Seddon Atkinson 400 Series
By the time Atkinson Vehicles launched their all steel cab they had been taken over in December 1970 by Seddon Motors Ltd of Oldham which, in the late Tom Riding’s personal opinion, was a bad move.
However for a number of years after the take over W & J Riding still continued to badge all their tractor units with just the ‘Atkinson’ name on the front grille.
The early 400 Series cabs suffered badly with corrosion and it was not until the company was again taken over, this time by International, that the American company sent their representatives over to the UK to examine the rust problems.
It was eventually solved and the later 401 and 411 models were generally free from corrosion.
With the Gardner/Cummins engines in line with Fuller gearboxes and Rockwell axles W & J Riding thought these were superb machines and fully fit for purpose.
Seddon Atkinson 4×2 tractor unit Reg No RCW 400P Fleet No 46 ‘Precursor’ (Chassis No FC 30262) was the very first 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit with a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine to come out of the Atkinson factory in February 1976 at a cost of £11,874 + vat.
First registered on the 3rd of March 1976 it was driven from new by Ted Woods and was the first of many Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit’s to enter service with Riding’s.
Notice the redesigned Riding’s front grille baring only the ‘Atkinson’ name and the absence of all things Seddon.
After nine years service at W & J Riding RCW 400P was finally scrapped on the 31st of December 1985 and its Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine removed and sold on for £2000.
Another shot of the first Seddon Atkinson ‘400 Series’ 4×2 tractor unit to enter service with W & J Riding, Reg No RCW 400P Fleet No 46 ‘Precursor’, seen here when only a few months old in June 1976.
The well lined out paintwork and decal was all hand painted back then and also notice the in house redesigned Riding’s front grille baring only the ‘Atkinson’ name and the absence of all things Seddon something that Tom Riding insisted on during the production of the 400 Series until the launch of the 401 Series in 1983.
After nine years service at W & J Riding RCW 400P was finally scrapped on the 31st of December 1985 and its Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine removed and sold on for £2,000.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No KED 504P Fleet No 75 ‘ (Chassis No 59432) was powered by a Cummins 250 engine and was originally registered new to Lever Brothers Ltd of Port Sunlight on the 1st of October 1975.
Purchased second hand when three years old from R.J. & I Wells of Great Eccleston on the 15th of April 1978 at a cost of £7,100 plus vat it remained in the fleet for six years until March 1984 after which time it was withdrawn and scrapped.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No KED 504P Fleet No 75 ‘ (Chassis No 59432) seen here in later years sporting an updated livery.
It is parked up waiting to load at the Heinz Foods plant at Kitt Green Wigan alongside Seddon Atkinson 400 Series tractor unit Reg No PRS 358 operated by fellow Transport Development Group member James Paterson of Aberdeen.
Photograph courtesy of Mick Bailey
Another early Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit to enter service with Riding’s was Reg No LVT 624P Fleet No 76 ‘Colossus’ (Chassis No 59747) which was powered by a Cummins 250 engine.
Registered new on the 1st of April 1976 it was purchased second hand when three years old from R Wells of Great Eccleston on the 1st of February 1979 for £8,050 plus vat.
Driven at the time by outbased Keighley driver Vinny Chambers it is pictured here parked up for the weekend in the town centre of Keighley West Yorkshire surrounded by cars.
LVT 624P remained in the fleet for a total of nine years until it was finally withdrawn in April 1988 and it’s engine removed and sold on the 11th of May 1988 for £300 with the rest of the vehicle sold as scrap to Walsh and Dearden of Darwen.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No LVT 624P Fleet No 76 ‘Colossus’ seen here during a carnival parade in Keighley West Yorkshire with driver Vinny Chambers taking time out for a photograph.
LVT 624P was in the fleet for nine years during which time it would receive Riding’s more modern up to date livery as can be seen in the picture below.
Originally registered new on the 1st of April 1976 Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No LVT 624P Fleet No 76 ‘Colossus’ was purchased second hand on the 1st of February 1979 and remained in the Riding fleet for nine years.
It is seen here in later life parked in the depot at Longridge after receiving Riding’s updated livery along with a replacement Cummins engine which was fitted on the 15th of April 1983.
Note the front grille, which like all of Riding’s early 400 Series tractor unit’s, was missing everything Seddon related.
LVT 624P remained in the fleet for a total of nine years until it was finally withdrawn in April 1988.
The Cummins engine was removed and sold to Hartwood Exports on the 11th of May 1988 for £300 with the rest of the vehicle sold as scrap to Walsh and Deardon of Darwen.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No SFR 950P Fleet No 49 ‘Peerless’ (Chassis No FC31267) was purchased brand new by Riding’s on the 21st of May 1976 at a cost of £12,760 + vat.
First registered for road use on the 1st of July 1976 it is pictured here parked at Toddington Services on the M1 and was driven from new by Bill Coolican.
Powered by an eight cylinder Gardner 240 engine it is seen here pulling a 1450 cubic foot Crane Fruehauf non tipping tandem axle powder tanker.
This particular photograph was taken by renowned lorry photographer Peter J Davies.
An on the road shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No SFR 950P Fleet No 49 ‘Peerless’ which was purchased brand new by Riding’s on the 21st of May 1976 at a cost of £12,760 plus 8% vat.
Seen here heading South between Keele services and Junction 15 on the M6 the tanker it is hauling would later be fitted with complete new tri-axle running gear to operate at 38 Tons GVW.
After nine years service SFR 950P was sold on to John Killingbeck of Blackburn on the 17th of July 1985 for £3,500 plus 15% vat.
Photograph courtesy of Mark S Bailey
With driver Bill Coolican at the wheel this splendid on the road shot captures Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No SFR 950P Fleet No 49 ‘Peerless’ it as it negotiates the roundabout on the A40 at Longlevens Gloucester as it heads East towards the M5.
This particular tanker that it is hauling would later be fitted with a complete new set of tri-axle running gear to operate at 38 tons GVW.
Photograph courtesy of Paul C Gee
A final shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No SFR 950P Fleet No 49 ‘Peerless’ pictured here towards the end of it’s nine years working life with Riding’s.
Note the number of changes from the previous pictures since it joined the fleet in 1976 including revised livery, the addition of a sun visor and also the re-positioning of the exhaust system behind the cab.
After nine years service with W & J Riding Reg No SFR 950P ‘Peerless’ was eventually sold on to Tom Riding’s close friend John Killingbeck of Blackburn on the 17th of July 1985 for the sum of £3,500 plus 15% vat where it became Fleet No 25 in John Killingbeck’s mixed and varied fleet.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No URN 420R Fleet No 10 ‘Triumphant’ (Chassis No FC31315) was purchased new by W & J Riding on the 21st of May 1976 at a cost of £12,606.55p.
Powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine in line with an eight speed David Brown gearbox and the usual Kirkstall double reduction rear axle, another £2,500 was spent fitting it out with blowing equipment before it entered service with the tanker fleet. on the 1st of August 1976.
Driven from new by Frank O.Connor it was sold on after nine years to John Killingbeck Transport of Blackburn for the sum of £3,200 plus vat in December 1985.
Pictured above in 1979 it pictured at the bottom of the M50 Motorway at Ross on Wye as it heads to Pontypool in South Wales with a load of ICI nylon chip.
Photograph courtesy of Paul C Gee.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No URN 420R Fleet No 10 ‘Triumphant’ while parked in the depot at Longridge in May 1978.
Purchased new by W & J Riding on the 21st of May 1976 at a cost of £12,606.55p it was powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine in line with an eight speed David Brown gearbox and Kirkstall double reduction rear axle.
To the left is Atkinson Mk 2 Silver Knight 4X2 tractor unit Reg No XTF 580H Fleet No 73 ‘Olympian’ which remained in service for eight years until it was sold on to Stanley Hart of Banks Nr Southport on the 1st of July 1978 for £2,400.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No WCK 300R Fleet No 42 ‘Herculean’ (Chassis No FC 31336) was purchased new by Riding’s on the 20th of August 1976 at a cost of £13,781.35p.
Before it could enter service with the fleet on the 1st of November 1976 a further £2,308.65p was spent on tanker blowing equipment.
Driven from new by Jack Lucas it was powered a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine in line with an eight speed David Brown gearbox and Eaton axle and pictured above while pulling a 1450 cubic foot tandem axle Crane Fruehauf pellet tank.
