dieseldave:
[I think Pop Larkin has hit the nail on the head by mentioning the wide open spaces of South Africa and Oz, but this idea might work if it could be adapted to suit conditions in the UK.
Of course it would, don’t be fooled by the ‘wide open spaces’ red herring. Most road trains in Oz don’t wander across trackless desert, even in the Northern Territory, they use roads between towns that are no more than UK single carriageway ‘A’ roads and often narrower. My experience with several trailers, not Johansson’s self trackers, but bog standard 40’ tandems was similar to driving from say Kings Lynn to Stoke before all the road widening and duelling. Not many towns I’ll grant and the streets were not of medieval widths, but non in my day were by-passed and they all had to be got through.
Spardo:
Of course it would, don’t be fooled by the ‘wide open spaces’ red herring. Most road trains in Oz don’t wander across trackless desert, even in the Northern Territory, they use roads between towns that are no more than UK single carriageway ‘A’ roads and often narrower.
I’ll own up!! Never having been to Oz, I had fallen for that one. With hindsight, my choice of words was poor too.
What I should have said was that, with the density of people/cars per sq km being much less than in the UK, the LHVs might seem less intrusive to the general public…
I still think there’s a good case for allowing LHVs, but I feel it hinges on well thought out Regs and public perception. Somebody might come up with figures to show the number of lorries removed from the roads, so then Joe Public would vote for it, if LHVs didn’t get in his way.
Spardo:
My experience with several trailers, not Johansson’s self trackers, but bog standard 40’ tandems was similar to driving from say Kings Lynn to Stoke before all the road widening and duelling. Not many towns I’ll grant and the streets were not of medieval widths, but non in my day were by-passed and they all had to be got through.
Thanks for the analogy, I’ve a better understanding now
dieseldave:
[I think Pop Larkin has hit the nail on the head by mentioning the wide open spaces of South Africa and Oz, but this idea might work if it could be adapted to suit conditions in the UK.
Of course it would, don’t be fooled by the ‘wide open spaces’ red herring. Most road trains in Oz don’t wander across trackless desert, even in the Northern Territory, they use roads between towns that are no more than UK single carriageway ‘A’ roads and often narrower. My experience with several trailers, not Johansson’s self trackers, but bog standard 40’ tandems was similar to driving from say Kings Lynn to Stoke before all the road widening and duelling. Not many towns I’ll grant and the streets were not of medieval widths, but non in my day were by-passed and they all had to be got through.
however the roadtrains have to be broken up before most towns, taken through in singles or doubles, and re-hitched on the other side
dieseldave:
[I think Pop Larkin has hit the nail on the head by mentioning the wide open spaces of South Africa and Oz, but this idea might work if it could be adapted to suit conditions in the UK.
Of course it would, don’t be fooled by the ‘wide open spaces’ red herring. Most road trains in Oz don’t wander across trackless desert, even in the Northern Territory, they use roads between towns that are no more than UK single carriageway ‘A’ roads and often narrower. My experience with several trailers, not Johansson’s self trackers, but bog standard 40’ tandems was similar to driving from say Kings Lynn to Stoke before all the road widening and duelling. Not many towns I’ll grant and the streets were not of medieval widths, but non in my day were by-passed and they all had to be got through.
however the roadtrains have to be broken up before most towns, taken through in singles or doubles, and re-hitched on the other side
So that rules out using them in the UK then. If you could find somewhere to park in the first place. When you came back there would be a clamp on the wheels.
You would probably get clamped just doing your daily checks as you walk round 2 trailers
Lucy:
TDG still run one which buzzes in and out of the docks with UBC boxes from Wilton…Under the same laws as everyone else now though, so it will no doubt will not be replaced when it finally meets it’s maker. One of our drivers used to drive the “■■■■ thing” (his description).
That was a W&J Riding invention, which assumed the TDG name when Tom retired. It was originally a 65-ton setup, pulled by a ballasted Seddon-Atkinson Strato with a 365 ■■■■■■■ in it.
