Seddon Atkinson 401 Series
In July 2013 the late Tom Riding looked back and reflected on the introduction of the first brand new Seddon Atkinson ‘401 Series’ 4×2 tractor unit’s to enter service with the fleet in 1983…..
“The ‘401 Series’ of tractor units, launched at the 1980 motor show at the NEC, was a development of the old ‘400 Series’, however, the American International influence was now very much apparent.
The chassis rails were now pressed out, as were all the frame cross members, and although the front bumpers were now made of a plastic compound they had a strong towing assembly incorporated behind them.
The fuel tank was now made of aluminium while the suspension was changed to all parabolic springs which reduced the tractor unit’s unladen weight to 6 tons 8cwt which was a ton lighter than the 400-Series.
The main running units were the same as the old ‘400 Series’ and were sound in every way while the cab was at last now virtually rustproof.
All things considered the Seddon Atkinson 401 was, in my opinion, a fine machine”.
The first two brand new Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4X2 tractor units entered service with W & J Riding on the 25th March 1983 at a cost of £25,160 each.
One of those was Reg No DCW 590Y Fleet No 70 ‘Courageous’, (Chassis No 75568) pictured above, which was driven from new by Norman Holland.
It is seen here in 1985 heading West on the A59 at Halton East near Skipton with a part load for ICI and also ‘piggy backing’ day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No B520 VCK Fleet No 85 ‘Caledonian’ back to Longridge depot.
A colour shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4X2 tractor unit Reg No DCW 590Y Fleet No 70 ‘Courageous’ as it heads back to Longridge with a brand new 40 foot Crane Fruehauf tri-axle flat platform trailer.
Note the total lack of spray suppression equipment on all axles, which was the norm in those days.
After eight years service DCW 590Y was sold on to John Killingbeck of Blackburn on the 13th of November 1991 for the sum of £3,300 plus vat. .
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4X2 tractor unit Reg No DCW 930Y Fleet No 71 ‘Vanguard’ (Chassis No 75569) was the second of two brand new 401 Series 4×2 tractor units to enter service with Riding’s along with Reg No DCW 590Y in March 1983.
Registered new on the 25th of March 1983, at a cost of £25,926, it remained in service with W & J Riding for eight years until it was sold on to John Killingbeck of Blackburn on the 4th of September 1991 for £2,250 plus vat.
Driven from new by Ted Woods it is pictured here on the A59 Skipton by-pass while taking Seddon Atkinson 4-11 4X2 tractor unit Reg No S630 SFV back to Longridge depot for repair.
A colour shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4X2 tractor unit Reg No DCW 930Y Fleet No 71 ‘Vanguard’.
Pictured in the depot, while coupled to one of the many 40 foot tri-axle curtain-siders in the fleet, DCW 930Y was driven from new by Ted Woods.
Registered new on the 25th of March 1983, at a cost of £25,926, it remained in service with W & J Riding for eight years until it was sold on to John Killingbeck of Blackburn on the 4th of September 1991 for £2,250 plus vat.
Based at Teesside depot day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No OPL 43W Fleet No 40 ‘Mammoth’ (Chassis No 72837) was powered by an E290 Cummins big cam engine and was registered new on the 10th of July 1981.
Originally new to London Carriers it was one of seven bought second-hand from local dealer Mr Syd Hartley of nearby Brabiner Lane Whittingham, with OPL 43W costing £6,900 plus vat on the 23rd of April 1986.
Pictured here coupled to a Carmichael 2000 cubic foot non tipping tri-axle powder tanker, in BP Chemicals livery, it would later become the yard shunter back in Longridge after which time it was scrapped in September 1993.
Photograph courtesy of Geoff Milne.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series Reg No OPL 43W this time pictured in the yard at Riding’s Thornaby depot on Teesside where it was first based.
It is seen here coupled to a 30 foot tipping skelly trailer loaded with a “bag in a box” container discharging plastic pellets that had been collected from ICI Ltd Wilton works.
The pellets were blown into a hopper over and above the bagging machine and were then packed into 25 kg sacks palletised and shrink wrapped for onward delivery.
At the time this was a big operation for the depot for many years.
After being transferred back down to Longridge depot towards the end of it’s working life at Riding’s ex London Carriers day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No OPL 43W Fleet No 40 ‘Mammoth’ is pictured on yard shunting duties while coupled to a tandem axle tipping trailer on hire from R J & I Wells Ltd.
This particular trailer was used to take empty paper sacks generated from the rip and tip operation that Riding’s undertook on behalf of ICI Ltd to their landfill site near Fleetwood.
After being in service with Riding’s for just over seven years OPL 43W was eventually scrapped in September 1993.
Photograph courtesy of Chris Richards.
Day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No OPL 47W Fleet No 45 ‘Undaunted’ (Chassis No 72841) was powered by a Cummins E290 big cam engine.
It is pictured here in the depot at Longridge while coupled up to Riding’s single axle recovery trailer, an ideal piece of kit for recovering broken down tractor units at the side of the road.
Originally registered new to London Carriers on the 7th of July 1981 Tom Riding bought this when it was almost five years old on the 7th of March 1986 along with seven sister machines all from dealer Syd Hartley of Whittingham.
OPL 47W cost £7,100 plus vat and after five years in the fleet it was eventually broken up and scrapped in February 1991.
The late Tom Riding recalled “These ex London Carriers Seddon Atkinsons proved to be very useful machines and did a good job doing the work that could not justify the cost of brand new equipment”.
Day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No OPL 48W Fleet No 41 ‘Royal Scot’ (Chassis No 72842) was another ex London Carriers tractor unit bought from Mr Syd Hartley in April 1986 for £6,900 plus vat.
Originally registered new on the 1st of June 1981 it was powered by a Cummins E290 big cam engine and spent its life at Riding’s Motherwell depot in Scotland being used as a shunt motor to tip and load trailers brought up on trunk from Longridge.
It is seen here in February 1993 at Longridge and as there was no real market for second hand day cabs at the time it was waiting to be broken up and scrapped after seven years service with the fleet.
Seen here having a good wash besides the workshop at Riding’s Motherwell depot is another ex London Carriers day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No OPL 51W Fleet No 5 ‘Comet’ (Chassis No FC 32546)
Powered by a Cummins E290 Big Cam engine it was bought from local dealer Mr Syd Hartley of nearby Brabiner Lane Whittingham on the 7th of March 1984 at a cost of £7,100 plus vat.
