It’s hard to imagine the road transport world without articulation, but in fairness, if the Health & Safety Executive had been around more than 120 years ago, then it may well have snuffed out the idea before it had even got started. Why create the potential of instability by introducing a bending point in a perfectly safe rigid goods vehicle is a point of view that may well have drawn merit. And yes, over the years many operators – and lots of drivers – have felt the hairs on the back of their neck stand up as an unexpected situation has tested the stability of the industry’s flexible friend.
Of course, today, all the bells and whistles of electronic gizmos work in harmony to create an outfit that is as safe as it comes (within obvious parameters, of course). As yes, the industry has come on light years since the idea of bend me, shape me first became a practical realisation in being able to move the unmovable.
FIRST AT BASINGSTOKE
Transport historians generally agree that the Basingstoke, Hants-based operation established by John Isaac Thornycroft is credited with devising the first articulated platform lorry in 1898 when a 2-wheeled trailer was coupled to a 4-wheeled load carrier. Apparently, nothing much was then done to develop the idea, although in fairness the main drive to the Thornycroft business was primarily in shipbuilding – and as Vosper Thornycroft (then the VT Group) it was to enjoy a lengthy and constructive history. It also didn’t do too badly in the way that it serviced the UK (and export) conventional wagon demand as it grew to become one of our country’s main suppliers for World War I military needs.
A heck of a lot was going on during the war-time years and this included the import – from Springfield, Massachusetts, USA – of some Knox articulated vehicles. To many, this is where the story really starts, but I’m reminded by good friend Nicky Armstrong that any mention of Knox must also pay due respect to one-time Knox employee Charles Hay Martin, who is credited with creating the first rocking fifth wheel. Being able to oscillate your vehicle/trailer coupling through fluctuations of the varying height differences of your drawing vehicle and its semi-trailer was a big step forward in the practicality of operating an artic.
WATFORD’S FINEST
G Scammell & Nephew may seem like a strange trading name, but the coming together of uncle George and his brother’s son Alfred Thomas Scammell in the early 1860s stood the test of time and gained the highest repute. As motor engineers, bodybuilders and wheelwrights (as well as agents and official repairers for both Foden and Commer Cars) the family concern was based in what was becoming rather cramped premises in Fashion Street, Spitalfields, London. However, the chance to make some Knox lookalikes proved to be a game-changer and the first production models were made in 1921.
Scammell had already done a lot of homework and its marketing slogan for its new articulated Six Wheeler was being able to carry 7.5 tons payload at 3 tons’ cost and speed. Legislation at the time insisted on having a second man (to the driver) if a trailer was pulled by a goods vehicle. And such a combination was limited to 5mph (yes 5mph), while any other trailer-free vehicle could travel at 12mph. We know these figures are crazy, but it was more than 100 years ago.
Scammell, however, insisted its vehicles simply flexed and didn’t pull trailers – and didn’t incur the overhead of having to employ a trailer mate. And in fairness, it ensured the separation of tractor unit and semi-trailer was something of a workshop job. It even changed the terminology, so Scammell-speak said a tractor unit was a motive unit and the semi-trailer bit was long referred to as a carrier. The legislators concurred and Scammell got a huge marketing leap over the opposition, especially as it could build both tractors and trailers – sorry, motive units and carriers – in the same place.
Things were happening very quickly as Scammell was to open a huge new factory on Tolpits Lane in Watford. The new company of Scammell Lories was created, but rather than just close down the old London-based Fashion Street operation, G Scammell & Nephew was sold on to trade as a going concern – albeit with no links at all to the previous Scammell family.
EXCITING TIMES
The new Watford business, however, used its old G Scammell & Nephew’s engineering expertise and knowhow to create a Scammell 7-litre petrol engine for these new artics and (at first) a basic 3-speed gearbox that used chain drive to the rear axle.
They were exciting times not only for the manufacturer, but also for anyone who had to learn how to drive (and especially reverse) one of these new combos. We like the thoughts of John Fadelle in his all-encompassing book Scammell Lorries Limited on how the company reckoned reversing a Scammell was a lot easier (and far more predictable) than trying to reverse a horse van.
It didn’t do it deliberately (well I suppose it did), but when Scammell began pouring out its new articulated Six Wheeler and Eight Wheelers in the mid-1920s, its customers soon realised they were some tough pieces of kit that could carry as much weight as you liked. While the railways still had the monopoly to move long-distance freight, they couldn’t carry anything that was too big or wide to go through tunnels – or even pass through stations. The cumbersome steam traction engine was still in use for this sort of heavy haulage work, but this was to change once Ernest Charles Marston realised what a flexible worker the Scammell low-loader could be. And he began marketing his business with this in mind: “Don’t build something and then take it to bits prior to transporting it to the customer. Just consult us about Single Piece Moving.”
Road Services and Scammell of course, although the manufacturer only made one other – albeit with caveats. BLH 21 was a similar motive unit, but as its first carrier only had a single row of axles, it was at that time classed as a 65-tonner. But don’t worry, another bigger/stronger semi-trailer/carrier was built and this Dynamic Duo combo was set to give the heavy haulage world 25 years of remarkable herculean service.
LOTS OF HORSES
Scammell was to get a huge amount of publicity about the activities of its 100-tonners, but no more sales were generated. However, one of its vehicles that received little press coverage was made in the thousands. Yes, the arrival in 1932 of the aptly named Mechanical Horse transformed the distribution world by phasing out the use of the traditional horse and cart. This didn’t happen overnight, and Scammell wasn’t in fact the inventor of a whole new package of lighter freight handling. But the bottom line was that its horse and swiftly uncoupling semi-trailer were to become an industry leader.
Early trials of a new mini-artic saw two different options being developed. The LMS railway worked closely with Karrier, which produced its Cob and Colt, while LNER was working with the Napier Company to make a similar looking 3-wheel tractive unit that was coupled to a single-axle semi-trailer.
However, Napier really wanted to make high-performance cars, and looking for someone to continue these mini-artic trials, Scammell bought the rights for a song and the rest, as they say, is history. The Karrier was to flounder and the Napier/Scammell won this particular confrontation.
confrontation. It wasn’t quite as simple as that as there were a lot of fraught Scammell board meetings wrestling over finance for the Mechanical Horse project, but in essence, this one non-descript load-shifter – rated to carry either 3 or 6 tons – subsequently ensured the Scammell Lorries history would run and run.
True – this particular horse would never go very fast, but Scammellers would only smile. They didn’t build sprinters, they made vehicles – if you so wanted – that could probably work forever.
- This article was previously published in Commercial Motor, to subscribe see the latest Commercial Motor subscription offer
