Bird's Eye
Page 49
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ViewBY THE HAWK T HAVE news of the first overseas entrant in the London to I Brighton Historic Commercial Vehicle Run which will take place on May 7 this year. It is going to be a Scania Vabis 2-1-tonner which was built in 1927.
What should please the other contestants in the Run is that the truck will be loaded with beer—it was operated by a Swedish brewery—for dispensation at the end of the journey. But this will probably not be the only reason that the Scania Vabis should be a centre of attraction at Brighton. I understand that it is in spotless condition having won the Concours d'Elegance at the Swedish Veteran Rally last September. And running in Britain will not be confined to the Brighton Road as the Scania Vabis will be landed at Immingham the previous Friday and driven to London for adjustment. Incidentally, Tony Wilding of COMMERCIAL MOTOR will be sharing the driving on the Run. This vehicle is likely to be followed by most Of COMMERCIAL MOTOR'S staff complete with families—they're a prolific lot. Presumably they'll be riding in a couple of 12-seaters!
Win or lose
"THE network must be stabilized. . "The network must be developed.. . . " (Extracts from successive pages of the document handed out at last week's Press conference held at the London headquarters of the British Railways Board.)
Not a Trickle
"o to the fountain head, old boy, if you want the complete V facts." Acting on this good journalistic precept I went last week to London's main rail terminus for the North for a leaflet of train times. No luck. None available.
Another branch line closed, maybe? Hardly. I just wanted to get from Euston to Crewe!
Must be the dry season for fountains.
• Footnote: Electrification of rail services, including Euston/ Crewe, is costing about £160 m.
Down to Earth
D EGRUDGINGLY over the years, hard-boiled transport
operators, whether by land, sea or air have been compelled to live with the seemingly insoluble problem of returned empties. Never where you want them, the cost of keeping track of empties in whatever form often exceeds the cost of controlling the commodities they contain.
Last week a £1,800 exercise in returned empties at the taxpayer's expense came to light, when the Commons Estimates Committee reported on the movement of Service personnel and . stores.
Three packing cases in which aircraft engines had been sent to Singapore were flown back to the UK—empty—at a cost of £1,800. That's £1,506 more than it would have cost to scrap and replace all three.
Nothing new in all that for old hands at the game. But the up-and-coming boys determined to be in the vanguard of a much heralded revolution in freight movement are sure they have the answer. Scrap the old-fashioned term "returned empty". Just call it a container!
Routemasters for Canada
TONDON Transport's much-travelled Routemasters have, I I–I learn with surprise, not yet been to Canada. But this will be remedied next month when Routemasters 2548 and 2560 leave London for Montreal to carry visitors to and from that city and the Expo 67 showgrounds. A five-man team from London Transport will drive, service and maintain the Routemasters during their stay.
And guess who's paying for all this? No. not LTB's London passengers, nor ratepayers—but Brooke Bond Tea Ltd.
Ruislip in Reverse
RUISLIP, I've been told, is amongst the best-run rounds of the Lorry Driver of the Year Competition. A feature is always the slick organization and excellent facilities for spectators. Now
I hear that the organizers are to try to improve things still further this time for drivers in the heavy-vehicle class.
have always thought that in this competition life is a bit hard for drivers in the F and H classes who have to sit in their vehicles all day long—by the time they have finished their tests and get their freedom the competition is over and they've seen none of it.
To get over this, Ruislip is going to try a novel way of running the round—in reverse vehicle order with the heavies first and the light vehicles last. This should give the tnultiwheeler and attic boys more of a chance to see what goes on! Ruislip is fortunate in having facilities to make the change which may not be possible elsewhere, but I hope that it does not make life too confusing for the willing band of workers that act as marshals.
Drivers Club Birthday
TUST 10 years old is the famous Perkins' Drivers Club—for
J drivers and operators of all types of Perkins diesel powered equipment. It was formed by Frank Perkins, the group's founder, who aimed to establish closer contact between the company, operators and drivers.
Membership now is 25,000 20,000 in Britain and Eire and 5,000 in overseas countries. And one of the perks of membership is a free accident insurance scheme.