On arrival it was fitted with a compressor along with a hydraulic pump to operate a tipping powder tanker and, after painting, it was dispatched to Riding’s Motherwell depot to work on the Ready Mix Concrete delivery contract.
After six years service with Riding’s it was finally scrapped in September 1990 with the engine sold on to Hartwood Exports for £1,000 plus vat.
Photograph courtesy of the late Michael Deuchars.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No FGK 582X Fleet No 31 ‘Flamboyant’ (Chassis No 73527) was powered by a Cummins E 290 engine.
FGK 582X was one of five Seddon Atkinson tractor unit’s that Tom Riding bought second hand through commercial vehicle dealers G.Wood of Huddersfield which were originally owned by Watney Mann of London.
Registered new on the 1st of April 1982 it was purchased when 3 years old on the 15th of October 1985 at a cost of £,9,700 with a further £2,556 spent on blowing equipment etc.
This particular tractor unit was at first allocated to the Incobulk contract.
After a number of years it was down graded to the general haulage fleet in 1987 were it remained in constant use until July 1991 after which time it was taken off the road and scrapped.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No FGK 582X Fleet No 31 ‘Flamboyant’.(Chassis No FC 73527).
Powered by a Cummins E 290 engine this was one of five Seddon Atkinson 4×2 tractor unit’s that Tom Riding bought second hand from G.Wood Commercial Vehicle Sales of Huddersfield
Registered new in December 1981 by Watney Mann of London they had specified Allison automatic gearboxes but when it arrived at Longridge, along with the other four, Riding’s converted them all to Fuller 9509 manual direct top gearboxes.
FGK 582X was finally withdrawn from the fleet in July 1991 and broken up and scrapped.
Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No LYM 391X Fleet No 1 ‘Precursor’ (Chassis No 73245) was powered by a Cummins E290 engine.
Seen here coupled to a 1540 cubic foot Crane Fruehauf non tipping powder tank this was another of the five second hand 401 Series 4X2 tractor unit’s that Tom Riding acquired from George Wood of Huddersfield at a cost of £8,000 each.
They had originally been new to Watney Mann in December 1981 and had been fitted, when new, with Allison automatic gearboxes.
The late Tom Riding recalled below……..
“Having bought all five tractor units for £40,000 they had originally been fitted with Allison 5 speed automatic gearboxes.
We converted them to Fuller 9509 manual direct top gearboxes and coupled to their original 3.7 : 1 final drive ratio they all turned out to be superb machines.
Having been previously maintained by Watney’s to a high standard all five were very successful for us”.
After five years service with Riding’s LYM 391X was sold on to Billingtons Transport on the 20th of July 1990 for £3,250 + vat.
Photograph courtesy of Chris Richards.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No LYM 391X Fleet No 1 ‘Precursor’ seen here in 1990 after being withdrawn from the fleet.
Minus it’s headboard, tax disc and operators licence it was used as a yard shunter for short period of time before being sold on to Billingtons Transport on the 20th of July 1990 for £3,250 + vat.
Photograph courtesy of Geoff Milne.
Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No LYM 392X Fleet No 79 ‘Hardwicke’ (Chassis No 73248), powered by a Cummins E290 engine, was another of the five second hand 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit’s that Tom Riding acquired from George Wood of Huddersfield on the 1st of November 1985 at a cost of £8,000 plus vat each.
Registered new to Watney Mann on the 1st of December 1981 LYM 392 had originally been fitted with an Allison 5 speed automatic gearbox while operated by Watney Mann.
On arrival at Longridge Riding’s converted them all to Fuller 9509 manual direct top gearboxes coupled to their original 3.7 : 1 final drive.
When eleven years old and after seven years service with Riding’s LYM 392X was sold on the 18th of May 1992 to a Mr Bond of Hesketh Bank near Preston for £1,750 plus vat.
Purchased second hand in 1983 Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No LYM 251X Fleet No 9 (Chassis No 73246) was the second of three tractor unit’s in the Riding fleet which, over the years, carried the ‘Dreadnought’ name – it replaced 400 Series Seddon Atkinson tractor unit Reg No WCK 546R.
The naming of Riding’s vehicles began with Atkinson Borderer Reg No AMS 113K which was bought second hand from another TDG group company, Monklands, after they ceased trading.
AMS 113K was given the name ‘Invincible’ by Tom Riding who initially gave the tractor unit names corresponding with steam locomotives.
Above photograph courtesy of Marcus Lester.
After being in service for five years at W & J Riding Seddon Atkinson LYM 251X was sold on the 12th of June 1990 for £3,500 plus vat to (T.T.S.) Thomasson Transport Services of Westhoughton near Wigan and is pictured here while coupled to one of their tankers they operated on a liquid fertiliser job they used to have around the Peak District.
1987 and seen here parked on the M6 Forton Service area with a full load of empty pallets out of Motherwell depot destined for the Heinz plant at Kitt Green Wigan is Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No LYM 251X Fleet No 9 (Chassis No 73246),
A final shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No LYM 251X Fleet No 9 (Chassis No 73246) this time seen at the Eastern end of the A59 Skipton bypass while heading back to Longridge depot with a load of terylene from the ICI Wilton plant in North Yorkshire.
Day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No RPL 126X Fleet No 23 ‘Auld Reekie’ (Chassis No 73025) was one of a batch of several ex London Carriers Seddon Atkinson 401 tractor units that Tom Riding purchased second-hand in April 1986.
Powered by a Cummins E290 Big Cam engine it is seen here on the A59 Skipton by-pass returning to Longridge after recovering broken down Seddon Atkinson 4-11 4×2 tractor unit Reg No E230 NFR Fleet No 21 ‘Hal O’ The Wynd’.
Photograph courtesy of the late Colin Wright.
Day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No RPL 150X Fleet No 43 ‘Dauntless’ (Chassis No 73236) was registered new on the 4th of November 1981 by it’s previous owner London Carriers.
All powered by Cummins E290 engines it was one of the batch of nine ex London Carriers Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor units that Tom Riding purchased second-hand when they were four and a half years old in April 1986 with RPL 150X costing £8,350 plus vat.
It is seen here coupled up to one of two special tri-axle trailers built by Wheelbase Engineering to move cylinders of phosgene gas manufactured at ICI Ltd Burn Naze.
