British Vehicles Beat Bad Roads
Page 45
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By Ashley Taylor, A.I.R.T.E.
W1-IF.N I first saw the illustration which accompanies this article I reached for my magnifying glass'io find out what was happening. Only after some careful investigation did I discover that the Atkinson articulated unit in the picture was carrying a tank 33 ft. high, 21 ft. in diameter and weighing
over 30 tons. Later I found out that during transit all overhead wires had to be cut and, Of course, the roads completely cleared.
With the help of Mr. B. F. Caunt, managing director of Atkinson Lorries (1933), Ltd., I confirmed that the vehicle concerned was one belonging to Thornton's Transportation, Ltd., Johannesburg, and I was quickly able to discover a good deal more of the history of this operator.
A Pioneer The founder of the business was Samuel Thornton, an American, who invested rn a two-horse lorry and set up in Johannesburg as a transport contractor in 1892. When in 1904 he arranged to sell a half-share, a company tinder the title of Thornton, Ltd., with a capital of £20,000, was created to acquire the business. Early the following year, affairs took Mr. Thornton to London for 12:months, and upon his return he agreed to sell his remaining interest. Then he left South Africa for California.
Amalgamations brought a series of changes, that of July, 1926, resulting in the creation of Thornton's Cartage Co.. Ltd., whilst four years later the business became Rand Carriers, Ltd A third amalgamation took place in November, 1937, the name being changed to United Transports, Ltd. The business continued under this title until March, 1949, when a public company was floated as Thornton's Transportation, Ltd., with a capital
of £250,000. In July the capital figure was brought up to £350,000 by amalgamation with .W J. Hammon and Co., Ltd.
The fleet now comprises over 100 vehicles. About 90 per cent. of them have oil engines, and most are between 8-ton and 30-ton capacity. _Ira, addition, there are 150 trailers, including a number capable of carrying loads up to 55 tons.
Four years ago, new goldfields were opened in the Orange Free State and the Thornton Co. was then successful in obtaining certain substantial contracts. There are now three branches in this area, at Hennenman, Welkon and Odendaalsrust, where approximately 40,000 tons of traffic a month are handled, a figure which will probably increase as further new mines are opened.
The Thornton organization has had wide experience of carrying indivisible loads, a notable job being the movement of a water-cylinder jacket 14 ft. wide, over 12 ft. high and weighing .14 tons, between Durban and Johannesburg.
Slow Motion
• Obtaining permission to make the jot-limey -took over six months because of the difficulty of finding a route on which the roads were good enough and the bridges sufficiently high, wide and strong. In one place where a detour had to be made to avoid a low overbridge, rain made the surface muddy and, before undertaking .a severe descent, it was necessary to wait for dry weather and then scrape the mud from the road, afterwards scattering chippings to ensure a grip.
Amongst the Thornton vehicles working in the goldfields area are -Atkinson, Six-wheeled tippers of
10-cubic-yd. capacity, whilst a number of standard and low-loading articulated units is also employed, some incorparating Atkinson sixwheeled tractors. An eight-wheeled 15-tonner regularly carries cement from the area works to sites in the territory.
In the goldfields, extended landline telephones are rare, and until recently much dead mileage had to be run in consequence of communication difficulties. Now, however, a radio inter-communication. service has been installed, with sets in each of the three depots in the Free State and a fourth in the vehicle run by Mr. A. E. Smith, manager for the area.
Radio Contact By this means, while he is supervising jobs, Mr. Smith can remain in direct contact with the garages from which any required vehicle can be dispatched. Although there is no two-way radio service between the goldfields and the head office at Johannesburg, it is possible for Mr. W. E. H. Thompson, the general manager, to listen-in to the earlymorning transmissions in the goldfields and take whatever action may be necessary at the Johannesburg end.
The roads are extremely hard on vehicles, and the tippers in particular suffer from the result of loading by hopper. An important factor has been the care given in the planning of the fleet, machines .having been chosen to deal with specific tasks Some of the most arduous duties appear to be allotted to the Atkinson units.