Posted on 06/07/2022 3:45:21 PM PDT by American Number 181269513
The driver of a traction engine towing a long load was pulled over after holding up traffic at 5mph (8km/h) on a busy main road.
The engine was towing a vintage caravan, a 4x4 and a trailer on the A47 near Trowse, Norfolk, on Monday.
Police said traffic had been held up as the engine had been travelling so slowly on its 40-mile (65km) journey.
"This amazing piece of engineering [was] towing an 'odd' combination of three 'trailers'," officers noted.
Posting about it on Twitter, officers from the Norfolk and Suffolk Roads Policing Unit described this as "a different sort of stop" for their team.
Police said they pulled the engine over on the westbound A47 between Postwick and Trowse "in poor weather conditions" at about midday on Monday.
It was travelling from Strumpshaw to Great Ellingham, and was only eight miles into its 40-mile journey, but was already holding up the traffic on the busy dual carriageway, they said.
The locomotive was pulling a vintage caravan, which was towing a Land Rover Discovery, which in turn was towing a twin-axle trailer.
"The driver was allowed to continue the journey, with the Land Rover being used as an escort vehicle rather than being towed," a police spokesman said.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Thousands expected to attend huge four-day steam extravaganza
Pretty interesting stuff. Never heard of these types of steam engines.
Pretty interesting stuff. Never heard of these types of steam engines
If I recall Henry Ford saw one of those when he was a kid and became fascinated with it.
Here's a video I saw a while back: Incredible WW1 Military Vehicle Convoy Steam Through Dorset 11/8/18.
We have a number of old steam rail locomotives that are preserved in operating condition, but the interest in these old road-going tractors and their agricultural cousins is spread very thin on this side of the Atlantic.
No road tread on those steel wheels?
Was Mr. Haney driving it?
So, the Brits can’t write intelligible headlines either now.
Starting in the 1850s, there were inventors creating steam power road vehicles. The railroad interests in the UK to stop this potential competition was able to get Parliament to pass laws effectively banning these steam power vehicles. But an exception was made for vehicles used for non-personal reasons. Thus you see these vehicles used on farms and towing heavy loads
Thank you for this.
I have been interested in Steam Power for over half a century.
Nuclear Power Plants are basically just Giant Steam Engines.
Someday I will build a Steam Boat.
Sterling Engines are cool too.
Probably after I build a Steam boat I am going to build a rotating, cylindrical Flettner rotor sail boat, but I am unsure which I should build first.
If this will burn wood, you’ve got yourself a renewable energy vehicle!
Fascinating!
"Yes, the Brits love their old steam-powered hardware...."
Whereas we yanks love our new steam-powered hardware. Like nuclear ships (aircraft carriers & submarines).
Bkmk
Looks like the Western policy of driving up energy costs (to ‘punish’ Putin) is forcing changes in the way cargo gets moved.
Thanks. I enjoyed watching that parade.
I used to go to Norwich quite often when I was stationed in England, 1973-1976, but sure as hell didn’t have an A-47 then, or if they did, it was much smaller. They had some crazy drivers, but I didn’t see anything like this.
I think Putin’s using the Soviet version to fight Ukraine.
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