Which of the two machines in this picture was more

successful? The Austin Allegro, considered by British Leyland to be the saviour of the company at the time of its launch became the butt of ridicule and faced considerable criticism for its dynamic inabilities. Could the same accusations be pointed at the Clayton Type 1? This example, D8568 and now rightly active in preservation had long outlived its siblings by the time this picture was shot. In the days when half-day railtours were still popular if they allowed enthusiasts to travel over short, but very unusual lines, a tour of the Hemelite industrial branch from Harpenden, which was the ex Midland Railway line to Hemel Hempstead was arranged for a Saturday morning. In open BR 16tonne wagons headed by an exBR 204hp Drewry shunter, the participants were trundled over the complete remaining line and its maintenance depot revealed this Clayton, stabled. In their ‘hey-day’ these engines were so unreliable that members were being put into store before the complete class had been constructed.