Issued 1950-1960    Length 100mm    'OO/HO'scale (1:76)

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It is uncertain when Britains first planned to introduce the Articulated Lorry but the cab and chassis were already in production before WW2 for No.1879 Gas Cylinder Lorry. Adding a trailer to create an articulated lorry was a simple way to make a new model. It was made by W.Horton (Toys & Games) Ltd in Middlesborough.

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The cab was based on a pre-war Dodge vehicle, similar to the K-34, which the American company built at their factory at Kew, London from around 1936 onwards. For the model, Britains designed the cab and chassis in two separate parts, joining them via forward extensions on the chassis secured at the front of the cab. There was no base, the front axle being fixed directly to the casting. 

The original pre-war design of the chassis indicates that Britains almost certainly planned to use it for more models than the Gas Cylinder Lorry by incorporating axle holes (not needed for No.1879) so that rear wheels could be positioned further forward. The casting was thus unchanged, although the seperately cast fuel tanks had to be omitted for the articulated version. Later, small braces to strengthen the chassis-cab link were added. 

The trailer was a standard flat-bed design coupled to the chassis with a brass pin. Underneath, the trade-mark 'W Britain' and 'England' were included in the casting although on early models this seems to have been omitted. 

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To brighten the Dodge after the earlier military versions, Britains gave the Articulated Lorry a wide range of colours. These included various shades of blue, green and red, and two rare ones, cream and brown. Painting methods varied so cabs exist with either painted or unpainted interiors. 

The trailer sides were finished in colours matching their cabs, and the inner flat-bed painted a separate colour, mostly cream or grey but in various shades including beige, grey-green and creamy-pink. The trailer underside was either painted with the flat-bed (more commonly on earlier models) or the same colour as the trailer sides.

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The Articulated Lorry was issued with all four of the wheel variations which Britains used on the Lilliput models, unpainted metal, silver solid plastic embossed with 'Britains Ltd England', grey solid plastic, or red plastic hubs with black tyres (inscribed 'Britains Ltd England'). The cab and trailer wheels always matched.

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When the Lilliput range was introduced in 1950, the Articulated Lorry had its own end-flap card box. Both faces carried a blue-printed drawing of the model, and the tightly printed ends-flaps provided the model number.

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After 1956 LV/603 had the new-style open-fronted box with internal pictorial diorama to which the model was secured. The name & number were on one of the end-flaps. 

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Production of the Articulated Lorry spanned the ten year era of Lilliput Vehicles. It was included in two Sets, LV/SA Vehicle Set and the large L/11 Railway Display Set which had two examples in it. As a result it is not hard to collect although the various colour shades and wheel variations make it interesting. The only rare item is the open-fronted box.