Flanson's New Main Depot
Page 43
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Modern Four-acre Yorkshire Depot Begins Operations this Week-end
VERATIONS from the new main depot of Hanson Haulage (Leeds), are due to commence at the weekad, and from January 1 the vehicles )cated there will provide direct disibution throughout Yorkshire and ancashire, as well as operating overight trunk services to Newcastle, ilasgow, London, Liverpool, Leicester ad Bristol. Altogether there will be 8 rigid vehicles and 17 tractors, plus D semi-trailers and four-wheeled rawbar trailers. The prime movers re of A.E.C., Karrier and Ford tanufacture, with trailers by York ad Dyson. The formal opening of le depot by Maj. F. S. Eastwood, 'orkshire Licensing Authority, was ue to take place yesterday.
Mechanical Aids
Clearspan roof construction is used the main depot buildings to permit le most effective employment of forkft trucks and other mechanical andling devices. The transit block is ver 200 ft. long and 90 ft. wide, an pproved development plan being in xistence for doubling the length at later date.
A 42-ft, wide concrete loading deck xtends the full length of the building, rith 40 ft. of covered concrete hardAnding on the south-west side. Part f the hard-standing at the loading deck, to a total area of 2,700 sq, ft., is covered by a 20-cwt. two-waytraverse electric gantry crane with 16 ft. of clear headroom.
The four-acre site lies at Pudsey on the main Leeds-Bradford road, four miles from the two cities, its situation making it convenient for collection and delivery vehicles to reach the required district without crossing heavily congested sections of the urban areas.
Filling Station
Exterior illumination is by mercury vapour street lighting and there is underground fuel storage for 12,000 gal, plus accommodation for 1,600 gal. of lubricating oil A portion of the site is allocated for a retail Jet Petroleum filling station.
In the 3,000 sq. ft. workshop are the most modern Wakefield-Dick Lubrequipment installations, including a waste oil carriage system leading into underground tanks. The workshops are fully tooled up for dealing with either running repairs or complete overhauls. The maintenance area includes body and tyre repair shops, welding bay and extensive stores. There are spacious staff rooms for drivers, mechanics and other employees.
The offices are arranged in a three
floor split-level design with the traffic control room on a common level with the loading deck, which it directly overlooks.
At the time of nationalization the Holdsworth and Hanson Group, with 22 different companies, 38 depots and about 12,000 vehicles, was the largest independently owned organization of its kind. After the take-over what remained of the fleet was devoted to passenger carrying, furniture removals and contract work,
Canadian Interests
Hanson's then decided to take an interest in Canadian road transport, acquiring the Crawford Cartage Company, of Hamilton, Ontario. From this developed the Hanson Transport Company of Canada, which now operates 430 vehicles.
During the past decade the Hanson interest on the passenger side in Britain has been considerably developed. Renewed interest was taken in long-distance road haulage from the time of denationalization, and now a fleet of 240 units, plus 123 drawbar trailers and semi-trailers, is in operation.
The earliest records of the company show that a cartage service was being operated around Huddersfield by Mary Hanson in 1846, when regular facilities were provided and the "normal user" was principally cloth and wool. Eight years later the business was taken over by Mrs. Hanson's son, Joseph, and it was under his name that it was known in Huddersfield until 1948, when the company was overtaken by nationalization.
RIG ORDER FOR RELIANT
ORDERS from Haifa for 2,000 chassis units worth £570,000 have been received by The Reliant Engineering Co. (Tamworth), Ltd„ for use in the manufacture of four-wheeled vans, station wagons and sports cars.