Scammell Lorries Limited was a British manufacturer of lorries, particularly specialist and military off-road vehicles, between 1921 and 1988. From 1955 Scammell was part of Leyland Motors.
History
Scammell started as a late-Victorian period wheelwright and coach-building business, G Scammell & Nephew Ltd in Spitalfields, London. George Scammell, the founder, was joined by his nephew Richard and Richard's sons Alfred and James. By the early 1900s, the firm had become financially stable, providing maintenance to customers of Foden steam wagons. One such customer, Edward Rudd, had imported a Knox Automobile tractor from the United States, and impressed with its low weight/high hauling power had asked Scammell if they could make a similar model of their own.
However, the outbreak of World War I in 1914 stopped the project and presented itself as a turning point in road transport history. Mechanical transport was seen to work, proving its vast potential beyond doubt to forward-thinking companies such as Scammell. George Scammell's great nephew, Lt. Col. Alfred Scammell, was injured and invalided out of the army, and he was able to apply the practical experience he had gained during the war and began developing the articulated six wheeler. Percy G Hugh, chief designer, conceived the idea and at the 1920 Commercial Motor Show, 50 orders were taken for the new design. The vehicle's very low axle weight allowed it to carry payload legally at , rather than being limited to 5 mph.
Scammell Lorries
thumb|right|Scammell Scarab and trailer at [[Museum of the Great Western Railway, Swindon]]
thumb|1939 Scammell [[Scammell Pioneer|R100 artillery tractor]]
Scammell started production of the 7.5-ton articulated vehicle in 1920. Needing to move to new premises, Scammell & Nephew floated a new company, Scammell Lorries Ltd in July 1922, with Lt. Col. Scammell as managing director. The new firm built a new factory at Tolpits Lane, Watford, next to Watford West railway station on the branch line from to . The original company remained in business in Fashion Street, Spitalfields refurbishing and bodybuilding until taken over in 1965 by York Trailer Co.
In 1929, Scammell designed and manufactured the "100 Tonner" low loader. Only two were produced; the first was delivered to Marston Road Services, Liverpool, for the transportation of steam engines to Liverpool docks. Scammell were also looking for new markets, and diversified into four- and six-wheel rigid (nonarticulated) designs. The 'Rigid Six-wheeler' found some success and, with its balloon tyres, at last permitted sustained high-speed, long-distance road operation.
In 1934, Scammell produced the three-wheeled Mechanical Horse, designed by Oliver North to replace horses in rail, postal and other delivery applications. This featured automatic carriage coupling and the single front wheel could be steered through 360 degrees. It was sold in three- and six-ton versions. The three-tonner was powered by a 1,125-cc side-valve petrol engine and the six-tonner by a 2,043-cc engine. Karrier had introduced a similar vehicle, the Cob, four years earlier.
From 1937, a Citroën Traction Avant powered version was made under licence in France, by Chenard-Walcker-FAR, known as the Pony Mécanique. This continued in production, in various versions, until 1970.
In the late 1940s, the Mechanical Horse was superseded by the Scammell Scarab, with similar features, but a much less angular cab and now with a 2,090-cc, side-valve petrol engine in both models and a diesel version with a Perkins engine.
thumb|Scammell Advertisement in The Railway Gazette 9 July 1948
The company mainly concentrated on articulated and rigid eight-wheeler lorries, from the 1920s. One vehicle not in those lines that became well-known was the 6×4 Pioneer. This was an off-highway, heavy haulage tractor, first produced in 1927. It showed outstanding cross-country performance due to the design that included the patent beam bogie rear axle, with of vertical movement for each of the rear wheels. This design was the work of Oliver Danson North. The Pioneer proved popular in the oil field and forestry (logging) markets, and formed the basis of the British Army's World War II R100 30-ton tank transporter. With the outbreak of war, development of new vehicles stopped and production concentrated on military Pioneers for use as artillery tractors, recovery and transporter vehicles.
In 2024, British-based On Scene magazine featured an interview with Dave Crouch of UK firm Crouch Recovery, who, despite the advances elsewhere, still highly praises anything which carries a Scammell badge. So much so that they have amassed a large collection of older recovery vehicles and later model classics that are restored for posterity, and in many cases could still go to work if required.
Leyland Group subsidiary
thumb|right|Scammell Townsman at the Shildon Lorry Museum
thumb|[[Scammell Routeman 8x4 tipper with Michelotti-designed GRP cab]]
thumb|right|Scammell Commander [[6x4 (drivetrain)|6×4 tractor unloads in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Shield]]
Post war, foreign competition and rationalisation of the UK manufacturers led to Scammell coming under Leyland Motors in 1955. This provided access to ready-made components within the Leyland group, allowing the replacement of the "lightweight" range with the:
- Highwayman: bonneted 4x2
- Routeman: forward control 8-wheeler
- Handyman: forward control 4x2
Both the tractor units could be configured up to 50 tons (50.8 Tonnes or 55 short tons), and complemented by the full range of Scammell trailers made at the Moor Park works, allowed the company to continue production in specialist and military markets.
