Recently on another topic a mention of Chatham St was made. This got me thinking about the area. About halfway up Chatham Street on the right, was a doorway leading into the railway goods yard. From the doorway you could see the goods shed and watch stuff being offloaded from rail wagons and loaded onto flatbed trucks etc, etc.
Now, I remember distictly some rather curious looking vehicles being used in the yard. They were three wheeled, bull nosed units, which were hooked onto a loaded flatbed. The said unit would then haul the load to another part of the yard. They had a very tight turning circle. I suppose a fork lift would do the same job today.
I cant remember seeing them much after 1950 or so. Anybody of an age know what they were called? The name 'latil' or 'lathil' springs to mind but I cant be sure.

Hiya Texas is this what you're after click here (http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=scammell+scarab&hl=en)
The only other i can think of are one's called Lister(smaller and used by factories and British rail,i found some on Google but i don't know how to put an image on here).Hope it's of some use
kev

I remember them from when I was a kid. People used to call them mechanical horses!

I remember seeing them as a child in the 1960s. The first image in the link is "F" reg and so would have been registered between August 1967 and July 1968.

Could it have been the Scamell "Camel"

I think it was the Camel.

The renovation programme that Suggs presents called 'Salvage Squad' had one as one of their projects

Ah...it was the "Scammell Scareb"

piccie here

http://freespace.virgin.net/scammell.man/scarab.html

i used to drive one of these at cocker brothers in the late 60's but it was an electric one and it was used for transporting cages of springs around

Thanks for the info' people. I'll tell you now where the names 'latil' or 'lathil' came from. It's kiddiespeak from when I lived in Fox Street. Another little kid, living in the same yard, used to charge around making motor noises pretending he was driving one of these things because his pa' used to work in the Bridgehouses Goods Yard. And that's what he called them 'latils.' I reckon Lister and Scammel, given a 4yr old's trouble with phonetics, was a fair shot at an anagram.
I never did know their proper names until now, I always took it for granted he knew what he was talking about.

there was a Latil 4 wheel drive small truck in the 1930's AT least 2 survive,
It is very confusing isn't it.:(

Well waddya know? That little kid was word perfect after all, he just got the sound of the engine wrong. His name was Ronnie Circuit (no kidding ). If you're still out there somewhere Ronnie, I take my hat off to you.

I too remember these three wheeled cabs.
Wasn't there an insignia on the front .I seem to remember a rampant lion or some such similar creature.
For a short time in the mid 50s I worked for 'E.Garlick & sons Saw Manufactures' .Their place was on Orange St ,opposite the hospital on west St ( Was it the City General?, how soon we forget)
When there was a sign in the warehouse window "BR" one of these Scammal's would come to pick up the shipment.
The red headed driver also had a thing going with the woman in the warehouse

I never actually saw them outside the goods yard at Bridgehouses, and I never saw them at the Wicker Goods at all. Incidently my last reply is like breast implants, buy two, get one free.

Originally posted by Texas
Recently on another topic a mention of Chatham St was made. This got me thinking about the area. About halfway up Chatham Street on the right, was a doorway leading into the railway goods yard. From the doorway you could see the goods shed and watch stuff being offloaded from rail wagons and loaded onto flatbed trucks etc, etc.
Now, I remember distictly some rather curious looking vehicles being used in the yard. They were three wheeled, bull nosed units, which were hooked onto a loaded flatbed. The said unit would then haul the load to another part of the yard. They had a very tight turning circle. I suppose a fork lift would do the same job today.
I cant remember seeing them much after 1950 or so. Anybody of an age know what they were called? The name 'latil' or 'lathil' springs to mind but I cant be sure.

Latil were a French Vehicle and from what I remember they were four wheeled Tug / Tractor vehicles what I do remember is that they had water filled tyres and four wheeled steering, the Lister Autotruck was a small vehicle for internal factory work if you put Lister Autotruck Club into your search engine you will find some.

www.listerautotruckclub.co.uk

Originally posted by Texas
Recently on another topic a mention of Chatham St was made. This got me thinking about the area. About halfway up Chatham Street on the right, was a doorway leading into the railway goods yard. From the doorway you could see the goods shed and watch stuff being offloaded from rail wagons and loaded onto flatbed trucks etc, etc.
Now, I remember distictly some rather curious looking vehicles being used in the yard. They were three wheeled, bull nosed units, which were hooked onto a loaded flatbed. The said unit would then haul the load to another part of the yard. They had a very tight turning circle. I suppose a fork lift would do the same job today.
I cant remember seeing them much after 1950 or so. Anybody of an age know what they were called? The name 'latil' or 'lathil' springs to mind but I cant be sure.

For Latil click here.


http://www.4wdonline.com/Latil/Latil01.html

the three--wheeler you refer to,was made by

SCAMMEL.

Re. the comment about the hospital on west St. That was the Royal Hospital .And the truck was called the Scammel Scarab

More about the Scammel Scarab,If you want to see one in real life there's on on display at the Brunel railway museum in Swindon Wilts.

Thanks for the info' people. I'll tell you now where the names 'latil' or 'lathil' came from. It's kiddiespeak from when I lived in Fox Street. Another little kid, living in the same yard, used to charge around making motor noises pretending he was driving one of these things because his pa' used to work in the Bridgehouses Goods Yard. And that's what he called them 'latils.' I reckon Lister and Scammel, given a 4yr old's trouble with phonetics, was a fair shot at an anagram.
I never did know their proper names until now, I always took it for granted he knew what he was talking about.


Hi Texas,
What memories you brought back. I too used to stand at the entrance to Bridgehouses Goods yard and watch the activity, then go up the steps from Chatam St. across the iron footbridge to Fitzalan St. then to the chip-shop for two pennyworth. I lived on Fox Hill.

Hi Texas,
Shaun here again, is this what you mean ? Go to 148016 (D)

http://www.hattons.co.uk/productlist/category_list.asp?c=53