Not content with taking the picture of the wagon alone photographer John Dickson-Simpson also took it with his lovely wife Ebba standing alongside.
After being in service with Riding’s for nine years WCK 300R was sold on the 24th of September 1985 to John Killingbeck of Blackburn for £3,500 plus vat,
An on the road shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No WCK 300R Fleet No 42 ‘Herculean’ (Chassis No FC31336)
Powered by a Gardner 240 engine and driven form new by Jack Lucas it is seen here in later years with an updated livery and the exhaust moved from beneath the front to a vertical stack behind the cab.
Unfortunately these stacks had the tendency to dis-colour the tankers resulting in a black residue on the front as can be seen above.
Needless to say Riding’s did not adopt this kind of exhaust system as standard.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No VHG 570R Fleet No 62 ‘Mammoth’ (Chassis No FC32080).
Purchased brand new by Riding’s on the 6th of September 1976, at a cost of £11,788. 98p plus vat, this was a very early sleeper cabbed unit powered by a Cummins 250 engine in line with a Fuller 9509 gearbox and Kirkstall D 85 rear axle.
Driven from new by the late Tommy Lambert, who worked for Riding’s for 30 years, he decided after a week that “the cab was as big as a ballroom” and not to his liking so driver Fred Squires took it over while Tommy Lambert went back to driving the rebuilt Atkinson Mk II Reg No PTE 630L.
VHG 570R is pictured above with no name on the doors and an unusual illuminated headboard sourced from Harrisons of Dewsbury.
After eight years service in the Riding fleet VHG 570R was finally sold on to B B & H Transport Ltd for the sum of £2,500 plus vat on the 24th of August 1984.
B B & H Transport was a reformed company of the late Norman Billington of Heysham who had previously ceased trading three years earlier in 1981.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series day cabbed 4×2 tractor unit Reg No WFV 813R Fleet No 97 ‘Polar Star’ (Chassis No FC 31637) was purchased secondhand when three years old off H. Parkinson of Cartford Lane Little Eccleston Lancashire on the 15th of September 1979 at a cost of £5,850 plus vat.
Powered by a Gardner 8LXB engine it is pictured here on a winters day in 1982 while parked in the depot at Longridge with a load from ICI Hillhouse and remained in the fleet until the 31st of October 1985 after which time it was withdrawn and scrapped with the engine removed and sold on to Translitre of Burton upon Trent for £1,650.
Photograph courtesy of Anthony Freeman.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No XCK 610R Fleet No 66 ‘Tireless’, (Chassis No FC 31653) was purchased new on the 15th of December 1976 at a cost of £14,852.20p plus an extra £2,453 spent on the additional tanker blowing equipment and was first registered for road use on the 7th of January 1977.
Driven from new by Jon Aspinall, who drove for Riding’s for forty years, it was powered a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine in line with an eight speed David Brown gearbox and Eaton axle.
It was used mainly on the ICI Ltd Plastics division contract delivering to customers throughout the UK.
In 1986, after nine years service, XCK 610R was withdrawn and broken up for spares.
Another shot, this time in colour of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No XCK 610R Fleet No 66 ‘Tireless’, (Chassis No FC 31653) which was purchased new on the 15th of December 1976.
Long serving Riding’s driver Jon Aspinall, who drove it from brand new, took the photograph at Berwick upon Tweed while he was enroute to Rutherglen in Scotland.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No WCK 544R Fleet No 5 ‘Comet’ (Chassis No FC 32546) was originally registered on the 1st of February 1977.
Powered by a Cummins 250 engine in line with a Fuller 9509 gearbox and group axle Tom Riding bought this one from Harry Parkinson of Preston in September 1981 when it was three and a half years old for £3000 +vat.
On arrival Tom sent it over to Geoff Yates of Leyland who converted the day cab into a full sleeper after which time it was assigned to the general haulage fleet.
Unfortunately it only remained in the fleet for three years and was written off in September 1984 after being being involved in an accident and was broken up and officially scrapped on the 30th of October 1984.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No YFR 560R Fleet No 30 ‘Relentless’ (Chassis No FC 31663) was registered new to Riding’s on the 1st March 1977 at a cost of £16,001.10p plus vat.
Powered by a Gardner 240 engine in line with an eight speed David Brown range change gearbox a further £2,841 was spent on it before it entered service with the fitting of a compressor for discharging powder tankers.
Driven from new by the late Miles Ward it is pictured here hauling a Crane Fruehauf 1540 cubic foot tandem axle powder tanker.
After just over eight years service with the fleet YFR 560R was sold to John Killingbeck of Blackburn for £3,200 plus vat in December 1985.
Photograph courtesy of Roy Beecher
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No YFR 560R Fleet No 30 ‘Relentless’ seen here in later life in its second phase at Riding’s with a new style livery which the company didn’t use for long.
Pictured here on the M61 Anderton service area near Bolton it’s driver, the late Miles Ward, is clearly seen in the cab while taking a break.
A final shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No YFR 560R Fleet No 30 ‘Relentless’ which was a brand new addition to the fleet on the 1st of March 1977.
Powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine it was driven from new by the late Miles Ward and used on the ICI Ltd plastic contract working out of Hillhouse and Runcorn.
Seen here on the M6 in Lancashire in the early 1980’s it is in the third phase of it’s life at Riding’s with a new style grille and the later style illuminated headboard.
The late Tom Riding recalled below…..
“Notice the absence of all foreign stuff on the motorway a stark contrast to today, with all the British truck building companies having now gone out of business.
Mark Rimmer, who helped me get some sort of order with my photographs, called this David Brown publicity shot ‘Getting the better of Gillies’ referring to the Scammell Crusader in the slow lane which was operated by Gilbraiths of Accrington”.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No AHG 820R Fleet No 90 ‘Silver Jubilee’ (Chassis No FC 31662) as powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine and was driven from new by Bill Tyson.
Purchased new from Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 22nd of April 1977 at a cost of £15,792 15p plus 8% vat it was not registered for the road until the 1st of June 1977 and the late Tom Riding had it painted in a special livery to commemorate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee which took place in 1977.
After nine years service AHG 820R was scrapped and on the 19th of September 1986 the Gardner 240 engine was removed and sold on to Translitre of Burton on Trent for the sum of £1,650.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No AHG 820R Fleet No 90 ‘Silver Jubilee’ is pictured here when new taking part in the annual Longridge Field Day parade in 1977.
Longridge Field Day is a long standing annual event that consists of a parade through the town and various attractions being held on the town’s recreational playing field.
Photograph courtesy of the late Jack Draper.
Bill Tyson takes time out for a photograph at Longridge in June 1977 while standing in front of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series Reg No AHG 820R which he drove from new.
The late Tom Riding had it specially painted in a unique livery to commemorate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee which took place in 1977.
Bill Tyson later left Riding’s along with fellow driver Jerry Pye and set up their own haulage company called ‘Preston Roadways’ who then regularly subcontracted to W & J Riding with the late Tom Riding putting plenty of work their way.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No BCW 600R Fleet No 45 ‘Undaunted’ (Chassis No FC 31803) was painted in an experimental livery which wasn’t applied to many of Riding’s vehicles.
Powered by a Gardner 8LXB engine it was purchased new on the 4th of May 1977 at a cost of £16,492 52p + vat shortly before Seddon Atkinson increased their prices a couple of months later by 5.9% .
Registered on the 1st of July 1977 it was driven from new by Kenneth Moon who worked for Riding’s almost his entire life and is seen here on the A59, approaching the top of Blubber Houses while hauling a 1540 cubic foot Crane Fruehauf powder tank loaded with Corvic.
This particular tanker would later be fitted with complete new tri-axle running gear to operate at 38 Tons GVW.
Another thing to note is the Wellworth W S 9 compressor fitted in front of the rear axle which were renown for running very quietly.
After nine years in the fleet BCW 600R was later sold on to Tom Riding’s brother in law L J & M Ball on the 24th of February 1986 for £1,800 plus vat.
Photograph courtesy of David Chalker.
An on the road shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No BCW 600R Fleet No 45 ‘Undaunted’.
It is pictured heading South down Keele bank towards Junction 15 of the M6 in Staffordshire where it is seen in the middle lane with it’s Gardner 8LXB engine keeping pace with a Volvo F89.
Photograph courtesy of Mark S Bailey
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No BCW 600R Fleet No 45 ‘Undaunted’ seen here after the experimental livery was dropped and it was repainted in W & J Riding’s standard livery at the time.
