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{{wikipedia|Associated Equipment Company}}
 
{{wikipedia|Associated Equipment Company}}
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[[Category:Companies founded in 1912]]
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[[Category:1962 mergers]]
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[[Category:Defunct Brands UK]]
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[[Category:Former truck manufacturers]]

Revision as of 23:23, 24 March 2009

AEC was a United Kingdom based vehicle manufacturer which built buses and trucks from 1912 until 1979. The acronym stood for the Associated Equipment Company, but this name was hardly ever used; instead it traded under the AEC and ACLO brands.

While famously associated with London's buses, AEC supplied commercial vehicles and dumper truck to many companies both domestically and around the world.

History

Inception

The London General Omnibus Company, or LGOC, was founded in 1855 to amalgamate and regulate the horse-drawn omnibus services then operating in London. The company began producing motor omnibuses for its own use in 1909 with the X-type at works in Blackhorse Lane, Walthamstow, London. The X-type was followed by the B-type, considered to be one of the first mass-produced commercial vehicles.[1][2]

In 1912 LGOC was taken over by the Underground group of companies, which at that time owned most of the London Underground, and extensive tram operations. As part of the reorganisation following the takeover, a separate concern was set up for the bus manufacturing elements, and was named Associated Equipment Company, or more commonly, AEC.[3]

AEC's first commercial vehicle was a lorry based on the X-type bus chassis. With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, AEC's ability to produce large numbers of vehicles using assembly line methods became important in supplying the increasing need for army lorries. AEC began large-scale production of the 3-ton Y-type lorry commenced in 1916 and continued beyond the end of the war. From then on AEC became associated with both lorries and buses.

Interwar years

In 1926, AEC and Daimler formed the Associated Daimler Company (ADC), which was dissolved two years later. In 1927 AEC moved its manufacturing from Walthamstow to a new plant at Southall in London.

G. J. Rackham was appointed Chief Engineer and Designer in 1928. His ideas contributed significantly to AEC's reputation for quality and reliability.


From 1930, AEC produced new models, the names of which all began with "M": Majestic, Mammoth, Mercury, and so on. These original "M-models" continued in production until the end of the Second World War. AEC introduced diesel engines across the range in the mid-1930s.

From 1931 to 1938, AEC and English Electric co-produced trolleybuses. AEC supplied the chassis and EE the electric motors and control equipment.

In 1932, AEC took a controlling interest in the British Four Wheel Drive (FWD) company and began to use more standard AEC components in those vehicles. To avoid confusion, these were marketed under the name Hardy. Production ceased about 1936.

Second World War

Non-military production stopped in 1941. During the war AEC produced their 10 ton 4x4 Matador artillery tractor (an adaptation of their commercial 4x2 Matador lorry that exploited AEC's experience with the Hardy FWD venture). A 6x6 version was designated as the AEC Marshall but almost always called the Matador. To this they added the AEC Armoured Car in 1941.

Post war

In 1946, AEC and Leyland formed British United Traction Ltd (BUT) as a joint venture to manufacture trolleybuses since reduced demand would not require the existing capacity of both parents.

In 1948, AEC resumed civilian production with the Mammoth Major, Matador and Monarch. Also in 1948, AEC acquired Crossley Motors and Maudslay Motor Company. Soon after, AEC changed its name to Associated Commercial Vehicles (ACV) Ltd., although it kept the initials "AEC" on its vehicles. In 1949, ACV acquired a (bus) body-building company, Park Royal Vehicles, along with its subsidiary Charles H. Roe. Park Royal designed a new cab for the AEC Mercury in the mid-1950s; this appeared on all models across the range about this time.

In 1961, AEC acquired Transport Equipment (Thornycroft) Ltd. Thornycroft's name disappeared from all the vehicles except the specialist airport crash tenders, such as the Nubian, and the "Mighty" Antar off-road tractor unit used as a tank transporter.

Leyland takeover

Leyland Motors Ltd acquired ACV in 1962. AEC lorries were given the same "Ergomatic" cabs used across several Leyland marques (including Albion]). In 1968 all AEC double-deckers ceased production, and its last buses and trucks were built in 1979. The AEC name actually disappeared from commercial vehicles in 1977, but the Leyland Marathon was built at the Southall plant until British Leyland (as the parent company was named by then) closed it in 1979.

Foreign operations

(see operations wikipedia article)

  • ACLO - Latin america
  • UTIC - Portugal
  • Barreiros AEC - Spanish JV for buses and dump trucks

Products

Buses

See List of AEC buses on Wikipedia

Dump Trucks & Off road Vehicles

The first models were Mammouth Majors Mk.III which had a two spring articulated rear bogie.

  • Mammouth Najor Mk.IV HD Tiper 1958
  • AEC 10 cu yd dumper introduced in 1958 with Mammouth Major Mk IV chassis. Fitted with a heavier half cab rather than the road units std. pressed steel cab.
  • AEC 18 Cu yd dumper
  • AEC 690 - 1964 10 cu yd
  • AEC 691 - 1964
  • AEC 692 - 1966 (691 MkII)
  • AEC 4G6 - 1966-1974HD Tipper
  • AEC TG6 - 1969-1977HD Tipper
  • AEC 1100 - 19 ? 15 cu yd dump truck
  • LD55 Dumptruck 1975-1981 (after Leyland take over)


Engines

AEC Built a range of engines.

