THE TRANSPORT OF SUPER ELECTRICAL PLANT.
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• The Haulage by Road of
MECHANICAL vehicles of certain types, and notably powerful traction engines, when coupled to specially constructed bogies or trailers, have proved their suitability for hauling extremely heavy loads, and, although the charge of damaging roads has often been levelled against those engaged in such heavy tasks, it is obvious that in the carriage of such freight as boilers, ships' sternposts and certain electrical plant, some part of the journey from the shops of the builders to the site at which the equipment is to be installed must be undertaken on the. main highway. Problems have naturally arisen in connection with the transport of weighty articles of this nature, but they have usually been overcome by the use of suitable machines and tackle.
A task of this description was recently involved in the transport of a turboalternator stator from the Witten works of the General Electric Co., Ltd., to the hold of the s.s. "Clan Mackeller," which was to carry the plant from the Manchester Docks to Sydney Harbour.
a Turbo-alternator Stator
The turbo-alternator has been built to the order of the Sydney Municipality, and' it has an output of 16,000 kw. at a pressure of 5,400 volts when running at a speed of 3,000 r.p.m. When. it is realized that the power developed is in excess of 20,000 11.p., some idea of the weight and dimensions of the machine will be readily grasped.
We are particularly concerned, however, with the stator or main framework and stationary parts of the alternator, which, as 'those of our readers who are acquainted with electrical engineering will know, consists of only one-half of the unit, ;he massive bedplate on which both the turbine and the alternator are erected not being taken into account. The total weight of the alternator is just over 80 tons, of which the stator claims 50 tons, its dimensions being 12 ft. 9 ins. long, 9 ft. 10 ins, high and 10 ft. 7 ins. wide.
-Powerful overhead travelling cranes solved the initial stage of the problem of moving the stator within the company's works, and the real difficulties
of Weighty Proportions.
only commenced when it become necessary to transport the plant to the railway siding. Although the distance is relatively a short one, it took nearly five hours to perform the journey, due to the great risk of the trailer on which it was disposed sinking into the roadway and possibly damaging the various service mains. To prevent an occurrence of this sort, it was found expedient to lay steel plates beneath the wheels of the truck, and it was the continual relaying of this emergency metal track which was responsible for the tedious nature a the initial stages of the journey. The hauling unit was an Aveling and Porter traction engine in the service of Messrs. Harper and Screen, haulage contractors of Birmingham.
However, the load was satisfactorily hauled to the railhead preparatory to being sent on its journey to the Manchester Docks. Certain difficulties were involved in the railway journey, but these are not of direct concern to our readers, although in passing we might mention that they were overcome satisfactorily.