Yet another cry for help I’m afraid!! This time I’m looking for any specification details for the 1953 Albion Chieftain; drawings, dimensions - anything which would help me build a 1/24 scale model of the vehicle.
I’ve tried to find such info from the various Albion society sites I’ve found online with no response so far, so the task is looking a bit forlorn at the moment!
Can anyone out there provide any details or point me in the right direction?
The model (hopefully, at least) will be that of “Albert”, owned by Fagan & Whalley.
Thanks
Paul Savage
That’s the one. I did try to upload a photo with my post, but failed miserably in the attempt!!
Try ebay.ie as there quite some documents are offered for sale. Also here on TNUK some
enthousiast on building models …see many threads…could be useful.
Paul , is that model FT37AL 6.5 tonner with the 4 cyliner 75 bhp engine ?
At the moment Dean I’m not sure which model the truck is - I’m waiting for details from the company for that.
As for available information, I picked up the brochure from eBay which gives good basic chassis dimension detail, but I’m trying to find more details re the cab - dimensions, layout etc - so I can get a reasonably accurately scaled final model. F&W have so far provided a good quality video of the truck which gives a really good all-round impression of the vehicle, but for health reasons, I’m unfortunately not in a position to go measure it up, so that option is not open to me. And asking my contact there to do that is, I believe, stretching good will a little too far!!
Thanks for the response to date to my post.
paulsavage:
Yet another cry for help I’m afraid!! This time I’m looking for any specification details for the 1953 Albion Chieftain; drawings, dimensions - anything which would help me build a 1/24 scale model of the vehicle.
I’ve tried to find such info from the various Albion society sites I’ve found online with no response so far, so the task is looking a bit forlorn at the moment!
Can anyone out there provide any details or point me in the right direction?
The model (hopefully, at least) will be that of “Albert”, owned by Fagan & Whalley.
Thanks
Paul Savage
Here’s a road test with drawings of a 1953 Albion Chieftain as requested.
Not sure why they tested vehicles with only half the cab built,but other manufacturers did the same.
Click on pages once/twice to read.
Thanks Dean, that’s a massive help to bringing this job together and greatly appreciated.
QUOTE -
Here’s a road test with drawings of a 1953 Albion Chieftain as requested.
“Not sure why they tested vehicles with only half the cab built,but other manufacturers did the same.”
That was because at that period Albion (and some others) only supplied the basic chassis and scuttle panel, it was up to the buyer to have the cab built by their preferred coachbuilder.
paulsavage:
Thanks Dean, that’s a massive help to bringing this job together and greatly appreciated.
No worries. This advert from 1956 mentions the wheel bases offered.
fodenway:
Here’s a road test with drawings of a 1953 Albion Chieftain as requested.“Not sure why they tested vehicles with only half the cab built,but other manufacturers did the same.”
That was because at that period Albion (and some others) only supplied the basic chassis and scuttle panel, it was up to the buyer to have the cab built by their preferred coachbuilder.
That makes sense as have other road tests with half built cabs.
A bit later model was the one I ran at Bewick Transport which was an LAD D reg 1966 motor and a later spec having the Albion HR axle and 6 speed o/d box but very definitely the same 4 cyl 75 bhp engine. I bought it off John McGuffie in 1970 and he had acquired it from Brady’s of Barrow in Furness who had apparently got it in a deal when they bought out a small London haulier neither Bradys or John Mac ran the motor so it was in brown livery ex it’s London operator when I bought it . It was what I called a very honest little motor which hadn’t done very much work previously. It had an all Ali 20 ft flat and a cab high headboard which was a staple sort of body used by many east end hauliers who were mainly engaged in fruit and veg hauling from the markets.
Anyway during the time we ran it it never let us down once and we ran it up and down to London and Kent where it’s regular back load was paper sacks from Robinson Sacks on the Esplanade in Rochester. We ran it at 14 ton gvw prior to it having to be tested and plated which reduced it’s payload by about 2 tons down to IIRC 11:75 tons gvw . We carried on running it at the reduced weight for a while but eventually I sold it to a Farmer who dealt in hay and straw so it suited him perfectly and I got a decent price for it because it was such a straight little motor. The only thing you could criticize it for was the knocking of the 4 cyl engine at low revs but otherwise it was a faultless motor !
The last shot was the morning I took it to the local MOT centre for Plating so I took this shot on exiting the site !
Bewick:
A bit later model was the one I ran at Bewick Transport which was an LAD D reg 1966 motor and a later spec having the Albion HR axle and 6 speed o/d box but very definitely the same 4 cyl 75 bhp engine. I bought it off John McGuffie in 1970 and he had acquired it from Brady’s of Barrow in Furness who had apparently got it in a deal when they bought out a small London haulier neither Bradys or John Mac ran the motor so it was in brown livery ex it’s London operator when I bought it . It was what I called a very honest little motor which hadn’t done very much work previously. It had an all Ali 20 ft flat and a cab high headboard which was a staple sort of body used by many east end hauliers who were mainly engaged in fruit and veg hauling from the markets.
