Leyland marathon

[wheel_nut]

A cracking thread chaps, brilliant photos too. I think the Marathon looks like a proper lorry, even now it would not look out of place. I have never driven one in anger on the road but was allowed to use one in the yard to shift some trailers while the driver had a brew.

There were several companies in the area ran them and I suppose they could have been fitted with three wheels and I would still have loved them. My Dad was originally an agricultural tractor salesman before taking on a pub, after the pub he was still selling things, this time the whole Leyland truck range, the area was a great market for the Reiver, Boxer, Terrier & Bison range so when he sold a Scammell Crusader or a Leyland Marathon it was a bit like how I imagine a lottery winner feels. That feeling ran throughout the whole dealership from the paint shop to the mechanics and parts department

As for the story of the buses. I used to deliver engine parts everyday to Lincolnshire Road Car workshops in Bracebridge Heath and the workshop was an amazing place for anyone with a mechanical interest like me, the buses were driven in, engines ripped out and new ones fitted, they had machines to regrind crankshafts, plane cylinder heads, machine brake drums and reupholster and refurbish double deckers to pristine condition. I wanted to move to Lincoln just so I could work there

[rondavies]

I remember we had three Marathons on Simons doing middle east work circa 1975. Two left hookers and one rhd. Bernie aka"zwei meters funf" had one of the left hookers. I drove it once in the UK to tip a trailer. Seem to recall that the gears were an arse about face arrangement. Does my memory serve me correctly?

[dieseldogsix]

I did drive a Marathon in 78/79, for Dines of Bicester, 250 ■■■■■■■ Fuller box, horseshoe patten iirc, the brakes were a bit iffy, especially pulling Leamans trailers for Cliff Leader, as I have short legs I could have the bunk folded down all the time, loads of room, but what was that small steering wheel all about. coldn’t keep up with the TL 12’s though.

[chris_webb]

A.E.Evans started splashing out in the 70s and bought a few Marathons.Some were second hand from Ford and Slater,Norwich and IIRC all those had the 250 ■■■■■■■ and Fuller RTO9509 box.

I was lucky and got a new Marathon with the TL12 in 1976 - the 250 ■■■■■■■ couldn’t get near it
This is the only pic I’ve got of it.

The only fault - which was rectified - was the poor brakes.When you had started with one of these…

Then moved up to one of these…

Then onto one of these…

…then you can imagine why I was chuffed with the Marathon

[carl_jarman]

Here’s one for you marathon enthusiasts.

[transcon_andy]

I HAVE FOND MEMORIES OF THE LEYLAND MARATHON 2 , MY DAD USED TO DRIVE 1 FOR WBS IN THE LATE 70’s EARLY 80’s ( BUL 81T ) , WOULD LOVE TO SEE A PIC OF 1 AGAIN AS AI WOULD LOVE TO BUILD A MODEL OF 1 , HAS ANYBODY GOT ANY PICS PLEASE ( OF ANY WBS TRUCKS ) , ANDY

[fly_sheet]

jj72:

Stanfield:

cracking photo - anyone know if swains bought them second hand and from who? I like the comment by the BRS example about being popular on the middle east run - slight poetic licence/rose tinted specs

It looks great that picture JJ its just a pity Swains are still working for Leyland Marathon rates

Fly sheet

[love_sponge]

[rich12]

fly sheet:

jj72:

Stanfield:

cracking photo - anyone know if swains bought them second hand and from who? I like the comment by the BRS example about being popular on the middle east run - slight poetic licence/rose tinted specs

It looks great that picture JJ its just a pity Swains are still working for Leyland Marathon rates

Fly sheet

got to agree with that,ive just seen what they offering for trampers and night trunk drivers in a advert in our local paper,

[lb76]

Scania’s legendary V8 was based on an AEC engine!!!
how many more times is this old rubbish going to be trotted out.
please get your facts right before you post stuff like this we have a legacy to leave and we might as well get it correct.
Please do some more homework and dont rely on old drivers tales.you only have to look at the engine to see ,to have made what was a failure due to government constraints and policies,into one of the best engines ever made (imho) would have taken too much money and too much development to turn it round the other way,Where is pat kennet when you need him RIP pat

[trev_h]

Hi,
At the Gaydon show I got chance to have a first real look at an AEC V8 engine, I had worked on Scania V8’s since their introduction in the 140
and knew the in’s and out’s of them very well. The conclusion I came to looking at the AEC lump was that the only similarity was the V8 cylinder configuration !
A story I recalled to the Astran truck owner at Gaydon was when in the early 70,s one of their 140 drawbars limped into the agents with a definite misfire. The driver asked if we could fit a new piston and liner to no8 pot ! an old piston and rod he had in his hand from the passenger footwell. Apparantly it had suffered a waterleak and overheated with a partial siezure out in the Middle east. On restarting it with the leak fixed it had a definite knock which was traced to no8, being individual cyl heads on the V8 it was removed along with the sump and the damaged piston and rod taken out. The big end had been taped/ plugged to mantain pressure, sump, head re-fitted filled with oil , the injector was spraying into a can which returned fuel to the tank. I was dumbstruck at the resourcefulness used to bring a truck home like this.