It is pictured here in September 1985 at the Easy Eater transport cafe on the A1 at Peterborough while the driver takes a break.
Photograph courtesy of Colin Knapp.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No SMM 733S Fleet No 33 ‘Phoenix’ (Chassis No FC 31798) powered by an eight cylinder Gardner 240 engine, was originally registered new on the 2nd of September 1977.
The late Tom Riding continues…..
“I don’t recall how badly damaged this tractor unit was but when new originally belonged to Leggett Freightways before its accident.
I bought it for £7,500 plus vat on the 1st of July 1979 spending £4,946 on parts and if memory serves me right it could have been for a new cab shell.
After the rebuild it was driven by Mick Spencer and is seen here preparing to deliver a load of Heinz products somewhere in the North East where it spent its days between there and the North West.
It was eventually scrapped on the 19th of September 1986 and the Gardner 240 engine was sold to Translitre of Burton upon Trent for £1,650.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series Reg No EBV 674S Fleet No 31 Flamboyant (Chassis No 88044) was registered new on the 1st of October 1977 to W.H. Bowker Ltd of Blackburn.
Pictured with an empty trailer at Longridge depot it was powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine in line with a Fuller 9509 gear box and Eaton single speed axle.
The late Tom Riding recalled…….
I bought it from W H Bowker Ltd on the 7th of January 1982 for £5750 plus vat when it was five years old.
I think this one had been the only Gardner eight cylinder in their fleet which was almost all Volvo by that time.
We used it in the general haulage fleet and it came to a sticky end on Christmas Eve 1985.
Loaded with a full load of 40 foot steel tubes from BSC Hartlepool it failed to get round the sharp left hand bend on the top of Blubberhouses and finished up on its side with the tubes in the field.
It was never used again by our company and I sold the damaged unit to John Killingbeck on the 31st of December 1985 for £3,100 plus vat.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series Reg No UJP 754S Fleet No 16 ‘North Briton’ (Chassis No FC 32478) was powered by a Gardner eight cylinder 240 engine.
The late Tom Riding recalled…..
“I bought this along with Reg No UJP 758S Fleet No 79 ‘Hardwicke’ (pictured below) from Caunce Farm products of Melling near Liverpool.
Both were originally registered new on the 1st of February 1978 and I got them when they were two years old on the 8th of April 1980 at a cost of £12,125 plus vat each.
Outbased at Skipton UJP 754S was allocated to Derek Tunney, who took the photo, and he was obviously quite proud of his charge with its sun visor, two knights heads, spot lights and a ‘401 Series’ type front grille.
It spent its life on general haulage running between Teesside and the North West until it was scrapped in March 1986 and in June 1986 it’s Gardner engine was sold on to Hartwood Exports of Barnsley.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series Reg No UJP 754S Fleet No 16 ‘North Briton’ on a winters day as it heads over a level crossing with a neatly sheeted load of steel plate.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series Reg No UJP 758S Fleet No 79 ‘Hardwicke’, (Chassis No FC32479) powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine, was purchased second hand along with 400 Series UJP 754S from Caunce Farm products of Melling near Liverpool.
Both were originally registered new on the 1st of February 1978 and both purchased when just two years old on the 8th of April 1980 at a cost of £12,125 plus vat each.
Pictured here parked up on the M6 Knutsford Service area in Cheshire while hauling a 40 foot tandem axle flat trailer UJP 758S was scrapped after eight years service in June 1986.
It’s Gardner 240 engine was removed and sold on to Hartwood Exports of Barnsley while the cab lived on to fight another day as it was used to replace the cab on KPF 421W after it had been badly damaged in an accident after running into the back of a tanker while traveling unit only through the village of Grimsargh see Accidents Happen.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No FFV 680S Fleet No 91 ‘Western Star’ (Chassis No 32483) was purchased new from Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 4th of January 1978 at a cost of £18,613 63p plus vat but due to a turn down in business at the time was kept in storage for two months before it was first registered for road use on the 1st of March 1978.
Powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine in line with a Fuller 9509 gearbox and Eaton 19320 rear axle it was driven from new by Jack Kelly.
Pictured here parked up on the M62 Hartshead Moor service area It is coupled up to one of Riding’s trademark 1450 cubic foot Crane Fruehauf tandem axle powder tankers carrying Corvic plastic granules for ICI.
After being in the fleet for eight years FFV 680S was scrapped and the Gardner 240 engine was removed and sold on to local dealer Syd Hartley for £1,700.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No FFV 680S Fleet No 91 ‘Western Star’ this time taken from a rather unusual angle.
It is pictured while discharging it’s load of ICI Corvic plastic powder from a 1450 cubic foot Crane Fruehauf powder tanker at the premises of I.M. Swindon.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No GCK 870S Fleet 92 ‘Cock o’ the North’ (Chassis No FC32485) was purchased new from Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 4th of January 1978 at a cost of £18,613 63p but due to a turn down in business at the time was not registered until two months later on the 1st of March 1978.
Powered by the reliable Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine this Teesside based tractor unit was driven from new by Jimmy Renton and spent most of its life with a non tipping powder tank moving nylon chip on behalf of ICI from Wilton to Pontypool.
Seen here in Longridge, while taking a break from tanker work, it is coupled to a tandem axle step-frame trailer with a skelly trailer riding piggy back being returned to Teesside depot.
After eight years service GCK 870S was broken up and scrapped in November 1986.
Photograph courtesy of Geoff Milne.
Based at Riding;s Motherwell depot in Scotland Seddon Atkinson 4×2 tractor unit Reg No GFR 340S Fleet No 41 ‘Royal Scott’ (Chassis No 87623) was purchased new on the 14th of March 1978 at a cost of £18,427
Seen here in 1981, with freshly painted fuel tanks and wheels, it had come down to Longridge depot for it’s annual overhaul and MOT and was getting prepared for it’s journey back up to Scotland, piggyback, on the rear of another Motherwell based motor Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No EBV 100S Fleet No 89 ‘Zealous’ both of which are seen here preparing for the journey back North.
Reg No EBV 100S had also been down for it’s annual overhaul and MOT and was purchased new by Riding’s on the 15th of September 1977 at a cost of £17,354.
Both of these tractor unit’s remained in service for eight years until they were sold on the 21st of April 1986 to Translitre of Burton upon Trent for the sum of £1950 each.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No VRM 444S Fleet No1 ‘Auld Reekie’ (Chassis No FC 34015) was powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine.
Originally registered new on the 1st of April 1978 to Geoff Stamper of Penrith Tom Riding bought it when it was three and a half years old from Seddon Atkinson agents Blackwood Hodge of Penrith for £5,750 plus vat on the 3rd of October 1981.
Before joining the fleet Geoff Yates of Preston converted it into a full sleeper cab.
The late Albert Brown of Accrington aka ‘Big Albert’ a long time Riding’s man, was allocated this vehicle when he decided to come off the Atkinson Mk 1 that he had driven for 14 years.
After four years in the fleet VRM 444S was sold on to John Killingbeck of Blackburn on the 31st of December 1985 for £3,200 plus vat were it is pictured here heading down the M6 at Junction 12 in 1987.
Photograph courtesy of Roger Pickering.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No GBV 645S Fleet No 20 ‘Royal Sovereign’ (Chassis No FC 33792) was originally registered new to H Parkinson Ltd of Preston on the 1st of May 1976.
Purchased second hand by Riding’s on the 1st of September 1981 when five years old, at a cost of £5000 plus vat, it was powered by a Gardner 8LXB 240.
Seen here on the fuel pumps at Longridge depot Ridings ran it for three years until December 1984 when it’s Gardner engine was removed and it was scrapped and broken up for spares.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No HFV 780S Fleet No 72 ‘Vulcan’ (Chassis No FC 33835) was powered by a Gardner 8LXB 240 engine.
Purchased new at a cost of £18,470 plus vat it was received direct from the manufacturer Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 14th of April 1978 and was first registered for road use on the 1st of June 1978
Driven by Alan Bretherton it is pictured here while on road test in June 1978 with a fully loaded trailer on Forty Acre Lane at Longridge Fell on the moors high above Longridge near Preston.
This photograph was one of a series that were taken as part of an aborted David Brown advertising campaign in the summer of 1978.
The late Tom Riding recalled…….
“The eight speed David Brown gearbox was good to operate and light in weight but it did have some design faults that could quite easily have been sorted.
