Tankers go piggyback
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by Toby Clark
• The credibility of 44tonne intermodal operations has been boosted by a demonstration of piggybacked tanker operation by tanker builder Clayton Commercials and railway wagon manufacturer Thrall.
The demonstration, at Seaforth Docks, showed two triaxle tankers, built for BRT International and P&O Roadtanks, suitable for operations at up to 44 tonnes.
Both tankers were parked, uncoupled and loaded by ordinary container-handling equipment onto Thrall's Eurospine piggyback railcar.
Trailers with standard axle widths can be carried. The major special requirements are a degree of undertank clearance and lifting pock ets on the sides of the tanks.
These allow the trailers to be loaded by a conventional overhead container stacker or reachstacker.
The trailer chassis have had to be redesigned so that the axles support the tank correctly with the air suspension dumped— when in place on the railcar—while lengthened tank barrels are fitted for correct weight distribution at 44 tonnes.
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clear ance over the rail bogie, although the railcar's spine design allows the side guards to remain in place.
Both the BRT and P&O tankers comply with APR and other safety standards, and have been designed to be as close as possible to current designs. They can operate equally well at 38, 40 or 44 tonnes.
The 37,500-litre P8z0 tanker has four baffles and five manlids, while the 30,000-litre BTR trailer has three baffles and four manlids.