Albion Motor Co
From Graces Guide
The Albion Motor Company of Scotstoun, Glasgow was a manufacturer of commercial vehicles.
General
- 1899 / 1901 The company was formed by T. Blackwood-Murray and N. O. Fulton (late of Arrol-Johnston) at Bathgate.
- 1902 Became a private company.
- 1904 The company moved to a large factory at Scotstoun.
- 1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of Petrol Motors see the 1917 Red Book
- 1914 Became a public company.
- Name changed.
- 1944 Producing the four-cylinder (68 bhp) and six-cylinder (102 bhp) diesel engines.
- 1951 Acquired by Leyland.
- 1972 The Albion name was discontinued.
Cars
- 1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices see the 1917 Red Book. Listed as the Albion Motor Car Co.
Lorries
- 1905 Produced the A3 model powered by a two-cylinder 16hp engine for the omnibus market.
- 1910 Produced the successful A10 model and made nearly 6,000 for the services.
- 1911 Produced a four-cylinder model for the omnibus market with Forder 24-seat bodies.
- 1935 Acquired the factory used to produce Halley vehicles.
- WW2 Produced 4x4 trucks and 10-ton tank transporters.
- 1947 Recommenced the production of civilian vehicles with the CX range.
- 1955 Produced the Claymore.
Buses
- Albion earned a reputation for solid no-frills engineering. It survived the Depression when rival Halley folded.
- 1900 The first vehicle was produced.
- Before World War I the company had built up a large base of customers for Public Service Vehicle.
- 6,000 A10 lorries were supplied to the war between 1914-1918, and carried on into the 1920s.
- In 1923 the Vikings was invented for up to 18 seats, a low frame height with only one step.
- The first forward-control chassis arrived in 1927, the Viking PM28. Vikings were phased out in 1931-1932.
- By 1933 diesels were an option.
- New Valkyrie models were came back in 1935.
- Valiants were not as popular spanning from 1931 to 1936. They were more powerful than the Valkyrie.
- The Victors were invented around the same time 20-seater 42bhp 3.15 litre engine gaining a 6bhp 3.62 litre unit.
- Victor models lasted till 1939, 30 seats were standard at that time.
- The Venturer arrived late in 1932, a double-decker 6.85 litre petrol engine/ Gardner diesel and seated up to 51 passengers.
- 1937 The Commercial Motor Show launched the first ever CX Series which had the engine and gearbox in one unit.
- For a short time a six-wheeler single decker was introduced a version of the Valkyrie 15 were bought in 1937-1938, seating a total of 39 passengers.
- 1946 The Venturer CX19 double-decker had the option of Albion's own diesel or petrol engines.
- Between 1947 and 1953 Glasgow Corporation were the main buyer of the Venturer, they purchased 138 models.
- 1955 The Nimbus was developed, and had a small underfloor-engined chassis.
- 1963 The Viking was introduced it had a 0.370 Leyland engine at the front, opposite the entrance.
- Vikings and Clydesdales were exported until the 1980s.
Sources of Information
- British Lorries 1900-1992 by S. W. Stevens-Stratten. Pub. Ian Allen Publishing
- Buses and Trolleybuses before 1919 by David Kaye. Published 1972
- Ian Allan - British Buses Since 1900 - Aldridge and Morris
- The Modern Diesel edited by Geoffrey Smith. Published by Iliffe & Sons 1944
- 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises: Motor, Motor-Cycle and Commercial Vehicle Manufacturers