Bewick:
Excellent shots of the Riding Atki Marc,pity about that poxy little steering they started to use though !! we had a number of those,they weren’t a patch on the older red coloured ones.However I think “H” would be drawn towards that Davison Transport Scania Super 80,I bet he’s drooling all over his keyboard just dreaming about setting off to the Middle East or somewhere just as exotic,Trafford Park maybe ? Cheers Dennis.
Hey dennis i had one with a poxy black wheel,the best part of it was it came with powered steering.
regards dave.
We had 4 IIRC,none of them had P/steering although we did fit Airo-Matic to the first one we got with that small wheel,but it wasn’t exactly a roaring success !Cheers Dennis.
Bewick:
Excellent shots of the Riding Atki Marc,pity about that poxy little steering they started to use though !! we had a number of those,they weren’t a patch on the older red coloured ones.However I think “H” would be drawn towards that Davison Transport Scania Super 80,I bet he’s drooling all over his keyboard just dreaming about setting off to the Middle East or somewhere just as exotic,Trafford Park maybe ? Cheers Dennis.
Hey dennis i had one with a poxy black wheel,the best part of it was it came with powered steering.
regards dave.
We had 4 IIRC,none of them had P/steering although we did fit Airo-Matic to the first one we got with that small wheel,but it wasn’t exactly a roaring success !Cheers Dennis.
Great photos of the Atki interior, as already said, brings back memories including sleeping over the engine cover. ‘My’ newest one was on an ‘M’ plate, had the same steering wheel as the photo but no power steering, bloody hard work shunting!! Regards, Mizzo.
3300John:
Hiya …that gearstick is the making of that atki. i would’t be so intrested driving her without that.
John
They changed over to that type in1972 when the “peak” was incorporated in the roof and perforated cab lining,nylon seat inserts and that poxy wheel appeared,I think Eaton must have supplied the stick as it carried their logo on the chrome top.Previouslythe stick just had a round black knob with a push/pull valve.Cheers Dennis.
3300John:
Hiya …that gearstick is the making of that atki. i would’t be so intrested driving her without that.
John
They changed over to that type in1972 when the “peak” was incorporated in the roof and perforated cab lining,nylon seat inserts and that poxy wheel appeared,I think Eaton must have supplied the stick as it carried their logo on the chrome top.Previouslythe stick just had a round black knob with a push/pull valve.Cheers Dennis.
Hiya…they turned a lot out with straight 6 speed boxes did’nt they…go like the wind on the motorway but not so good over buxton
where you needed the gears.
John
3300John:
Hiya …that gearstick is the making of that atki. i would’t be so intrested driving her without that.
John
They changed over to that type in1972 when the “peak” was incorporated in the roof and perforated cab lining,nylon seat inserts and that poxy wheel appeared,I think Eaton must have supplied the stick as it carried their logo on the chrome top.Previouslythe stick just had a round black knob with a push/pull valve.Cheers Dennis.
Hiya…they turned a lot out with straight 6 speed boxes did’nt they…go like the wind on the motorway but not so good over buxton
where you needed the gears.
John
We got two of the last Borderers built John,one had the Fuller 610 and Kirkstall D85 axle the other one had the DB 6spd and 2 spd Eaton axle.Cheers Dennis.
Spardo:
What memories that interior of the Mk II brings. Of the first time I climbed into one, the cream uppers and black lowers, all nice and clean and tidy.
They were set up for lhd too, the cowl over the instruments bolted directly onto the tray on the passenger side. I know that because I got my hands on one and did it. Made it a little bit more classy imo and a bit more secure for the bits and bobs.
Look how high in the cab you sat, eyeline not far below the top of the screen, and with those wrap around corners an unrivalled view of the world.
A few minus points? Well, not having that hulking great bonnet in the cab would have been a help, although it served well for sleeping across.
And those document pockets on the rear bulkhead. A good idea but if you dropped anything small into them it was a helluva job to get it out again.
An ash tray? Handily placed next to your right hand but did anyone ever use it for that? Mine had paper clips etc. in (the sort of stuff I wouldn’t have dared to put into the document pockets), my ash went straight out of the window.
Ooooh, I’ve come all over misty eyed.
Like you Spardo, I’ve come over all misty eyed at the pic’s of the interior af the Atki, It certainly rolls back the years in the memory bank!! 1973, NTY683M, 220■■■■■■■■ what a cracking sound when you fired it up. You can see the valve for the heater on the left of the shot, I always made sure it wouldn’t seize up by easing the pressure on it after I either turned it on or off. That always seemed to work for me. Regards Kev.
kevmac47:
Like you Spardo, I’ve come over all misty eyed at the pic’s of the interior af the Atki, It certainly rolls back the years in the memory bank!! 1973, NTY683M, 220■■■■■■■■ what a cracking sound when you fired it up. You can see the valve for the heater on the left of the shot, I always made sure it wouldn’t seize up by easing the pressure on it after I either turned it on or off. That always seemed to work for me. Regards Kev.
Blimey, how do all you people remember reg. numbers from so many years ago?
Now you come to mention it Kev, and I’ve just been back to have another look, that was a good trick with the heater valve. In addition, on every motor I’ve ever had I’ve always switched the heater on every week or so in summer for a few minutes just to keep everything in working order.
