April 2008 - The Scammell Register

April 2008
The Scammell Register
Founder and Past President
Founder Members
Mr W H T Bromidge
Mr D Hillier of Dorset
Mr D Hogan of Cornwall
Mr M Pugh of Somerset
Mr P Bambury of Somerset
The late Mr R D Griffin
President
Secretary
David Walker
Lower Priory Farm, Clamp Hill, Stanmore,
Middx, HA7 3JJ
Tel 0208 420 6513 (days)
Mobile 07860 959878 (evening/weekends)
[email protected]
Committee Chairman
Editor
Mike Thomas
Rushes Farm, Rushes Lane
Asheldham, Essex, CM0 7NY
Tel: 01621 773525
[email protected]
Membership Secretary
Lorrain Willson
Cherry Tree Cottage, Parc-Y-Brain Lane,
Penperlleni, Gwent, NP4 0BJ
Tel: 01873 881017
[email protected]
Treasurer
Sara Acock
07787 877657
DVLA Officer
Chris Jones
07748 982138
[email protected]
Merchandising Officer
Carol Cooper
01905 355532
[email protected]
Publicity Officer
Brian Carter
01444 400337
[email protected]
Spares Officer
Roger Mortimore
07802 241777
[email protected]
Vehicle Co-ordinator
David Spain
07774 841967
[email protected]
Committee Members
Parry Davis
(Manuals)
01948 880870
[email protected]
Frank Edwards
07860 846787
David Hillier
01935 873073
Dave Thorne
01305 261544
Life Members
Mr F Bone of Watford
Mr J A C Kimp of Kidderminster
Mr D Hillier of Dorset
Mr G Rees of Watford
Mr P Frost of London
Mrs S Acock of Warwickshire
Mr W H T Bromidge of Devon
Honorary Member
Major P B Widdows
Membership fees are due on the 1st January each year and should be sent to the Membership Secretary at the
above address. Please make all cheques or postal orders payable to The Scammell Register.
Website www.scammellregister.co.uk
Editorial
Here we are with the second issue in our 25th year. Last time I commented about
making it a great year for the Register. I’m delighted with the start! So far, we’ve
featured on the covers of February’s “Old Glory” and April’s “Heritage
Commercials” with articles of six and eight pages respectively. Many photos from
our archive were used by the author, Alan Barnes, to illustrate the stories. I was very
pleased to receive permission to put a PDF version of the OG article on the Reports
page of the newly updated Register website (www.scammellregister.co.uk). If you
have access to the internet, why not have a look? There are lots more photos, a News
page which I try to update every week or two, and a selection of Reports from
previous Newsletters, including events attended by the Register - all in full colour.
The Events page will keep you up to date with what’s on, and there’s a new History
page, with an extensively illustrated history of Scammell Lorries. I’d appreciate any
suggestions for further changes, or new material. As I write, the revised site is
exactly a month old and has already had 860 visits.
The other big news items are that, by the time you read this, we will have been at the
Commercial Motor Show at the NEC. Parry Davis’ Highwayman, together with our
photographic display will have been on Stand 17-250, while Tony Jordan’s Scarab
will have stood in the Atrium, outside the Halls. It is a great honour to have been
asked to attend, and we hope to generate lots of interest - after all, it must be at least
20 years since Scammell was there! I’ll have a full report next time. We have been
asked to submit an eight page report on Scammell to appear as a supplement to
“Vintage Roadscene”. It is planned for Issue 104, due out in June, so watch out for
that. We have the chance to purchase reprints of the supplement, so I hope to send
you all a copy with a future Newsletter. Brian has now almost finalised the plans for
a joint celebration with the Mechanical Horse Club at Dorset. It will include a buffet,
hopefully for £5 a head, and members and guests are welcome - please book through
Brian. Lastly, for now, I am well on with plans for a rally with Carters’ Funfair at
Croxley green, near Watford, and a repeat of the road run to Tolpits Lane on
September 20th and 21st. I need to know the number of lorries coming, so I can
organise space, so please let me know asap.
In this issue, I’m delighted that Vic Wilkes, MD at the time of closure, has written
about his thoughts 20 years on from the closure. He has suggested a reunion for exemployees at Croxley (14.00 on the Saturday, 20th September), so we hope to see as
many of you as can make it - please pass the word to any ex-employees who may not
be Members. All in all, a great start to the year!
Once again, thanks to all the contributors - I was especially pleased to receive
contributions from 3 new Members. It’s also great to get follow-up information, for
example on the 6x2 Crusader query. As always, thanks to Sue for all her help in
proof reading and reproduction and to Brian for printing the colour section.
I hope to see many of you during the year - let’s make sure it continues as a very
special year to celebrate 25 years of the Register. Happy Scammelling to you all!
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Secretary’s Notes
Here we are stampeding towards another rally season, those of us who do that kind of
thing that is! My comments on rallies that charge to exhibit sparked a few
comments. It appears the consensus is that any rally that does charge is doomed to
failure. Most of the feed back I had was to simply boycott any rally that dared to
charge. A rally with no exhibits isn’t a going concern - I do hope organisers take this
on board. If rallies get too expensive for “punters” to attend they will also find hard
times ahead! Wouldn’t it be great to be paid to exhibit like the steam boys are? A lot
of people I speak to are seriously looking at reducing the mileage and therefore the
amount of rallies they attend, who knows what the future holds. I suspect exhibitors
will reduce in numbers but spectators will still pay “what ever” to get into events.
Should all exhibiters be paid? We shall see!
Anyone who reads the classic commercial magazines will see that the Register is
getting a lot of publicity, the “hits” on the revamped website show we are being
looked at by a large number of people. Mike has built on the sterling work that Dave
Spain and his brother have done for us and the current process of evolution of the
web site is well worth a look if you have access to a computer. Not sure what you do
if you don’t, but take my word for it it’s a good thing!
As Secretary I field quite a few enquiries most of which are generated as a result of
the internet. One man wanted a picture of a Robertson’s Scammell that I actually
had from a collection from Member and historian Roy Larkin. The man in question
wanted to give his elderly grandfather a picture of one of the lorries he actually
drove. Being as it was a chain drive, of 1930’s vintage, I made him around his late
90s which he was, now in a nursing home in Liverpool. He was apparently very
pleased to see a Scammell again. I couldn’t believe we had sourced a picture of the
actual firm he had worked for!
There is, even now, lots of interest in Scammells. Its a curious phenomenon as we
approach the end of the first decade of the 21st century that we are seeing the next
generation taking an interest in these old wagons. When you consider with current
legislation taking the last examples of the classic lorries from the now extinct British
manufacturers off the road there is very little left now to get nostalgic over. Rather
than being a rolling date line, the historic taxation class stays firmly attached to 1st
January 1973. Maybe this is the end of the time when we try to save items from
everyday life for future generations to don their rose tinted specs and become
emotional over items of equipment as we do! With my own work dealing with new
computerised vehicles in the shape of new Range Rovers we simply will not be
listening to the next generation of John Collins extolling the virtue of the Range
Rover Sport at the 2050 Great Dorset Steam and Diesel Fair. This simply isn’t going
to happen in my mind. The current production will not even make its 21st birthday,
no where near. I do try to keep an eye open for the next item to salvage and restore,
there are none that currently spring to mind. The Mk I Ford Escorts of my youth in
the 80s were bought, thrashed, crashed and scrapped without a thought. Now a shell
will command up to £10k! Who would have thought it? I don’t see much in the way
of vehicles whether they are trucks or cars being preserved from the 90’s and 21st
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century. The Mk1 and 2 Escorts signify the decade of the last of the salvageable
vehicles! In a way this helps our cause as there will never be more Scammells than
there are now. Maybe the pile of old rust you pushed into the bottom of your yard, if
you are lucky enough to have one, will make you take a second glance. Maybe we
will see people starting to spend very serious amounts of time and money on
restoring apparently unsalvageable pieces of rust. It makes me very happy to see
such levels of enthusiasm and commitment as we have in our club for restoring old
Scammells, and even normal working blokes pouring money into a restoration. You
all know who you are and I am willing to help anyone who wants to commit to a long
term and seemingly impossible restoration. The main aim of the Register is to keep
the name Scammell in the spotlight along with the other great British vehicle
marques. I feel we have and will continue doing that as long as we can still buy
diesel.
