News of Road-rail Developments
Page 22
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1-LINER TRAIN TERMINAL HANDLING TRIALS
ALTHOUGH the proposals to run an initial service of liner trains on 15 routes still await the settling of terminalaccess problems with the N.U.R., British 'Railways has already assembled some of the initial equipment required to start a prototype service.
With the availability in this country of the first of the American-designed Drott Travelift self-propelled straddle cranes, handling trials have been carried out recently at a North London goods depot.
Exclusive photographs on this page were taken during these trials and show a 27-ton-capacity Travelift carrying a prototype closed container in the course of transferring it from rail truck to a position alongside the track, where it would normally be picked up again later for loading on a road vehicle. These cranes
are controlled by an operator in the cabin visible on the right-hand gantry post, and the lifting and moving is done hydraulically, with power from a diesel engine installed ahead of the cab.
Leyland Truck Production Expands : A fourth assembly line has been introduced by Leyland Motors in its factory at Leyland, Lancs. The line is in addition to various other aids to productivity, such as new machinery and the streamlining of methods.