Looking at that again I now see that handy little shelf just under the valve. Just the job for resting your left foot on.
I had several Mk IIs with Stirlands when I was on Bristol night trunk but the best was at Econofreight when I got one with a sleeper. All the Leicester based Atkis had sleepers, the Thornaby ones, not. The reason was we took a small drop in the night out money, Thornaby preferred the dosh. But I inherited the best in the fleet at Markfield, the only one with power steering. Very handy when you had to shunt back and forth to get a 50 footer from a small lane through a farm gate with a wide Portakabin on board.
The main problem with plastic Atkis was they were drafty. Even with the heater working well the depths of winter were a bit of a trial.
I had the motor three years Spardo, so it’s imprinted in my brain, (although I can’t remember what I did yesterday) I do remember Econofreight’s depot at Junc23 of the M1. Do you know Gordon Wragg who worked at teeside depot? I worked with him at Colorline /Fjordline at North Shields in the 90s?? regards Kev.
Hi again,great postings about the old Atki cab shots lads,a bonus was getting Harry “fired” up …you dont know how much I’d like to shove up an interior shot of a Scanny 80 .Heres another interior shot…this time an “A” series ERF which I expect dear old Harry and Dennis have a few comments.
Going back to the inside shot,look how vertical the pedals are and the seat looks like its adjusted right foward,is’nt that the horn button on the far right of the dash…its even got a tacho in it…I’ve had this brochure for donkeys years but only now have I really studied it.
Cheers Bubbs,
Rather less happy memories of one of those ERFs. Was given an older one at Midlands Storage while my Atki was in dock to take a load of anti-freeze down south.
While parked in a moon crater park at a caff, as I walked away I heard a click and turned to see the motor gently snuggling down into one of the holes. Thought I couldn’t have set the ratchet handbrake correctly.
Forgot all about it till I was on the trailer handballing boxes on a slight slope. Once again the dreaded click and off it went, fortunately slowly. I jumped off and ran to the cab getting the door open but, although it was rolling very slowly decided against trying to get in without benefit of the stepring. I thought the kerb on the other side of the road would stop it so just walked alongside.
Imagine my surprise and horror when it bounced over the kerb towards a small wall behind which was a steep slope to another factory. The rear wheels of the unit climbing the kerb slowed it down some more and it just nudged the wall ever so gently.
THE WALL FELL OVER LEAVING A GAP 30 FEET WIDE
Yes I know the pic is of a later version with an airvalve brake, but it still brought that memory flooding back.
BTW, notice the difference in height between the seats in the ERF and those in the Atki. or perhaps the heights of the bonnets.
The Atki made a much better kipping cab.
bubbleman:
Hi again,great postings about the old Atki cab shots lads,a bonus was getting Harry “fired” up …you dont know how much I’d like to shove up an interior shot of a Scanny 80 .Heres another interior shot…this time an “A” series ERF which I expect dear old Harry and Dennis have a few comments.
Going back to the inside shot,look how vertical the pedals are and the seat looks like its adjusted right foward,is’nt that the horn button on the far right of the dash…its even got a tacho in it…I’ve had this brochure for donkeys years but only now have I really studied it.
Cheers Bubbs,
Bubbs, Ithink "H"might be the one doing the shoving if you try to talk him into an “80 thingy” to use his expression. Regards Kev.
hiya,
Marc, never had any problems with the 80 series interior in fact I quite liked it,
same affection with your motor, it was just the audacity of Volvo and Scania
daring to sell them as 32 tonners when they would have been a fine motor rated
as six wheeled rigids or if sold as artics fitted with a plate “only suitable for the
carriage of Glider Engines” nuff said.
thanks harry, long retired.
bubbleman:
Hi again,great postings about the old Atki cab shots lads,a bonus was getting Harry “fired” up …you dont know how much I’d like to shove up an interior shot of a Scanny 80 .Heres another interior shot…this time an “A” series ERF which I expect dear old Harry and Dennis have a few comments.
Going back to the inside shot,look how vertical the pedals are and the seat looks like its adjusted right foward,is’nt that the horn button on the far right of the dash…its even got a tacho in it…I’ve had this brochure for donkeys years but only now have I really studied it.
Cheers Bubbs,
Bubbs, Ithink "H"might be the one doing the shoving if you try to talk him into an “80 thingy” to use his expression. Regards Kev.
Can’t understand how these fine posts about Atkinsons can be aldulterated by sticking an ERF in !!! However,here is a shot of our first new “A” series we got in Sept '73 and the interior was identical to that one except we had a Bostrom seat in lieu of the Chapman Superide,but the same material was used to cover the Bostrom so it all matched ! the next new “A” series we got had the smaller grey steering wheel but otherwise was the same interior.The Atki was obviously the more roomier of the two motors but I can’t comment on the “kipping over the bonnet bit” as I never reckoned the practice at all !!! Cheers Dennis.
Hiya on my A series 240 i screwed that 7 inches of the gearstick. the knob was level with the seat. brilliant . when you got into
the sleeper ( bit) the gearstick did’nt shoot up your jeans leg.
john
Good photo of the ‘A’ series cab, I had this one at Harold Woods it was a cracking truck, the only fault really was a ■■■■■■■ motor and a David Brown straight six 'box, bit of a mis-match I thought.
