Intermodal freight haulage in the United Kingdom (UK) developed as a response to competition betw... more Intermodal freight haulage in the United Kingdom (UK) developed as a response to competition between rail and road, both driven by the growth of demand, new mobility networks and changes in manufacturing. The changing social, economic and business developments of the twentieth century brought a new urgency to the mode of delivery, speed of transit and the safety of transported goods in the UK. A number of technological, legislative and commercial factors impacted on this growth and with road haulage becoming stronger after 1918, unitisation of loads achieved via intermodality, became increasingly important in the first half of the century. An interesting question therefore arises – Was unitisation a cause of the growth of container use or an effect of it?
Freight traffic on railways had always been important, however a major targeted development of containerised traffic began in the United Kingdom from 1926 and its growth was significant through the Second World War and beyond. Nationalisation of the national transport system, including rail and some road, in 1947- 48, did not halt it either; the number of containers available for traffic despite the withdrawal of old examples, still grew quite markedly until the end of the 1950s.
However this container growth was a partial measure. In order for ‘true’ inter-modal transport to develop in the UK, new techniques, such as the standardisation and unitisation of loads, needed to be embraced including the spread of palletisation. The influence of unitized freight had developed in the USA in the 1920s and 30s, but the entry of American (US) forces in both the European and Pacific theatres of World War 2 gave a new urgency and the military of all the Allied combatants were affected. The Armies needed to achieve more with less human intervention and the unitisation of loads made this possible. This paper will explore the gradual shift toward greater homogenisation of rail freight transport that would eventually lead to the loss of (heterogeneous) wagon load traffic.
ABSTRACT: I am the author of Chapter 4 of this book, which is entitled "Railway Containers in the... more ABSTRACT: I am the author of Chapter 4 of this book, which is entitled "Railway Containers in the United Kingdom and Europe in 1920s and 1930s". The abstract below is for my chapter The safety, security and speed of delivery for goods in transit have always been a prime concern for railways. Whilst many aspects of European and UK railway operation remained very different, especially in terms of loading gauge, the use of automatic couplers and differing braking systems, there is evidence of an international dialogue in both technological and organizational practices. Containerization developments, particularly in the early 1930s, were the subject of discussion and an international competition at Venice in 1931, held under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce, thus giving them a trans-national context. As Dolléans (1934) noted: “The container is the latest and the most important innovation introduced in the organization of land transportation. This mobile box, which may be separated from the lorry and truck, can be transferred from one vehicle to another and even a boat. The container establishes a connection between road and rail. In doing so it furthers their co-operation” Containers and their modes of use had developed in a number of European countries by 1934, to the point that pioneering mechanical, methodological and managerial advances were being made. This chapter explores the importance of the intermodal, safety and containerization developments of this era in the United Kingdom and Europe. First edited by General Editor - Derek H Aldcroft, 02/2015; Ashgate Publishing Company., ISBN: 978-1-4094-4046-8
Intermodal freight haulage in the United Kingdom (UK) developed as a response to competition betw... more Intermodal freight haulage in the United Kingdom (UK) developed as a response to competition between rail and road, both driven by the growth of demand, new mobility networks and changes in manufacturing. The changing social, economic and business developments of the twentieth century brought a new urgency to the mode of delivery, speed of transit and the safety of transported goods in the UK. A number of technological, legislative and commercial factors impacted on this growth and with road haulage becoming stronger after 1918, unitisation of loads achieved via intermodality, became increasingly important in the first half of the century. An interesting question therefore arises – Was unitisation a cause of the growth of container use or an effect of it? Freight traffic on railways had always been important, however a major targeted development of containerised traffic began in the United Kingdom from 1926 and its growth was significant through the Second World War and beyond. Nationalisation of the national transport system, including rail and some road, in 1947- 48, did not halt it either; the number of containers available for traffic despite the withdrawal of old examples, still grew quite markedly until the end of the 1950s. However this container growth was a partial measure. In order for ‘true’ inter-modal transport to develop in the UK, new techniques, such as the standardisation and unitisation of loads, needed to be embraced including the spread of palletisation. The influence of unitized freight had developed in the USA in the 1920s and 30s, but the entry of American (US) forces in both the European and Pacific theatres of World War 2 gave a new urgency and the military of all the Allied combatants were affected. The Armies needed to achieve more with less human intervention and the unitisation of loads made this possible. This paper will explore the gradual shift toward greater homogenisation of rail freight transport that would eventually lead to the loss of (heterogeneous) wagon load traffic. Paper given at the 10th International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility - HISTORY AND FUTURE OF INTERMODAL MOBILITIES, El Museo del Ferrocarril de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; 11/2012
Intermodal freight haulage in the United Kingdom (UK) developed as a response to competition betw... more Intermodal freight haulage in the United Kingdom (UK) developed as a response to competition between rail and road, both driven by the growth of demand, new mobility networks and changes in manufacturing. The changing social, economic and business developments of the twentieth century brought a new urgency to the mode of delivery, speed of transit and the safety of transported goods in the UK. A number of technological, legislative and commercial factors impacted on this growth and with road haulage becoming stronger after 1918, unitisation of loads achieved via intermodality, became increasingly important in the first half of the century. An interesting question therefore arises – Was unitisation a cause of the growth of container use or an effect of it?
