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1930 Leyland 8-Wheel Drive Tractor Overseas Mechanical Transport Direction Committee

1930 Leyland 8-Wheel Drive Tractor in Industrial Britain, Documentary, 1931

Class: Trucks, Trailer truck (tractor) — Model origin:

1930 Leyland 8-Wheel Drive Tractor Overseas Mechanical Transport Direction Committee

00:18:20 Minor action vehicle or used in only a short scene

Comments about this vehicle

Author	Message
dsl ◊ 2014-08-19 23:02	Described by voiceover as a "colossal road-train for India and west Africa" - 4-axle front unit towing two 4-axle sheeted trailers.
johnfromstaffs ◊ 2014-08-20 09:17	https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h4RoM6X6-6o Not certain about this, but it looks like an earlier version of the AEC/Hardy Government Road Train built for Australia. The above link takes you to photographs dated 1934, whether this is exactly the same design is open to discussion/argument but I think I have called it correctly. There was also a Leyland powered version that worked in The Gold Coast. Whether this means Australia or the country in West Africa now called Ghana is also a poser. The link below looks more like the subject picture, and the next question is AEC/Hardy or AEC/FWD, I think that the latter two companies were linked. http://www.offroadvehicle.ru/AZBUCAR/FWD/AEC-Road-Train-1.jpg One of these sets of vehicles is still extant, in preservation in Australia. http://www.truck-photos.net/picture/number2090.asp -- Last edit: 2014-08-20 09:13:37 -- Last edit: 2014-08-20 10:13:59
Sunbar ◊ 2014-08-20 11:27	A 'natural' for being included in the Commercial Motor Magazine in 1935... "An A.E.C. Oil-engined Tractor, Towing Two Dyson Trailers and Carrying 15-ton Pay-loads, Completes a 10,000-mile Test with Flying Colours in Central Australia... "It is of interest to record that, as a result of this test, Arcos, Ltd., has ordered for the Russian Government two A.E.C.• tractors and four Dyson trailers of the same type, whilst a similar unit is to be supplied to the Government of the Tanganyika Territory." Read more at Link to "archive.commercialmotor.com" http://www.trucksplanet.com/catalog/model.php?id=756 http://www.4wdonline.com/ClassicTrucks/AECroadTrain.html Both websites have more on the AEC 8x8 Government Roadtrain 1934. The AEC Goverment Roadtrain was built by Hardy Motors a subsidiary of AEC for the British Overseas Mechanical Transport Directing Committee for heavy transport in remote regions of the British Empire. Three AEC road trains were built, one going to Africa and one to Russia. The third road train was brought to Australia... edit: The earlier version possibly still to be found ... "The first machine evolved was a Leyland tractor, which was tested in the Gold Coastwith two Dyson trailers. This unit performed so satisfactorily that it was purchased by the Gold Coast Government." -- Last edit: 2014-08-20 11:35:51
Sunbar ◊ 2014-08-20 11:44	The earlier Leyland tractor - trailer unit for the Gold Coast still too late for the 1931 documentary unless its development time was very protracted. edit: The original concept probably being started before 1929, its possible the Leyland unit was filmed in England in 1931 during trails. "The outfit, with a pay-load of 15 tons, was first subjected to tests aggregating 5,560 miles. on unmetalled roads and tracks in England, and was shipped on February 3, 1933" Read more at Link to "archive.commercialmotor.com" -- Last edit: 2014-08-20 12:05:04
johnfromstaffs ◊ 2014-08-20 12:20	Talk about opening a can of worms! My middle link, labelled AEC Roadtrain, looks like the Leyland, which looks like the subject picture. The dates look a bit suspect, but as the Leyland diesel did not appear until 1932, if this is a Leyland, it must have been petrol powered, unless the long gestation period was caused by the development and fitting of the diesel.
Sunbar ◊ 2014-08-20 12:24	Leyland 539.5 cu.in. Petrol six cylinder... The Leyland's cab details look the same as in the movie I guess we have a match for the vehicle.
Sunbar ◊ 2014-08-20 12:44	I guess we have to believe the evidence in the movie and the other possible facts or conclusions. 1927 - The British Government's Overseas Mechanical Transport Directing Committee agrees to fund the development (fact). 1928 - Proposals probably evaluated. 1929 - Design and development probably commences. 1931 - First Leyland tractor-trailer filmed during testing (fact) 1932 - Leyland completes trials in England before being accepted (fact). 1933 - Leyland shipped to the Gold Coast in Africa (fact).
johnfromstaffs ◊ 2014-08-20 13:24	I think that you are correct in saying that this is the Leyland version. It would be interesting to know how long the petrol engine lasted once the diesels got into production, and where the engine came from, probably the Hippo truck chassis, the Titan bus engine being 6.8litres not 8.8. The other question concerns the trailers, the AEC units having their axles driven by drive shafts from the engine in the front unit. -- Last edit: 2014-08-20 13:38:27
dsl ◊ 2014-08-20 13:41	I thought this one would be fun.... The jfs AEC video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h4RoM6X6-6o describes all axles (tractor and trailers) as powered - I don't think the trailers here have power (thumbs 4 and 6). Any relevance for petrol vs diesel??
Sunbar ◊ 2014-08-20 13:50	The Leyland appears to be a 'one-off' and could have had the petrol engine throughout its working life when sold to the Gold Coast government. Possibly lasting up to ten years in service like the AECs in Australia. There does not appear to be any shipped to India. The trucks were in competition with the railways and India I guess was building a large rail network.
Sunbar ◊ 2014-08-20 14:19	dsl wrote I thought this one would be fun.... The jfs AEC video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h4RoM6X6-6o describes all axles (tractor and trailers) as powered - I don't think the trailers here have power (thumbs 4 and 6). Any relevance for petrol vs diesel?? The archive.commercialmotor.com is generally good on technical details and the trailers were not commented on as being powered in any way, only the AEC tractor being driven all wheels... "The tractor is equipped with an A.E.C. Ricardo six-cylindered 130 b.h.p. oil engine. All wheels are driven, those on the first and fourth axles being steering wheels.. Provision is made for carrying 3 tons on the tractor, whilst each trailer carries 6 tons." Link to "archive.commercialmotor.com" The youtube voice-over commentry is rather strange but I would rather believe the Commercial Motor even if it sometimes reads like propaganda for the truck manufacturers.
johnfromstaffs ◊ 2014-08-20 14:54	Looking again at the drawings of the trailers for the AEC I have read the drawings wrongly. Not a new phenomenon, I assure you. The trailers are not powered, the drive shaft of the prime mover ending over the rearmost axle. The turntables mounting the pairs of axles on each trailer are linked, and the trailers thereby become "tracking" I.e. they follow exactly the track made by the prime mover and do not cut in or swing out, the entire road train behaving as though running on rails. http://www.truck-photos.net/picture/number2088.asp -- Last edit: 2014-08-20 14:56:16
Sunbar ◊ 2014-08-20 16:29	The AEC tractor has the first and last axles acting as steering (in opposite directions) leaving the 2nd and 3rd un-steered (in-line with the chassis) so should track better at the expense of some 'wheel-scrub'. By the photographs, the Leyland steers on all axles (two sets of four in opposite directions) at the same angles so the inner wheel sets will not follow the tracks of the leading and last wheels. The trailers' bogies appear the same on both. -- Last edit: 2014-08-20 16:31:48

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