Unfortunately the makers seemed to lose heart and thus left the market wide open for the Fuller 9609 gearbox which turned out to be very good”.
After eight years service with Riding’s HFV 780S was sold on to John Killingbeck of Blackburn for the sum of £2,900 plus vat on the 4th of June 1986.
Another one of the David Brown publicity shots taken of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No HFV 780S Fleet No 72 ‘Vulcan’ while on road test with a fully loaded trailer at Birk’s Brow above the reservoir at Longridge near Preston.
This photograph was one of a series that were taken as part of an aborted David Brown advertising campaign in the summer of 1978.
Pictured in the depot at Longridge in 1985 is day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No HRN 290S Fleet No 93 ‘Evening Star’ (Chassis No FC 34381) which was powered by an eight cylinder Gardner 8LXB 240 engine.
Purchased new by Riding’s direct from Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 26th of April 1978, at a cost of £17,656 plus vat, it was registered on the 1st of June that year and remained in the fleet for nine years until it was sold on to Translitre of Burton upon Trent on the 30th of June 1987 for the sum of £2,200 plus vat.
Driven by Kevin Jordan Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No LFR 310T Fleet No 73 ‘North Star’ (Chassis No 33984) was powered by an eight cylinder Gardner 8LXB 240 engine.
Purchased new from Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 24th of May 1978 at a cost of £18,613 plus 8% vat it was not registered for road use until three months later on the 1st of September 1978 which was mainly due to a slight downturn in business at that time.
In the picture above it is seen heading a convoy of six vehicles awaiting a police escort while carrying wide steel plates from Motherwell to the British Steel pipe mill at Stockton on Tees.
After nine years service in the Riding fleet LFR 310T was sold on to Downhams Haulage of Featherstone Pontefract on the 30th of August 1987 for the sum of £2,850 plus vat.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No LFR 310T Fleet No 73 ‘North Star’ this time seen here parked in Riding’s Thornaby depot on Teesside.
Registered new on the 1st of September 1978 it is pictured coupled up to one of the many non tipping Crane Fruehauf tri-axle powder tankers that W & J Riding operated in their fleet.
Photograph courtesy of Bob Tuck.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No NBV 110T Fleet No 37 ‘ Valiant’ (Chassis FC 34808) was received new form the manufacturer Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 21st of September 1978 and was first registered for road use on the 1st of November 1978.
Powered by a Gardner eight cylinder 240 engine it was driven from new by John Kellet and is pictured here parked up over night in Keighley town centre while coupled up to one of the many standard 40 foot flat trailers Riding’s had in their fleet at that time.
In 1983 when it was six years old NBV 110T was taken off the road and given a complete overhaul, new livery and face-lift as can be seen in the picture below.
Photograph courtesy of PM Photography
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No NBV 110T Fleet No 37 ‘ Valiant’. pictured here five years later in 1983 after undergoing a complete overhaul and face lift in Riding’s own workshops at Longridge.
Pictured parked up overnight in Skipton it is sporting a new livery along with new headboard and air intake while the original 400 Series front grill, which were very susceptible to bad corrosion, has also been replaced with a 401 Series type grill.
NBV 110T remained in the fleet for a total of nine years until it was broken up and scrapped in February 1987 with it’s Gardner 8LXB engine removed and many of it’s other parts used elsewhere.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No NCK 690T Fleet No 26 ‘Sans Pareil’ (Chassis No FC 34809) was purchased new by Riding’s on the 21st of September 1978 at a cost of £19,296.73p and was registered on the 1st of November 1978.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No LFR 330T Fleet No 95 ‘Morning Star’ (Chassis No FC 33988) is pictured here heading west on the M4 near Bristol.
Powered by a Gardner 8LXB engine it was received from the manufacturers Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 24th of May 1978 at a cost of £18,470 but was not registered until two months later on the 1st of August 1978.
This particular tractor unit was specified with a vehicle-mounted blower for bulk powder tank work as can be seen by the ancillary pipe work mounted on the chassis.
Because of this ‘Morning Star’ had it’s front-mounted silencer latterly replaced with a vertical exhaust stack to keep fumes away from the driver while the engine powered the blower.
Several comments went around the yard and this wagon was labelled ‘She’s a Kenworth in drag’ – even as far as it being added on the fleet list!
Seen in the picture pulling one of Riding’s old 33 foot Municipal built coil-carriers the old company livery is still visible on the side raves.
After 10 years service LFR 330T was broken up and scrapped with it’s Gardner 8LXB engine sold on to Hartwood Exports of Burton on Trent for the sum of £625 plus vat.
Photograph courtesy of my good friend Marcus Lester.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No LFR 330T Fleet No 95 ‘Morning Star’ (Chassis No FC 33988) this time pictured in the depot at Longridge.
This particular tractor unit was specified with a vehicle-mounted blower for bulk powder tank work as can be seen by the ancillary pipe work mounted on the chassis.
Because of this ‘Morning Star’ had it’s front-mounted silencer latterly replaced with a vertical exhaust stack to keep fumes away from the driver while the engine powered the blower.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No OCK 460T Fleet No 59 ‘Shooting Star’ (Chassis No FC 33835), driven from new by long time serving driver Joe Wilson, stands in the depot at Longridge loaded up and ready for the road.
Purchased new by Riding’s it was received from the manufacturer Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 24th of November 1978 at a cost of £19.367 plus vat but due to a down turn in business at the time was not registered until the following year on the 1st of February 1979..
Powered by a Gardner 8LXB engine it remained in service with Riding’s for eight years until the 22nd of March 1987 when it was sold at Central Motor Auctions for the sum of £2,850.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series Reg No NHG 840T Fleet No 52 ‘Lode Star’ (Chassis No FC 35062) was powered by a Gardner 8LXB engine.
Purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 14th of November 1978 at a cost of £19,403 plus vat it was not registered until the following year on the 1st of February 1979.
Driven from new by Norman Brewer It is seen here coupled to a 40 foot tandem axle trailer while parked in the yard at Longridge.
It later spent the last eight months of its life shunting in the British Steel Corporation plant at Ravenscraig were it finished up being totally wrecked.
NHG 840T was scrapped in October 1987 with the Gardner 8LXB engine removed and sold on to Hartwood exports of Barnsley for £2,025 plus vat.
Tom Riding was always willing to lend vehicles to local groups for carnivals and parades.
Not only was it a nice advert for the company it was also a way of keeping in touch with the local community.
Pictured above in 1977 is Seddon Atkinson 400 Series Reg No NHG 840T Fleet No 52 ‘Lode Star ‘ along with another unidentifiable Riding’s motor as they make their way through the crowds at a local event in Preston.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No ERH 553T Fleet No 20 ‘Royal Sovereign’ (Chassis No FC 35871).
Powered by a Cummins E290 engine Reg No ERH 553T was registered new on the 1st of April 1979 having been originally supplied to fellow Transport Development Group company Gilyott & Scott of Westcarr Lane Stoneferry Kingston upon Hull.
In 2018 the late Tom Riding recalled……….
“Gilyott & Scott decided to pull out of general haulage and i heard on the on the grapevine that three of their tractor units were up for sale at book value.
I drove over to Hull and liking what i saw bought ERH 553H along with two more Reg Nos ERH 554T and GAT 244T at a cost of £11,300 plus vat each on the 30th of November 1981″.
After being in the Riding fleet for almost eight years ERH 553T was eventually sold for scrap on the 1st of August 1989 to Translitre of Burton upon Trent for £1,600 + vat.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No ERH 554T Fleet No 29 ‘Britannia’ (Chassis No FC 35434).
Powered by a Cummins E290 engine ERH 554T was registered new on the 1st of April 1979 and was another of the batch three that had originally been supplied new to fellow Transport Development Company Gilyott & Scott of Kingston upon Hull.
Pictured here in the yard at Longridge it is coupled up to a fully extended trombone trailer loaded with steel plate which had been collected from the British Steel Dalzell Works at Motherwell in Scotland.
ERH 554T was sold on the 4th of June 1988 for £3,000 plus vat to a Mr J.A. Collins of Bognor Regis West Sussex.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No ERH 554T Fleet No 29 ‘Britannia’ (Chassis No FC 35434) this time pictured loading up at Riding’s original Scottish depot on Summerlee Road in Wishaw with depot manager the late ‘Big’ John Elliot driving the fork lift truck.
