Atkinson a long established firm involved in the manufacture of steam lorries marketed a quality diesel engined range of heavy vehicles using proprietry components in the mid-thirties. Gardner engine, David Brown gearbox, Kirkstall axles and a rugged chassis made for a vehicle that many hauliers found ideal for the demands of the road haulage industry as it existed in those days. Here an early pre-war Atkinson six-wheeler awaits unloading at London docks in the last days of peace in 1939.