We have had to cancel or alter a few planned events but we are all human and
sometimes we can’t do the things we set out to do. In many cases we have to make a
living, maintain family life and exhibit our own vehicles too! So if anyone is
disappointed by this, why not put forward your own ideas and make some time to get
together. Our main problem as a club is we are so far apart, an event for all of us is
simply a bridge too far! We are trying to get some very small one off gatherings
organised so let me know what you think. Thanks to a few stalwart members we will
have a presence at most of the events we hoped to. I thank everyone who has offered
help.
Our March meeting went off well and everyone had a good time. The venue was
great and I wasn’t aware of any problems. As for rallies, we all froze our brass
monkeys off at Donnington but we caught up with lots of members/friends alike!
We were made welcome and, after a slow start as we were next to the main entrance,
we had a steady flow of people leaving the event, we also got some new Members.
We hope to be at the Classic Commercial Motor Show held in conjunction with
Truckfest. Don’t be put off by the Truckfest banner, it is on the same site but is
billed as a separate event. I hope this is so as I personally don’t really like Truckfest!
We want to support the CVRTC as this is a new event put on after the move from
Gaydon. We hope to be at Gaydon too, so do come along to both. Only time will
tell which one survives. I hope they both do, but wait and see.
As I said we have been getting a lot of exposure in the press and this is bringing a lot
of interest. It’s taking a lot of work but is getting results. I hope you all enjoy what
you see in the press - there is more to come! I hope we will all meet up at some
point, but do keep in touch, your support and help is very much appreciated.
All the best,
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Report of Committee Meeting, 16th March 2008
The Committee met before the March meeting. Sara presented the revised accounts,
which had been prepared by another accountant. The Committee discussed them in
detail and accepted them.
The main discussions centred around the display lorry and plans for the rallies to be
attended, see revised list which follows the accounts. We agreed to purchase a new
mobile photographic display for use at events where the display lorry can’t attend. If
anyone is going to a rally and is happy to set it up, please contact Brian. As I
mentioned in the Editorial, The Register has been invited to appear at the
Commercial Motor show at the NEC on the 15 - 17 April. By the time you read this,
the show will be over. A full report will be in the next Newsletter.
Carol had samples of new clothing, including boiler suits with Register logos and
25th Anniversary baseball caps and polo shirts. These will be on the display lorry or
you can contact Carol for details. Membership has now increased to a very pleasing
325 and Lorrain reported that there has been a good stream of renewals.
The next meeting will be the AGM to be held at Pendley Manor, Tring on November
16th. Please put it in your diary - a booking form will be in the next Newsletter.
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Revisions to Events List for 2008
Please note following changes to the list in the previous Newsletter. For up to date
information or further details, please contact the individuals listed last time, or
otherwise David Walker or alternatively, please check the website. We hope to
attend all the other events listed last time, some with a mobile display rather than the
display lorry. However, we still have an urgent need for assistance, so if you can
help to “person” the display, even for a couple of hours, please contact Dave Walker.
26 -27 April
The planned meeting at Chatham has unfortunately been cancelled,
but it is hoped another event may be arranged for later in the year.
4 - 5 May
CVRTC show at Truckfest, Peterborough
10 - 11 May
Ackworth - dates in previous list were incorrect.
17 - 18 May
Belvoir castle - dates in previous list were incorrect.
25 - 26 May
Abergavenny - dates in previous list were incorrect.
7 - 8 June
Gaydon, now confirmed.
27 - 31 Aug
Great Dorset. A buffet is planned, as a joint celebration with the
Mechanical Horse Club, for the Thursday evening. Provisional cost
is £5 a head, guests welcome. Please confirm details and book
tickets from Brian Carter.
20 - 21 Sept
Croxley Green. Please book your vehicle in with Mike Thomas.
5
Scammell Snippets
Scammells at the Great Dorset Steam Fair - 1986
A review by Brian Carter
As we enter the 25th anniversary of the Register, it is
nice to look back at the early days. “Scammells at the
Great Dorset Steam Fair - 1986” is a DVD filmed and
produced by Jonathan Eckardt in 1986, just three years
after the Register was formed.
Back in 1986, all I actually owned was a motorcycle and
some nice clothes. Life was so simple living at home
not realising what it actually costs to run a home and
even better, playing with someone else’s Scammells and
Steam Engine. The following year life was to change
dramatically!
Back in those innocent days of 1986, Jonathan Eckardt
was running around with the latest technology video
cameras and always did the Great Dorset Steam Fair, although most of us in those
days knew it just as Dorset or Stourpaine. But it was great and it was a steam fair!
This DVD, which runs for
about 30 minutes is mainly
showing the Scammell Parade
with the adjoining commentary
from Reg Griffin, a great
Scammell man and one of the
Founder Members of the
Register. Reg always had a
story to tell as the vehicles
came around the arena, usually
kind but sometimes with a bit of leg pulling. Sadly, like many other characters in
this video, Reg is no longer with us.
The DVD has some great shots of Scammells of all types as they enter the arena and
park in the middle until told to go. Can you imagine doing that with the number that
attend now!
Of particular
interest to me is the
film of Dave
Thorne (current
Committee
Member) and Dave
Edgar towing Dave
Hillier’s semi low
loader with what
became my Pioneer on the trailer. Dave Hillier is also a Founder Member and still
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serves on the committee today. When you look at the film, the Pioneer only just fits
on the trailer. At other times over that weekend, Dave Hillier’s Scammell was also
on the front of this combination but as he had to marshal the arena parade, it was
taken off when this was filmed.
We see 2 genuine Showtracs in the field, both ex-A&R, Dragon and Lion, plus a
couple of Showtrac look-a-likes including some nice footage away from the arena.
There are several Highwayman/MUs with 5th wheel trailers including a very nice
1956 Highwayman coupled to a Dyson 4 in line of 1957 vintage with a 1910
Marshall Steam Engine on the trailer. Very impressive.
Pioneer recovery tractors are well represented with our one mentioned earlier but
accompanied by the Boscombe Down vehicle which is still working there today.
Geoff Greenfield’s Pioneer, which is now being restored again by one of our
Members, is also in attendance as well as Les Hinton’s Pioneer reg MOW 230R. Les
sadly died a couple of years later whilst driving the Pioneer to the Great Dorset
Steam Fair from Sussex. Fortunately his son was with him and stopped the vehicle
without any further casualties. We’ve not seen this vehicle for a long time so if
anyone knows its fate, please let me know.
Another Member sadly no longer with us is Tommy Rawlins whose immaculate
Highwayman is shown in some detail. The vehicle was still rallied by his widow
Molly right up until she passed away and was taken to the Crematorium in it.
Hopefully their son, Peter, will continue to bring it to the shows.
So as you can see, a huge amount of history for the Register and its members in a
half hour DVD. I would thoroughly recommend it as it makes good viewing. The
DVD is available, priced £10.00, including P&P from the Register - please contact
Carol Cooper, see Scammell Mart.
“Great Uncle Caracticus”
by Bob Potts
I often tell people that my Great Uncle Caracticus Pott, the inventor of Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang, used this Scammell (see colour section) to take the flying car to fairs!
Depending on the gullibility of the audience, the story goes on that Caracticus even
planned to make the Scammell fly as well!
What I do know is that it is an ex-United Dairies unit that was stretched by a
showman to fit a dynamo behind the axle so that the dynamo could be driven by the
lorry propshaft. He simply unbolted the propshaft and connected it to the dynamo
during showtime. Then it went to Bill Timmings who put a recovery crane on it. I
bought it from Bill but did not know what to do with it, until I saw the Showtracs at
Croxley Green. I did not think that the chassis would stand more cutting, so we now
have an LWB version. I built the body and fitted a 4LW powered generator in the
back This was easy with the extra room. There are no rear doors on it yet and no
sign writing on the other side, but it should be ready for Croxley Green in 2008.
7
Military Constructors
by John Fadelle
The article from David Spain on RAF Constructors in the July Newsletter reminded
me of one of those things which worry historians.
This batch of Constructors was bought by MoD in the early 1960s as ‘Tractor
Wheeled General Service (Scammell 20 tonne 6x6)’ for ‘towing 30.5 tonne full
trailers’ and carried the ministry code FV12105. I think they all went to the RAF.