Anyway during the time we ran it it never let us down once and we ran it up and down to London and Kent where it’s regular back load was paper sacks from Robinson Sacks on the Esplanade in Rochester. We ran it at 14 ton gvw prior to it having to be tested and plated which reduced it’s payload by about 2 tons down to IIRC 11:75 tons gvw . We carried on running it at the reduced weight for a while but eventually I sold it to a Farmer who dealt in hay and straw so it suited him perfectly and I got a decent price for it because it was such a straight little motor. The only thing you could criticize it for was the knocking of the 4 cyl engine at low revs but otherwise it was a faultless motor !
3
2
1
The last shot was the morning I took it to the local MOT centre for Plating so I took this shot on exiting the site !
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Hi Dennis, I used to drive a Clydesdale coach with that 6sp od, a very pleasant box to use. With a tall diff, it was a bit of a slouch of the mark, but had long legs. In a previous life it had been on Adelaide-Darwin, that would have kept the 401 Leyland working.
Star down under.:
Bewick:
A bit later model was the one I ran at Bewick Transport which was an LAD D reg 1966 motor and a later spec having the Albion HR axle and 6 speed o/d box but very definitely the same 4 cyl 75 bhp engine. I bought it off John McGuffie in 1970 and he had acquired it from Brady’s of Barrow in Furness who had apparently got it in a deal when they bought out a small London haulier neither Bradys or John Mac ran the motor so it was in brown livery ex it’s London operator when I bought it . It was what I called a very honest little motor which hadn’t done very much work previously. It had an all Ali 20 ft flat and a cab high headboard which was a staple sort of body used by many east end hauliers who were mainly engaged in fruit and veg hauling from the markets.
Anyway during the time we ran it it never let us down once and we ran it up and down to London and Kent where it’s regular back load was paper sacks from Robinson Sacks on the Esplanade in Rochester. We ran it at 14 ton gvw prior to it having to be tested and plated which reduced it’s payload by about 2 tons down to IIRC 11:75 tons gvw . We carried on running it at the reduced weight for a while but eventually I sold it to a Farmer who dealt in hay and straw so it suited him perfectly and I got a decent price for it because it was such a straight little motor. The only thing you could criticize it for was the knocking of the 4 cyl engine at low revs but otherwise it was a faultless motor !
3
2
1
The last shot was the morning I took it to the local MOT centre for Plating so I took this shot on exiting the site !
Hiya SDU
The only other Albion I came into contact with was a mid 60’s Clydesdale Super Six which was operated by a local haulier in Kendal so I’m not just sure which Leyland engine he had maybe the 370 but it could have had the 400 ? Someone on TN may be able to tell us which engine this Albion used ! Regards Dennis.
0Hi Dennis, I used to drive a Clydesdale coach with that 6sp od, a very pleasant box to use. With a tall diff, it was a bit of a slouch of the mark, but had long legs. In a previous life it had been on Adelaide-Darwin, that would have kept the 401 Leyland working.
Paul: don’t get confused…at that time ‘many’ cab- and coachbuilders did their unique design for a cab, which
was at that time a humble space to get a driver aboard. My suggestion is that for your purpose …you lean on the
design of Jennings (for E.R.F.) and don’t get unsure about measurements, it’s all about weight and loading-space.
ERF-Continental:
Paul: don’t get confused…at that time ‘many’ cab- and coachbuilders did their unique design for a cab, which
was at that time a humble space to get a driver aboard. My suggestion is that for your purpose …you lean on the
design of Jennings (for E.R.F.) and don’t get unsure about measurements, it’s all about weight and loading-space.
I’m starting to understand more about the Albion as I develop the plan for the model, and using the information already obtained along with some good photos of the F&W vehicle, I think the cab will more or less take care of itself now with initial build drawings starting to look quite realistic.
We’ see how it develops!!
Paul, when I built my Albion flat many moons ago I got various drawings etc but in the end I simply made a drawing using the wheel from the Italeri 1/24 Opel Blitz as a starting point, I used the chassis and axles from this kit anyway and scratched the cab and body. Once I had the wheel drawn I just followed with the wheelarch then the cab sides from that. To be honest much of it was done by the ‘if it looks right it will do’ process but those initial measurements enabled the cab to be the right scale, it was usual for these cabs to have the panels forward of the doors to incline slightly so you don’t have a completely square sided cab. Franky.
Geordielad:
Paul, when I built my Albion flat many moons ago I got various drawings etc but in the end I simply made a drawing using the wheel from the Italeri 1/24 Opel Blitz as a starting point, I used the chassis and axles from this kit anyway and scratched the cab and body. Once I had the wheel drawn I just followed with the wheelarch then the cab sides from that. To be honest much of it was done by the ‘if it looks right it will do’ process but those initial measurements enabled the cab to be the right scale, it was usual for these cabs to have the panels forward of the doors to incline slightly so you don’t have a completely square sided cab. Franky.
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If I can achieve your standard of build, I’ll be very happy! Thanks for the photo and comments - I actually found the wheel dimension the other day and, as you have done, used that as the basis for scaling up, in my case, the various brochure chassis “drawings” I had, and developed my working drawing from that and from photos of the prototype. It definitely seems to provide a “looks-the-part” image on paper at least, so will now form the basis of the build. Materials being ordered in and start expected in the next week or so.
Appreciate your very helpful input!