After being in the Riding fleet for seven years Reg No ERH 554T was eventually sold on the 4th of June 1988 for £3,000 plus vat to a Mr J.A. Collins of Bognor Regis West Sussex.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No GAT 244T Fleet No 21 ‘Hal o’ the Wynd’ (Chassis No FC 40151) was another of the three tractor units originally operated by fellow Transport Development Group company Gilyott & Scott Ltd of Westcarr Lane Stoneferry Hull.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No GAT 246T Fleet No 44 ‘Mons Meg’ (Chassis No FC 40122).
Originally registered new on the 1st of July 1979 it was purchased second-hand on the 1st of July 1982, when it was three years old, from Yardley Commercial Vehicles of Kidderminster at a cost of £9,250 plus vat.
A further £3,189 was spent installing pumping equipment to the vehicle and before it entered service it was painted in a bright yellow livery and subsequently operated on the Solrec Contract for a number of years.
It is pictured above after returning to the general haulage fleet having being repainted in Riding’s familiar livery.
After a total of nine years service with Ridings GAT 246T was finally sold on to a Mr J Williams of Blackrod on the 13th of June 1988 for £3,000 plus vat.
Photograph courtesy of Marcus Lester from Bristol.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No GAT 247T Fleet No 64 ‘Earl Marichal’ (Chassis No FC 40320) was purchased second-hand on the 1st of July 1982 at the same time as Reg No GAT 246T from Yardley Commercial Vehicles Ltd of Kidderminster at a cost of £9,250 plus vat.
Originally registered new to fellow Transport Development Group company Gilyott & Scott Ltd of Westcarr Lane Stoneferry Hull on the 1st of July 1979 it is pictured above coupled to a tri-axle flat trailer loaded with heavy plate steel from the BSC Dalzell Works in Motherwell in Scotland.
Note the tin-worm has claimed squatters-rights in the old girl’s cab which had already resulted in the replacement of the front grille panel with one from a 401 Series, an easy remedy for the renowned ‘soluble’ Seddon Atkinson’s.
After six years service in the Riding fleet GAT 247T was sold on the 30th of June 1988 to a Mr Riley of Giggleswick Settle for the sum on £3,000 plus vat.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No NBR 164T Fleet No 15 ‘Black Douglas’ (Chassis No FC 35943) was powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine.
Originally registered new on the 11th of April 1979 Tom Riding bought this particular tractor unit when it was four years old from Syd Hartley & Sons Ltd of Whittingham in January 1983 for £9,400 plus vat.
Having spent all its working life with Riding’s on the general haulage fleet it was finally sold on to John Killingbeck of Blackburn for £2,700 plus vat on the 30th of June 1987.
Doctor John then worked his magic on the machine and it emerged from his workshops as a full bloodied double drive 6×4 tractor unit as can be seen in this picture which was taken on the M62 Hartshead Moor Service area in West Yorkshire.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No SCK 913T Fleet No 62 ‘Pegasus’ (Chassis No 68295) was purchased second hand from L.J. & M.D. Transport of Fleetwood along with a 300 Series tractor unit Reg No KFR 893W.
Shortly before Tom Riding sadly passed away in July 2019 he recalled….
Another shot Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No SCK 913T Fleet No 62 ‘Pegasus’ (Chassis No 68295) which was purchased second hand from L.J. & M.D. Transport of Fleetwood.
It is pictured here in the depot at Longridge in October 1984 after just returning from Geoff Yates of Preston who had converted it from a day cab to a sleeper.
Driven from new by Barry Kirkman Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No UCW 500V, Fleet No 24, (Chassis No FC40479) was named ‘Invincible’.
The late Tom Riding continued….
“I was once again cajoled by Seddon Atkinson into evaluating this particular tractor unit.
Purchased new on the 13th of June 1979, at a cost of £19,992 plus vat, it was powered by a Cummins E290 big cam engine in line with a Fuller direct top gearbox and 3.7:1 prototype International axle.
This set up was just right and it turned out to be a superb reliable tractor unit.
Pictured above when a couple of years old it is seen coupled to a forty foot tandem axle flat trailer loaded with steel slabs while parked in our old Scottish yard which, at that time, was located on Summerlee Road in Wishaw”.
Photograph courtesy of the late Michael Deuchars.
A close up shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No UCW 500V Fleet No 24 ‘Invincible’ (Chassis No FC 40479)
Purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd Oldham on the 13th of June 1979, at a cost of £19,992 plus vat, it was not registered until almost two months later on the 1st of August that year.
It is seen here in later years after being refurbished and painted in Riding’s updated livery.
Don’t be fooled by the badge on the front as it had been modified and fitted with a ‘401 Series’ type front grill panel to replace it’s original worn out and rust ridden one.
After 10 years service UCW 500V was sold on the 8th of August 1989 to T.T.S. Transport of Westhoughton for the sum of £2,400 plus vat.
Day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 400 Series day cabbed 4×2 tractor unit Reg No JFK 388V Fleet No 17 ‘Highland Chieftain’ (Chassis No 69190)was purchased second hand from Rylands Vehicle Group (Dudley) Ltd on the 9th of October 1981 for the sum of £9,000 plus vat.
Seen here while parked in Penrith it remained in the Riding fleet for just over nine years until January 1991 when it was withdrawn and scrapped.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series day cabbed 4×2 tractor unit Reg No GAU 345V Fleet No 37 ‘Trojan’ (Chassis No FC 69249)
Registered new on the 24th of September 1979 it was purchased second hand when eight years old by the late Tom Riding for £800 plus vat from local dealer Syd Hartley on the 17th of March 1987.
In 2015 the late Tom Riding recalled….
“Fitted with a Rolls Royce Eagle 265 engine i needed a shunt motor urgently as the shunter they were using in the silencer distribution centre at Squires Gate Blackpool, Reg No WFR 370V, was fitted with it’s original Gardner turbo charged unit which had been round the world and was smoking very badly.
WFR had to be changed as soon as possible and as GAU had a good clean engine the problem was solved at a bargain price.
A good tidy up and a nice paint job and hey presto GAU 345V ran faultlessly for five years until it was scrapped in January 1992″.
Photograph courtesy of the late Michael Deuchars.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series day cabbed 4×2 tractor unit Reg No WFR 370V Fleet No 96 ‘Novelty’ was registered new to W & J Riding on the 7th of November 1979 and would remain in service with the company for over a staggering seventeen years.
It was fitted with one of the prototype turbocharged Gardner engines that the company were developing at that time, in this case it was the Gardner 6LXCT which, after exhaustive testing, finally went into to full scale production in June 1981.
Rated in standard form for 230 bhp at 1,900 rpm a Holset turbo-charger was used with the 6LXCT maintaining Gardner’s reputation for fuel economy.
In 2016 the late Tom Riding recalled in some detail……..
“The only 6LXCT engine in our fleet was in this Seddon Atkinson 400 Series tractor unit Reg No WFR 370V.
This engine was one of a batch of five pre production ones which we were asked to trial in a Seddon Atkinson tractor unit.
We ran it 24 hours a day at 32 tons GVW and reported tonnage carried and fuel used to Gardner’s on a weekly basis.
For some reason it picked up on a piston at Carlisle on its way home one night.
Gardner’s were on strike at the time so our men repaired it in our workshops surrounded by Gardner people it had done around 250,000 miles at the time.
The engine was removed at 500,000 miles at Gardner’s request so that they could measure everything for wear and tear and they gave us a new one in its place”.
In it’s first year of availability a total of 175 new 6LXCT engines entered service with vehicles built by ERF, Foden and Seddon Atkinson with 35 going to a single operator in a fleet of ‘C’ Series ERF 4×2 tractor units which were supplied to Lowfield Distribution at Middleton Manchester in December 1981 for their Sainsburys supermarket contract.
The picture below shows WFR 370V when 13 years old following a few modifications and being utilised as the yard shunter at Longridge.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series day cabbed 4×2 tractor unit Reg No WFR 370V Fleet No 96 ‘Novelty’ entered service with W & J Riding on the 7th of November 1979 and was fitted with the prototype Gardner 6LXCT turbocharged Gardner engine that Gardner were developing at that time.
Seen here when 13 years old, in November 1992, it is parked on the steam cleaning ramp at Longridge depot.
After being taken off the road in November 1987 it was being utilised as the yard shunter within Longridge after previously being used as the shunt vehicle at the Timax/Bainbridge exhaust factory at Squires Gate Blackpool for five years from 1987 until 1992.
