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Railways to Offer Tote System for Bulk Traffics

12th September 1958
Page 51
Page 51, 12th September 1958 — Railways to Offer Tote System for Bulk Traffics
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THE Tote system of bulk material handling is to be offered on a wide scale to customers by British Railways. Pressoturn, Ltd., Learn Terrace, Learnington Spa, who sell Tote equipment under American licence in this country, are to supply B.R. with 200 containers before the end of this year, with further deliveries next year.

Mr. Arthur H. Cooke, director and general manager of the Company, told The Commercial Motor that this decision followed two years' trials by the railways with the system. A lesser degree of interest had been shown by British Road Services, but some ancillary users were keen.

A demonstration of the equipment was given last week at the new factory of Aspro-Nicholas, Ltd., Slough. The company have adopted Tote bins for the reception of aspirin crystal in bulk.

Normally, an eight-wheeled platform lorry from Monsanto Chemicals, Ltd., Ruabon, delivers 10 tons of crystal once a week. This is contained in 10 bins, which may quickly be unloaded by forklift truck and held in store. Individual bins are taken when needed to the section of the factory where tablets are pressed from the crystal, and placed on a tilting frame, where they are discharged.

Supplies of starch, used as i a tablet binding agent, are also delivered in the bins, 50 of which are in use. Total cost of the installation, covering the bins and two discharging units, was £7,000.

Asoro-Nicholas haye saved money in various directions since using the system and discarding the method by which the crystal was delivered in bags contained in wooden kegs. Greater payloads may be carried by vehicles when loads are contained in Tote bins, and transport costs have been reduced by a third. Unloading time was previously two hours, whereas it is now some 10 minutes. Mr. Cooke stressed the advantage that ordinary platform vehicles could be used. In the U.S.A., the greatest use of the system was made by millers for the delivery, of flour, which avoided the need to install silos and to build expensive types of bulk vehicle with air discharge.

The bins themselves are made by Almin, Ltd., and weigh approximately 2 cwt. Types are offered for solid and liquid loads, and there are collapsible models.

Distribution of the products of AsproNicholas was described in The Commercial Motor on November 29, 1957.

SHOW TRIP APPROVED L'OUR members of Bolton Cleansing I Committee are to visit the Commercial Motor Show despite a claim that their £60 trip will be " a waste of time and money." There was strong opposition to the proposal when the council met last week, but the plan was approved after Aid. J. Vickers had said that a visit to the Show might save money.

Dealing with the " waste" allegations, he pointed out that the Cleansing Department was one of the corporation's most efficient sections.

MASTIFF SPARE-WHEEL WIl4CH THE new Thornycroft Mastiff 14-tons1 gross four-wheeler, a description and road test report of which appear on pages 200 to 203, is to be offered with the Trusty type of winch-operated spare wheel mounting as optional equipment. The report refers to the difficulty, of handling a wheel with the standard carrier.

COACH PARK PROBLEM

N' parking schemes for dealing with coaches entering the town are being considered by a special sub-committee appointed by Scarborough Town Council.


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