The cylinders were held by strong screwed clamps to the main chassis section of the trailer.
Photograph courtesy of Chris Richards
Another shot of day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 4×2 tractor unit Reg No RPL 150X ‘Dauntless’ (Chassis No 73236) which was registered new by it’s previous owner London Carriers on the 4th of November 1981.
Powered by a Cummins E290 engine it is seen here with a nice tidy tautliner being used on pvc bagged stock transfer from the ICI Ltd Hillhouse plant near Blackpool to Riding’s depot at Longridge for transfer into Riding’s bulk tankers.
Driver Ron Williams took this picture after stopping outside his house for dinner.
Day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No RPL 151X Fleet No 65 ‘Conqueror’ (Chassis No 73251) registered new by London Carriers on the 4th of November 1981 was another of the batch of nine ex London Carriers Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor units that Tom Riding bought second-hand.
Purchased in April 1986, when four and a half years old, from local dealer Syd Hartley of nearby Brabiner Lane Whittingham RPL 151X cost £8,350 plus vat.
It is pictured here in 1988 while the driver takes a break in a lay-by on the A59 at the top of Sawley Brow between Skipton and Clitheroe.
Initially it was used on general haulage out of Longridge depot from 1986 until 1988 after which time it spent all its remaining life based at Riding’s Motherwell depot in Scotland shunting the trailers that were sent up overnight from Longridge.
After five years service with Riding’s RPL 151X was finally broken up and scrapped in 1991.
Another shot of day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No RPL 151X Fleet No 65 ‘Conqueror’ (Chassis No 73251) which was registered new by London Carriers on the 4th of November 1981.
Initially it was used on general haulage out of Longridge depot from 1986 until 1988 after which time it spent all its remaining life based at Riding’s Motherwell depot in Scotland, where the above photograph was taken, shunting the trailers that were sent up overnight from Longridge.
After five years service with Riding’s RPL 151X was finally broken up and scrapped in 1991.
Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No EMB 304X Fleet No 89 ‘Great Central’ (Chassis No 41876) was powered by a Cummins E290 engine.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No ERP 160X Fleet No 91 ‘Phoenix 11’ (Chassis No 73182) was powered by a Cummins E290 engine and driven by Ian Smith.
Originally new in March 1982 Tom Riding bought it second hand for £4,500 plus vat in August 1986 from Translitre of Burton on Trent when it was four years old.
Pictured above it is seen parked in the depot at Longridge coupled to a tri-axle trombone extending trailer loaded with steel plate but normally it hauled a powder tanker, as seen in the picture below, due to it being fitted with blowing gear.
In October 1990, after four years service, ERP 160X was sold to Thomason Transport of Hindley Green for £3,500 plus vat.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No ERP 160X Fleet No 91 ‘Phoenix 11’ (Chassis No 73192).
Fitted with blowing gear it is seen here doing what it did best hauling a 1450 cubic foot Crane Fruehauf non tipping powder tank to which it was normally allocated while in the Riding fleet.
Photograph courtesy of the late Michael Deuchars.
Another second-hand purchase by Riding’s was Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No KHW 979X Fleet No 104 ‘Iron Duke’ (Chassis No 73648).
Powered by a Cummins E290 engine it was originally registered new on the 1st of June 1982 and purchased second-hand when just two years old in 1984.
KHW 979X remained in service with Riding’s for four years until it was sold on to Translitre of Burton on Trent on the 15th of August 1988 for £2,600 plus vat.
It is seen here leaving the yard at Longridge looking quite smart hauling a tandem axle curtain-sider in a variation of the Timax/Bainbridge livery.
Another shot Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No KHW 979X Fleet No 104 ‘Iron Duke’ (Chassis No 73648).
Powered by a Cummins E290 engine it was originally registered new on the 1st of June 1982 and purchased second-hand by Riding’s when two years old in 1984.
It is pictured above parked in the depot at Longridge while coupled to a 40 foot tri-axle flat trailer loaded with steel plate from the British Steel Corporation Dalzell Works at Motherwell.
KHW 979X remained in service with Riding’s for four years after which time it was sold on the 15th of August 1988 to Translitre of Burton on Trent for £2,600 plus vat.
A final shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No KHW 979X Fleet No 104 ‘Iron Duke’. showing it parked in the depot at Longridge shortly before being sold on to Translitre of Burton on Trent on the 15th of August 1988.
Note the tipper trailers in the background which were operated by Tom Riding’s brother-in-law Walter Carefoot whose yard was next door to W & J Riding’s and is still there to this day although Riding’s depot is no more as it has now been transformed into a housing estate along with an Aldi supermarket.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No VPM 233Y Fleet No 15 ‘Black Douglas’ (Chassis No 74165) was originally registered new on the 1st of August 1982 to London Carriers and bought second hand by Riding’s when five years old in April 1987 at a cost of £4,500 + vat.
Powered by a Cummins E290 engine it is pictured here after arriving at the British Steel Corporation Ravenscraig steel works in Lanarkshire with a loaded tri-axle powder tanker.
VPM 233Y remained in service for five years until it was withdrawn and scrapped in May 1992.
Freshly painted ex London Carriers Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No VPM 233Y Fleet No 15 ‘Black Douglas’
Seen here in May 1987 with one of it’s first loads after coming out of the paint shop it would remain in the fleet for five years until May 1992 when it was withdrawn, scrapped and broken up for spares.
A final shot showing the variety of loads hauled by Seddon Atkinson 401 tractor unit Reg No VPM 233Y Fleet No 15 ‘Black Douglas’.
Seen here while the driver takes a break, on the old A6 on top of Shap Fell in Cumbria, this particular tractor unit would normally be pulling a powder tanker but on this day was having a change hauling a tri-axle flat trailer loaded with smaller separate tanks.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No VPM 235Y Fleet No 61 ‘ Highland Laddie’ was registered new on the 1st of August 1982.
Powered by a Cummins E290 engine Tom Riding bought it second hand from London Carriers in April 1987 for £4,500 plus vat unfortunately on arrival at Longridge it was found to have a crankshaft problem which was quickly sorted out in Riding’s own workshops.
Scrapped in October 1996, when the engine was removed and sold to Hatwood exports, it is seen here towards the end of its working life on shunting duties at Longridge depot during the transfer of bagged ICI powder into a powder tanker for onward delivery.
