This week's film comes courtesy of Garden Rail corespondant, Ralph Pitcher. As a past owner and restorer of a 6-wheel Scammell Pioneer, he has pointed me at several interesting films.
Watching this, I commented that at the end, the lorry seems to have gained chains on the rear wheels. Ralph explained:
The tracks were stored in the bin under the drivers side cab floor.
You drove over them and joined the ends together with a track puller,
I have a bren gun carrier one, that would easily manage to pull the track ends together.
The tracks rode over the tyres and stayed on what ever the suspension did because the distance between the hub centres remained the same.
The rear axle had bogie beams that could travel through 45 degrees, (12 inches up and 12 inches down ) up and down at either end, or 90 degrees in total.
Fascinating. There is one of these at a local garage - you can see it on Streetview
3 comments:
I don't want to appear negative, but I think the vehicle you reference on Street View is of US origin, and not a Scammell Pioneer. There is however a roadworthy Scammell Pioneer, in a civilian paint scheme, based relatively close by in Warwickshire.
The garage vehicle looks more like a "Diamond T", but I'm not particularly up on such things other that to say, like Mark, it ain't a Scammell
My Grandfather drove the Gun Tractor version all the same abilities as the wrecker but used to shift the 9mile snipers to a new FP.
As is the way with these things Grandad was about 9st wet-through which made doing anything a matter of physical effort on a grand scale.
Beloved by showmen for road train use with two 110v generators on the ballast box floor.
Not much stopped their ever onward progress.
IF you get to see one in action you will appreciate the world beating rough and ready engineering that was the watch word with Scammell owners users and drivers.
21st century heavy duty trucks are very capable but their roots are found in the two Great British manufacturers - Thorneycroft and Scammell. May not have been loved by all but they moved and built the foundations of the world we know today.
Post a Comment