Scammell Scarab
The Scammell Scarab is a British 3-wheeled tractor unit produced by the truck manufacturer Scammell between 1948 and 1967. These vehicles are often known as "Snub-nose Trucks" or "Snub-nose Lorries" because of the round hood in front of the cab.
Development and production history
The
In the late 1920s, railway companies were looking for a suitable vehicle to use on their town parcels delivery traffic, which was predominantly horse-drawn. The
The Scammell Mechanical Horse, with its very 'square' wooden cab and steel chassis, remained largely unchanged until the late 1940s when the tractor section was redesigned, creating the Scammell Scarab, which featured the same successful automatic coupling from the original but now used the Scammell 2,090 cc side-valve engine in both the three- and six-ton versions. A diesel version was also introduced with a Perkins engine. The Scarab's cab was more rounded and made from steel including roof and windscreen panels pressed from steel tools obtained from Bedford that made up the roof of the 'O' type lorry.[3] With the engine being mounted lower and more centrally than in the Mechanical Horse, the Scarab was much more stable. The railways for which this style of vehicle was originally designed continued to be a primary customer, although there were many other users, the manoeuvrability proving popular for companies operating in city environments.
Scammell Townsman
Production of the Scarab ceased in 1967 and it was replaced with the
Pony Mecanique
The Scammell or "FAR" was also made under licence by the French company Chenard-Walcker and used the Citroën Traction Avant engine. Production of this version began in 1937; it was known in France as the Pony Mécanique. This continued in production, in various versions, until 1970.
Scarab Four
A four-wheel version of the Scarab was produced, named "Scarab Four". It was based on the Standard Atlas van chassis, later called the Leyland 20. This chassis was not well-adapted to the job and it was not a great success. The braking performance was much better than the three-wheel version but the independent front suspension gave a bouncy ride. Only a handful were sold in Britain but 60 were exported to South Africa and Macau.[4] There are no known surviving examples of the Scarab Four in the UK.
Preservation
Scammell Lorries produced approximately 30,000 Mechanical Horses of all types; of these, about 30 original Mechanical Horses, 60 Scarabs, and 30 Townsman are known to survive together with three Karrier Cobs and two Jen Tugs.[5] Examples may be seen at a number of museums and heritage railways. The Mechanical Horse Club (MHC) was established in 1983 to promote the preservation of Scammell three-wheelers. The MHC regularly have a display stand and several examples of the preserved vehicles within the commercial vehicles section at the annual Great Dorset Steam Fair.
The restoration of a Scarab to working order was the subject of a programme in the third series of
In fiction
Madge, a character from Thomas & Friends, is based on this vehicle.[8]
See also
Related developments:
- Scammell Mechanical Horse (Scammell)
- Scammell Townsman
- Karrier Cob (Karrier)
- Reliant Ant (Reliant)
An inventor of vans:
References
- ^ Engine Behind Cab in New Mechanical Horse Commercial Motor 17 September 1948
- ^ a b "The Scammell Scarab". The BR Chronicles Part 1: 1948-1952. Kelsey Media. 2021. p. 65.
- ^ Classic and vintage commercial magazine April 2016
- ISBN 1903016053pp 48–49
- ^ Mechanical Horse Club. (Accessed 8 Jan 2009)[permanent dead link]
- ^ Salvage Squad: Series 3, Programme 3 "Scammell Scarab" (Accessed 8 Jan 2009)
- ^ Mechanical Horse Club - News. Archived 21 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Pegnsean.net".
External links
(Some used as references)