Wide Loads Carried at Week-end Lower Fuel Tax Might T WO
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movements of abnormal loads around the outskirts of London took place last Sunday. Three cylinders, each 19 ft. 6 in. in diameter and 13 ft. high. were taken from West Ferry Road, Millwall, to Portsmouth. An overnight stop was made near Winchester.
An experimental test rig, which formed a load 18 ft. wide, was also conveyed from Mitcham to Luton Airport.
Beck and PoIlitzer. Ltd., Southwark Bridge, London, S.E.1, carried out the cylinder transport, employing three Crane trailers, each with a loading height of 2 ft. 10 in., and a Scammell and two E.R.F. tractors. The loads represented the top sections of three storage containers being erected at a Portsmouth gasworks.
They will hold a by-product of petroleum from which.an ingredient of town gas may be derived. The three lower sections of each container had previously been delivered by the company, who are to assemble them on site with a Coles 25-ton mobile crane with a 60-ft. jib.
The cylinders were loaded by crane on Saturday morning, and the vehicles set off with a Metropolitan Police motorcycle escort at 6 a.m. on Sunday. A stop was made at 10 a.m. near Slough, where a Riley Pathfinder of the Buckinghamshire Police took over to head the convoy. The
loads were timed to arrive at the gasworks at noon on Monday.
The test rig was a steel fabrication made by Scaffolding (Great Britain), Ltd. The movement was arranged by Transway, Ltd., 124 Commercial Road, London, E.1, and a Bedford-Dyson lowloader was provided by Frederick Attwood, Ltd., 257 Wood Street, London, E.17. As the outfit, with its 9-ton load, was traversing rough ground from the works to the hard road, a half-shaft broke.
Attwood's at once sent a replacement part and another tractor. It was impossible to change prime movers, however, because of the nature of the ground. A repair was quickly made, but the vehicle could not proceed until 3.15 p.m., when a new police escort was provided. The policemen who had originally been detailed in the morning had earlier finished their turn of duty.
The outfit followed a route around the western suburbs as far out as Yeading. and was escorted to Staples Corner on the North Circular Road. It arrived at Luton at 8,30 p.m. Unloading took an hour.
The rig was more stable as a load upside down and so was carried in this manner. When delivered it was turned over into its upright position.