Previously to this it had worked hard out hauling steel of the Motherwell depot for quite a number of years.
Photograph courtesy of Chris Richards.
Throughout the 1980’s Riding’s invested heavily in brand new Seddon Atkinson tractor units.
A brand new addition to the fleet on the 12th of July 1983 at a cost of £26,725 was Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No A900 KFR Fleet No 81 ‘Dominant’.
Powered by an eight cylinder Gardner 8LXCT 300 bhp engine it was driven from new by Bill Coolican and is pictured here coupled to a Carmichael 2000 cubic foot non tipping tri-axle powder tanker.
Registered for road use on the 1st of September 1983 it gave ten years service until it was scrapped in January 1993 with the engine removed and sold on to Hartwood Exports for the sum of £2,500.
On the left is another shot of Seddon Atkinson ‘400’ Series Reg No A900 KFR Fleet No 81 ‘Dominant’ while on the right is Seddon Atkinson ‘411’ Series Reg No E180 NBV Fleet No 29 ‘Britannia’.
Powered by Gardner 6LXDT 290 bhp engine E180 NBV was purchased new by Riding’s from Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 15th of April 1988 at a cost of £29,355 22p plus vat and registered for road use two weeks later on the 1st of May 1988.
Photograph courtesy of Marcus Lester.
Driven by Bill Coolican Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No A900 KFR Fleet No 81 ‘Dominant’ is seen hauling a Carmichael 2000 cubic foot tri-axle powder tanker.
It is pictured here while making its way off the M1 on to the M25 at Junction 21 on the day the link road opened in October 1986.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No A360 KFR Fleet No 80 ‘Majestic’ was a brand new addition to the fleet on the 1st of September 1983 at a cost of £23,369.90p.
It was powered by a Gardner 300 eight cylinder turbo engine, in line with a Fuller 11609 gearbox and Rockwell axle which was Riding’s standard spec at the time.
Pictured above parked in Accrington, while carrying a load of double decked pallets from ICI Wilton, it was driven from new by Albert Brown aka ‘Big Albert’ who lived in Accrington.
Albert drove for Riding’s for 28 years but unfortunately had a stroke whilst driving this particular vehicle over Blubberhouse resulting in it running off the road.
Sadly Albert never recovered enough to return to work and died shortly after.
As for A360 KFR it remained in service with Riding’s for 10 years after which time it was dismantled and the Gardner engine sold on to Hartwood exports of Barnsley for £2.500 plus vat on the 11th November 1993.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No A190 OCW Fleet No 58 ‘Resolute’ is pictured parked in the depot at Longridge one weekend in 1988.
Purchased new by Riding’s on the 15th of February 1984 at a cost of £24,146 plus vat it was first registered two weeks later on the 1st of March.
Seen here coupled to a forty foot tri-axle flat trailer loaded with sheet steel from the British Steel Corporation Dalzell Works plant at Motherwell it remained in service for nine years until April 1993 when it was scrapped and it’s Gardner 8LXB 300 bhp engine removed and sold on to Hartwood Exports for the sum of £2,500.
Photograph courtesy of Marcus Lester.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No A190 OCW Fleet No 58 ‘Resolute’ .
Powered by a Gardner 8LXB 300 bhp engine it is pictured on Whittingham Road Longridge with a load of Heinz goods whilst waiting to turn into the depot.
Photograph courtesy of the late Michael Deuchars.
Purchased new on the 20th of March 1984, at a cost of £24,255 plus vat, Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No A350 PCW Fleet No 82 ‘Jubilant’ is seen here rounding the roundabout at the Eastern end of the Skipton by-pass.
Powered by a Gardner 8LXCT 300 bhp engine and driven on a regular basis by Fred Squires it is pictured hauling a forty foot tri-axle trailer with a nice and tidy well sheeted 24 ton load of bagged cement from the Castle Cement plant at Clitheroe in Lancashire destined for their facility at Teesside.
After being in the fleet for over eight years it was broken up and scrapped in September 1992 with it’s Gardner 8LXCT engine sold on to Hartwood Exports for the sum of £2,100.
Photograph courtesy of the late Colin Wright.
A close up colour shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No A350 PCW Fleet No 82 ‘Jubilant’.
Seen her parked up in the yard at Longridge it is coupled up to a forty foot tr-axle trailer fully loaded with pallets of Heinz products from Wigan.
Photograph courtesy of the late Michael Deuchars.
Day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No A390 RFR Fleet No 84 ‘Borderer’ was powered by a Gardner 8LXCT 300 bhp engine.
Registered new on the 1st of June 1984 this particular tractor unit operated 24 hours a day and had quite a busy life.
During the day it would run from Penrith taking Heinz products up to the Dundee area and would then reload steel from BSC Dalzell Works at Motherwell back to Penrith.
On nights it would bring its loaded trailer of steel down to Longridge, take a trailer to Teesside and bring one back to Longridge, and then collect its own trailer for the following day and take it back home up to Penrith.
It was allocated to Peter Fallowfield on days and is seen here at close to the old depot at Summerlee Road Wishaw while loaded with steel plates from the British Steel Corporation plant at Motherwell.
Photograph courtesy of the late Michael Deuchars.
Another shot of day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No A390 RFR Fleet No 84 ‘Borderer’..
Powered by a Gardner 8LXCT 300 bhp engine and registered new on the 1st of June 1984 this particular tractor unit operated 24 hours a day.
During the day A390 RFR ran from Penrith taking Heinz products up to the Dundee area and would then reload steel from Dalzell Works at Motherwell back down to Penrith.
On nights it would bring its loaded trailer of steel down to Longridge, take another to Teesside and bring one back to Longridge, and then collect its own trailer for the following day and take it back home up to Penrith.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No B131 TND Fleet No 6 ‘El Capitan’ (Chassis No 77701) was driven on days by Ted Bamber and originally registered new by Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 12th of November 1984.
This particular tractor unit was actually a prototype built by Seddon Atkinson that was fitted with a Pegaso 360 engine in line with a 16 speed ZF gearbox.
Seddon Atkinson sent it to Riding’s where it underwent extended fuel consumption and reliability trials and was used on days on the North East runs and Motherwell trunk on nights running 24 hours a day for a two and a half years.
