Special Semi-trailer Built for Transport of Margarine
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A LTHOUGH insulated or refrigerated PA vehicles are not essential for shortdistance haulage of margarine, the commodity requires care in handling to prevent spoilage. In warm weather it is not advisable to stack cartons containing it more than five high, although stacking may be increased to seven layers in winter.
Van den Berghs and Jurgens, Ltd., • manufacturers of Stork and other brands of margarine, found it impossible to carry a full payload on a 24-ton gross weight articulated outfit in summer when using their standard pallets, which measure 3 ft. 4 in. by 4 ft., as these could be loaded with only 15 cwt. of margarine.
Extra platform area was required. A prototype semi-trailer, supplied by the Barking Garage and Engineering Co., Ltd., who also manufactured the bodywork, featured a standard flat platform with a double-deck structure at the front. The disadvantage of this layout was that the overall height of 14 ft. 7 in. made for difficulties in routeing. and spoilt the appearance of the outfit.
It was decided to depart from the use of a conventional semi-trailer chassis, and Carrimore Six Wheelers, Ltd., were asked to produce a special model. The unit which has been evolved has a chassis frame consisting of conventional forward and rear frame sections joined in the centre by an open-sided box 4 ft. 10 in deep and 10 ft. 6 in. long. The frame employs four longitudinal channel-section members throughout, joined by crossmembers of similar section; and is of welded constriiction. The forward section carries the top half of a fifth-wheel coupling and the rear bogie is a side-byside axle design. There is not sufficient space for tandem axles.
Light-alloy bodywork with a glassfibre-reinforced polyester roof made up of six sections was again manufactured by the Barking Garage and Engineering Co., who developed the complete vehicle for I. Leftley, Ltd., a member of the Transport Development Group, who will operate it on contract to Van den Berghs and Jurgens.
The two end bays provided by the body are 7 ft. I in. long and 7 ft. high, and can each contain four loaded pallets, whilst the upper and lower centre sections hold a further 12 pallets, giving
a total capacity of 20. The ribbed metal decking is sloped inwards to help consolidate the toad. Tarpaulin curtains on each side of the vehicle hang from runners in the eaves of the roof and are quickly secured at the bottom by rubber ties. Fixed flaps at each end ensure that the arrangement will be weathertight. Flat platform vehicles used previously took 30-40 minutes to sheet-up. The curtains reduce the time for this operation to under 10 minutes.
The complete semi-trailer (two others are in course of construction) weighs 3 tons 15 cwt. and with its Atkinson tractor the 26-ft.-long outfit scales 8 tons 6 cwt.
The new semi-trailers will be used to deliver margarine to wholesale depots around London and, working around the clock, will effect three such deliveries each day, Time saved by the new design should enable the radius of operation to be extended whilst maintaining the same schedule.
COACH-AIR GROWTH
" WITHIN the next five years we ri believe that coach-air services will be bringing 100,000 visitors a year to the Isle of Man," said Mr. J. M. Cain, chairman of the Isle of Man Tourist Board, during a visit to the headquarters of Ribble Motor Services. Ltd., at Preston.
Recalling that Ribble and Silver City Airways had pioneered coach-air services between the mainland and the Isle of Man in 1951, Mr. H. Bottomley, general manager of Ribble, said it was hoped to see a further growth of this traffic to the island.
In 1951, Mr. Cain stated, 6,000 visitors had gone to the Isle of Man by coach-air. In 1957 the number had risen to 57.000.
ATKINSON OVERSEAS
OVERSEAS orders received by Atkinson in April total over 000,000. Included are 10 " Omega " models, powered by Cummins engines, for use in the north African oil-fields.
The company's new associated organization in Australia has now been formed and has already received a number of orders.