They were basically standard 15’9” wheelbase RHD ballasted Constructors with the
Rolls C6NFL engine, six-speed gearbox, two-speed transfer case, and vertical winch
- except for the stylish cab, which as far as I know was not used on any other
Constructors, see below.
This is clearly designed for
overseas use with the double-skin
roof, and the spec says that it can
accommodate two passengers as
well as the driver.
The intriguing thing is that, at the
same time, the MoD was buying
other Constructors as ‘Tractor
Wheeled Semi-trailer (Scammell
20 tonne 6x6)’ to operate with the
‘semi-trailer 30.5 tonne RE plant’,
and they were coded FV12102.
These were obviously to be used by the Royal Engineers for plant haulage.
These Army Constructors were mechanically identical to the RAF vehicles, except
for the substitution of a fifth wheel
for the ballast box and the cab,
which was the commercial
standard double-skin roof
Willenhall unit. It, too, could
accommodate two passengers.
So why did MoD pay a lot more
money for a special cab for the
RAF rather than having the
standard cab they were buying at
the same time for the Army? It is
obviously a bigger cab, so perhaps three passengers could be squeezed in - or did the
RAF just want to be different? Perhaps an owner could assist?
[If anyone can shed any light on this, please let me know and I’ll pass it on. Ed]
8
My Father
from Thomas Gillond
Thomas has just joined the Register this year
(Membership No 816) and, in his application form,
stated that his interest in Scammells stemmed from his
father. He wrote “my father drove all manner of lorries
including Scammells, Fodens etc. My favourites were
the Scammells.” Sadly Thomas has very poor eyesight
and cannot drive himself. However, he kindly sent me
this lovely nostalgic photo of his father, actually called
Arnold, but always known as Tom, taken, he thinks, in
the early or mid-50s with the BRS Scammell which he
drove at the time. According to my BRS book, 62 A 94
would have been based at one of the Bishopsgate
Depots, which ties in with Thomas who remembers it
being near the Royal Mint.
[If anyone has any further information on this lorry, please let me know and I’ll
publish it next time and pass it on to Thomas. Ed]
“New” Crusader Eka
by Steve Adamson
At the beginning of January I passed a very tidy looking Scammell Crusader Eka
recovery on the road up here in Aberdeenshire. It was painted up in Aberdeenshire
Council livery so I decided to
investigate further, as I know the
council have a couple of
preserved motors. It turned out
that it is not "preserved" but is
new to the fleet and has been
working for the last six months
or so. The Fleet Manager let me
have a look at it in the workshops
and take a couple of pictures. It
was bought from Withams and I
was told it is 1988, although I
suspect that this must have been the release date.
Crusader 6x2
by Jeff Caygill
With reference to the Crusader 6x2, VVY 918P, mentioned by Bill Watkinson in the
last “Where are they now?”, unfortunately it was involved in an accident and cut up
for scrap.
9
I drove the lorry from new for the first five years of its life, being a two axle unit, one
of three that Lex Tillotsons had left. Greens of Malton, where I worked, bought it to
replace the Crusader which I was driving, which was a 4x2 with day cab and 220
Rolls engine. The 290 Rolls in the new lorry
was a big step up. After 4 or 5 years, with
weights increasing from 32 to 38 tons, Greens
decided, in 1985, to have a mid-lift axle fitted
by Southolds of Chorley. This involved
stretching the chassis by around 3 feet, and
proved to be a bit of a problem with the tapered
chassis, as they hadn’t done one like it before.
It ran for a few years as a 6x2 until it was sold
on. It is pictured in blue and white livery not
long before it came to an end in a scrap yard.
As for the pictures shown in the previous Newsletter, the solo tractor was at
Pickering Truckfest and the one with the potato bulker was outside McCain’s chip
factory at Scarborough.
The photo on the left is of the lorry in original
4x2 at a local carnival with myself and my son,
James, in my arms. He is now 26 and a
Member of the Register.
My son and I are currently restoring a
Scammell Trunker Mk III which was an ex
Mobil tanker. When we bought it, it had been
turned into a recovery truck, but we have taken
the wrecking gear off and put a 5th wheel back
on to make it as original as possible. We hope to have it out later this year.
Another Crusader Earning a Living
by Gyles Carpenter
Knowing my love of old
wagons, a friend of mine on
holiday in Scotland took
this shot. The company
makes sub assemblies for
oil rigs, it looks like the
Crusader only works on
site. My mate has seen this
wagon on previous trips up
North but it has never been
in a position to snap.
[From the photo, it is ex-military, possibly left hand drive. It looks fairly smart in
blue and white, with red and white bumper, even if it has had a hard life! Ed].
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Memories of Scammell During World War II
by Allan Jackson
I have noted down a few childhood reminiscences of Scammell which may be of
interest to readers of the Newsletter.
Firstly, congratulations to everyone involved in the excellent gathering of Scammell
vehicles at Croxley Green on the 15th and 16th September 2007. I decided to visit the
factory site on the Saturday to see the procession of Scammells arrive. I was about
ten minutes early and Tolpits Lane was very quiet. Suddenly the environment was
transformed as the procession came into view headed by the beautifully restored
Pickfords’ Constructor. This was followed by three Crusaders, two Pioneers, a
Highwayman, an Explorer and a Handyman carrying a chain-driven Scammell. I
was speaking to another ex Scammell man while this was happening and he
described it as a “moment of magic”.
Referring to Nick Georganos’ book “Scammell the load movers from Watford”, he
records that a Constructor returned a fuel consumption of only 6.2 mpg unladen
during the Commercial Motor road test in 1955. This conveys some idea of the cost
involved in bringing these vehicles to rallies. I would like to thank all the Scammell
owners for coming to Croxley Green and for making Tolpits Lane look as it did 50+
years ago.
In the early 1940s, Tolpits Lane was a country lane beyond the railway station. The
Scammell plant was built on the east side of the lane immediately beyond the railway
cutting. Beyond the factory was a sewage farm and on the west side of the Lane a
collection of allotments. The factory was completely covered with camouflage
netting and looked like a hill from above, according to an RAF report.
Scammell built a track across the sewage farm parallel to Tolpits Lane, on which was
dumped a wonderful selection of old chain-drive vehicles and a number of
Mechanical Horses and trailers. We boys used to play on our bicycles along this
track and got to know these vehicles very well. No photographs were allowed during
the war so we have no record of this.
It occurred to me later that these old lorries may have been assembled to confuse the
Luftwaffe. On one occasion a stick of bombs was dropped on the sewage farm
causing no damage so the decoy may have worked.
During the hot summer days you could hear the constant roar, hour after hour, of
trailer pump engines on test. It was only after I joined the company that I observed
that these engines had very little silencing. During the war years the priority was to
obtain the maximum power for emergencies and noise was considered to be of
secondary importance.
During my school days I lived in Kelmscott Crescent which was about a quarter of a
mile from the factory. We regularly heard the “growl” of the Gardner 6LW diesels
as the Pioneers were taken on road test. The gun tractor was the first type we saw,
followed by tank transporters and then the recovery vehicles. They were all painted
11
in matt khaki finish, not camouflaged at this stage. I well remember the smell of new
paint.
On the way home from school we used to walk up a short hill which was on the
Pioneer test route. On a number of occasions a fully laden tank transporter would
come round the corner and roar up the hill in bottom gear. We used to stand at the
top of the hill and when the driver changed up to second gear the front wheels would
hop off the ground by about twelve inches, which caused us great enjoyment. I think
some of the testers exaggerated this effect for our benefit. We noticed later that
many Pioneers were fitted with ballast in front of the radiators to increase the loading
on the front axle.
My father, who worked at Scammell, was very upset one day because our army had
driven many Pioneers over the cliffs into the sea at Dunkerque to prevent them
falling into German hands. I understand that the Workshop displayed daily output
and targets to help productivity so this must have been a real set-back for morale.
Tolpits Lane was often full of Pioneers ready for delivery to the Army. A regular
activity on these occasions was the winding of the towing cable onto the drums of the
vertical winches. This was done by attaching the cable to another Pioneer and
driving the winch to wind the cable tightly onto the drum using the second Pioneer to
provide the tension. We boys took a great interest in this and on a number of
occasions were told, in no uncertain terms, how dangerous a broken cable could be
and to keep well away.
I hope these few memories of my school days might remind Members of their
experiences during that time, especially if they were working at Scammell.
