Clearing customs in Istanbul
Jelliot:
robert1952:
Well, I know the old Marathon had very mixed fortunes and may not have been an ideal wagon to take on long-haul work, but I strongly suspect that it was my kind of ‘drive’ and that I would have enjoyed driving one.I’ve just noticed that I’ve left the ‘a’ out of Leyland in the title! Does anyone know if you can edit your own titles on TNUK? Perhaps a mod will do it for me…
Robert
Just go back to your first post and you can edit it there…found that out the hard way…but do it quick as it won’t let you back in after a few days…
My Dad had a Marathon… he wanted one with a ■■■■■■■ but there was sour note on the deal… A few years before, Heron trucks at Muscleborough sold him a Buffalo… not good… Really not good… The only way he could get rid of it without loosing to much money was to buy a new Marathon… but for some reason the only way the dealer would do a deal was for one with a TL12 in it. I was only about 11 at the time so I don’t know much about the deal other than it was done at Glasgow Motor Show…I got out in it a few tines, and remember the driver saying it went a bit better than the Advent calendar 1924 he had before it… I tried to drive it round the yard one Sunday morning but rumbled by the driver who turned up early… Right old bullocking…
I remember seeing the BRS Marathons on Blue Peter with Peter Purvise …There’s a good video getting about featuring Veebalinks Marathons going to Iran… Watch it with the sound of unless you like your uncle Sid doing a bad impersonation the 1970’s organist at Blackpool pier…
Jeff…
Cheers Jeff! I’ve edited the title. Robert 
JOHNXL70:
robert1952:
Plenty of info about this TL12-powered Middle-Easter on the normal Leyland Marathon thread. Robert2
And then there’s this model…
1
This was taken when I’d just returned from Baghdad 81/82 before Malc Hillage went in with Curtis
Nice one John! I’ve not seen that before. Robert
Interesting pics Robert , the Marathon was really AEC , with a much improved cab but why did they bother with the Leyland rear end ■■? , it was much improved when the Marathon 2 was introduced but with a little more investment could have been so much better , they had the engine choice , the gearbox was spot on just the build quality and the cab tweeking , my dad got a new one ,it must have been one of the last ones on a W plate , E290 ■■■■■■■■ it didn`t even have the Leyland badge in the middle of the steering wheel just some cheap plastic cap but at £16000 it did a job 
JOHNXL70:
Clearing customs in Istanbul
Thanks for that contribution, John. I’ve clocked the LHD Marathon. Were you clearing customs in Erenkoy? Love the SA400: did you by any chance have a LHD SA400? Robert
ramone:
Interesting pics Robert , the Marathon was really AEC , with a much improved cab but why did they bother with the Leyland rear end ■■? , it was much improved when the Marathon 2 was introduced but with a little more investment could have been so much better , they had the engine choice , the gearbox was spot on just the build quality and the cab tweeking , my dad got a new one ,it must have been one of the last ones on a W plate , E290 ■■■■■■■■ it didn`t even have the Leyland badge in the middle of the steering wheel just some cheap plastic cap but at £16000 it did a job
Aye, the politics of the AEC-based Marathon is not lost on me, as much has been said on this subject on these threads. For me, the position of that 9-speed Fuller stick immediately to hand to the right of the driver’s seat would alone have gone a long way towards selling me this truck. And the ■■■■■■■ would definitely clinch the deal! Robert
robert1952:
JOHNXL70:
Clearing customs in IstanbulThanks for that contribution, John. I’ve clocked the LHD Marathon. Were you clearing customs in Erenkoy? Love the SA400: did you by any chance have a LHD SA400? Robert
Sorry Robert i can’t remember the name where we were clearing, the only thing i remember was we were loaded with Massey Ferguson tractor spares and it was a long side the water. We only had this one SA400 and it was RHD
JOHNXL70:
robert1952:
JOHNXL70:
Clearing customs in IstanbulThanks for that contribution, John. I’ve clocked the LHD Marathon. Were you clearing customs in Erenkoy? Love the SA400: did you by any chance have a LHD SA400? Robert
Sorry Robert i can’t remember the name where we were clearing, the only thing i remember was we were loaded with Massey Ferguson tractor spares and it was a long side the water. We only had this one SA400 and it was RHD
No probs, mate, your contributions have been most helpful on these threads. Cheers! Robert
JOHNXL70:
Another one Robert of the 2 of us parked in Zadar
That’s a great pic!! What was the driveline on the Marathon? Robert
robert1952:
JOHNXL70:
Another one Robert of the 2 of us parked in ZadarThat’s a great pic!! What was the driveline on the Marathon? Robert
She had a 9 speed fuller in her but i can’t remember the back axle.
