model name now but when I had to go into a repair shop in Hereford when a brake cylinder failed (another hairy story for another time) they had some difficulty in finding the right part, turned out to have been a truck cab and flat body built on to a coach chassis 
. If I remember it in the meantime I’ll post it straight away.
) etc…