  • AEC 9.6 ltr. Engine of 125 hp
  • AEC 11.3 ltr. Engine of 150 hp

Lorries and other commercial vehicles

AEC Mandator MkIII Park royal cab

AEC Mandator MkIII with Park Royal cab of 1958, at Lymswold show 2008

Majestic

The 6-ton normal-control AEC Majestic (Model 666) was introduced in 1930. tankers

Mammoth

The AEC Mammoth dates from the 1930s. This was a 7/8-ton lorry with a six-cylinder overhead valve engine developing 110 bhp on a wheelbase of 16 ft 7 in.

Later a distinction was made between the Mammoth Minor (6x2, with two rear axles), the Mammoth Major 6 (6x4) and the Mammoth Major 8 (8x4), which appeared in 1934. The Mammoth Major Mk II was introduced in 1935; the eight-wheeler could carry 15-ton loads. It remained in production until 1948 when it was superseded by the Mk III, which was mechanically similar but had the Park Royal cab.

  • Mammoth Minor:
  • Mammoth Major 6:
  • Mammoth Major 8:
Mandator

The AEC Mandator dates from the 1930s. The post-war Mk II was available as a lorry and a tractor unit and the name was used for tractor units built from the 1950s to the 1970s. GY 9542

Marshall

See also: Matador

1960s-70s. FFW 808D

Matador

The original AEC Matador 5-ton 4x2 commercial lorry was introduced in 1932. The name was most famously used for AEC's 4x4 Matador artillery tractor, which were known by the nickname "Mat". These vehicles exploited AEC's experience with four-wheel drive that it had gained from its involvement in the British Four Wheel Drive vehicles marketed under the name Hardy.

The Matador name is very often used for the 6x4 military vehicles that are more properly designated the AEC Marshall.

AEC produced 9,620 artillery tractors; 514 6x4 bowsers for the RAF; 192 6x4 lorries (some of which had Coles Cranes mounted); and 185 similar vehicles for mobile oxygen plants. Many military Matadors were adapted for post-war commercial use, especially as timber lorries and recovery vehicles. AHO 881R DFP 472 another Marshall bowser

New civilian Matadors appeared after the war.

Mercury

The AEC Mercury (Model 440) was first built in 1928. This was a forward-control lorry with a wheelbase of 14 ft for 4-ton payloads. The Model 640 was introduced in 1930, with a four-cylinder petrol engine developing 65 bhp. Pratts (1930)

The name was resurrected for lorries built from the 1950s to the 1970s. 184 BPD(1956) XYP 257 (1961)

Militant

The AEC Militant - or "Milly" - was the 1952 replacement for the Matador, and continued in various forms until the 1970s. (The original Militant had been produced by Maudslay in the 1930s.) WOT 428H

Mogul

The AEC Mogul was a normal-control tractor unit from the 1960s. The name had originally been used on Maudslay lorries.

Monarch

The original AEC Monarch was built from 1931 to 1939 at AEC's Southall works. The first version (Model 641) was superseded by the Mk II (Model 637) in 1933, with payload increased to 7½ tons. The Monarch was fitted with either an 85 hp four-cylinder 5.1 litre diesel engine or an 80 hp four-cylinder 5.1 litre petrol engine. This was a robust and well-designed lorry popular with both drivers and operators. Later variants continued into the 1970s. TL 3513 (1934) normal-control tippers KYE 402 (1949)

Mustang

1950s beer tanker

Model 201

Robey (1925)

Model 428

HMV

Model 501 & 506

refrigerated van Main

Model 701

TW 612 (artic)

Y Type

AEC's first purpose-built commercial vehicle was introduced in 1916. The improved YA Type appeared in 1917. More than ten thousand of these vehicles were supplied to the War Department by 1919. Many of these were acquired by civilian operators following the war. YB and YC Types continued in production until 1921.Osram Lamps

Railcar engines

See GWR railcars and British Rail British United Traction

UK Preserved Machines

AEC chassie with Coles crane

Coles Crane on AEC chassis

Quite a few AEC tractor units and lorries are preserved, some of the Heavy Haulage versions are used to pull Low loaders with other preserved machines on.

Several Mighty Antars are Used to pull preserved Tanks at variousl shows during the summer. One can usually be seen at the Great Dorset Steam Fair every year. This machine has a distinct roar as it drives round the Ring and up the hill in the demonstration ring.


See also

Competitors

Dealers

  • Plant dealers
  • Scottish Land Development Ltd Sole UK agent.

References / sources

External links



Smallwikipedialogo This page uses some content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Associated Equipment Company. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons by Attribution License and/or GNU Free Documentation License. Please check page history for when the original article was copied to Wikia