Down Memory Lane
A Picture History Of My Work From 1962 to 1969
“I enjoyed it then. The designs, the interpersonal contact and negotiations, the freedom to roam the roads, the freedom to be my own boss. It was a challenge to find a solution to the many problems but I’m glad that I got out. It became too hectic.”
MSAIM, MCIT, MITSA, AMIRTE, MSAARET, N Dip Dr, N Dip Eng, SAIM Ad Dip Man, RAU Dip RT.
LPG Storage Tank - April 1967
The weight of this LPG tank was 70 tons (64m tonnes) but its sheer size meant that it could not be transported on top of the road bogies.
I arranged for the manufacturer to build longer beams for our trailer at their cost and they agreed to do this.
When we came to load, the beams were too weak and collapsed. They had to repair and streangthen them virtually overnight because the validity of the road permits was due to expire. They re-designed and built them in a few days.
The beams they built weighed 47 tons, more than half the mass of the tank. The laden height was 18′ (5,4m) and the width was also 18′ (5,4m)
Our drivers drove “blind” as they could not see the rear bogie and they could neither anticipate, nor follow the rear bogie tracking redius due to the extreme width. Roads were only 22′ (6,6m) wide. No other traffic could pass in either direction. This caused MAJOR traffic disruptions as it moved very slowly. The route had to be especially picked for road width and vehicle manoeuverability.
The load was stopped over a weekend and i took Sylvia, Richard and Trevor to go and see it. I remember it well but for the life of me i cannot think where this picture was taken.
From Vanderbijlpark to Isando
The tank was built by RG Travers at Vanderbijlpark.
This picture was taken near Alberton and shows the clerk from our abnormal load office having a look at the problems. His name was Manuel Ferreira-Netto, a very capable and hardworking guy but his heart could not take the pressure of the job and he passed away in about 1975.
This photograph was also taken near Alberton. The load took up the full road width.
See the traffic build up behind ….
The photographs below were taken at the factory of R G Travers in Vanderbijlpark. The middle photo shows the 2 drivers with the Scammel Contractors which had semi-automatic greaboxes.
