ARMAMENT FOR THE COLD WAR
Page 69
Page 70
Page 73
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Reinforced plant fleet aids Northumberland in fight to keep traffic moving in conditions of snow and ice BY ASHLEY TAYLOR, A.NI.I.R.T.E.
VIEWED in isolation modern snow-clearance equipment is apt to appear distinctly expensive, and only when the alternatives to its use are considered does the matter fall into proper perspective. There have been great strides in this work since the end of the War, for the increase in volume of road traffic and the community's dependence thereon make it very important that the highways are cleared as quickly as possible. During this period there has been a steady swing from manual to largely mechanical snow removal, and in this connection it is desirable to remember that, apart from the slowness of earlier operations in many parts of the country at the present time, labour is not available on the former scale, and in any case would now be prohibitive in cost.
Northumberland, a county especially vulnerable to severe winter weather, away from the low-lying coastal belt, is probably as well equipped to deal with snow and ice as any county -in England. Here, the work which required 5,879 men in 1947 was carried out in the memorable winter of 1963 with no more than 1,100. In order to provide what may be described as the county's spearhead force, the equipment has recently been supplemented by eight high-capacity machines, these comprising Michigan Model 85A tractor shovels with Rolls-Royce C4.SFL oil-engined ' auxiliary power packs, developing 183 b.h.p., and Rolba Snowblast R.1000 rotary plough heads which have a capacity of 1,000 tons per hour.
With a working width of 8 ft. 6 in., units of this design will at one pass clear a path wide enough for commercial vehicles, the only further turns necessary being for the provision of passing places. It was in order to facilitate commercial traffic that the wider head was chosen in preference to the 6 ft. 7 in. design largely employed elsewhere.
Highways for which the county is responsible total 2,630 miles, being divided into trunk roads, 145; Class I roads 210; Class II roads, 346; Class III roads, 924 and unclassified roads, 1,005. The county surveyor is Mr. G. F. Garnett but charge of snow clearance, gritting and salting is delegated to the six divisional surveyors who are normally supervised by the assistant county surveyor (mechanical). Within the county area conditions obviously vary widely, but each divisional surveyor, dealing with some 400 miles, has adequate local knowledge to assess the day-to-day priorities of his territory with accuracy.
The deputy county surveyor, Mr. C. F. L. Girven, supported by the
assistant county surveyor (m), assumes overall control and, at a:central office, a master map is maintained with pos sible trouble spots marked. However, the detailed allocation of plant and local priorities remains
with the divisional surveyors. Overall supervision from the county offices at Phoenix House, Newcastle upon Tyne, is aimed to ensure co-ordination, and only in exceptional circumstances would any local decision be overridden. The central control is ordinarily staffed by a senior engineering assistant and two junior engineering assistants, all under the supervision of the assistant county surveyor (m). If conditions are bad the control will be manned until approximately 10 p.m. nightly, including week-ends. Normally the office will not be staffed overnight, as the ainount of outside work which it is then possible to do is limited and these are the hours when hard-pressed plant is most likely to receive the necessary maintenance. In the closely-populated industrial area around Newcastle special arrangements are made to ensure that salting and gritting is started at an early hour whenever conditions
demand it.
In Northumberland they expect to have a minimum of about three weeks' snow clearing each winter but this does not necessarily apply to the low-lying coastal belt and south-east part of the county, which often only suffers from icy surfaces. The effort needed to maintain communications in the county, is emphasized in the snow clearing and gritting costs which in 1960-61 were £120,000, the following year f226,000, and in 1962-63 were £650,000. Many parts of the county lie above the 300-ft. level and here the roads are particularly vulnerable to blockage, the difficulty being intensled by the number of highways bordered by dry stone walls which act as snow traps and increase drifting. Among the places particularly vulnerable to trouble is the Al road at Hickley and Heiferlaw, north of Alnwick, and also at Newton, south of Alnwick. The A696 suffers particularly at Ottercops, south of Otterburn, and at Carter Bar on the county boundary. Special watch has also to be kept over sections of the Morpeth-Cornhill, the Hexham-Alston, the Haydon Bridge-Allenheads, the Alnwick-Kirkhale, the Rothbury-Weldon Bridge and the Allensford-Elishaw roads. In the case of roads becoming impassable, considerable difficulties are liable to arise with supply vehicles for the dairy, sheep and cattle farms, and also in connection with milk collection.
During the past 10 years the position in respect of hill farms on marginal land has changed substantially as 4 'result of the grants system. •What were previously sheep
raising farms are now much more likely to be cattle and milk producing, s6 needing a much higher transport priority. On the domestic side there is a greater tendency to rely on the mobile shop and to carry smaller stocks in the farmhouse, with the result that most farms or villages depend upon the arrival of supplies at least every three or four days.