In April 1987 Seddon Atkinson decided to stop the trials and sold it on to Riding’s for the sum of £7,500 plus vat, the only drawback being that it had a long cable gear change which was heavy and was the worst aspect of the tractor unit.
In October 1988 the Pegaso 360 engine suffered a major failure and was replaced by a Cummins E290 engine after which time it remained in the fleet for a further four years.
On the 6th of August 1992 B131 TND was sold on to J Griffin, City Link Carriers, 6 Ribble Road Blackpool for the sum of £2,000 plus vat who ran it for a further three years until October 1995.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No B131 TND Fleet No 6 ‘El Capitan’ is pictured here again this time at Wakefield in West Yorkshire.
Driven on days by Ted Bamber this particular tractor unit was a prototype built by Seddon Atkinson who registered it new on the 12th of November 1984.
Powered by a Pegaso 360 engine in line with a 16 speed ZF gearbox it was sent to Riding’s on extended fuel consumption and reliability trials were it was used 24 hours.
On days it was allocated to North East runs and Motherwell trunk on nights.
It is shown here one weekend on a unusual job, loading railway lines at Wakefield destined for Skipton.
An on the road shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No B131 TND Fleet No 6 ‘El Capitan’ seen here heading South on the A19 near Stockton on Tees.
Running 24 hours a day it was allocated to North East runs during the day and was used on Motherwell trunk on nights.
On the 6th of August 1992 B131 TND was sold on to J Griffin, City Link Carriers, 6 Ribble Road Blackpool for the sum of £2,000 plus vat.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No B800 YFR Fleet No 75 ‘Great Western’, powered by a Gardner 8LXCT 300 bhp engine,was purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Motors on the 17th of February 1985 at a cost of £26,594 and registered for road use on the 1st of March.
It is pictured here coupled to a forty foot tri-axle flat platform trailer delivering the last 4 bags of cement to a ship berthed in Tees dock. which was part of an order for over 40,000 tons from Castle Cement at Clitheroe which went to the Ascension Islands to build a runway after the Falklands war.
In April 1992 it was withdrawn from the fleet after suffering serious accident damage while parked in the depot at Longridge and was broken up and scrapped two months later in June 1992.
Day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No B240 VCW Fleet No 25 ‘Night Hawk’, powered by a Gardner 8LXCT 300 engine, was purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 17th of August 1984 at a cost of £24,826 plus vat and was first registered two weeks later on the 1st of September.
This tractor unit spent its life running 24 hours a day, driven on nights by the late Ken Fryer, and on days by long time serving Riding’s driver Paul Smith who is pictured here after coming in to the depot with a max load of Heinz products from Wigan for onward movement to Scotland.
After nine years service B240 VCW was withdrawn and scrapped on the 1st of April 1993 with it’s Gardner 8LXCT engine sold on to Hartwood exports for £2,500 plus vat.
The late Ken Fryer is pictured at the wheel of day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No B240 VCW Fleet No 25 ‘Night Hawk’
Loaded with 20 tons of steel tubing it is seen here on a filthy freezing winters night heading North on the M6 to Riding’s Motherwell depot on night trunk.
This picture was in an article which featured in Truck & Driver magazine in May 1985.
Another shot of day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No B240 VCW Fleet No 25 ‘Night Hawk’ which was purchased new by Riding’s on the 17th of August 1984 at a cost of £24,826.
Seen here parked up for he weekend in Longridge Depot in 1988 it is coupled up to one of the many tri-axle curtain sider trailer’s that Riding’s operated at that time.
A young Tom Russell takes time out for a photograph at Longridge depot one Saturday morning in 1986.
The picture was taken by his Grandfather the late Brian Sheliker who drove for Riding’s for a number of years but sadly passed away on the 20th of June 2016 aged 86.
On the left is day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No B240 VCW Fleet No 25 ‘Night Hawk’ while on the right is Seddon Atkinson 400 Series 4X2 tractor unit Reg No WCK 620Y Fleet No 67 ‘Thane of Fife’.
Day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No B520 VCK Fleet No 85 ‘Caledonian’ was fitted with a Gardner 8LXCT 300 engine in line with a Fuller 11609 gearbox.
Purchased from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 17th of August 1984, at a cost of £24,826 90p plus vat, this particular tractor unit spent its working life on Motherwell change over during the night while shunting trailers to Lancashire and the Midlands during the day.
It was driven on nights by Thurston Greenall and on days by Tom Ibison who were both long serving Riding’s drivers.
It was finally laid to rest on the 10th of August 1993 with it’s Gardner 8LXCT 300 engine unusually sold on to well known Scammell operator S. Harrison of Sheffield for £2,700 plus vat.
Under normal circumstances virtually all of Riding’s old Gardner engines which were removed after the vehicles were scrapped were sold on to Hartwood Exports who in turn exported them to the far East to power junks in Hong Kong Harbour.
Another shot of day cabbed Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No B520 VCK Fleet No 85 ‘Caledonian’.
Fitted with a Gardner 8LXCT 300 engine in line with a Fuller 11609 gearbox it is seen here in the yard at Longridge loaded with sheet steel from the British Steel Corporation Dalzell Works plant at Motherwell.
Note the Carefoot Seddon Atkinson tipper in the adjacent yard operated by Walter Carefoot who was the late Jim Riding’s brother-in-law.
A Seddon Atkinson publicity shot taken inside the TIMAX distribution centre at Squires Gate Blackpool in 1985.
Seddon Atkinson 401 4X2 tractor unit Reg No B380 YRN Fleet No 86 ‘Great Northern’ was fitted with a Gardner 8LXCT 300 engine and was purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 17th of February 1985 at a cost of £25,412 and first registered for road use the following month on the 1st of March.
After the photo shoot it was based at Riding’s Teesside depot where it was allocated to driver Joe Keir and was normally involved on the Wilton – Pontypool movement of Nylon chip running in tandem with Seddon Atkinson 401 Reg No B 800 YFR.
An on the road shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 4X2 tractor unit Reg No B380 YRN Fleet No 86 ‘Great Northern’ which was fitted with a Gardner 8LXCT 300 engine.
Purchased new by Riding’s on the 17th of February 1985 at a cost of £25,412 and was first registered for road use on the 1st of March 1985.
