Caledon Motors Ltd

Commercial vehicle manufacturer Scotland 1914-1926

Caledon was a former early Commercial vehicle manufacturer at the firm's Duke Street works in Glasgow Scotland.

History

When the first World War I broke out Scottish Commercial Cars Glasgow, the Scottish agent for Commer Cars at the time. found itself without any vehicles as these were then diverted for the war effort. To fill the gap, a new 4-tonner was structed using a 40hp 4-cyl Dorman type petrol engine, along with a Dux 4-speed constant-mesh gear-box with chain drive.
This became Called the Caledon it was capable of speeds up to only 19 kmh but from the start was hit with mechanical problems, which included severe vibration.

In 1919 the company re-named Caledon Motors Ltd the range now expanded to include also vehicles from 1 1/2 to larger 7-ton capacities with a shaft-drive passenger chassis. A new engine production area was organized to combat the lack of engines, but the development of a sleeve-valve engine cost was expensive much and took so much time to complete
so the company was forced into liquidation in 1922. The company’s Assets along with the premises and rights to the name were re-acquired by Scottish Commercial Cars Ltd
which then proceeded with the new range but again with the Dorman-powered and Hercules-engine forward-control passenger model.

By 1924 a larger 10-ton rigid 6-wheeler was announced, its Dorman engine being replaced later by a Buda unit. This is believed to have been Britain's first rigid-6 lorry.
By the end of 1926 the business had been sold to Richard Garrett & Sons Ltd, who subsequently built three Garrett-Cale-don trucks.