Whilst planning is much more intensive than, say, in 1947, the biggest improvement, considers Mr. Girven, is in the quality and quantity of equipment, this having transformed the whole approach to the operational side. At the peak of each storm in 1963, Northumberland had at work 214 bulldozers and similar units (compared with 22 in 1947), plus 23 heavy ploughs, 232 medium ploughs and nine blowers (compared with 64 medium ploughs in 1947). An examination of all available equipment shows that in the case of heavy snowfalls trunk road work has to be substantially subsidized by the county council plant. For duty on the 145 miles of trunk highway the Ministry provides three Mack tractors with heavy Vee-ploughs, complete with gritting bodies, also a Mack without gritting body on temporary loan, and a Douglas-Beilhack snow blower on loan for this year only. With the object of dealing adequately with the trunk roads the county council has allocated from its own pool 22 five-ton haulage vehicles equipped with ploughs and gritters, five Macks and eight 111-ton bulk gritters. In addition, the new rotary snow ploughs will be available for duty where needed.
Specialist equipment held on behalf of the Ministry has already been mentioned. The county councils own units comprise eight other Macks with heavy Vee-ploughs and gritting equipment, one Land-Rover/Rolba rotary snowplough, one Bios Sno-flyr rotary and four Rolba Sno-Boy rotaries. In addition, two Bros Mk. 9 rotary ploughs are available for hire from a local contractor and there are also 301 vee and straight ploughs for fitting to haulage vehicles, plus 88 tractor ploughs, most of the latter issued to farmers to facilitate clearance in their own immediate neighbourhoods. Finally, there are the eight MichiganRolba rotaries, each of which carries a 2-cu.-yd.• bucket and reverts to tractor-shovel operation during the milder weather; conversion time averages 60 minutes so that in the average winter it is a proposition to switch back to shovel work whenever required. These mad-tines operate at 4-10 m.p.h., the travelling speed being adjusted according to the load on the plough head. A two-man cab enables the operator to be given a pilot to guide him when working in strange country. Auxiliary fuel tanks extend the running capacity to 12 hours when ploughing is taking place. Comprehensive safety controls include low-oilpressures and high-cooling-temperature alarms in the cab: there is also an audible warning of limit of lift which, with the plough head attached, is 5 ft. These units are intended to be employed specially in areas with drifted snow of more than 3 ft. depth.
The county authority has found by experience that specific local weather forecasts are more reliable than those received for the North of England generally from the Ministry of Aviation at Bawtry. Thus there is a standing arrangement with the commandant of Newcastle Airport to give direct information to all divisional surveyors regarding impending snow or frost. Standby crews are organized in the light of prevailing conditions but ordinarily there are no staff members allocated full-time to this duty. Overnight accommodation for the men can be provided at the newer depots, but the older ones present problems in this respect. At present there are some 12 depots, of which six are of recent construction, there being plans for the rebuilding of a further three within the next 18 months. Where standby crews are organized they can go into action within 30 minutes.
The initiation of operations in general lies with the divisional surveyors, but when such a move becomes necessary the hiring of additional plant and its allocation is carried out at headquarters. Highest priority goes to trunk highways, bus and milk collection routes, and roads serving mines or similar industries. However, where local drifting occurs this may be given a .high priority to prevent a complete blockage occurring. Inter-communication between divisions is carried out direct by the divisional surveyors, reference being made to headquarters when necessary. Contact between working areas within divisions is by radio-telephone from the vehicles concerned.
Ordinary snow ploughs are distributed throughout the county at sub-depots and in strategicI)ositions in readiness for use. The Michigan Rolbas are kept at sub-depots during the winter as allocated by the divisional surveyors, during the rest of the year the Michigans being employed on site works as ordinary tractor shovels. The county fleet of vehicles is usually assisted for clearance purposes by hired haulage, the latter units being paid for on an hourly basis. There is a 50 per cent .increase when actually snow ploughing over the basic hourly rate of 15s. 11d, for fivetormers and 16s. 5d. for seven-tonners.
Each spring all county equipment is inspected for defects which are notified to the central repair depot. Maintenance is carried out by fitters stationed in the divisions, who also carry out minor modifications and repair work. Major defects are repaired at the central depot. At suitable times special instruction is provided for operators who may be given charge of snow-blowers. Training is also provided for men who are expected to handle the Peitl straight blade snow ploughs, specially designed to be suitable for .removing hard-packed snow and ice.
In readiness for winter conditions 25,000 tons of grit are held on open storage sites throughout the county and some 5,000 tons of salt are similarly dispersed. A further 5,000 tons of salt are kept in reserve at the Seaton Burn depot, seven miles north of Newcastle. Snow clearance on roads not maintainable by the county may be undertaken on a repayment basis, if requested, but any dissipation of equipment on this class of work is left to the discretion of the divisional surveyors.