Scammell was well renowned for the heavy-duty lorries which it built from 1919 onwards, originally at Spitalfields in London but from 1921 in Watford. It is also remembered for its three wheeled ‘mechanical horses’. Designed for manoeuvring trailers in tight places, these were introduced in 1933 and more than 20,000 were built over the next thirty years. Legislation favouring four-wheel tractors finally brought about their demise. They were especially favoured by railway companies. Battery electric and, later, diesel powered mechanical horses were also built but the vast majority were petrol. This ‘Scarab’ tractor shows the styling in vogue from 1948 until 1964. It was built for the RAF in 1952 and was sold to a Grimsby Dock firm in 1968 where it carried the civilian registration number KJV 131F. After lying derelict for a number of years, it was donated to us in 1977.