The Albion Clydesdale was one of the named lorries in the range of Albion Motors, the Glasgow commercial vehicle maker based at Scotstoun. Together with the Chieftain and the Reiver it was still being built when Albion became part of British Leyland in 1968, and the model continued under the Leyland badge after the Albion name was dropped in 1972.
Albion Clydesdale at a glance
| Maker | Albion Motors Ltd, Scotstoun, Glasgow |
|---|---|
| Type | Lorry (commercial truck) |
| Range | Chieftain, Clydesdale, Reiver |
| Production after 1968 | continued under British Leyland |
| Brand | Albion until 1972, then Leyland |
| Factory | Scotstoun works, Glasgow |
| Albion name dropped | 1972 |
| Vehicle production at Scotstoun | until 1980 |
There is no dedicated Wikipedia article for the Clydesdale; this page is based on the Albion Motors company article only (based on one source).
History of the Albion Clydesdale
Albion’s named lorries
Albion Motors was founded in Glasgow in 1899 by Thomas Blackwood Murray and Norman Osborne Fulton and moved to its Scotstoun works in 1903. After concentrating on commercial vehicles from 1909, the company built up a lorry range with individual model names, among them the Chieftain of 1948, the Claymore of 1954–1966, the Clydesdale, the Clansman and the six-wheeled Reiver. The lorries and buses were made at Scotstoun, where the company also manufactured its own chassis and engines.
Through the Leyland years
Albion was purchased by Leyland Motors in 1951 and became part of the British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968. Production of the Chieftain, Clydesdale and Reiver trucks, together with the Viking bus models, continued after the merger. In 1969 Albion took over the neighbouring Coventry Ordnance Works on South Street, which it used for truck component manufacture. British Leyland eliminated the Albion name in 1972, and from then on the products were still built at the same factory but sold under the Leyland brand — which is why preserved examples of the period often carry Leyland badges.
The end of vehicle production
Vehicle production at the former Albion factory in Scotstoun continued until 1980, when it moved to the British Leyland plant at Bathgate; component manufacturing stayed behind and later passed through Leyland DAF to Albion Automotive. The Clydesdale therefore belongs to the last generation of vehicles designed and built under the Albion name in Glasgow.
Design and features
- Named lorry range: sold alongside the Chieftain and Reiver as one of Albion’s post-war models.
- Glasgow build: assembled at the Scotstoun works that Albion had occupied since 1903.
- Long production run: kept in production through the British Leyland merger of 1968.
- Two badges: Albion before 1972, Leyland afterwards, from the same factory.
Albion Clydesdale versions
- Albion-badged Clydesdale: built and sold under the sunrise badge before 1972.
- Leyland-badged Clydesdale: the same product sold under the Leyland brand after British Leyland dropped the Albion name.
- Flat-bed and haulage bodies: the Clydesdale chassis was used for general haulage bodies such as the flat bed seen on preserved examples.
The Clydesdale shared its range with the Chieftain, and Albion also built the Valkyrie bus. More vehicles are in the Albion collection.
Video: Leyland Clydesdale flat-bed lorry
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Albion Motors, English Wikipedia: lorry range, British Leyland merger, end of the Albion name