During the seventeen years it was in service with Riding’s it had many modifications, including replacement engine by Gardner, the fitting of a wrap round air deflector, rear mounted exhaust stack and 401 series front grill to name but a few.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No COL 628V Fleet No 14 ‘Iron Duke’ (Chassis No FC 40196) was powered by a Cummins E290 engine.
Seen here parked in the depot at Longridge it was originally a day cab which was registered new to the Dunlop Company on the 13th of August 1979 who used it as a mobile test outfit to gain experience with their Maxaret anti jack knife braking system.
Purchased secondhand from Seddon Atkinson dealers Ryland Group of Saltwells Road Netherton Dudley on the 25th of January 1982, at a cost of £9,850 plus vat, it was immediately sent over to Geoff Yates of Preston who successfully converted it into a full blown sleeper cab costing an extra £1,370.
COL 628V remained in service with Riding’s for six years until the 23rd of August 1988 when it was sold on to Greenhalls Commercials of Ashton in Makerfield for the sum of £2,750 plus vat.
A fine on the road shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No COL 628V Fleet No 14 ‘Iron Duke’ seen here in later life sporting a ‘401 Series’ front grill after the original one had succumbed to the tin worm.
It is pictured here hauling a 45 foot tri-axle flat trailer with a nice load of steel plates collected from the British Steel Corporation Dalzell Works at Motherwell Scotland.
On the 23rd of August 1988 after six years service in the Riding’s fleet it was sold on to Greenhalls Commercials of Ashton in Makerfield for the sum of £2,750 plus vat.
Photograph courtesy of PM Photography.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No JUE 510V Fleet No 54 ‘Mercury’ (Chassis No FC 40725) is seen here at the A65 and A59 Gargrave Roundabout on the Skipton bypass.
Based at Riding’s Thornaby depot and driven on a regular basis by Steve Martin it would have been heading to Longridge with a full load of ICI products from their plant at Wilton.
The late Tom Riding recalled…..
“I bought this vehicle from a very good dealer friend of mine Syd Hartley who used to look out for reasonably new Sed/Atki tractor units for me especially like this one which had an 8 cylinder Gardner engine.
Originally registered new on the 14th of September 1979 we got it when just over three years old on the 31st of January 1983 for £7,200 plus vat.
We scrapped it eight years later on the 6th of August 1987 and sold the engine for export for £2,100.
Steve Martin was its regular driver and it is seen here with a full load of drums on pallets from ICI Wilton”.
To see this exact location today click HERE
Photograph courtesy of the late Colin Wright.
Driven by Steve Martin another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No JUE 510V Fleet No 54 ‘Mercury’ (Chassis No FC 40725) shows it loaded with a heavy load of plate steel from BSC Dalzell Works Motherwell while parked in the yard at Riding’s Thornaby depot on Teesside.
Registered new on the 14th of Sept 1979 Riding’s purchased it second hand on the 31st of January 1983 for £7,200 plus vat.
It was scrapped eight years later on the 6th of August 1987 with the Gardner engine sold on for export for £2,100.
Photograph courtesy of Bob Tuck.
Registered new on the 19th of September 1979 Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No JFK 388V (Chassis No 69190) was powered by a Cummins 250 engine and was one of only a handful of day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 400 Series in the fleet at that time.
Purchased when two years old from Rylands (Dudley) Ltd in the West Midlands on the 9th of October 1981, at a cost of £9,000 plus vat, it is seen here emerging from Riding’s in house paint shop at Longridge in ICI livery as it was originally put to work on hire to ICI Ltd Plastics Division at Hillhouse for a while and used by them on stock transfer down to the Squires Gate warehouse.
On termination of the hire period it was repainted into the familiar Riding livery and named ‘Highland Chieftain’ as can be seen in the picture below.
After coming off the ICI contract, and now repainted into Riding’s familiar livery, day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No JFK 388V Fleet No 17 ‘Highland Chieftain’ (Chassis No 69190) is pictured here at the Timax/Bainbridge plant at Blackpool.
Powered by a Cummins 250 engine this was one of only a handful of day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 400 Series in the fleet at that time.
Another shot of day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No JFK 388V Fleet No 17 ‘Highland Chieftain’ (Chassis No 69190) shows it here towards the end of it’s working life with Riding’s.
It is seen here on shunting duties at Thornaby depot, while coupled to a ICI liveried Pontypool nylon tanker.
After twelve years service JFK 388V was finally withdrawn from the fleet in January 1991 and scrapped.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4X2 tractor unit Reg No NGD 648V Fleet No 18 ‘Apollo’ (Chassis No FC 41457) was registered new on the 14th of January 1980 to C.R.S. Transport Ltd.
Powered by a Cummins E290 engine in line with a Fuller 9509 gearbox and group axle it looks quite resplendent in the picture above but all is not what it seems as the late Tom Riding explained below….
“I had a phone call off Ken Howard from Translitre at Burton on Trent, from whom i had bought several damaged vehicles off in the past, he went on to explain that he had a 400 Series in their yard that had been in his words ‘knocked about a bit’.
I travelled down to Burton on Trent and on closer inspection decided that, amazingly, there was nothing mechanically wrong with it.
After paying Translitre £4,000 plus vat for the heap on the 1st of December 1982 we loaded it up and brought it home to Longridge for my mechanics to set about turning it into a workhorse once again.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No FVR 671V Fleet No 51 ‘Lighting’ (Chassis No FC 41579) was originally registered new to Harry Nuttall of Heywood on the 4th of February 1980 and was powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine in line with a Fuller 9509 gearbox and Eaton rear axle.
When Harry Nuttall ceased trading in 1983 some of the fleet finished up at Malcolm Harrison’s of Stone in Staffordshire.
Tom Riding went down on the 19th of May 1983 and liking what he saw bought two tractor units.
FVR 671V cost £9,250 plus vat and remained in service for 5 years after which time it was sold to Translitre of Burton on Trent on the 25th of July 1988 for £3,000 plus vat. FVR 671V when operated by H Nuttall.
The other tractor unit Tom purchased at the same time was Reg No MJA 690W a day cab Seddon Atkinson of the same mechanical spec and at the same price.
FVR 671V when operated by H Nuttall.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No XFV 910V Fleet No 98 ‘Royal Star’ (Chassis No FC 41636), which was driven by Alan Dixon, parked along side Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No TUN 111T Fleet No 19 ‘Flying Dutchman’ (Chassis No FC 33986) which was driven by Alans father, the late Eddie Dixon on the Solrec contract.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No XCK 890V Fleet No 34 ‘Black Prince’ (Chassis No 41493) was powered by a Gardner 240 engine.
Registered new on the 1st of April 1980 at a cost of £23,339.25 plus vat it was driven from new by Ken Marle.
Pictured here parked up on the Toddington Service area on the M1 in Bedfordshire it is hauling a tri-axle Murfitt 1600 cubic foot non tipping tank which was used for the movement of Corvic from ICI plants at Runcorn and Barry to destinations across the whole of the UK.
At the end of its life with Riding’s it was sold on the 6th of May 1988 for £2,900 plus vat to Tom Riding’s good friend John Killingbeck of Blackburn.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No DWN 481V Fleet No 39 ‘Lord President’ (Chassis No FC 42060) is pictured here in the lay-by just outside Skipton golf club on the A59.
Driven by Billy Lambert, who took the photograph, it is seen here with a Crane Fruehauf 40 foot tri-axle trailer loaded with 22 tons of drums being moved between ICI Burn Naze factory at Fleetwood and the ICI plant at Billingham in the North East.
DWN 481V was one of five second hand Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor units Tom Riding bought from Entress transport of Swansea.
(More details below}
In 1982 TDG decided to close down Entress transport of Swansea so Tom Riding dashed down and bought five superb two year old Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor units Reg No’s DWN 481, 482, 483, and 484 while unbelievably selling the other one to Buckley’s of Warrington on his way home.
Pictured above is the first of the four Reg No DWN 481V Fleet No 39 ‘Lord President’ (Chassis No FC 42060) which was driven by Billy Lambert, a driver with Riding’s for over 40 years.
Originally registered new on the 14th of May 1980 at a cost of £21,750 it was purchased by Riding’s on the 1st of March 1982, when two years old, at a cost of £13,000.
After seven years service with Riding’s it was sold on in November 1989 to Translitre of Burton on Trent for £2,250.
The picture above was taken in the yard at Thornaby depot in July 1984 where it is seen loaded with two huge precast concrete sewer pipes which had been collected from FP McCann at Byley near Middlewich Cheshire for delivery to Hartlepool.
