I look forward to reading this later today. Graham blogs on this forum and is a well-respected author of truck literature in the shape of monographs about individual models. Robert
A good read. I’m surprised that a ■■■■■■■ engine weighed 7-hundredweight more than the TL12: that’s quite a lot of metal!
With hindsight (oh, can’t we all become such experts with hindsight 
) then, I would have thought that an early upgrade to Mark 2 along with the ■■■■■■■ 335 (already an option) in 38-tonne long-haulers would have edged the Marathon into more serious competition with the foreigners. Frankly, the promising Marathon, along with the ERF European was another British nearly-motor on the international scene. Robert
OEPS: approx 900kg for the TL12 and approx 1200kg for the NTC335, indeed quite a big difference
ERF-Continental:
OEPS: approx 900kg for the TL12 and approx 1200kg for the NTC335, indeed quite a big difference
I wonder if that accounts for so few sold; or did Leyland really want to push the TL12?
I know of only two Marathons that had NTC 335s: WTJ 120L, a very early model with LHD, 6x4 and a 9-speed Fuller (later 13-speed) that went down to the Gulf as a demonstrator with Astran. The other one belonged to Lawrence Kiely, a well-known Middle-Easter who wrote terrific Long-Distance Diaries for TRUCK. That, too, had 9-speed Fuller but was 4x2. Does anyone know of any more?
Some later Marathons had ■■■■■■■ 320s (+ 9-sp Fuller), it would seem: there was a RHD one registered A95 HBU.
It should be pointed out here that the Rolls Royce 350 appears to have turned out to be the long-haul option of choice: they sold well in France. ‘Saviem’ gives quite a lot of detail about this spec on the LHD Leyland Marathon thread, and again on the LHD Leyland Roadtrain thread.
Cheers! Robert
My dad got a brand new Leyland Marathon JCP 49W an E290 ■■■■■■■ was fitted to that one with a 9 speed Fuller and a day cab
I never drove one with the TL12 but I did drive a later roadtrain with one and thought it pulled well. I drove 2 marathons, first one was a mk1 with 250 ■■■■■■■ 9 speed Fuller, the next one I drove was the Marathon 2 fitted with a 290 Rolls and the Fuller 9 speed.
I quite liked them, they were comfortable and fast, I never had any reliability issues with them although the MK 1 had a tendancy to crack front brake drums and brakes were not it’s best feature !
Trev_H:
I never drove one with the TL12 but I did drive a later roadtrain with one and thought it pulled well. I drove 2 marathons, first one was a mk1 with 250 ■■■■■■■ 9 speed Fuller, the next one I drove was the Marathon 2 fitted with a 290 Rolls and the Fuller 9 speed.
I quite liked them, they were comfortable and fast, I never had any reliability issues with them although the MK 1 had a tendancy to crack front brake drums and brakes were not it’s best feature !
That’s interesting! I didn’t know they put ■■■■■■■ 290s in. So we have three versions of the 14-litre already: the 335, the 290 and the 320. I like it! Robert
Having read Grahams article above it makes me wonder how successful the Marathon could have been had a decent budget been available to develop it .A better suspension set up a decent rear axle and a better build quality would have been a start , refinement of the cab interior and a lowered version to fit the whole range shouldn`t have been beyond the top brass up near Preston, and of course development of the TL12 which apparently according to those who drove it was a top performer.
robert1952:
Trev_H:
I never drove one with the TL12 but I did drive a later roadtrain with one and thought it pulled well. I drove 2 marathons, first one was a mk1 with 250 ■■■■■■■ 9 speed Fuller, the next one I drove was the Marathon 2 fitted with a 290 Rolls and the Fuller 9 speed.
I quite liked them, they were comfortable and fast, I never had any reliability issues with them although the MK 1 had a tendancy to crack front brake drums and brakes were not it’s best feature !That’s interesting! I didn’t know they put ■■■■■■■ 290s in. So we have three versions of the 14-litre already: the 335, the 290 and the 320. I like it! Robert
Err,I never mentioned a 290 ■■■■■■■■ 290 Rolls eagle in the mk2 I drove.
Trev_H:
robert1952:
Trev_H:
I never drove one with the TL12 but I did drive a later roadtrain with one and thought it pulled well. I drove 2 marathons, first one was a mk1 with 250 ■■■■■■■ 9 speed Fuller, the next one I drove was the Marathon 2 fitted with a 290 Rolls and the Fuller 9 speed.
I quite liked them, they were comfortable and fast, I never had any reliability issues with them although the MK 1 had a tendancy to crack front brake drums and brakes were not it’s best feature !That’s interesting! I didn’t know they put ■■■■■■■ 290s in. So we have three versions of the 14-litre already: the 335, the 290 and the 320. I like it! Robert
Err,I never mentioned a 290 ■■■■■■■■ 290 Rolls eagle in the mk2 I drove.
It was me Trev who mentioned the E290 ■■■■■■■
With so much of the 40-year old layer of gossip and pessimistic besmirchment of '70s British-built lorries, it is easy now to fall for the self-effacing propaganda of the ‘foreign trucks are best’ brigade. The more I read about the Marathon 2, the more I wonder if it was actually a good lorry!! Robert
robert1952:
With so much of the 40-year old layer of gossip and pessimistic besmirchment of '70s British-built lorries, it is easy now to fall for the self-effacing propaganda of the ‘foreign trucks are best’ brigade. The more I read about the Marathon 2, the more I wonder if it was actually a good lorry!! Robert
It was ok but it was too little too late, British manufacturers and their dealers got a boot up the backside they were too set in their ways with a take it or leave it attitude.
sammyopisite:
One of Pickford,s Marathons 335 ■■■■■■■ engine found it on FB0
cheers Johnnie
A good find! Robert
Trev_H:
robert1952:
With so much of the 40-year old layer of gossip and pessimistic besmirchment of '70s British-built lorries, it is easy now to fall for the self-effacing propaganda of the ‘foreign trucks are best’ brigade. The more I read about the Marathon 2, the more I wonder if it was actually a good lorry!! RobertIt was ok but it was too little too late, British manufacturers and their dealers got a boot up the backside they were too set in their ways with a take it or leave it attitude.
I think they lacked refinement and build quality but they were a massive improvement over the original ergo and if someone at the top had sat down and thought about it they could have had a very good but obviously unfashionable motor with a few adjustments
It wouldn’t have been that difficult to widen the cab for starters, and it wouldn’t have looked such a compromise:-
whisperingsmith:
It wouldn’t have been that difficult to widen the cab for starters, and it wouldn’t have looked such a compromise:-0
Very clever, Whisperingsmith! And also, very effective. They might have had to make minor adjustments to strengthen the appearance of the lowest panel and lights just to prevent it from looking top-heavy, and all would be well! 
Robert
whisperingsmith:
More like this Robert?0
Cheers
Geoff
Yes!! Good work, Geoff. Now we just have to sit back and wait for Truckerash to discover a rogue Astran Leyland on the forum! Robert
whisperingsmith:
It wouldn’t have been that difficult to widen the cab for starters, and it wouldn’t have looked such a compromise:-0
Ha ha nice one , now can you lower it so it could fit the rest of the range , oh and put the proper three letters on the front 