[I know I’ve published this photo before, but it is some time ago and it seems to fit
the article - anyone recognise themselves or have other wartime stories to tell? Ed]
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Scammell Treasure Saved from Bonfire!
by Mike Thomas
It was last September at Croxley Green when I was approached by Andy Meadows
who showed me some Scammell advertisements. Whilst he was happy for us to scan
them, he did not want to pass them on. I duly went to see him to find that, with the
exception of a photograph album and promotional booklet, both from 1922, which he
let me borrow to scan, he
was now happy to pass
the remaining materials
to the Register for safekeeping. He then told me
the story of how he came
by them. His son was
helping the widow of one
Mr Oliver who, I am told,
worked in the Scammell
drawing office, clear her
attic. All the unwanted
materials were going
straight onto the bonfire,
when Andy’s son took an
interest in the box of
Scammell material and
took it home to his dad! I
am so glad he did as the
material is absolute
treasure with many early
advertisements.
I plan to reproduce them
over time, the first
appears left. It is a lovely
concept and follows
nicely from John
Fadelle’s previous
instalment, which also
included an MH cartoon.
The item which I personally love is a hard backed, string tied advertising book for
the Scammell Six Wheeler which, together with a set of 1920s photos, I was allowed
to borrow and scan. The booklet dates from 1922 and comprises 20 pages, which I
plan to reproduce over the next few issues, starting with the front cover and first few
pages overleaf. I’ve used some of the photos on the cover and at the end of this
issue. Many thanks to Andy for his generosity - the material will be well looked after
and, I am sure, be appreciated by all, now and in the future.
13
14
15
16
Memories of a Scammell Apprentice
by N J Allen
I started work at Scammell Lorries in August 1953, being taken on as an apprentice.
Having expressed the wish to be a draughtsman, I was put into the Drawing Office as
an office boy for the first year. One lasting memory was spending most of the first
weeks printing the letters of the alphabet, without using guide lines, and having it
torn up by instructor Wally Sparrow and starting again and again until was perfect. It
was stressed that this was so that errors could not be made in manufacture due to
misreading dimensions on a drawing.
Moving down into the factory, the first section I trained on was the Coppersmiths
under Solly Smith. This involved learning to bend copper pipes, solder and braze on
fittings as well as soldering terminals to the ends of battery cables. Standards were
high and if joints were not neat or had “blow holes”, you did it again and again,
nothing was passed by Solly until it was perfect.
The next section I went to was Scarab Engine Assembly under Bill Joplin.
Apprentices started with “studding and plugging”, which entailed screwing in all the
studs for the cylinder head and manifolds and fitting core plugs in the cylinder block,
with fingers crossed that none of them leaked when water tested.
You then moved down the build line and under the guidance of the fitter on each
stage, ground in valves by hand, fitted the camshaft, valve springs and collets. Next
the crankshaft, conrods and pistons were fitted and the main bearing caps fitted and
tightened. On following stages the cylinder head, oil pump, distributor drive, sump
and ancillaries were fitted. Finally engines were run in on a test bed driven by an
electric motor, with one in ten run under its own power for performance tests. After
doing all the assembly sections, you were given an engine block to build up from
start to finish with the thought that somewhere there would be a Scarab running
around with an engine built entirely by you.
Sometimes in between changing departments, apprentices would spend a whole week
“fan filing”. The aluminium cooling fan for the Scarab had to be balanced by filing
the blades by hand, a laborious job.
It was possible that if an apprentice was not trying hard enough to Training Officer
Charlie Cooksey’s standards, he would find himself doing extra weeks of “fan filing”
or assembling demountable number plates for Scammell coupling trailers.
The next move was to Scarab Erection under Frank Bott.
Scarabs were built on a manual production line starting with a pair of chassis
sidemembers. The first stage was to fit the crossmembers, apprentices working with
the fitter or fitters on that stage. The next stage was to fit the automatic coupling
gear lead on ramps, rear spring shackles, front wheel and steering.
The engine, gearbox and rear axle with springs and wheels were bolted together as a
sub assembly and wheeled into position, bolted into the single mounting, radiator and
hoses fitted.
17
Brake and clutch pedals, handbrake and coupling release levers were fitted and
connected, as was the throttle linkage.
The chassis were pushed from stage to stage by hand to the point where the cab was
mated to the chassis, then the front cowl, bumper and air cleaner were fitted. The
vehicles progressed, having lamps, wiring, glass, floor boards and seats added.
Having worked on each stage, an apprentice would then start to build a chassis and
move with it through each stage of assembly until completion, so again you felt
proud that there was a Scarab in service that you had virtually built.
I then moved to the Machine Shop where nearly all the machines were still driven by
overhead pulleys and belts powered by a Gardner diesel engine in the centre of the
Machine Shop.
I only did marking out, working on a solid machined table top, marking centres of
holes to be drilled in components with a scribing block.
Each one was checked by an inspector so that no mistakes were made and material
wasted.
It was then on to the Electricians where you fitted harnesses and wired up
connections to lamps etc, mainly on Scarabs.
Next was Scarab Test and Delivery. Scarabs would be pushed off the end of their
line into the test area, filled with petrol (and later diesel when the Perkins engine was
fitted), started and checked to see if everything was working. A test driver would
then couple the Scarab to a trailer loaded with test weights and take it out on a road
test.
18
Above - Mick Price’s Pioneer prepares to leave the Black Country
Museum for the Wolverhampton Show, see article.
Below - Bob Pott’s “Great Uncle Caracticus”, see “Snippets”.
Gyles Carpenters’ lovely wintry shot of Kevin Millar’s 1978 Crusader, ex
Steve Greenwood, new to the RAF, seen starting in the snow at Brough
Truckstop March 2008.
Junior Constructor owned by Paul Hammond, seen towing his newly restored set of 2 in line bogies. Photographed by Gyles Carpenter, on its way to the Mac’s Café
gathering in March this year. Paul says the pair of Crane bogies are ex-Pickfords, later used by Air Products. They are now in Yeoman Heavy Haulage blue with an
interesting looking “load”. He thinks they are 40 ton, built in the 50s or 60s. Can anyone confirm this or provide any further details for Paul?
The driver had a test sheet on which he recorded any faults or problems he had
found, which had to be rectified before signing off for delivery. Having passed my
driving test, I was able to drive the Scarabs out of the Workshop down the yard to the
delivery parking area, a treat for a young lad who did not yet have a motor car.
The next move was into the Heavy Vehicle Assembly Shop, where I felt
overwhelmed to be working on these huge vehicles.
I was fortunate to work in the erecting bays where Constructors and Mountaineers
were built from start to finish, by two men and an apprentice to each vehicle.
I worked under Fred Smith and Ivor Mayes who, like everyone else I worked under,
would only accept the best. All propeller shaft bolts were fitted with castellated nuts
and split pins and if the split pins were not bent over neatly, you removed them and
fitted them again.
As well as the build bays, there were two “production lines” in the Heavy Vehicle
Shop, one for 15 and 20 ton MUs (later to become the Highwayman), and one for
6x6 recovery vehicles known as Explorers.
The motive units (MUs), like the Scarabs, were pushed along by hand, but the
Explorers were linked by chains and when the finished vehicle at the head of the line
was started up and driven into the paint booth, it towed all the other chassis up a
stage.
Twice the length of time of that spent on previous sections was spent in Heavy
Vehicle Assembly because of the variety of work, but eventually I moved to my final
section, the Engine Test House. Here the apprentice’s job was to test Scarab engines
on a dynamometer for horse power, torque, fuel consumption and cooling, all
recorded for the company records.
Finally, after five interesting years, I returned to the Drawing Office where I worked
on many projects with some brilliant people until the company closed in 1988.
I have always felt lucky to have had such a good training by skilled people and tried
to maintain that high standard throughout my working life.
Wolverhampton Show 2007
by Mick Price
I first became involved in the Wolverhampton Steam & Vintage Show in 2003
although it was by then already in its eight year. This excellent show is held within a
stone’s throw from the City Centre in West Park, which is one of the best examples
of a preserved Victorian park in the country. The highlight of the weekend, held
early in June, is a very mixed vehicle parade through the City Centre on the Saturday.
I had attended the previous year as the odd one out, being the only really large lorry
there, and looking a bit out of place amongst the Classic Car section. However the
next year I received a phone call, on a very wet Thursday evening, from friend Joe
Davies, enquiring if I would be attending. The tri axle curtainsider trailer and the
articulated dray lorry they used as a stage and changing room were, although in
position, already stuck and there were likely to be more.