Driven from new by Joe Keir, and based at Riding’s Teesside depot, this particular tractor unit was normally involved on the Wilton – Pontypool movement of Nylon chip running in tandem with Seddon Atkinson 401 Reg No B 800 YFR.
In this particular instance it is seen here on a different job while heading South on the A1 at the old Wetherby roundabout in West Yorkshire.
It is hauling a 20 foot tandem axle skeletal trailer carrying a 20 foot ISO chemical tank on its way to the American Air Force base at Lakenheath in Suffolk.
On arrival at Lakenheath it swapped trailer’s so they could use the product as and when required, returning home to Teesside with the previously dropped trailer.
After being in service for seven years B380 YRN was scrapped in September 1992 at which time it’s Gardner 8LXCT engine was removed and sold on to Hartwood Exports of Barnsley.
Photograph courtesy of Roy Beecher.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C850 GFV Fleet No 88 ‘Challenger’ was purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 7th of August 1985 at a cost of £26,496 and was first registered for road use some three weeks later on the 1st of September 1985.
Powered by a Gardner 6LYT 320 16 litre engine it is pictured above on the fuel island in Longridge depot with driver John Fawcett aka ‘Cumberland John’ next to the fuel pump fueling up his motor parked on the right, Seddon Atkinson 4-11 4×2 tractor unit Reg No E470 NFV Fleet No 18 ‘Apollo, while mechanic Simon Crook is seen on the left.
After eight years service C850 GFV was sold on the 23rd of December 1993 to J.C. Commercials of Bootle Liverpool for the sum of £2,075 plus vat.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C850 GFV Fleet No 88 ‘Challenger’ seen here parked in the depot at Longridge loaded and ready for the off the following morning.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C200 HRN Fleet No 94 ‘Ark Royal’ was powered by the reliable Gardner 6 LYT 16 litre 320 engine.
Purchased new on the 26th of June 1985, at a cost of £26,496 it was not registered until just over three months later on the 1st of October due to a down turn in business at the time.
Out based at the Runcorn works of ICI Ltd it was driven all of it’s life by the late Jack Kelly who lived in Widnes.
Pictured here at Longridge depot, coupled to a Carmichael 2000 cubic foot non tipping tank, the outfit spent its life doing a load a day down to YIP at Swindon in Wiltshire.
Jack, who had previously driven 180 and 240 Gardner’s, could not believe the power that the big Gardner 320 delivered and said to Tom Riding that he looked for hills to climb to experience the power of the engine.
At the end of its working life after eight years at Riding’s C200 HRN was sold to J.C. Commercials of Bootle Liverpool on the 23rd of December 1993 for the sum of £2,075 plus vat
Seddon Atkinson 401 4X2 tractor unit Reg No C300 HFV Fleet No 63 ‘Great Britain’ was originally fitted with a Gardner 6LYT320 16 litre engine.
Purchased new on the 12th of August 1985 at a cost of £26,496 it was not registered until the 1st of October 1985,.
Based at Riding’s Thornaby Teesside depot it was driven from new by Jimmy Renton but in February 1994 the normally reliable Gardner engine suffered a catastrophic failure which was replaced with a 14 litre Cummins E290
Pictured above it is coupled to a Carmichael 2000 cubic foot non tipping tri-axle powder tanker was used on the countrywide delivery of plastic products from ICI Ltd Wilton.
After nine years service C300 HFV was sold on to J.C. Commercials of Bootle on the 4th of November 1994 for the sum of £2,250 plus vat
Photograph courtesy of Roy Beecher.
Another superb shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 4X2 tractor unit Reg No C300 HFV Fleet No 63 ‘Great Britain’.
Seen here heading South on the A92 in Scotland it is coupled to a Carmichael 2000 cubic foot non tipping tri-axle powder tanker which was used on the countrywide delivery of plastic products from ICI Ltd Wilton.
After nine years service C300 HFV was sold on to J.C. Commercials of Bootle for £2,250 plus vat on the 4th of November 1994.
Photograph courtesy of renown lorry photographer Peter J Davies.
A winters shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 4X2 tractor unit Reg No C300 HFV Fleet No 63 ‘Great Britain’ seen here with driver Neal Dunning from Thornaby depot stuck in snow on the A59 outside Skipton.
Driver Mick Spencer, who took the photograph, recalls…..
“Three of our night trunk drivers, Neal Dunning, Eric Spence, & John Aspinall were all stranded due to the heavy snow that night.
I picked all three of them up, from Skipton police station, and took them back to my house for the night.
I gave them all a good breakfast in the morning then took them back to their vehicles the next day when the road had been cleared.
Happy Days”.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C970 JBV Fleet No 97 ‘Polar Star’ was purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd Oldham on the 22nd of August 1985 at a cost of £26,458 but was not registered until just over two months later on the 1st of November 1985.
Driven by Fred Bretherton it was powered by the reliable Gardner 6LYT 16 litre 320 engine and is seen here at Hayes Pipes of Lurgan in Northern Ireland.
The late Tom Riding recalled….
“Sometimes our drivers had to shift a fair bit of rubbish to get access to their delivery point’s as this picture clearly shows”.
After nine and a half years service C970 JBV was sold on to J.C. Commercials of Bootle on the 7th of April 1995 for the sum of £2,500 plus vat.
Photograph courtesy of Fred Bretherton.
A close up shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C970 JBV Fleet No 97 ‘Polar Star’ which was driven Fred Bretherton.
Registered new on the 1st of November 1985, and powered by a Gardner 6LYT 16 litre 320 engine, it is pictured here parked in the depot at Longridge while coupled to a Carmichael 2000 cubic foot non tipping tri-axle powder tanker.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C980 JCK Fleet No 30 ‘Patriot’ was purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Vehicle Ltd on the 2nd of September 1985 at a cost of £26,458 50p but was not registered for road use until the 1st of November that year.
Pictured above, coupled to an EVC liveried 2000 cubic foot non tipping tri-axle powder tanker, built by Carmichael it was powered by a Gardner 6LYT 16 litre 320 engine.
Fitted with blowing equipment C980 JCK was driven from new by the late Jimmy Holden who had been another long time Riding’s man.
Photograph courtesy of Geoff Milne
Another fine shot showing Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C980 JCK Fleet No 30 ‘Patriot’ seen here later in life.
