11 Facts About Seddon Atkinson

1.

Recent Seddon Atkinson vehicles were readily identifiable from other Iveco products because of the company's former Atkinson logo, a large letter 'A' within a circle, usually in chrome on the radiator grille.

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2.

The circular Seddon Atkinson logo dated from 1937, supplemented by the 'Knight Of The Road' badge between the early 1950s and late 1970.

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3.

Edward Seddon Atkinson had a glorified view of steam and did not acknowledge the warnings when sales began to slow down in the mid-1920s.

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4.

Edward Atkinson died in 1932 and a year later the firm he co-founded was acquired by London garage owner W G Allen, whose father had started Nightingale Garage.

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5.

Seddon Atkinson had a route with a peak vehicle requirement of two, and a peak load of just over 40 which was being run by a pair of 32-seat 1950 Guy Arab III half-cab single deckers due for overhaul.

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6.

In 1954 Seddon Atkinson lent Venture TTC882 a HV Burlingham bodied 44-seat bus which met with the approval of Venture's management and orders ensued for twenty-four vehicles delivered in three batches from 1955 to 1957 with differently styled B45F or DP41F Willowbrook bodies.

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7.

Later Seddon Atkinson codes included T3246RR for a 32-ton GCW Borderer with a Rolls-Royce Eagle engine.

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8.

Robert and Herbert Seddon Atkinson were sons of a Salford butcher who in 1919 subsequent to World War I demobilisation bought a Commer with charabanc and van bodies, using it during the week for goods transport and at weekends to run excursions from Salford.

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9.

In 1937 Robert Seddon Atkinson spotted a gap in the commercial vehicle market for low-tare diesel-engined lorries and commenced to build his own vehicle out of proprietary units, much of the drawing work being done on his own kitchen table.

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10.

Coachbuilders for these chassis included Plaxton and a number of smaller concerns, Seddon Atkinson built their own coachwork for these models, mainly for export.

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11.

In 1985 Seddon Atkinson held about five percent of the British truck market.

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