[gunnerheskey]

jj72:

Stanfield:

cracking photo - anyone know if swains bought them second hand and from who? I like the comment by the BRS example about being popular on the middle east run - slight poetic licence/rose tinted specs

I know for a fact that swains bought my grandads old leyland marathon DLG 370S ■■■■■■■ 250, but i think it was just for spares as it was already 8yrs old at the time… It would’ve been yellow top red bottom with Graham Martins transport leicester on the side… Be great to here from any ex swains lads if they remember her as i spent many summer and school holidays trammin around the uk, and a few nights out as well, and she was a day cab…

[stanfield]

[tonyhogi]

Stanfield:

Cracking pic Stanfield
Agnews used to have a depot in Northampton in the 70s & also had a number of Buffalos [the ones with the rusty verticle exhaust stack] As the pic is ‘black & white’ do you know what colour they were? i have vague memories of grey

[chris_webb]

Stanfield:

Agnew and Lithgow used to do Belfast/Londonderry for GGD Maltby on behalf of Littlewoods in the late 70s.IIRC they had a depot at Rochdale and the regular driver was known as “Joe 90” with a Marathon and a wreck of a tandem axle dry freight trailer with “oles in t’floor but t’gaffer’s gerrin’ it done” One night an electric barrow went through t’floor and Agnew and Lithgow were no more,Woodsides started doing the job.

[newmercman]

gunnerheskey:
I know for a fact that swains bought my grandads old leyland marathon DLG 370S ■■■■■■■ 250, but i think it was just for spares as it was already 8yrs old at the time… It would’ve been yellow top red bottom with Graham Martins transport leicester on the side… Be great to here from any ex swains lads if they remember her as i spent many summer and school holidays trammin around the uk, and a few nights out as well, and she was a day cab…

8yrs old & cut up for spares, you don’t know the Swain operation very well then

I spoke to a bloke who knew a thing or two about the British Leyland fiasco, he’s a lecturer on all things transport, can’t remember his name though anyway he reckons that the Crusader was twice the motor the Marathon was, the Marathon was a decent enough motor, but used too many parts bin parts, it also had a lot of useless known to be unreliable parts from the likes of Lucas CAV, but because of militancy they (Leyland) were forced to use them anyway, when they could get them that is, he also told me of a time when Leyland were producing lorries without starter motors as the starter motor people were on strike, hundreds of finished chassis sitting in car parks without starter motors, what a joke that is, no wonder they lost out to the foreigners.

It’s been said about the product being ok, but marketed poorly, I disagree, just look at a picture of a British person in the 70s, a comb over haircut, Eric Morecombe glasses, every single item of clothing brown checked & side burns like a pork chop & that’s just the women our products were the same, look at the cab on the Marathon, it looks like the bodge up that it is, especially the sleeper version, welded in panels everywhere, shocking, it’s like comparing Olive from On the Buses or Yootha Joyce against the totty from Abba, no wonder people bought Volvos & Scanias

Just as an aside, it was the only Leyland not named after an animal, it had a name beginning with M as a nod to the AEC engineers & the fact that it was first built at Southall as all AECs began with an M.

[dieseldogsix]

Newmercman…you forgot the Leyland Comet.

[mutlley]

this was my first truck after i had just passed my class1. only had it for 6months. loved it. if you could stand the vibration, it would do 80. mark2, on a w. with a 290■■■■■■■ in it. always remember how useless the wipers where! but how comfy the bed was.

[mother_trucker]

COMPANY I WORKED FOR HAD SOME MARATHONS THEY DID QUITE WELL 1 TRUCK WORKED A LOT OF ITS LIFE DOUBLE SHIFTED APART FROM 1 ,WONT MENTION THE DRIVERS NAME BUT HE MELTED THE PISTONS GOING SO HARD ON THE M1,THEY HAD THE L12 ENGINE

[newmercman]

Dieseldogsix:
Newmercman…you forgot the Leyland Comet.

No I didn’t, I just hoped everyone else would