In the 1960s, Scammell contracted Giovanni Michelotti to design its cabs, resulting in a series of glass-reinforced plastic "spring"-like designs. The first to be redesigned was the Routeman, followed by the Handyman. In 1967, the 'Scarab' was replaced by the 'Townsman', which also had a GRP body. The factory also designed the 6x4 Contractor equipped with a Cummins 335 engine, Lipe clutch and Fuller semi-automatic gearbox, that went into production in 1964. Offered with a choice of Leyland 24 tonne or Scammell 30 and 40 tonne bogies, the Contractor was popular in the UK for 240+ ton GTW operation, overseas heavy haul, and with the military for tank transport.
The 1970s started with a reorganisation of the Leyland Group, with heavy haul after the closure of the old Thornycroft works in 1972 concentrated on the newly named Scammell Motors site at Watford. The Thornycroft 6x4 Nubian heavy dumptruck was the first transfer inwards, regularly adapted for the military, followed by the lighter LD55 6x4 dumptruck. Equipped with Cummins NT 350 or 400 engine, the S24 could be specified from 40 tonnes GVW to more than 200 tonnes GTW. Scammell also gained the contract to develop and build the eight-wheeled version of the Roadtrain called the Constructor 8 model. This also allowed Scammell to develop and produce the complementary S26 range of heavy-haul 4x2, 6x2 and 6x4 tractors, which was a parts-bin build from the Roadtrain and 24 components. It sold the site for redevelopment, and further sold the rights to manufacture (but not the rights to the name nor the premises) of the S24, Nubian, Crusader, and Commander to Alvis Unipower. They opened a new plant in West Watford, offering ongoing support and spare parts for Scammell vehicles. Eighteen were built, to varying specifications (not all had the body fitted, for example), between December 1945 and September 1948. Seventeen have been preserved. There are many look-alike Scammell tractors, but genuine Showtracs had a special "Showtrac" badge on the radiator, and a full-width cab.
{|class=wikitable
|-
!Number
!Registration
!Name
!Chassis No.
!Original owner
!Built
!Notes
|-
|1||DWN 766||HIS MAJESTY||6032||Henry Studt & Sons, Swansea||December 1945||
Preserved by Roger Austin, Raunds, Northamptonshire, then his family.
|-
|2||HAU 964|| ||6109||Henry Armstrong, Nottingham||April 1946||Preserved by Russell Cook.
|-
|3||EDL 111||KING||6074||Arnold Brothers, Isle of Wight||May 1946||Sold to the Tommy Benson Fun Fair Outfit in 1953, still owned by the family.
|-
|4||ACF 38|| ||6108||Cyril English, West Suffolk||May 1946||Preserved by Joe Corbett.
|-
|5||CU 4667||UNIQUE||6111||John Powell, South Shields||May 1946||The Powell family auctioned this Showtrac on Friday, 25 September 2009, for £46,000 to Pete Sanders of Barnstaple, Devon.
|-
|6||HTO 221||PROGRESS-LEGEND||6114||Hibble & Mellors, Nottingham||June 1946||Operated by E.L. Morley's Super Plesure Fairs, Salford, from 1964, preserved by Neil B. Padgett from 1973 to 1982, then by Tom Nicholson up to around 1997, then bought by present owners, Neil & Freda Corner, Leyburn, County Durham. Purchased in 2016 by Carters Steam Fair.
|-
|7||HRL 121||KING CARNIVAL<br>CITY OF BRISTOL||6115||J. Rowland & Sons, Cornwall||June 1946||Restored. Still owned by the Rowland family, St. Blazey, Nr. St. Austell. Cornwall.
|-
|8||DDT 181||WEST RIDING||6173||Frank Harniess, Doncaster||June 1946||Sold to showman Harry Wigfield in 1969, eventually preserved by Roger Austin. Still owned by his family.
|-
|9||DDT 180|| ||6188||Tom Harniess, Doncaster||July 1946||Sold to showman Gordon Eddy in 1967; he named it "Melray" after his two sons, Melvin and Raymond. Scrapped in 1969 at Selby, but was later rebuilt from parts, being unveiled in 2025.
|-
|10||GUR 148|| ||6189||John Flanagan, Watford||July 1946||Went to the Alice Webb Fun Fair Outfit, then bought by Roger Austin in 1989 and restored. Still owned by his family.
|-
|11||DCO 212||GLADIATOR||6190||Anderton & Rowland, Plymouth||August 1946||Still owned by Anderton & Rowland – George DeVey – can be seen (on loan) at Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre, Lifton Devon.
|-
|12||DCO 265||DRAGON||6209||Anderton & Rowland, Plymouth||August 1946||Still owned by Anderton & Rowland Fun Fair – Colin DeVey – can be seen (on loan) at Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre, Lifton Devon.