Before she was sign written, when it was Hillage Haulage i had a u/j go on the prop in Bulgaria, i got it fixed in Istanbul but by time I’d got to Baghdad the vibration had cracked the back of the gearbox so we had to bring her back on the back of one of the other motors, the one and only time she let me down. On our return i was sent back out to Istanbul in the RHD Bedford, when i got back the Marathon was ready so I took her out to find I’d got a top speed of 45mph, i found out later there were 3 gearbox ratios and they had fitted the wrong one, i ended up doing a trip to Greece at that speed, they then put the correct ratio box in when i got back. The good old days lol
Here’s some for you Bert mate,can you attach the photos please?
Another very tidy one here too.
gazzer:
From German M/E thread
Nice pic! Robert
Wasn’t there one of these at Mammoth Transport ?
Hiya…iam prity certain when the brs overland outfit closed Malcom Harrison bought the fleet of left hookers
i ve known Malcom a long time and also his workers so when i,ve been in his yard i,ve seen some of the Marathons
parked up in the early 80,s…at that time i didn,t know much about them so no photos, some of the sales people
from that time have passed away. Malcom as he is still hands on. i,d think he may have forgot them by now,
if i see him in the near future i,ll ask him if he remembers anything about them.i do know he was exporting
so that may have been the answer to where they went.
John
3300John:
Hiya…iam prity certain when the brs overland outfit closed Malcom Harrison bought the fleet of left hookers
i ve known Malcom a long time and also his workers so when i,ve been in his yard i,ve seen some of the Marathons
parked up in the early 80,s…at that time i didn,t know much about them so no photos, some of the sales people
from that time have passed away. Malcom as he is still hands on. i,d think he may have forgot them by now,
if i see him in the near future i,ll ask him if he remembers anything about them.i do know he was exporting
so that may have been the answer to where they went.
John
On this thread there are 3 ex-BRS Marathons with new owners, including Morgan and A&A. Robert
Evening all, just a few thoughts on the dear old Marathon in LHD form.
French operators were quite receptive to the TL12 Marathon. Leyland started to arrive at a reasonable Dealer network. Many being ex, or existing operators, and the delivered price for a sleeper was very competitive , around 6-7 k below the equivalent TR Berliet/Renault. The chassis price was not a “dump” rate, but reflected the true factory gate, plus transport, (Walon distributed for Leyland in France), plus Dealer margin.
The marketed range was to stretch from the Ital, and Sherpa Van, via Terrier, and other , “Redline” products through to the Marathon, so any potential Dealer had a range of product to go at . A viable package to potentially run a Dealership on .
The only real complaint about the Marathon in France concerned isolated instances of high oil consumption on the TL12, and sadly the elongated warranty procedures, when there was a defect. Generally the Marathon acquitted itself quite well in the market place, and paved the way for the T45 range.
Roberts picture of the Giraud, of Sonnay, Nr Rousillon Marathon, and T45 is a case that illustrates the point. Girauds, founded in the 50s, and run by Marc Girauds sons, Michel, Phillipe, and Yves, with a fleet strength of around 40 plus in the late 70s, ran 2 TL12 Marathons, a Mastiff, and a Terrier, all supplied by Leylands agent in Valence. Good service led to the acquisition of, (if my memory is correct), a further 8 T45`s with the “Flexitorque” TL12. And this trend was followed in many other medium French fleets.
But the standard T45 engine for France was to become the Rolls Royce, and universally the big Leyland was refered to as the Rolls Royce! Much of the success of Leyland in France was down to the management of the operation by Roger Dougherty, 1982-1985, and exploiting the foundation in the market place formed by the Marathon.
As there is a specific thread for LHD T45`s, I will finish my ramblings over there
Cheerio for now