G.W.R. Preference for Articulated Vehicles
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N a review of the activities of the road-transport department of the ,reat Western Railway Co. during )e past year, reference is made to the rowing use of articulated vehicles. The rst G.W.R. vehicle of the kind was ut into service in September, 1931, nc.e when: the numbers have been tpidly increased, the existing fleet =prising 33:3 3-ton and 194 6-ton hree-wheelers and 49 6-ton four'heelers. It is added that this type of ehicle has done all that was eapected f it and seems to come as near to rail;ay companies' requirements for eliveries within restricted areas as nything which manufacturers are diely to produce in the immediate uture.
Articulated Principle Extended.
The type of vehicle in mind was iriginally designed with a threevheeled tractor. This, however, limited ts use to comparatively flat districts; noreover, with a small engine it was ound uneconomic to use this tractor or deliveries remote from the starting )oint. The principle has, therefore, )een extended to employ a fourvheelecl tractor with a more powerful mgine.
a18 Another special articulated vehicle which has been acquired by the G.W.R. is a horsebox for the conveyance of horses from stables to adjacent railway stations for rail transit.
At the close of 1936 the G.W.R.'s authorized cartage motors comprised 2,326 vehicles and 1,589 trailers. The consumption of petrol for the year amounted to approximately 2,177,500 gallons.
Constant attention has been paid to fuel economy. Experiments have been going on, for some time, with what is known as the " jet scheme," by which the work of each vehicle is studied in comparison with what is regarded as the standard-sized petrol jet, and ad
justment is made to meet special conditions, such as hilly country, heavy loads, etc. Considerable benefit is stated to have been obtained from this' arrangement.
More Removals Undertaken.
Ttaders made heavy demands on the stock of road-rail containers, and the number of journeys from Great Western stations during the first nine months of the year rose by 13 per cent. to 61,995. There was also a continued increase in the number of household removals undertaken by the company. For the nine months to September, these transactions totalled 5,568—an increase of 29 per cent, over the figure for the corresponding nine months of 1935.
The extension of ,refrigerated transport in containers is forming the subject of a special inquiry by the railways, and successful experiments have been carried out with loads of bulbs, fish, flowers, meat and soft fruit. The number of G.W.R. containers continues to increase, 57 more having been added during the year, bringing the total to 1,759. The new containers included a special type for furniture traffic and a model for general merchandise.