For safety’s sake, with a load of this type, Tom Riding insisted that all his drivers only used the M6, M62, A1 and A19, a distance of around 160 miles, and as a result they moved a large amount of these loads with no problems whatsoever.
Driven by Joe Masterson Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No DWN 482V Fleet No 56 ‘Victorious’ (Chassis No FC 41697) was one of four, all the exact same model, purchased second hand from Entress Transport of Swansea.
Powered by a Cummins E290 engine in line with a Fuller 9 speed gearbox and Rockwell axle DWN 482V was first registered on the 2nd of June 1980 and cost £21,750.
Purchased by Riding’s in February 1982 at a cost of £13.250 it was in the fleet for seven years after which time it was sold on to Translitre of Burton upon Trent for £1,750 on the 27th of Oct 1989.
Driven by Rex Rich Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No DWN 483V Fleet No 53 ‘Robert the Bruce’ (Chassis No FC 41687) was another of the four tractor unit’s that were purchased second hand from Entress Transport of Swansea.
Powered by a Cummins E290 engine in line with a Fuller 9 speed gearbox and Rockwell axle DWN 483V was first registered on the 2nd of June 1980 and cost £21,750.
Purchased by Riding’s in March 1982, at a cost of £13,000, it was sold on a number of years later to Abrams of Ormskirk for £3,000.
Pictured above is the last of the four Seddon Atkinson 400 Series tractor unit’s purchased second hand from Entress of Swansea, Reg No DWN 484V Fleet No 57 ‘Formidable’ (Chassis No FC 41983)
Powered by a Cummins E290 engine in line with a Fuller 9 speed gearbox and Rockwell axle DWN 484V was first registered on the 6th of June 1980 and cost £21,750.
Purchased by W & J Riding in February 1982, at a cost of £13,250, it was sold on in August 1989 to Translitre for £1,600.
Normally driven by Jack Moon it is pictured in Longridge depot having the final touches made to its load of Heinz products by driver Joe Masterson aka Clanger.
Photograph courtesy of Bob Tuck
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No WCW 700V Fleet No 55 ‘Rising Star’ (Chassis No FC 41043) was purchased new direct from Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 11th of October 1979 at a cost of £21,426 63p and was registered for road use on the 1st of November 1979.
Powered by a Gardner 8LXB 240 engine it was allocated from new to driver David Ireland.
It is pictured here in the yard at Longridge ready for the off coupled to a 30 foot box on a tipping skeletal trailer complete with rotary feeder at the rear to facilitate discharging plastic products.
After eight years service Reg No WCW 700V was scrapped but not before it’s Gardner engine was removed and sold to Hartwood Exports for the sum of £2,100 plus vat.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No WCW 700V Fleet No 55 ‘Rising Star’ (Chassis No FC41043) as it heads the line up of this convoy of six outfits loaded with steel plates destined for Stockton on Tees from the BSC Dalzell Works at Motherwell.
Pictured here on the A74 at Gretna (now Junction 45 of the M6) the convoy had been parked up due to the width of their loads the reason being they could not use the diversionary route which was in force due to a closure of the A74 at Metal Bridge further South.
The third vehicle from the front, the maroon coloured Seddon Atkinson, belonged Preston Roadways and was driven by former Riding’s driver Bill Tyson who set up Preston Roadways with another former Riding’s driver Jerry Pye and regularly subcontracted to W & J Riding as you can see from the ‘W & J Riding Ltd’ name in the headboard.
Close up shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No WCW 700V Fleet No 55 ‘Rising Star’ (Chassis No 41043) with another load of steel plates destined for Stockton on Tees from the BSC Dalzell Works in Motherwell.
After eight years service Reg No WCW 700V was scrapped but not before it’s Gardner engine was removed and sold to Hartwood Exports for the sum of £2,100 plus vat.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No JLK 602V Fleet No 22 ‘Hermes’ (Chassis No FC 41275) powered by a Gardner 8 cylinder 240 engine was registered new on the 8th of January 1980.
Purchased second-hand when just over two years old from local dealer Syd Hartley & Sons for £8,750 on the 31st of January 1983 it was driven by the late Albert Hammond and was assigned to the Timax/Bainbridge contract.
After six years service JLK 602V was eventually sold on to John Killingbeck of Blackburn for £3,000 plus vat on the 28th of February 1989.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No JLK 602V Fleet No 22 ‘Hermes’ (Chassis No FC 41275).
Powered by a Gardner 8 cylinder 240 engine, and registered new on the 8th of January 1980, it is pictured above in the depot at Longridge ready for the off with a trailer loaded with steel plate from the BSC Dalzell Works at Motherwell.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No ORH 90W Fleet No 12 ‘Tornado’ (Chassis No FC 41517) was originally new to Abram Transport of Hull in 1980 and was purchased second hand on the 1st of December 1982 in a damaged condition from Translitre Ltd of Stanton near Burton up on Trent when it was two years old at a cost of of £6,000.
Powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine it was driven regularly by Billy Procter and is pictured here on the M62 motorway passing Hartshead Moor service area with a load of steel plates loaded at BSC Dalzell Works Motherwell and destined for Sheffield.
At the time this picture was taken this was another example of Riding’s fitting a standard 401 Series type front grille, as had the majority of the older 400’s by this time, due to the serious rust issues.
After seven years in the fleet Reg No ORH 90W was sold back to Translitre of Stanton near Burton upon Trent on the 27th of October 1989 for the sum of £1,750 plus vat.
Photograph courtesy of Colin Knapp.
A close up colour shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No ORH 90W Fleet No 12 ‘Tornado’ (Chassis No FC 41517).
This particular vehicle was originally new to Abram Transport of Hull in 1980 and was purchased in an accident damaged condition from Translitre Ltd of Stanton near Burton on Trent at a cost of £6,000 on the 1st of December 1982 when it was only two years old.
The late Tom Riding took this photograph on the right when he went down to Translitre Ltd in late November 1982 to give the accident damaged vehicle the once over before he decided to purchase it.
When arriving at Longridge ORH 90W was totally rebuilt in Riding’s own workshops with the total rebuild costs amounting to £5,269 54p.
After being put on the road it then remained in service for almost seven years with Riding;s after which time it was withdrawn and sold back to Translitre of Burton on Trent on the 27th of October 1989 for £1,750 + vat
Pictured here in the depot at Longridge, with Joe Gornall at the wheel and Joe Masterson on the step, is Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 6×2 tractor unit Reg No KPF 421W Fleet No 50 ‘Alfred the Great’ (Chassis No FC 42505) was powered by Cummins E290 engine.
Registered new on the 1st of August 1980 it was purchased second hand when three years old from Yardley of Kidderminster for £9,400 plus vat on the 7th of August 1983.
KPF 421W was unique in being the one and only tri=axle tractor unit that W & J Riding operated while Tom Riding was managing director of the company and was used on a regular basis pulling a tandem axle tipping trailer plated at 38 tons GVW
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 6×2 tractor unit Reg No KPF 421W Fleet No 50 ‘Alfred the Great’ (Chassis No FC 42505) is pictured here unit only while parked up for the weekend in the depot at Longridge.
Powered by Cummins E290 engine it was registered new on the 1st of August 1980 and was purchased second hand when three years old from Yardley of Kidderminster for £9,400 plus vat on the 7th of August 1983.
KPF 421W was unique in being the one and only three axled tractor unit that W & J Riding operated while Tom Riding was managing director of the company and was used on a regular basis pulling a tandem axle tipping trailer plated at 38 tons GVW.
Unfortunately KPF 421W later came to grief after running into the back of a tanker while traveling unit only through the village of Grimsargh. >
More details can be found in Accidents Happen (3)
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4X2 tractor unit Reg No CTC 803W (Chassis No FC 42551) was originally registered new to Wilkinsons Parcels of Rochdale in September 1980.
After the resulting accident Tom Riding bought the wreck and after a complete rebuild it became Fleet No 2 ‘Knight of the Thistle’ in the Riding fleet.
The late Tom Riding recalled…..
“I went down to Translitre of Burton on Trent to look at two smashed up tractor units.
I checked out CTC 803W, pictured above, as best i could and convinced myself that the bell-housing wasn’t broken so the crank should be ok and not bent.
On the 8th of June 1983 at a cost of £3,000 plus vat we brought it home to Longridge and spent £5,093 on parts to sort it out.