It was originally Bell Bulk, which became the UBC setup as it is today - I have some pictures of the original setup in Bell Bulk livery, which I’ll resize and upload shortly.
roundtable.truck.net/viewtopic.php?t=61241 These photos where taken about 30 ks from the middle of Sydney and they run over the Harbour bridge road trains dont usually split at each town they have a route that takes them around a bypass which still can be residential streets but roadtrains ddo run into adelaides outer suburbs.
Sheepdog-AU: http://roundtable.truck.net/viewtopic.php?t=61241 These photos where taken about 30 ks from the middle of Sydney and they run over the Harbour bridge road trains dont usually split at each town they have a route that takes them around a bypass which still can be residential streets but roadtrains ddo run into adelaides outer suburbs.
i was thinking more along the lines of smaller towns in the northern territory that wouldnt be bypassed, as opposed to the major cities, i could be wrong though ihavent driven roadtrains personally
The smaller towns usuall have a back street bypas that can be used as a heavy vehichle bypass and most out back towns have a paking bay where all trucks have to stop to drop the dust out there wheels b4 travelling through these vtowns
Sheepdog-AU:
The smaller towns usuall have a back street bypas that can be used as a heavy vehichle bypass and most out back towns have a paking bay where all trucks have to stop to drop the dust out there wheels b4 travelling through these vtowns
I was going to reply that I was talking about the art of the possible, not what modern regulations demand. Just trying to demonstrate that, properly driven, road trains can be less of a pain than you would think.
Of course I’m not advocating that Denby drag his motors through city centres, but certainly motorway trunking and limited specified major road running to break points should be acceptable on both environmental and safety grounds.
i don care what corners they can go round, or what other tricks they can do they are to big for our over crouded roads. i think they are as silly an idea as those artic busses
I was going to reply that I was talking about the art of the possible, not what modern regulations demand. Just trying to demonstrate that, properly driven, road trains can be less of a pain than you would think.
Of course I’m not advocating that Denby drag his motors through city centres, but certainly mortorway trunking and limited specified major road running to break points should be acceptable on both environmental and safety grounds.
in theory youre right, and as far as i know that was the general idea when they brought in the B-Doubles for Melbourne, they were only supposed to go from depot to depot, on freeways, but eventually you get operators pushing it to the point where theyre running around back-street industrial estates
I was going to reply that I was talking about the art of the possible, not what modern regulations demand. Just trying to demonstrate that, properly driven, road trains can be less of a pain than you would think.
Of course I’m not advocating that Denby drag his motors through city centres, but certainly mortorway trunking and limited specified major road running to break points should be acceptable on both environmental and safety grounds.
in theory youre right, and as far as i know that was the general idea when they brought in the B-Doubles for Melbourne, they were only supposed to go from depot to depot, on freeways, but eventually you get operators pushing it to the point where theyre running around back-street industrial estates
That problem seemed to be caused by slack enforcement, don’t you think.?
Perhaps the UK could have a look at the way that it was done in Sweden in the 80s (the last time I was there, so maybe it’s still the same.) At the time, their length limit was 24ish meters IIRC, and those vehicles were only allowed on certain roads. The way that Sweden numbers its roads lent itself very well to that idea. The law was straightforward, you weren’t allowed to drive one of those vehicles on a road with a road number larger than N150, (I think…) but I’m sure somebody else remembers, or knows the current system.
For UK use, it might be just motorways and major dual carriageways, but i feel that the problem would be to do with available assembly/splitting points. We seem so short of space in the UK.
i dont think the uk can take any lessons on enforcment.this country can make the silly and blow it out of all proportion. you will not be able to ■■■■ without. it being recorded
fuse:
i don care what corners they can go round, or what other tricks they can do they are to big for our over crouded roads. i think they are as silly an idea as those artic busses
fuse:
i don care what corners they can go round, or what other tricks they can do they are to big for our over crouded roads. i think they are as silly an idea as those artic busses
