| Fate | Discontinued |
|---|---|
| Successor | DAF Trucks, Alvis Unipower |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Defunct | 1988 |
| Headquarters | Watford, England, UK |
| Products | truck |
| Parent | Leyland Motors Ltd |
Scammell Lorries Limited was a British manufacturer of trucks, particularly specialist and military off-highway vehicles, from 1921 to 1988.
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Scammell started as a late-Victorian period wheelwright and coach-building business in Spitalfields, London.
The outbreak of war in 1914 presented itself as a turning point in road transport history. Mechanical transport was seen to work, proving its vast potential beyond doubt to forward thinking companies such as Scammell. George Scammell's great nephew, Lt Col Alfred Scammell was injured and invalided out of the army and he was able to apply the practical experience he had gained during the war and began developing the articulated six wheeler, which began production in 1920. This vehicle was articulated and its very low axle weight allowed it to carry 7½ ton payload at 12 mph rather than being limited to 5 mph.[1]
In 1921, the company exhibited its first articulated vehicle, capable of carrying 7.5 tons, at the Olympia Motor Show. With the demand for this vehicle, the company first moved to a new works in Watford, and then formed Scammell Lorries Ltd in July 1922.
In 1929, Scammell designed and manufactured the "100 Tonner" low loader. Only two were produced, the first was delivered to Marston Road Services, Liverpool, for the transportation of steam engines to Liverpool docks.
Scammell were also looking for new markets, and diversified into four- and six-wheel rigid (non-articulated) designs. The 'Rigid Six-wheeler' found some success and, with its balloon tyres, at last permitted sustained high-speed long-distance road operation.
In 1934, Scammell produced the 3-wheeled 'Mechanical Horse', designed by Oliver North to replace horses in rail, postal and other delivery applications. This featured automatic carriage coupling and the single front wheel could be steered through 360 degrees. It was sold in 3- and 6-ton versions. The 3-tonner was powered by a 1,125 cc side-valve petrol engine and the 6-tonner by a 2,043 cc engine. Karrier had introduced a similar vehicle, the 'Cob', four years earlier.
From 1937, a Citroën Traction Avant -powered version was made under licence in France, by Chenard-Walcker-FAR, known as the 'Pony Mécanique'. This continued in production, in various versions, until 1970.
In the late 1940s, the 'Mechanical Horse' was superseded by the Scammell Scarab, with similar features but a much less angular cab and now with a 2,090 cc side-valve petrol engine in both models and a diesel version with a Perkins engine.
In 1967, the 'Scarab' was replaced by the 'Townsman', which had a fibre-glass cab.
The company mainly concentrated on articulated and rigid eight-wheeler lorries, from the 1920s. One vehicle not in those lines that became well-known was the six-wheeled Pioneer. This was an off-highway heavy haulage tractor first produced in 1927. It showed outstanding cross-country performance due to the design that included a sideways rocking front axle, and 2 feet (1 m) of vertical movement for each of the rear wheels.
The Scammell Pioneer was popular in the oil field and forestry (logging) markets, and formed the basis of the British Army's World War II 30-ton tank transporter. With the outbreak of war, development of new vehicles stopped and production concentrated on military Pioneers for use as artillery tractors, recovery and transporter vehicles.
Post war, foreign competition and rationalisation of the UK manufacturers led to Scammell coming under Leyland Motors Ltd in 1955. It continued production in specialist and military markets until 1988 when the site at Watford was closed and the last vehicles under the Scammell name were sold.
Alvis Unipower set up an operation in Watford in 1988 developing trucks and offering ongoing support and spare parts for Scammell vehicles.
An S24 Tank Transporter is Jill's vehicle in the Terry Gilliam film Brazil.
The Rigid 8 was produced from 1937 to 1958.
