Dozerman has sent me this picture of an Aussie Atki and he says: "Well Hi there Brian, after a few monthes of resto and parts search these resin cabs... Well the door handles, locks and window regulators are Leyland, the door hinges are Landrover Series II, vendor engines trannies radiators axles so not much 'Big A' and a lot less from the old country... These Ausssie Atkies are just a bit of what the lads could find and where they had credit!" And I'd be surpised if AtkiPete Lynch didn't respond to that.
"And I'd be surpised if AtkiPete Lynch didn't respond to that."
And so would I!!
Apparently leyland owned a small share in Atkinson and they obviously worked together on occasion eg the Atkinson fire engines built with the Ergonomic cab. I didnt know about the use of the Leyland and Land Rover door fittings and there is no mention of hardware on the original plans for the RP cab.
Leyland had something like a 20% share in Atkinson, and were pivotal in the company falling to Seddon.
Apparently several operators mounted a rearguard action to try to stave it off by buying shares themselves, but Leyland's stake was too great for them to overcome.
I'm not aware of any Atki/Leyland collaboration in the U.K. at all - perhaps Leyland just sold a couple of Ergomatic cabs for the Melbourne fire appliances?
I know a man who was the Spare Parts Manager for Atkinson in the early days and I will ask him about that aspect. The use of the Leyland door locks and window regulators suggests regular dealings between them, unless those parts were made by someone else.
The availablity of other engines, transmissions and components was due to customer demand and a "can do" attitude by Atkinson staff in Australia. Their Chief Engineer, Phil Smith studied developments in the US closely and was keen to introduce ideas and components from that market.