Albion A10 Army Truck
Built by Roy Goswell in June 2022
At the outbreak of WW1 the War Office ordered 6000 Albion A10 to be despatched to the front. Many were bought after the great war for haulage duties — they carried far heavier loads than intended even though they were underpowered but rugged. They were powered by a 32hp 6 litre four-cylinder petrol engine driving a 3 speed gearbox with chain final drive and that had a top speed of 16mph.
I saw an article entitled ‘Awesome Albion’ in the April 2014 issue of Classic Military Magazine which was a rebuild of a 1916 A10 3 ton truck by Mark Farrall. The many pictures of the Albion were more than enough to build a scale Meccano model.
The 19½” chassis is made up of strips bolted together with narrow strips along top and bottom edges with double bracket crossmembers.
The wheels are 3” artillery with a double rubber band fitted. A beam axle supports the front wheels and a dead axle using a plastic Meccano tube and spindle with sprockets take the back wheels.
I have used a 1950s EO 20V non-reversing (cricket ball) motor with a double belt drive reduction, giving 1:64 ratio driving through a forward and reverse gearbox fitted with a differential with ¾" sprockets on outer ends; final drive is chain to 1½” sprockets on rear wheels.
A band type handbrake is fitted, and all controls work from the cab which I fitted with a black leather bench seat with back support. The cab top narrow strips are covered with a khaki cloth as is the narrow strip framework on top half of rear body which includes a rear drop down flap. I have used ‘army parts’ for the model but have had to spray and brush paint the chassis and various other parts in Humbrol army colours to match. I bought the khaki colour cloth (woman’s skirt) in a charity shop!