The Showtrac was a short-wheelbase 4x2 ballast tractor, one of the few vehicles ever designed specifically for fairground use. It could be supplied with a rear body (with half-height roller shutter access doors), winch, and dynamo with the ballast block underneath.[2] Eighteen were built, to varying specifications (not all had the body fitted, for example), between December 1945 and September 1948. Seventeen have been preserved. There are many look-alike Scammell tractors, but genuine Showtracs had a special "Showtrac" badge on the radiator, and a full-width cab.[2]
| Number | Registration | Name | Chassis No. | Original owner | Built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DWN 766 | HIS MAJESTY | 6032 | Henry Studt & Sons, Swansea | December 1945 |
Preserved by the Late Roger Austin,Raunds,Northamptonshire, then his family. |
| 2 | HAU 964 | 6109 | Henry Armstrong, Nottingham | April 1946 | Preserved by Russell Cook. | |
| 3 | EDL 111 | KING | 6074 | Arnold Brothers, Isle of Wight | May 1946 | Sold to the Tommy Benson Fun Fair Outfit in 1953,still owned by the family. |
| 4 | ACF 38 | 6108 | Cyril English, West Suffolk | May 1946 | Preserved by Joe Corbett. | |
| 5 | CU 4667 | UNIQUE | 6111 | John Powell, South Shields | May 1946 | The Powell family auctioned this Showtrac on Friday, 25th September, 2009, for £46000 to a Fairground Vehicle Enthusiast in Devon. |
| 6 | HTO 221 | PROGRESS-LEGEND | 6114 | Hibble & Mellors, Nottingham | June 1946 | Operated by E.L. Morley's Super Plesure Fairs, Salford, from 1964, preserved by Neil B.Padgett from 1973 to 1982, then by Tom Nicholson up to around 1997, then bought by present owners, Neil & Freda Corner, Leyburn, County Durham. |
| 7 | HRL 121 | KING CARNIVAL CITY OF BRISTOL |
6115 | J. Rowland & Sons, Cornwall | June 1946 | Restored. Still owned by the Rowland family, St.Blazey, Nr. St. Austell. Cornwall. |
| 8 | DDT 181 | WEST RIDING | 6173 | Frank Harniess, Doncaster | June 1946 | Sold to showman Harry Wigfield in 1969, eventually preserved by Roger Austin. Still owned by his family |
| 9 | DDT 180 | MELRAY | 6188 | Tom Harniess, Doncaster | July 1946 | Sold to showman Gordon Eddy in 1967. Named after his two sons, Melvin and Raymond. Scrapped in 1969 at Selby. |
| 10 | GUR 148 | 6189 | John Flanagan, Watford | July 1946 | Went to the Alice Webb Fun Fair Outfit, then bought by Roger Austin in 1989 and restored. Still owned by his family. | |
| 11 | DCO 212 | GLADIATOR | 6190 | Anderton & Rowland, Plymouth | August 1946 | Still owned by Anderton & Rowland. |
| 12 | DCO 265 | DRAGON | 6209 | Anderton & Rowland, Plymouth | August 1946 | Several owners since preservation, currently Colin DeVey of the Anderton & Rowland Fun Fair Outfit. |
| 13 | KDH 141 | THE LEADER | 6210 | Demonstrator for Showtrac Dealer, Harrison's, from new | September 1946 to 1949 | on Trade Plates, then sold to Pat Collins, Walsall. Went out of service in 1966, bought by showman Pepper Biddall in 1989. It was restored and is now owned by John & Alf Biddall. |
| 14 | EWN 437 | GEORGE V | 6357 | John Studt & Sons, Swansea | June 1947 | Was bought by showman E.T. Studt later on,preserved by a Doctor Williams from 1974, passed on to Micky Harris, but the current owner is Pete Sanders of Barnstaple, Devon. |
| 15 | LDH 253 | THE MAJOR | 6358 | Clara Collins, Walsall | June 1947 | Worked until 1976, went to the Barry Island Amusement Park, was restored to some extent and attended the Much Marcle Rally in 1980 and the 1981 Nottingham Goose Fair. Now preserved by Russell Cook. |
| 16 | JYA 962 | JOHN BULL | 6317 | Anderton & Rowland, Plymouth | September 1947 | The DeVey family, who manage the Anderton & Rowland Fun Fair Outfit. |
| 17 | JFJ 367 | THE SHOWMAN | 6656 | Anderton & Rowland, Plymouth | July 1948 | Anderton & Rowland only had this fairground lorry for a short while, it went back to Harrison's, the Scammell Showtrac Dealers, who sold it to the travelling fun fair outfit of Mrs. A Deakin. Neil Corner bought it in 1974 for restoration and preservation, then sold it to B. Herbert of North Humberside. Now currently owned by Malcolm Holder. |
| 18 | JFJ 457 | CITY OF EXETER | 6595 | T. Whitelegg & Sons, Plymouth | September 1948 | Preserved by Peter Startup, but has been restored and is now preserved by fairground vehicle enthusiast, Robbie Richards of Redruth, Cornwall. He bought this Showtrac in 2005. |
The Handyman initially used a glass fibre cab designed by Scammell - for the Mark 2 and 3 versions a new Michellotti-designed "cheesegrater" fibreglass cab as used on the 2nd and 3rd versions of the Routeman Rigid was fitted.
Early versions were equipped with Scammell's own "gate-change" gearbox but subsequent versions were fitted with AEC and David Brown gearboxes.
Engines fitted included the Leyland 680, Gardner 150 and Rolls Royce 220.
The Trunker was a three-axle version of the Handyman, equipped with a lifting mid-axle.
The Crusader was a 4×2 or 6×4 tractor that used a Motor Panels-supplied steel cab, available in sleeper- or day-cab forms. It had the option of Detroit Diesel, Cummins, Rolls Royce or Leyland engines.
The Crusader was used by the British Army as a 6×4 tow-truck (with EKA underlift equipment) and as a 6x4 tractor unit normally used for towing 35 tonne plant trailers or 30 tonne tank bridge transport trailers. A recovery variant was also in use. The British Army replaced the Crusader in the late 1990s by a Seddon Atkinson tractor unit with a 40 tonne plant trailer and a specialist tank bridge transporter. Many have seen use in the heavy haulage industry due to their incredibly strong chassis.
The military specification vehicles were usually equipped with 15-speed Fuller gearboxes and an 8 tonne capstan winch.
The Commander was introduced as a tank transporter in the 1980s.[3] Designed in the late 1970s, they replaced the Thornycroft Antars in the British Army in 1983 with delivery of total of 125 units. The 6×4 units could carry a load of 65 tonnes and were used to transport Challenger II tanks. Used during the Gulf War, they were retired in 2002 and replaced by the Oshkosh M1070F HET.
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