A brand new addition to the fleet on the 2nd of September 1985, at a cost of £26,458 50p, it was powered by a Gardner 6LYT 16 litre 320 engine, and was driven from new by the late Jimmy Holden.
Pictured above parked in the depot at Longridge, coupled up to a 1540 cubic foot Crane Fruehauf powder tanker, it was late in 1992 when C980 JCK was finally withdrawn from service and rather than being sold on was for some reason broken up for parts as can be seen here.
C980 JCK was broken up in the depot at Longridge with the Gardner 6LYT 16 litre 320 engine sold on to Hartwood Exports for a customer in Hong Kong while the cab was sold on to Longton Coach Craft of Preston.
Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C490 JHG Fleet No 10 ‘Relentless’ was registered new by Riding’s on the 1st of December 1985.
Powered by the reliable Gardner 6LYT 16 litre 320 engine it is seen here when relatively new parked in the depot coupled to a tri-axle flat trailer loaded with steel plate from the British Steel Corporation plant at Motherwell.
Photograph courtesy of Geoff Milne.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C490 JHG Fleet No 10 ‘Relentless’.
Pictured here in later days you will notice how the Seddon Atkinson logo has faded away, a common problem which occurred with the front grills of the 401 Series.
Registered new on the 1st of December 1985 it is pictured in Longridge depot while coupled up to a forty foot tri-axle flat trailer loaded with steel castings.
Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C50 OBV Fleet No 72 ‘Vulcan’ was powered by a Gardner 6LYT 16 litre 320 engine.
Purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 13th of May 1986 at a cost of £27,468 plus vat it was driven from new by Alan Bretherton and used on general haulage.
Pictured above with a fully loaded tri-axle flat trailer it was later involved in an accident coming out of Edinburgh when unfortunately it went off the road into a ditch resulting in a twisted chassis which resulted in the vehicle being totally written off as can be seen in this photograph here. >>
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C50 OBV Fleet No 72 ‘Vulcan’.
Fitted with a Gardner 6LYT 16 litre 320 engine it is pictured here in Longridge on the 14th of February 1993 with a full load of GKN pallets destined for the Heinz factory at Wigan.
Photograph courtesy of Chris Richards.
A superb on the road shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C50 OBV Fleet No 72 ‘Vulcan’ captured heading South on the M1 as it passes the Toddington Service area in Bedfordshire in 1991.
It was later involved in an accident coming out of Edinburgh when unfortunately it went off the road into a ditch resulting in the vehicle being totally written off.
Fortunately it’s Gardner 6LYT 320 engine was undamaged in the accident and was removed on the 1st of April 1993 and transferred into Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D400 SRN Fleet No 33 ‘Lord of the Isles’
Photograph courtesy of the renowned lorry photographer Peter J Davies
Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C450 OCK Fleet No 32 ‘Illustrious’ powered by a Gardner 6LYT 16 litre 320 engine, was purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 23rd of April 1986 at a cost of £27,468 plus vat and was first registered on the 1st of June 1986
Seen here parked up on the M6 Motorway Southwaite Service area in Cumbria it is hauling a tri-axle Murfitt 1600 cubic foot non tipping powder tank.
Driven from new by Ken Marle, a man with many years service at Riding’s, he is pictured in the passenger seat while having his statutory break.
After seven years service C450 OCK was withdrawn and scrapped on the 22nd of March 1993 after being written off in a serious accident.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D570 SFR Fleet No 27 ‘Valliant II’ was powered by a 16 litre Gardner 6LYT engine and registered for road use on the 1st of August 1986 after being purchased brand new some two months earlier from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 30th of May 1986 at a cost of £27,468.90 plus vat.
Driven from new by John Kellett it is pictured here parked up for the weekend in the depot at Longridge while coupled up to a fully loaded forty foot tri-axle flat trailer ready for the off first thing Monday morning.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D570 SFR Fleet No 27 ‘Valliant II’, powered by a 16 litre Gardner 6LYT engine is seen here again parked in the depot at Longridge.
First registered for road use on the 1st of August 1986 it is seen here after being in service for six years while coupled up to a fully loaded forty foot tri-axle trailer on the 21st of November 1992.
Photograph courtesy of Chris Richards.
An on the road shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D570 SFR Fleet No 27 ‘Valliant II’.
Driven from new by John Kellet it is seen here approaching the southern end of the A59 Skipton by-pass hauling a York built pillar less tandem axle curtain-sider trailer.
Photograph courtesy of the late Colin Wright.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D880 SHG Fleet No 90 ‘Cock o’The North’ (Chassis No FC 80975) was purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 18th of July 1986 at a cost of £30,023 plus vat but was not registered until over two months later on the 1st of September that year.
The late Tom Riding recalled below……..
“I seem to remember this was the first Gardner 6LXDT we operated and it covered a massive amount of mileage with no problems.
This engine had been built at Patricroft before they decided to have them built by London Transport workshops an act of folly which caused many problems with subsequent engines until production reverted back to Patricroft.
This particular tractor unit spent years on the Bainbridge contract running to Enfield and back on nights and Birmingham and back on days.
Paul Spearritt drove it from new on nights and Neil Jackson was it’s day man.
Another interesting fact is that the Bridgestone M711 pattern tyres fitted when new on the drive axle did a massive 262.000 miles with just a re-groove.”
Withdrawn at the end of April 1993 Reg No D880 SHG was used as a yard shunter at Longridge for six months until it was scrapped in October 1993 after which time it was scrapped and it’s Gardner 6LXDT engine sold on to Hartwood Exports for £1,900.
An on the road shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D880 SHG Fleet No 90 ‘Cock o’The North’ (Chassis No FC 80975) seen here heading South on the M6 near Stoke on Trent in 1988.
Purchased new on the 18th of July 1986 at a cost of £30,023 plus vat it was not registered until over two months later on the 1st of September and then spent years on the Bainbridge Exhaust contract running to Enfield and back on nights and Birmingham and back on days.
Paul Spearritt drove it from new on nights and Neil Jackson was it’s day man.
Photograph courtesy of Roger Pickering.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D400 SRN Fleet No 33 ‘Lord of the Isles’ was powered by a Gardner 6LXDT engine in line with a Fuller twin splitter gearbox.
Purchased new on the 17th of August 1986 at a cost £30,023 80p plus vat and first registered the following month on the 1st of September it is seen here as a dedicated Timax contract motor pulling a 40 foot tandem axle taut-liner trailer.