19
It was becoming dark on Sunday evening by the time I left having, in typical Pioneer
fashion, moved the dray lorry, pushed the new Scania unit under the trailer and
pulled the lot on to hard ground, pulled an eight wheeler out, a 7 ½ tonner, and Joe’s
ERF, living van and organ in one train. Saving the best till last I then pulled out a
6x4 Volvo van with a set of modern gallopers mounted on a tri axle trailer behind it.
I can add that the winch rope stayed firmly on the drum, all this was done on the
towing eye.
The next year I took the Scammell to Normandy for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day
(see Newsletter July ‘05) but fortunately the weather was kind that year as it has been
ever since. 2005 saw the beginnings of a Military Vehicle section and following the
spectacle of a modern Warrior APC leading the parade I was asked if I would
organise the next year’s Military section with an emphasis on armour if possible.
This we did with the only surviving amphibious Valentine DD tank heading up a
varied military section of around 15 vehicles. This year was even better with a
Russian built T55 tank added to the list.
In an attempt to make the show more unique and boost local appeal, the committee
looked at the idea of forming a locally made section or at least emphasising the
region’s past manufacturing base. In the case of commercials, we already had a
number of Guy vehicles attending, but the other major manufacturer, Sunbeam, had
really only produced trolleybuses for the last years of the company’s existence and,
while there are numerous examples that survive, transporting them is not that
straightforward. Luckily we have on our doorstep the Black Country Transport
Group based at the Black Country Living Museum who own/run a number of
Sunbeam and Guy trolleybuses on the longest overhead wired route in the country.
An agreement was quickly reached that, if we could transport a trolleybus, they
would be delighted to attend the show. Appropriately they have ex-Wolverhampton
Corporation Sunbeam 433 built in 1946, which is in pristine condition and operates
regularly. This is one of only 4 ex-Wolverhampton trolleybuses to exist and was one
of the last vehicles to run on the network before closure in March 1967.
While the Scammell was ideal to tow it the 8 miles or so mainly along the A4123
Birmingham New Road, a 40mph dual carriageway notorious for its umpteen sets of
traffic lights, there were a number of minor items to be addressed. The first of these
was to ensure the bus and Scammell were well connected with no slack between
them. To this end, an existing and substantial bracket was borrowed from another
trolleybus and attached to the front axle of the bus. This put the towing eye to the
front of the bodywork and was then modified to accept a standard NATO hook
coupling. The result being that the standard heavy duty NATO towing pole could be
used, with the spring mounted rear hook of the Scammell providing a cushioning
effect. The other modifications included a battery powered beacon light in the upper
rear window, trailer board and “On Tow” sign.
Weighing in at less than 8 tons, the bus was an easy task for the Scammell, even on
braking capacity, although in an emergency the bus had its own transmission
powered hydraulic system if needed, which came complete with mercury switch
operated brake lights.
20
So came the day for the move. I was to pick the bus up at 8.00 am and proceed from
there. The most nerve racking part was prior to this, when I was interviewed over the
telephone live on BBC Radio WM by morning presenter Jimmy Franks at around
7.15 am. However, I managed to promote the show and the name of Scammell, as he
was taken aback that the towing vehicle was actually older than the bus. The actual
move was reasonably uneventful with the Scammell performing as expected. Careful
manoeuvring through the tree lined roads of the park ensured the bus was placed in
its allotted space without any damage and my next involvement would now be the
return on Sunday afternoon.
The show went exceptionally well, thanks in a large part to the good weather. The
parade through the closed city centre roads being the highlight at almost a mile long
and ranging from the T55 tank weighing in at 35 tons (complete with an A Team Mr
T lookalike) to a trailered bi-plane microlight aircraft. In between were traction
engines, scaled miniatures, cars, buses, commercials, etc, a real spectacle.
The return journey on Sunday afternoon was also uneventful. The only thing of note
was crossing the Midland Metro tramlines, where, through a quirk of fate, we were
able to cross the lights in front of a waiting tram, which seemed something of an
irony given that Wolverhampton had given up on electrically powered public
transport with almost this very bus 40 years previously. Needless to say we had to
stop at nearly every other traffic light on the Birmingham New Road from then on, or
so it seemed.
All in all a great weekend. We had hoped to take the trolleybus on the parade this
year but a clash of dates (7 & 8th June) meant the trolleybus would stay at the Black
Country Museum for their own rally.
21
Returned to Active Duty
by James Davidson
On 7th August 2005 my Scammell Explorer Mk 1 - War Dept Registration Number
36 BC 14 - won best Military Vehicle in the Ayrshire Classic Vehicle Show held at
Eglinton Country Park, Irvine. The Park itself was formerly a large REME
Maintenance Depot during and after World War II.
The award was the culmination of a five year restoration programme started in July
2000. At the time I finally managed to purchase the vehicle from its previous owner
with a lot of help from his lady friend and some London Dry Gin.
Having tried unsuccessfully to purchase the vehicle over the preceding two years, I
decided to make one last attempt in July 2000 when I called at his home. By luck my
visit had coincided with both of them being home and enjoying a social evening.
This was definitely going to be my last time of raising the subject of purchasing the
vehicle. Even before he could reject my offer again, the lady rounded on him stating
that she was fed up squeezing past the truck and getting her clothing caught on the
rusty metalwork. Continuing the onslaught, she highlighted that the yard was
cluttered with would-be restoration projects which never happened. As the
Scammell had lain there for nine years gradually disintegrating, she felt it was time to
hand it on to an enthusiast who would restore the vehicle. I could only sit back in
admiration as she championed my cause.
In the face of such a destructive attack, the owner immediately capitulated and the
deal was done and cemented with a dram. I didn’t realise how big the glasses were or
that he had never heard of lemonade or water. Three glasses later I bade farewell
while I could still walk and returned home on automatic pilot!
I was now the proud owner of a bright
orange painted, non-running Scammell
with a tree growing through the rear
floor of the vehicle.
The interest and motivation for the
Scammell came from early childhood
when, like all boys, I played with
Matchbox toys, one of these being the
Scammell breakdown truck. In my
working life I had seen them used often
to recover large trucks from accident
scenes. The biggest motivation of all
came while lying seriously ill in hospital
with bowel cancer and facing the
prospect of an early death. I clearly saw what I should have done in life and, if
spared, the purchase and restoration of the Scammell, whatever the cost, would be
my lasting memorial should the cancer return.
The next problem was how I was going to move a vehicle weighing over 12 tons to
its new location at Pollock Farm Equipment, Lugar, some seven miles away.
22
Enter my friends - “The Maidens Marvels” - alias
John Webster, Peter Scally and John Wellings.
The Scammell was prepared by emptying the rear
storage lockers of seven bags of leaf mould and the
removal of one tree. The tyres were inflated and,
with the assistance of Monty the Matador pulling,
the Scammell began its journey to its new home.
On leaving the yard the convoy turned right
without any problem and thereby the team assumed
that it should also turn left - wrong!
The first left hand bend was opposite the
Mauchline War Memorial when the Scammell
decided not to follow Monty but make a
personal visit to the base of the War Memorial
while John Wellings and myself were just
spectators. Having just managed to avoid
causing damage and freed the steering
linkage, we continued on our way south
having to pass the traffic island on the wrong
side to get back in line.
On reaching the 100ft high Howford Bridge,
which carries traffic across the River Ayr, I remarked to John Wellings, who was
steering the vehicle, about the marvellous scenery from such a vantage point. The
reply came back, “I can’t see anything because my eyes are closed. I’m petrified of
heights!”
Peter Scally’s job was to watch a piece of blue rope stopping the towing pole from
jumping out of the towing hitch. Every sudden moment and gesture by Peter brought
on another bowel movement for John Wellings.
However, we arrived safely at Lugar where the vehicle would remain under cover
while restoration took place. The first job was to see if the stuck or seized Meadows
engine would turn over. The Managing Director, Mr James McGhee, decided on the
large socket and bar on the bottom crankshaft nut, but the combined weight of two
slightly built figures with the physique of a racing snake was insufficient to turn the
engine over.
The solution was to insert the starting handle and tie a rope from the rear of the
company’s truck to the handle and pull at right angles. With the truck wheels
spinning round it just managed to turn the engine over.
