SHACKLETON

The company James Shackleton & Son, Sandbach, Cheshire, England, formed by Maurice Shackleton in 1939, originally produced a range of wooden toys such as dolls houses and lorries.
These lorries were based on the Foden trucks of the day as the Foden factory was just down the road and Maurice prior worked there.
After the war he starts the production of a diecast model, fully dismountable, based on the Foden flatbed FG6 and the production follows till 1952. In this year the company was forced to close its doors.
Shackleton models were constructed with 65 separate parts, all of which were manufactured in house, right down to the clockwork motors (located inside the cab), the motor keys and even the vehicle tyres.
The first boxed set cost £2-19s-6d, which was quite a lot of money at the time.
Production was short lived for these clockwork toys as there was a shortage of materials during the Korean war of the early 50s. This, coupled with low sales due to the high cost of these toys (they were more expensive than Dinky Toys) led to the company’s closure, making these models very rare and valuable.
The first issues were the Foden flatbed lorries, with a Dyson trailer added in 1949, the rarer Foden tipper lorries in 1950.
Only 5,000 of this version were made. It can be fully dismantled. Over 10 inches (26cm) long and very heavy with working steering and the clockwork motor driving one rear axle. The Tipper works by winding a handle (not supplied) and the Tailgate pivots open when the clip is released. The metal castings are very fragile and few remain in good original condition. Replacement castings are made by various people. Care should be taken to establish whether vehicles have replacement parts and repainting.
A green Shackleton name badge was applied to the rear of the cab, but not to all the models.