On the 1st of April 1993 it’s original engine was removed and a Gardner 6LYT 320 out of the wreck of Seddon Atkinson 401 4×2 tractor unit Reg No C50 OBV Fleet No 72 ‘Vulcan’ was fitted in its place.
The unit at this time was also uplifted from 32 to 38 tons GVW after which time it was assigned to the general haulage fleet.
In August 1995 it was decided to scrap D400 SRN with its cab transferred on to Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D570 SFR Fleet No 27 ‘Valliant II’.
‘Quite an eventful life’.
Another shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D400 SRN Fleet No 33 ‘Lord of the Isles’ which was purchased new on the 17th of August 1986.
This on the road shot was taken on the A74 near Lockerbie in Scotland as it headed South on a winters day in 1987.
Seen here in April 1993 Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D30 MVR Fleet No 67 ‘Thane Of Fife’, powered by a Cummins big cam E320 engine, was originally registered new on the 1st of December 1986.
Pictured at the Bainbridge exhaust plant, at Glasson Dock near Lancaster on the 28th of August 1995 , driver the late Ronnie Williams is about to depart in Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D30 MVR Fleet No 67 ‘Thane Of Fife’ hauling a tandem axle curtain-sider trailer in Bainbridge Silencers contract livery.
Registered new on the 1st of December 1986 D30 MVR had originally been a Seddon Atkinson demonstrator tractor unit first purchased by R.J. Rich of Longridge and was purchased by Riding’s when three years old on the 25th of October 1989 for the sum of £3,000 plus vat.
After being in the fleet for seven years it was sold on to .J.C Commercials of Liverpool for the sum of £1,5000 plus vat.
Photograph courtesy of Chris Richards.
An on the road shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D30 MVR Fleet No 67 ‘Thane Of Fife’ sees it running solo on the A585 as it leaves Fleetwood on the 16th of June 1993.
Photograph courtesy of Chris Richards.
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D70 XBV Fleet No 52 ‘Lode Star II’ was registered new on the 1st of February 1987 at a cost of £27,878 52p plus vat.
Powered by a Gardner 6LXDT engine, in line with a Fuller twin splitter gearbox, it was driven from new by long time serving Riding’s driver Norman Brewer and was used on the Timax contract as a day roamer but would have also been used on nights when it was available.
This particular tractor unit was fitted with a new Gardner 6LXDT engine on the 7th of December 1989 after unusually suffering a premature engine failure.
After seven years service with Riding’s D70 XBV was finally sold on the 4th of November 1994 for £2,250 plus vat to J.C. Commercials of Bootle.
Driver Norman Brewer prepares leave the depot in Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D70 XBV Fleet No 52 ‘Lode Star II’.
Registered new on the 1st of February 1987 at a cost of £27,87852p plus vat it was powered by a Gardner 6LXDT engine in line with a Fuller twin splitter gearbox and remained in service with Riding’s for seven years.
Photograph courtesy of Geoff Milne.
Registered new on the 1st of March 1987 Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D100 XHG Fleet No 69 ‘Hotspur II’ was powered by a Gardner 6LXDT 290 engine.
It was driven from new by the late Richard Walton who was another life time Riding’s man.
D100 XHG is seen here resting at Penrith while coupled up to a 1540 cubic foot Crane Fruehauf tanker that had been converted from a tandem axle to a tri-axle configuration.
The particular outfit at the time was based in Penrith and was used on Castle Cement work doing two trips every 24 hours between Clitheroe and Coatbridge.
D100 XHG was sold on the 18th August 1995 to J.C. Commercials of Liverpool for £2,200 plus vat and must have been almost the last vehicle that Tom Riding sold before his retirement in October 1995.
Another picture of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D100 XHG Fleet No 69 ‘Hotspur II’ which was registered new on the 1st of March 1987.
Pictured in the depot at Longridge it is seen here after just coupling up to a fully loaded forty foot tri-axle trailer as driver, the late Richard Walton, winds the landing gear up before departing.
After eight years service with Riding’s D100 XHG was withdrawn and sold on the 18th August 1995 to J.C. Commercials of Liverpool for £2,200 plus vat.
Photograph courtesy of Geoff Milne.
An on the road shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D100 XHG Fleet No 69 ‘Hotspur II’
Loaded with steel plate from the British Steel Corporation Dalzell Works plant at Motherwell it is pictured here rejoining the M6 South at Junction 12 in Staffordshire after the driver has probably had his break at the Hollies cafe on the nearby A5.
Photograph courtesy of Roger Pickering
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D950 XFV Fleet No 19 ‘Flying Dutchman II’ was purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd on the 6th of February 1987 at a cost of £27,094 plus vat and was registered the following month on the 6th of March.
Powered by a Gardner 270 engine it was driven from new by Ted Dixon.
Chris Richards, who took this picture on the 25th of July 1992 when D950 XFV was five years old, captured it just coming off the fuel island at Longridge depot.
Originally, when brand new, this vehicle was one of several in the Riding fleet that were used on contract to Solrec and painted in the company’s striking yellow livery as can be seen in this picture taken in the depot at Longridge>>
Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D60 WRN Fleet No 26 ‘Sans Pareil II’ was the last 401 Series to enter service with Riding’s shortly before the updated 4-11 Series was launched by Seddon Atkinson.
Purchased new from Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Ltd 14th of January 1987 at a cost of £27,278 plus vat it was registered the following month on the 2nd of February 1987.
It is pictured above while coupled up to a tandem axle curtain-sider in the livery of Timax Exhaust Products with whom Riding’s had a major contract running out of the company’s production facilities located at Squires Gate Blackpool and Glasson Dock near Lancaster.
Towards the end of its working life at W & J Riding Reg No D60 WRN became the yard shunter within the depot at Longridge as can be seen here in this photograph taken in November 1994.
A nice on the road shot of Seddon Atkinson 401 Series 4×2 tractor unit Reg No D60 WRN Fleet No 26 ‘Sans Pareil II’
First registered on the 2nd of February 1987 it is seen here heading South down the M5 in Gloucestershire hauling a 40 foot tandem axle curtain-sider in the contract livery of Timax/Bainbridge Exhaust Products and was the last 401 Series to enter service with the company before the launch of Seddon Atkinson’s 4-11 Series.