Having purchased the maintenance manual and being well equipped with various
tools we tried to get the engine started on its own. Not a hope - not even as much as
a puff of reek in hours of work. Thoroughly defeated and ready for home, Gerry
McGhee (brother of Jimmy and works foreman) arrived enquiring if we had got the
truck running. The answer was - “No”. The reply was “Take the air cleaner boxes
23
off and find a plastic bottle, pierce the lid and half fill it with petrol and I’ll start the
engine.”
Perched on the front offside wing, he proceeded to convert the Meadows engine to
fuel injection by squirting neat petrol down the air intakes. At the appropriate
moment, I was instructed to start the engine. The explosion was tremendous, the big
engine turned over several times and the excess fuel ignited in the air intakes like two
flame throwers, blew back just missing Gerry McGhee as he threw himself to the
ground to avoid incineration. The company electrician, Mr Reid Armour, ran
forward with a fire extinguisher to tackle the inferno but inadvertently tripped and
filled the cab and me full of white powder. However the fire was contained with
Gerry dusting himself down and climbing back on the wing for another go at super
charging. I personally thought he was crackers.
With the engine back in running order, the rear body was dismantled and a new
wooden floor and tool lockers were made. The chassis was thoroughly power
washed down to the grey primer and the outer cab panels were replaced before being
painted in Army green.
During this time, John Wellings practised his hammer throwing technique in a vacant
part of the factory for the Maidens Highland Games.
This part of the work took four years and I have to thank Jimmy McGhee - without
whose support and use of his workshop the restoration would not have been possible.
The truck was subsequently moved to John Webster’s yard where the new tyres were
fitted to the old rims by myself and Peter Scally over a period of two days. To get
the old tyres off the rims took about two weeks and a 12 ton tracked excavator to
prize them off.
I contacted the Army Record Office
at Beverley but they were unable to
find any record as to its military
service.
In view of this, Peter Scally was
given an artistic licence to apply the
appropriate REME unit markings
which it now carries - 1st Infantry,
88th Workshops.
In conclusion, I have now completed
what I first began planning whilst
lying in my hospital bed in 1995.
Thanks to all who helped in the
restoration work.
To me the job’s a good un! August 2005
Postscript - Saved by my Scammell!
Now we move on to the middle of February 2007. I maintained my HGV Class 2
licence to drive the Explorer, although I don’t need it as, under the Road Traffic Act,
the Scammell, being fitted with a crane, is not classed as a goods vehicle. My trip to
24
the doctors for the requisite medical saved my life. The young lady doctor, who was
very thorough, asked “how long have you had a heart condition” - a question which
amazed me as I had not the faintest idea of any such problem! I was immediately
referred to a consultant heart surgeon, Mr Fraichney who, by coincidence, began his
medical career at Balochmyle Hospital just 100 yards from where I collected the
Explorer. His medical diagnosis? One day soon you will fall down and not get up
again! The numerous tests indicated the damage may have been done by having had
Rheumatic Fever as a child around 1954/1955. I had no knowledge of this until it
was confirmed by the operation. He then explained that the heart condition had
begun then and that I had been walking around with a time bomb in my chest ever
since!
The normal time for the required heart valve replacement is generally 6 to 9 months I reached the operating table in 10 days!
So, just as I saved the Scammell, my Scammell saved me from certain death!
Request for Information - My R8
As readers may recall from the October 2006 Newsletter, my other Scammell is an
R8, which was pictured in the colour section of that Newsletter. It is Chassis
Number 6778, declared manufactured in 1949 with Registration Number DSU 972. I
would like to alter its taxation class from PLG to Historic Commercial and am
hoping the Register may be able to help authenticate its age.
I have no history on the vehicle - can anyone help?
Also, does anyone know how many R8s exist today?
[I’ve passed the age query to Chris Jones who is the man for all DVLA enquiries.
I’m sure someone could help James with the other queries - please contact me and
I’ll pass on the answer. Ed]
25
Scammell - My Thoughts on the Closure - 20 Years Later
by Vic Wilkes, Managing Director
When I joined Scammell at the tender age of 29, in September 1967, I had little or no
thoughts that it might be the company to see out my retirement. However, having
climbed the corporate ladder by the mid eighties, at the age of 47, that thought was
beginning to look a possibility.
Within one year of joining the company (in 1968), the merger between Leyland and
BMC took place and I have often quoted the fact that the new organisation of BL
(UK) Ltd quickly produced a directory which was a document (bound in black
leather and, incidentally, 1½” thick) indicating that the corporation had 133
companies worldwide, employing some 250,000 people. During the years 1968 to
1988, most of the car companies had gone, with the exception of Jaguar and Land
Rover who, as I write, are now in the process of being sold by Ford. Incidentally,
when British Leyland sold Jaguar to Ford, I had the opportunity to buy some shares
and, had I taken up my full allocation, could have made a real killing! As it was, my
wife had a couple of hundred pounds to spare at the time, so we decided to use that to
buy a few shares - she made £800.
But, I digress. As well as the car business, Leyland was, of course, the largest lorry
manufacturer in the UK but, equally, during the 1968 - 1988 period, we had seen the
demise of Bathgate, AEC, Albion, many bus companies and many small to medium
manufacturing plants to the point where, by the time Scammell had closed, what was
left was Leyland Motors in Lancashire, employing around 1,000 people. The wheel
had turned full circle and the business was back where it had started around 100
years before!
To return to Scammell and its closure, when I joined in 1967, Scammell employed
approximately 1,100 people in Watford on two sites and, as well as heavy vehicles,
also produced trailers, couplings, petrol engines (for the Scarab), axles and many
sheet metal components.
During the next 20 years, trailer manufacturing was transferred to one of the Aveling
Barford companies (Invicta Bridge) and much of the peripheral manufacturing had
ceased although we had also invested in new production facilities and a state of the
art powder coating plant facility (1982) and, at the time of closure, still employed
700 people.
I must now pay my tribute to those 700. During my career I have worked for ENV
Engineering (transmission and axles), Chrysler Dodge (light trucks), ChryslerCummins (diesel engines) and Seddon Atkinson (lorries), as well as my 21 years at
Scammell. I can honestly state that the Scammell workforce were the cream of the
crop. Their loyalty, dedication, commitment, and comradeship made my job both
enjoyable and easy. My heartfelt thanks goes to them all.
The closure decision itself was taken towards the end of 1986, and early 1987 and it
was somewhat ironic in that I had only just announced, in December 1986, that we
had won the lion’s share of the MoD DROPS contract worth circa £125 million.
26
Then, two months later, I was announcing the closure. In the event, the DROPS
vehicles were built by Leyland Motors in Lancashire.
Scammell had, over the years I can remember, been profitable and always generated
cash. Incidentally, an old boss of mine gave me some good advice when he said
“you can go without profits for many years but can only run out of cash once!” Still
true today.
I make these comments about DROPS and Company performance because, to the
average person, it would be difficult to understand why we should need to close such
a company. We should remember that, at the time, British Leyland was still
nationalised and the Government of the day were looking to unload their liability. It
was then that the Leyland business was sold to Daf and there were pressures to
reduce overall capacity from the EU.
Having done the deed, the closure programme itself was spread over approximately
18 months. We ceased vehicle manufacturing in May 1988. The last lorry was a
Constructor 8 and it is seen in the photographs, carrying a mock coffin and when I
made a speech - we didn’t let it go without a small dedication!
From then on, it was just a question of disposing of what was left.
There was some small consolation in that Unipower did purchase some of the designs
and stock, took on a number of employees, and continued to manufacture a range of
specialist products until their own closure some years later.
When I left the company in August 1988, there were still a handful of employees left
who were helping to prepare the assets that were left for disposal by public auction.
Once again, my thanks and best wishes to my ex-colleagues. I would also like to
wish the Scammell Register a happy 25th Anniversary and to hope that the next
generation of Scammell owners pick up the gauntlet to see you through the next 25
years!
As you would have read in the last issue, the Register will be at Croxley Green again
this year. Three years ago, we had a reunion for ex-employees, with around 30
meeting for a chat (see photo in December 05 Newsletter). We plan to hold another
reunion this year, meeting at the Scammell Register Display Lorry from 14.00 on the
Saturday, 20th September. Twenty years on from the sad occasion of the closure, I
am really looking forward to meeting as many of you as can make it. So please pass
the invitation to any ex-colleagues that you know who aren’t in the Register.