|-
|13||KDH 141||THE LEADER||6210||Demonstrator for Showtrac Dealer, Harrison's, from new||September 1946 to 1949|| on Trade Plates, then sold to Pat Collins, Walsall. Went out of service in 1966, bought by showman Pepper Biddall in 1989. It was restored and is now owned by John & Alf Biddall.
|-
|14||EWN 437||GEORGE V||6357||John Studt & Sons, Swansea||June 1947||Was bought by showman E.T. Studt later on, preserved by a Doctor Williams from 1974, passed on to Micky Harris, but the current owner is Pete Sanders of Barnstaple, Devon.
|-
|15||LDH 253||THE MAJOR||6358||Clara Collins, Walsall||June 1947||Worked until 1976, went to the Barry Island Amusement Park, was restored to some extent and attended the Much Marcle Rally in 1980 and the 1981 Nottingham Goose Fair. Now preserved by Russell Cook.
|-
|16||JYA 962||JOHN BULL||6317||Anderton & Rowland, Plymouth||September 1947||Still owned by Anderton & Rowland – Ernie DeVey – can be seen (on loan) at Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre, Lifton Devon.
|-
|17||JFJ 367||THE SHOWMAN||6656||Anderton & Rowland, Plymouth||July 1948||Anderton & Rowland only had this fairground lorry for a short while, it went back to Harrison's, the Scammell Showtrac Dealers, who sold it to the travelling fun fair outfit of Mrs. A Deakin. Neil Corner bought it in 1974 for restoration and preservation, then sold it to B. Herbert of North Humberside. Owned by Colin Jones of Lyme Regis who restored much of the coach work and engine, now currently owned by Malcolm Holder.
|-
|18||JFJ 457||CITY OF EXETER||6595||T. Whitelegg & Sons, Plymouth||September 1948||Preserved by Peter Startup, but was restored by fairground vehicle enthusiast Robbie Richards of Redruth, Cornwall. He bought this Showtrac in 2005. Now owned by enthusiast Kevin Gamlen of Bristol.
|-
|}
Handyman
thumb|Scammell Contractor hauling a Conqueror ARV2 FV222 Tank Recovery Vehicle (REME owned)
The Handyman initially used a glass-fibre cab designed by Scammell – for the Mark 2 and 3 versions a new Michelotti-designed "cheesegrater" fibreglass cab as used on the 2nd and 3rd versions of the Routeman Rigid was fitted.
Early versions were equipped with Scammell's own "gate-change" gearbox but subsequent versions were fitted with AEC and David Brown gearboxes.
Engines fitted included the Leyland 680, Gardner 150 and Rolls-Royce 220.
thumb|right|Scammell Contractor hauling an [[LSWR S15 class steam locomotive from Barry Scrapyard for preservation at the Bluebell Railway in October 1978]]
Trunker
The Trunker was a three-axle version of the Handyman.
Contractor
The Contractor was a 6x4 tractor used by various operators including the Australian Army as a tank transporter or as heavy haulage, usually engineering plant for the Royal Australian Engineers. The Australian military units were configured with 335HP Cummins diesel engines and pneumocyclic gearboxes. While one of the trials vehicles which served in the Vietnam War was branded with the Scammell name, most of the remaining units were branded Leyland. Two trailer specifications were used, a 24-wheel float with 16 wheel dolly trailer for transporting the Australian Centurion tank or US Patton tank in Vietnam. The other trailer was a 40 Ton 12 wheel Steco folding goose neck trailer for the engineering plant.
Crusader
The Crusader was a 4×2 or 6×4 tractor that used a Motor Panels-supplied steel cab, available in sleeper- or day-cab forms. It had the option of Detroit Diesel, Cummins, Rolls-Royce or Leyland engines.
The Crusader was used by the British Army as a 6×4 tow-truck (with EKA underlift equipment) and as a 6x4 tractor unit normally used for towing 35–tonne plant trailers or 30–tonne tank bridge transport trailers. A recovery variant was also in use. The British Army replaced the Crusader in the late 1990s by a Seddon Atkinson tractor unit with a 40–tonne plant trailer and a specialist tank bridge transporter.
Many have seen use in the heavy haulage industry due to their incredibly strong chassis. The special heavy haulage tractor was the Crusader based Samson 8×4 with tridem axles.
The military specification vehicles were usually equipped with 15-speed Fuller gearboxes and an 8–tonne capstan winch.
Commander tank transporter
thumb|Scammell Commander
The Commander was introduced as a tank transporter in 1978. Designed in the late 1970s, they replaced the Thornycroft Antars in the British Army beginning with the delivery of the first one on 30 March 1984 followed by others totaling 125 units.
The 6×4 units could carry a load of 65 tonnes and were used to transport Challenger I tanks. Used during the Gulf War, they were retired in 2002 and replaced by the Oshkosh M1070F HET.
The Commander is powered by the 26.7L Rolls-Royce/Perkins CV12 TCE twin turbocharged diesel engine that produces approximately and is coupled to an Allison automatic transmission.