The rebuilt unit, pictured below, was allocated to Mick Spencer and it remained in service with us for six years, until the 1st August 1989, when it was sold on to a Mr Harrison of Bury for £2,700 plus vat.
These standard Seddon Atkinson tractor units with the E290 Cummins engine, Fuller gearbox and Rockwell axles were excellent vehicles”.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4X2 tractor unit Reg No CTC 803W Fleet No 2 ‘Knight of the Thistle’ (Chassis No FC 42551) is seen here shortly after being rebuilt.
Driven by Mick Spencer it is coupled up to a tautliner loaded with Corvic sacks for delivery to the North East from the Longton depot of BRS.
It remained in service with Riding’s until the 1st August 1989 when it was sold on to a Mr Harrison of Bury for £2,700 plus vat.
Photograph courtesy of driver Mick Spencer.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4X2 tractor unit Reg No CTC 803W Fleet No 2 ‘Knight of the Thistle’ (Chassis No FC 42551) delivering some 60 foot long rebar, with coils on top, from Bidston steel in Birkenhead to Gateshead during the building of the by-pass in 1985.
The trailer was one of four Crane Fruehauf 40-60 foot trombones that Tom Riding bought from Mc Kelvies of Paisley, a TDG group company, who had decided to come out of the steel haulage business.
Photograph courtesy of driver Mick Spencer.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No FCK 580W Fleet No 27 ‘Lord of the Isles’ (Chassis No FC 31089) powered by a Gardner 8 cylinder engine was driven by Tommy Lambert.
Pictured here loaded with drums of Lissapol from ICI Wilton it is seen heading East on the M62 Motorway at Milnrow in 1981.
The late Tom Riding recalled…
“FCK 580W was first registered on the 1st of October 1980 but unfortunately i just can not remember how this one came about but seem to think we built it in house using material that we had accumulated over the years.
The records show it cost a total of £11,148 to rebuild when brand new ones from the factory at that time were in excess of £24,000.
It carries a day cab that had been converted to a sleeper by Geoff Yates of Longton Coachcraft and is also fitted with what looks like an AEC fuel tank.
We ran it until the 19th of July 1986 when it was scrapped and the engine sold on to Mr Syd Hartley”.
Photograph courtesy of Craig Berriff
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No AJV 582W Fleet No 48 ‘Swiftsure’ (Chassis No FC 41567) was bought second-hand having originally been registered new on the 4th of November 1980.
Pictured here parked in the depot at Longridge it was powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine and driven on a regular basis by Reg Cookson.
Purchased from local dealer Syd Hartley when two and a half years old on the 3rd of March 1983 for £10,000 plus vat a further £1,774 was spent sorting various things out before it went into service.
After five years in the Riding fleet AJV 582W was sold on to John Killingbeck of Blackburn on the 12th of December 1988 for £3,000 plus vat.
It then started a new life when Doctor John extended the chassis sides and fitted it with a double drive Eaton bogie.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No HCW 140W Fleet No 38 (Chassis No FC 42042) ‘Perseverance’ was powered by a Gardner eight cylinder 240hp engine.
This particular tractor unit was one of two bought brand new on the 1st of May 1980 from Seddon Atkinson at a cost of £23,389 and was put in storage and not registered until some 10 months later on the 1st of March 1981 due to poor trading conditions at that time.
Driven from new by Alan Hyde this was one of the last Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit’s to be introduced into the fleet.
Note the fitting of a sun visor and also the usual Riding modifications to the front grille.
The painting of the cab is also slightly unusual in that it has silver lining in place of the more usual gold line but all this would change when it received a face lift after it had been in service a few years as can be seen in the picture below.
HCW 140W remained in service for eight years after which time it was sent to Central Motor Auctions in 1989 where it sold for £3,515 plus vat.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No HCW 140W Fleet No 38 ‘Perseverance’ is seen here in 1986 after receiving a major face lift and overhaul including the fitting of a standard 401 Series type front grille.
This was common practice at the time as the majority of the older 400 grille’s were by now suffering very serious rust issues and all needed replacing.
The original cost of HCW 140W, when new in 1980, was £23,389 plus vat and it remained in service for a total of eight years after which time it was sent to Central Motor Auctions in 1989 where it sold for £3,515 plus vat.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series Reg No MHG 160X Fleet No 3 ‘Goliath’ (Chassis No FC 42212) was one of two brand new 4×2 tractor units supplied by Seddon Atkinson on the 1st of May 1980.
Due to poor trading conditions at the time this particular tractor unit was put into storage and did not go on the road until sixteen months later on the 1st of September 1981 and due to this it was the was the only brand new X registered ‘400 Series’ tractor unit in the Riding fleet.
Powered by a Gardner 240 eight cylinder engine in line with a Fuller 9509A gearbox and a single speed Eaton axle it cost £23,389.25p plus vat.
Pictured above parked in the depot at Longridge it was driven from new by Harold Hornby and spent all it’s working life on general haulage.
After eight years service it was sold on to Translitre of Burton on Trent for £2.500 plus vat on the 27th of October 1989.
Pictured here, in a rather sorry state, is Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No EMB 304X (Chassis No FC 41876).
Registered new on the 1st of January 1982 Tom Riding took this picture when it was three years old after he had purchased it from Translitre of Burton on Trent on the 4th of April 1986 at a cost of £4,250.
Owned and used intensively for three years by Tunnel Glucose trunking between Glasgow and London it was taken up to Longridge depot and amazingly transformed into the tractor unit pictured below…
After undergoing extensive restoration in Riding’s own workshops Reg No EMB 304X reappeared as Fleet No 89 ‘Great Central’ (Chassis No FC 41876).
It had the standard spec of the time which was a Cummins 290 Big Cam engine in line with a Fuller box and Rockwell rear axle.
Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4X2 tractor unit Reg No WCK 730Y Fleet No 68 ‘Wolf of Badenoch’ (Chassis No FC 41886) was powered by a Cummins E290 engine and driven by Ken Fell.
Originally registered new in 1980 over in Northern Ireland as Reg No EIB 6484 it was re-registered in England two years later on the 1st of August 1982 as Reg No WCK 730Y.
This particular tractor unit was one of two Seddon Atkinson 400’s that Tom Riding bought second hand from Yardley Commercials of Kidderminster on the 1st of July 1984 for £10,250 plus vat each.
The late Tom Riding recalled below……
“They had originally belonged to Persitt International of Blackbridge Road Poyntzpass Northern Ireland hauling refrigerated trailers between Ireland and Europe and seemed to have been abandoned on Fleetwood Docks.
Before joining the fleet both tractor units had a complete overhaul and their badly corroded ‘400 Series’ front grills replaced by brand new ‘401 Series’ type grills which fortunately were fully interchangeable.
After almost five and a half years service with Riding’s WCK 730Y was sold on to Translitre of Burton on Trent for £2,250 plus vat on the 29th of November 1989″.
Seen here at Riding’s Teesside depot with driver Joe Gannon is Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4X2 tractor unit Reg No WCK 620Y Fleet No 67 ‘Thane of Fife’ (Chassis No FC 41885) which was originally registered new in Northern Ireland as Reg No EIB 6916 to Persitt International
Re-registered in England on the 1st of August 1982 as WCK 620Y this was the second of the two Seddon Atkinson ‘400 Series’ tractor unit’s Tom Riding bought second hand from Yardley Commercials of Kidderminster on the 1st of July 1984 at a cost of £10,250 plus vat each.
Both WCK 620Y and WCK 720Y were originally operated by Persitt International of Poyntzpass Northern Ireland and were used for hauling refrigerated trailers between Ireland and Europe.
After five and a half years service in the Riding fleet WCK 620Y was sold on the 1st of November 1989 to Translitre of Burton on Trent for the sum of £2,250 plus vat.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4X2 tractor unit Reg No WCK 620Y Fleet No 67 ‘Thane of Fife’ (Chassis No FC 41885).
Reg No WCK 620Y was originally registered new in Northern Ireland as Reg No EIB 6916 to Persitt International who used it for hauling refrigerated trailers between Ireland and Europe.
Before joining the fleet it had a complete overhaul and it’s badly corroded ‘400 Series’ front grill was replaced by brand new ‘401 Series’ type grills which fortunately were fully interchangeable.
After seven years service in the Riding fleet WCK 620Y was sold on the 1st of November 1989 to Translitre of Burton on Trent for the sum of £2,250 plus vat.