27
Where Are They Now?
by Bill Watkinson
No response direct to me from the article in the last Newsletter, but I omitted my
phone number and address. As you’ll see from “Snippets” Jeff Caygill did write to
Mike about the 6x2 Crusader, for which I am grateful. This time I will try some
more modern Scammells - Crusaders and S26s.
¾
Crusaders, SON 26Y, 27Y and 28Y.
We know that Roger Mortimore has 26Y but where are 27Y and 28Y? I
believe that 27Y was stretched and converted to a recovery tractor and that
28Y was used by a boiler maker, but are they still in use or existence?
¾
Crusader, SBO 965Y (6X4)
was owned by Llewellyan Transport of Newport.
A820 UTX (6x4) was in chocolate and cream livery but who owned her and
where are they both now?
¾
S26, FFJ 438Y (8x4) - see below
was owned and worked by Fred Kirkham of South Devon on timber haulage.
Were there any more 8x4, S26s in the UK? I thought they were an export
model.
¾
S26 D613 TUR
This was the star of the Motor Show in 1986, originally ordered by Transport
Goncald F Silva of Portugal and subsequently cancelled. It did the rounds of
the UK heavy haulage companies but finished up with the MoD who modified
it for other uses. Can anyone throw any light on this and does it still exist. I
believe Econofreight bought the ballast box and used it on Evening Star.
Whilst on the subject of S26s, I believe there is one on the fairground circuit, any
information?
I can be contacted on 01634 260310
or at 4, Sunningdale Drive, Rainham, Kent, ME8 9EE
28
The History of Scammell Lorries, Part 8, 1932-1936
The Pioneer Matures
by John Fadelle
The Pioneer began the decade with disappointing sales prospects as a ‘Rigid Sixwheeler’. It was only in 1932 when an articulated version was released that it grew
in popularity, especially in the oilfields.
However, the development into the familiar wartime Pioneer really started with the
tank transporter demonstrator, of which but one was built for the War Department, in
1932, see photo, below, where it is shown on pre-delivery trial, climbing an
unrealistic slope for a tank transporter.
Bearing in mind that only 5
years previously the ‘Rigid Sixwheeler’ had been conceived as
an off-road load carrier with a
capacity of 7 tons it was evident
that changes would need to be
made to turn it into an
articulated tank transporter,
albeit with a capacity of 18
tons. The wheelbase was
extended but the rear axle was
redesigned to increase its
capacity, the worm driving head
being replaced by a spiral bevel and the gears in the walking beams enlarged. The
springs were uprated and widened but the way they were fastened to the axle tubes
was altered - on the rigid-vehicle axle the spring seats were simply keyed to the
tubes, but on the heavier version the centre-pot was extended sideways to form the
spring seats, resulting in a strong structure. This meant that the inner walking beam
support journals, which were inboard of the spring seats, were shrouded by the
inverted ‘U’ shape profile of the centre-pot side extensions, limiting the articulation
of the walking beams. As the tank transporter would not need the huge articulation
of the rigid six this caused no problem, the total wheel movement now being limited
to 12”. The geometry of this new axle demanded a narrower chassis than the rigid
and so the frame width was reduced behind the cab, a feature which was perpetuated
on later Pioneer tractors. Another Pioneer detail which was introduced at this time
was the sprung carrier coupling - it was cushioned fore-and-aft by two transverse leaf
springs on the tractor chassis which allowed a total movement of several inches. The
firm contended that this feature allowed the transporter to move off smoothly under
poor conditions - if the tractor could get going for a few inches before moving the
carrier, then wheel slip was less likely (much like a railway locomotive starting off a
train of loose-coupled trucks).
To carry the tank the firm did its best and supplied a carrier which was effectively an
off-road version of a machinery carrier with a simple knock-out walking-beam bogie.
Tank transportation was in its infancy at this time, the army was still experimenting
29
and had not yet discovered that loading and unloading tanks would need to be carried
out safely in about 10 minutes, so jacking and removing axles was not on!
Whilst sporadic trialling of this transporter took place modest commercial sales of
the Pioneer continued. When the Gardner engine and six-speed gearbox became
available it was obvious that these should be applied to the Pioneer, but this was not
done immediately - presumably due to the necessity of putting resources into
introducing the ‘Lightweight’ range, the Mechanical Horse - and some special
Pioneers.
The Anglo-Iranian Oil Company had been good customers of Scammell for a number
of years, and approached the firm to produce a pair of articulated tankers for fuel
distribution from the refinery in Iran to depots not connected by pipeline. The
specification was demanding: capacity of 4200 gallons, a cruising speed on smooth
roads of 35 mph, good rough-road capability and the ability to climb to an altitude of
10,000 ft. It is believed that Anglo-Iranian thought that only an American truck
could do the job and so Scammell would have to work hard to meet the requirement.
The Pioneer mated to a lightweight frameless tank carrier was a good starting point,
but the automotive performance demanded at the GTW of 27 tons meant that
significant changes would be needed. Engine power was the biggest problem (not
for the first time!) as the firm knew that automotive petrol engines of sufficient
output which could be installed in the Pioneer were simply not available. Eventually,
as a starting point, a 14 litre straight-eight made by the Southampton marine engine
manufacturers Parsons Engineering was found. Unfortunately, as weight and size are
not as critical for boats as for lorries this engine was a heavy and long unit, so
Scammell set to and designed new
cylinder heads, aluminium pistons,
aluminium crankcase top half and
revised coolant circulation,
carburation, exhaust and electric
starting systems. (Nothing could be
done about the length, and at well
over six feet it was longest engine
Scammell ever used!) Even
though the back end of the engine
was recessed into the cab a very long bonnet was required and an extra large radiator
was fitted to cope with the heat rejection from the engine which developed 168 bhp
at 1650 rpm. It might be noted that it would be more than ten years before Scammell
once again used an engine of this output.
The requirement for good hill-climbing capability as well as high top speed meant
that a wide spread of transmission ratios was necessary. As the existing Pioneer
gearbox could not provide this a two-speed overdrive auxiliary gearbox was added.
The tank-transporter walking-beam axle/bogie and suspension was used.
More noticeable however was the unique front suspension which Oliver North felt
was needed to cope with the automotive performance. The centre-pivot spring with
‘A’ frame location was replaced by a pair of longitudinal leaf springs, but their front
30
ends were linked by a
floating crossmember
connected to the
sidemembers by a
Gruss air spring either
side. This resulted in a
two-rate system which
was intended to provide
a damped air
suspension on good
roads whilst retaining
the articulation
capability of the leaf springs, the laden axle weight being some 3½ tons. (The Gruss
system was much in vogue in the mid-1930s, the best-known application being the
Gilford coach). The carrier bogie was an ‘off-road’ version of the Articulated Eightwheeler bogie, using at each side a centre-pivoted underslung leaf spring (instead of
rubber stacks), shackled at each end to the radius arm locating each wheel. Tyres
were 13.50x20 all round, fitted to demountable wheels in accordance with American
practice.
In order to allow the carrier to articulate in all planes relative to the motive unit it was
connected via a ball-ended kingpin which located in a phosphor-bronze cup on the
motive unit chassis. The cushioned coupling mounting (as on the tank transporter)
was fitted.
In view of the high speed (and, no doubt, the severity of the gradients) anticipated,
the front wheels were braked, and the air footbrake system controlled all wheels. In
case of failure of the air system the brake pedal applied the driving bogie brakes
mechanically - how effective this could have been is dubious, but these brakes could
also be applied by a Neate brake which was also used for parking.
For the crew a stylish new hot-climate cab was provided. In expectation of being
away from the depot for extended periods it carried a drinking water tank and (a first
for Scammell) provision for one man to sleep, fore-and-aft, on the nearside cab floor.
As with the 100-tonner, only two of these highly-developed lorries were made perhaps they proved unsatisfactory in service, or maybe Anglo-Iranian Oil changed
their purchasing policy. However it would be fascinating to know what happened to
them.
The new managers at Scammell, if it were they who sanctioned the development of
these vehicles, could not have been happy with selling only two. However at the
time other cost-cutting measures were being implemented.
