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British Transport Films… a window on a bygone age

They were a 3 cylinder with 2 opposed pistons in each cylinder operating
rocker arms which in turn rotated the crankshaft which was below the cylinders.there were 3 injectors and the inlet and exhaust ports were at the
rocker end of cylinder at both sides.When they first arrived in NZ they developed 90bhp at about 2200rpm.Mine was a 1962 model 105bhp at2200rpm.They eventually were 135bhp at 2200rpm and then just when
the Rootes Group were on the verge of upgrading to a TS4 which was about
180bhp,Chrysler took them over and changed to a tilt cab Dodge with a
175bhp Cummins which were next door to useless.A sad end to top class trucks.
Mine had a 5 speed David Brown gearbox and 2 speed electric Eaton
 
They were a 3 cylinder with 2 opposed pistons in each cylinder operating
rocker arms which in turn rotated the crankshaft which was below the cylinders.there were 3 injectors and the inlet and exhaust ports were at the
rocker end of cylinder at both sides.When they first arrived in NZ they developed 90bhp at about 2200rpm.Mine was a 1962 model 105bhp at2200rpm.They eventually were 135bhp at 2200rpm and then just when
the Rootes Group were on the verge of upgrading to a TS4 which was about
180bhp,Chrysler took them over and changed to a tilt cab Dodge with a
175bhp Cummins which were next door to useless.A sad end to top class trucks.
Mine had a 5 speed David Brown gearbox and 2 speed electric 18
 
Sorry about repeating myself the iPad gets me stuffed at times.
When driving at night on long runs my exhaust came out on the right hand side and on a clear night u would get this lovely hum and sparks would be flying out of the exhaust.A regular cowboy I was.
 
I remember seeing that engine somewhere. 2 stroke opposed piston with a supercharger for scavenging. A single crank version of the engines that Junkers developed in the 30s and 40s and a distant cousin to the Napier Deltic. They have a distinctive note to them.
 
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That's brilliant Flint.They were a very smooth motor and gave stuff all problems.As 4 wheelers their legal all up weight was supposed to be 13 ton but used as truck and 2 axle trailer tippers and as prime movers and loggers the
Sky was the limit.There are a few stories about their origin,some say the design was war reparations from a German aircraft engine and others think it was a earlier British design from the late 20's,but a great motor.
 
This should bring back the memories…
:)
 
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There are a few stories about their origin,some say the design was war reparations from a German aircraft engine and others think it was a earlier British design from the late 20's,but a great motor.

Been reading up a bit and the Junkers Jumo was the aircraft engine, but Sulzer also made a similar design to the TS3 for road use in the 1930s. There's a firm in NZ that still service TS3s :http://www.commer.co.nz/home
 
I remember seeing this loco in the science museum as a kid…here's how it got there.

 
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Now those of you that have been paying attention will have spotted that Scammell trucks feature in many of these films, and these are the trucks I most admire. Everything is British engineering at its finest and most robust and ingenious, plus, I think they look amazing with great character and presence. Fortunately there's a number that have entered preservation and they often make appearances at the Great Dorset Steam Fair and others.

Quite a number of them here, plus another relic from the films and one of the fleet of PUC registered Pickfords Jr Constructors. Jr because they were 6x4 whereas the constructors were 6x6.


My anorak's getting a real outing I can tell you… :)
 
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I used to live in Explorer Drive off of Scammel way in Watford, guess what used to be there before the houses went up...
And having just watched your vid it explains why the local was called the Highwayman, didn't realise that!
 
Nice touch Nick. Shame the works is gone. Good that it's not forgotten…
Thanks for posting that.
 
According to Wikipedia i was 8 when it closed so don't remember it. Someone I used to work with said he loved going off on his bike to their test ground and he'd sit and watch them.
 
I remember as a kid, we lived near a bit of a hill in Bromley and one day I came upon three of Pickfords Scammells pulling a low loader with the mother of all pieces of steel on it. They were rearranging their order at the bottom of the hill, probably taking one of the pair that were braking at the back and putting it on the front again for more traction. They captured my imagination and I've loved them ever since.

I think they were Hywaymen set up as ballast tractors.
 
Y’see, that’s the shape a truck should be, big bostin’ engine at the front with a long bonnet, a cab in the middle, good ground clearance and something at the work-end at the back, not the flat-nosed, mid-engine things you see these days.

There’s the presence...
 
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