Clayton and Co
From Graces Guide
Clayton and Co of Huddersfield
- 1904 Started Karrier Motors to produce Lorries and Trucks
- 1909 Passenger and goods vehicles being manufactured
- 1920 The name Karrier was first used. One of the first vehicles of this new company was the K type and these were produced until 1931
- 1931 In partnership with the London, Midland and Scottish Railway they developed a three-wheeler to replace the horse. This was based on a Jowett 7hp engine and was produced until 1938
- 1934 The Karrier Motor Company was taken over by the Rootes Group when production was moved from Huddersfield to Luton
- 1935 The CK range was launched and was successful with production until 1952
- WW2 Produced Army lorries and did munitions work
- 1948 resumed production of Bantam 30cwt and 2ton models and the CK3 in the 3-4ton range.
- 1950 Introduced the Gamecock with underfloor engine and a steel cab identical to the Commer
- 1963 The Bantam updated
- They made Economist buses and these were for sale in Yorkshire by Stagg and Robinson.
Buses
- 1908 Clayton and Co began building commercial vehicles with Tylor engines
- 1910 the first passenger-carrying chassis appeared, these were sold as Karrier Cars.
- 1911 a double-decker was introduced.
- Karrier chassis included two chain-driven buses for London and South Western Railway at Exeter.
- 1920 Karrier Motors was formed and took over the business.
- New models introduced by Karrier were K-type developed from the wartime version.
- H-type in 1922 with a 20-26 seat body and the smaller C-type in 1923 with Dorman engine and 14 seats.
- 1924 the Z-type was produced.
- 1925 saw a new passenger range in the form of the KL this had a low-height chassis and pneumatic tyres.
- At the Commercial Motor Show Karrier exhibited their six wheeler WL6 the platform height was only 2ft.
- This model claimed to provide better riding, greater safety, better braking, reduced wheel spin and reduced maintenance costs.
- 1926 the CL6 arrived. It was a lighter build and carried 32 passengers, around 50 of these were produced.
- The last passenger model they built was the Monitor.
- 1933 saw Karrier cease to survive the recession and competition from AEC and Leyland all contributed to this.
- 1910 the first passenger-carrying chassis was launched, these were sold as Karrier Cars.
- 1914 a larger premises were built and expanded Karrier Motors was formed in 1920.
- Karrier rehabilitated ex WD lorry chassis, four were fitted with double-decker bodies.
- 1922 the H type was founded had a 20-26 seat bodywork.
- 1923 the C type was developed and had a Dorman engine.
- 1924 the Z type was a 14 seater one-ton.
- 1925 a new passenger range the KL was formed, which featured a low-height chassis, and pneumatic tyres.
- Later that year the Karrier WL6 was shown at a show and was the first six-wheeler for Karrier to build.
- Claiming that this model had better safety, braking, reduced wheel spin, reduced tractive effort, fuel and tyre economy and lower maintenance costs.
- 1926 the CL6 another six-wheeler was launched, the frame was cranked over the rear axles, and was built for 32 passengers.
- 1929 six-wheeler sales had dramatically reduced.
- The last passenger model to be built was The Monitor.
- 1933 bus building has stopped.
- 1934 Rootes took the company over and took the truck production to premises in Luton.
- During the 1950's the main model produced was the Bantam this was a 14-seater with a four cylinder 48bhp engine.
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
Sources of Information
Ian Allan - British Buses Since 1900 - Aldridge and Morris