When Scammell Lorries Limited was born out of Scammell and Nephew the
‘headquarters’ staff of Scammell Lorries were accommodated at a new head office at
High Holborn House, WC1. There was obvious kudos in having a central London
address, and it suited the ex-S&N employees who had worked at Fashion Street.
However the cost of maintaining two sites, plus all the communication problems
resulting from most of the office functions being separated from the manufacturing
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elements, appeared unjustifiable to the new Board. But there was nowhere at
Watford to house the personnel, so a new main office building was constructed with
a Tolpits Lane frontage, at the Railway end of the site. It is pictured here with a line
up of Pioneer gun tractors.
This brick 2-storey
building housed the
Director’s offices as well
as the Engineering, Sales
and Accounts departments,
and was finished in a
simple but pleasant artdeco style with bronze
fittings, wood block
flooring and oak panelling
in the more important
areas. The move from
London was completed in
1936. (Some London staff continued to commute out to Watford for many years one such was travelling in one of the trains involved in the Harrow disaster of 1952.
Although badly shocked, he was fortunately unhurt.)
This year signalled the turn-round in the company’s fortunes, a profit having been
made (£10,000) for the first time for many years, largely due to the buoyant MH
sales. However, the significant business of the year was the first government order
for the Pioneer. It is easy to see the mark of austerity about these vehicles, the
‘Model 100’ artillery tractors, as seen above. In addition to the tank transporter the
Ministry had been looking at the rigid Pioneer for some years and had trialled an
early 6x6 as a gun tractor, but (wisely, in my opinion, see part 3 of this history) had
decided to opt for the 6x4. The Model 100 was, unlike the Anglo-Iranian vehicle, a
simple development of the original Pioneer.
The drive axle with walking beam bogie with parallel chassis was retained, as was
the centrally-pivoted transverse spring front suspension, but with no brakes on the
front axle in view of the modest top
speed capability (24 mph). The
major change was the incorporation
of the Gardner 6LW / Borg and
Beck clutch / six speed gearbox
package as used on the
‘Lightweight’ range, this being an
easy development only
necessitating the machining of a
driving head worm of the opposite
hand to suit the six-speed gearbox
which itself had a different set of
gears to give a slightly wider ratio spread. For the off-road conditions anticipated
Scammell designed a novel two-stage oil bath air cleaner.
32
A much larger cab was fitted, and a steel-panelled body faired into the cab was
provided to accommodate the gun crew and ammunition. In the roof was a rearward
extendable longitudinal beam with a 10 cwt chain block to handle the ammunition.
A load of 3 tons was allowed in the body, giving an all-up weight of some 12 tons, of
which 9 were on the walking beams. With 13.50x20 tyres all round the mobility was
good and the Pioneer was allowed a 10 ton trailed load cross-country. As the firm
liked cushioned trailer couplings it was no surprise that the towing pintles were
mounted on leaf springs.
For self recovery (with cable
fairleads at front and rear) early
models were equipped with a
horizontal-spindle drum winch
which was rapidly superseded by
another Scammell icon - the vertical
spindle winch, see photo. This unit
served the company well for some
45 years in slightly different
versions, and I think it was Evan
Davies who told me that it was
derived from a Czechoslovakian
ploughing winch, and its narrow,
large diameter drum indeed looks similar to those carried beneath Fowler ploughing
engine boilers.
The narrow drum made the winch an easy package to install out of the way under
bodywork just behind the cab, and to control the cable lay on the drum a simple
mechanical payon gear worked reasonably well, combined with pressure rollers to
keep the rope tidy. It was possible to wind 450 ft of ⅞” cable onto the drum,
however the diameter of the cast winch drum flanges to accommodate the many
layers of cable made them weak and early cast drums burst, having to be replaced by
a fabricated design. Limiting the cable pull to a safe level was always a problem
with mechanically-driven winches; this was cleverly solved by allowing the winch to
move fractionally on its mounting on the chassis as the rope tension increased. This
movement was carefully balanced by a spring via an arrangement of levers. When
the load limit was reached - set to about 8 tons - the spring load was overcome and
the resulting movement, amplified by the levers, operated the engine stop. (However
the army crews soon found that disconnecting the stop enabled the winch to pull a lot
more!) The six-speed gearbox pto drove the winch primary worm reduction, the
output from this turned the final gear reduction pinion via the free-spool dog clutch
and band brake. Both of these - and the pto engagement - were operated by cab hand
levers via rods, levers and bell cranks. The final reduction pinion engaged with a
ring gear bolted to the periphery of the top flange of the cable drum. (I remember
that this ring gear, about 44” diameter, was still a problem to manufacture 40 years
later, the flame hardening of the teeth being difficult to achieve consistently).
The Pioneer story continues next time
with the recovery and tank transporter variants.
33
34
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Scammell Mart - 1
For the Scammell Enthusiast in 2008
A wide range of clothes, many available to order to your specific needs, books and other items,
including. All prices are inclusive of P&P.
25th Anniversary Items
Polo shirts (black with silver logo or grey with blue) £15. Baseball caps £6.75
Scammell Boiler Suits
Navy overalls with Register log in red or gold. Please specify chest size. £18.75
Weatherproof ¾ Length Scammell Register Coats
Lined and slightly padded - very warm and water resistant! Dark navy with Register logo
embroidered in either gold or red. Sizes S, M, L, XL or XXL. £37.75
Fleece Jackets
Dark navy with Register script embroidered in either gold or red. Available in sizes S, M, L, XL or
XXL. £17.75
Books and DVDs
Published by Fairground Heritage Trust, “The Working Scammell Showtrac”,
covers all 18 Showtracs while at work. £13.40
Signed copies of “The Showman’s Forgotten Scammells (the 45 ton chain drive
Scammells)” by Kay Townsend. £14.95.
DVD - “Scammells at the Great Dorset Steam Fair - 1986” was filmed by
Jonathan Eckardt in 1986, just three years after the Register was formed. See
review by Brian Carter. £10.
To Order
Please send cheques payable to The Scammell Register. Please enclose details of your name,
address and contact telephone number, what you wish to order including price, size, colour (main
and embroidery) and total cost and send to:Carol Cooper
Merchandising Officer, The Scammell Register,
40 Mandalay Drive, Norton, Worcester, WR5 2PL
Any queries, ring Carol on01905 355532 or email [email protected]
For Sale
Copies of Parts and Service Manuals
We have a wide range of parts and service manuals, either in paper format or on CD. They cost
£20 plus P&P for Members (£30 for non-Members).
If you are looking for a manual, or if you have a manual which you would allow us to copy for
sale, please contact me. Currently, I am short of the manuals and parts books for the R8, and the10
ton winch that went under the N/S seat of the MU/Highwayman.
Anyone who lends a manual for copying will receive a free CD of the manual as a thank you.
Parry Davis, 01948 880870 or e-mail [email protected]
36
Scammell Mart - 2
For Sale
Scammell Highwayman coach built cab, new bulkhead and floor steelwork, doors need work, no
screens. Price £550.
Contact Fred Ward on 07733146482
For Sale
Ex nuclear flask carrying trailer, 73 tons gross, 13-00 X 20 tyres, 11ft long stainless steel bed, 9ft
wide, looks impressive but is very easy to handle, photos available. Price £2,400
Routeman/Trunker cab £175
Contact Roger Mortimore on 07802 241777
or e-mail [email protected]
For Sale
2 x Scammell radiator top tanks brand new genuine factory stock. Both for tapered bonnet
Highwayman, one late 50’s flat screen type with flip top cap (comes with new cap) £180.00, the
other is later model with screw type cap (no cap) £150.00. All have studs and some nuts.
1936 shaft drive MU in need of total restoration. Ex Shell, Ex Siddle Cook. £1,500
New Leyland 680 PP top hoses. £45.00 plus P&P.
Contact Dave Walker 07860 959878.
For Sale
Scammell wheel changing lever bar (as shown in most instruction manuals).
Gardner 5 LW engine No 144961.
Phone Richard for more details on 07711 549081.
For Sale
Curved Highwayman screens (fibre glass cab type, wooden cabs will need adjustment to cab to fit).
Pilkington Glass. They were £195 each plus VAT, P&P
Contact Martin Allen, 01795 596100, for current price.
For Sale
New rear engine mounting rubbers for Leyland 680. Any quantity. £45 per pair +P&P.
Wanted
Pair of engine side cover catches and handles for Highwayman.
Please contact Nick Bedford on 01507 758205.