Freight traffic on railways had always been important, however a major targeted development of containerised traffic began in the United Kingdom from 1926 and its growth was significant through the Second World War and beyond. Nationalisation of the national transport system, including rail and some road, in 1947- 48, did not halt it either; the number of containers available for traffic despite the withdrawal of old examples, still grew quite markedly until the end of the 1950s.
However this container growth was a partial measure. In order for ‘true’ inter-modal transport to develop in the UK, new techniques, such as the standardisation and unitisation of loads, needed to be embraced including the spread of palletisation. The influence of unitized freight had developed in the USA in the 1920s and 30s, but the entry of American (US) forces in both the European and Pacific theatres of World War 2 gave a new urgency and the military of all the Allied combatants were affected. The Armies needed to achieve more with less human intervention and the unitisation of loads made this possible. This paper will explore the gradual shift toward greater homogenisation of rail freight transport that would eventually lead to the loss of (heterogeneous) wagon load traffic.
ABSTRACT: I am the author of Chapter 4 of this book, which is entitled "Railway Containers in the... more ABSTRACT: I am the author of Chapter 4 of this book, which is entitled "Railway Containers in the United Kingdom and Europe in 1920s and 1930s". The abstract below is for my chapter The safety, security and speed of delivery for goods in transit have always been a prime concern for railways. Whilst many aspects of European and UK railway operation remained very different, especially in terms of loading gauge, the use of automatic couplers and differing braking systems, there is evidence of an international dialogue in both technological and organizational practices. Containerization developments, particularly in the early 1930s, were the subject of discussion and an international competition at Venice in 1931, held under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce, thus giving them a trans-national context. As Dolléans (1934) noted: “The container is the latest and the most important innovation introduced in the organization of land transportation. This mobile box, which may be separated from the lorry and truck, can be transferred from one vehicle to another and even a boat. The container establishes a connection between road and rail. In doing so it furthers their co-operation” Containers and their modes of use had developed in a number of European countries by 1934, to the point that pioneering mechanical, methodological and managerial advances were being made. This chapter explores the importance of the intermodal, safety and containerization developments of this era in the United Kingdom and Europe. First edited by General Editor - Derek H Aldcroft, 02/2015; Ashgate Publishing Company., ISBN: 978-1-4094-4046-8
Intermodal freight haulage in the United Kingdom (UK) developed as a response to competition betw... more Intermodal freight haulage in the United Kingdom (UK) developed as a response to competition between rail and road, both driven by the growth of demand, new mobility networks and changes in manufacturing. The changing social, economic and business developments of the twentieth century brought a new urgency to the mode of delivery, speed of transit and the safety of transported goods in the UK. A number of technological, legislative and commercial factors impacted on this growth and with road haulage becoming stronger after 1918, unitisation of loads achieved via intermodality, became increasingly important in the first half of the century. An interesting question therefore arises – Was unitisation a cause of the growth of container use or an effect of it? Freight traffic on railways had always been important, however a major targeted development of containerised traffic began in the United Kingdom from 1926 and its growth was significant through the Second World War and beyond. Nationalisation of the national transport system, including rail and some road, in 1947- 48, did not halt it either; the number of containers available for traffic despite the withdrawal of old examples, still grew quite markedly until the end of the 1950s. However this container growth was a partial measure. In order for ‘true’ inter-modal transport to develop in the UK, new techniques, such as the standardisation and unitisation of loads, needed to be embraced including the spread of palletisation. The influence of unitized freight had developed in the USA in the 1920s and 30s, but the entry of American (US) forces in both the European and Pacific theatres of World War 2 gave a new urgency and the military of all the Allied combatants were affected. The Armies needed to achieve more with less human intervention and the unitisation of loads made this possible. This paper will explore the gradual shift toward greater homogenisation of rail freight transport that would eventually lead to the loss of (heterogeneous) wagon load traffic. Paper given at the 10th International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility - HISTORY AND FUTURE OF INTERMODAL MOBILITIES, El Museo del Ferrocarril de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; 11/2012
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Papers by Keith Harcourt
Freight traffic on railways had always been important, however a major targeted development of containerised traffic began in the United Kingdom from 1926 and its growth was significant through the Second World War and beyond. Nationalisation of the national transport system, including rail and some road, in 1947- 48, did not halt it either; the number of containers available for traffic despite the withdrawal of old examples, still grew quite markedly until the end of the 1950s.
However this container growth was a partial measure. In order for ‘true’ inter-modal transport to develop in the UK, new techniques, such as the standardisation and unitisation of loads, needed to be embraced including the spread of palletisation. The influence of unitized freight had developed in the USA in the 1920s and 30s, but the entry of American (US) forces in both the European and Pacific theatres of World War 2 gave a new urgency and the military of all the Allied combatants were affected. The Armies needed to achieve more with less human intervention and the unitisation of loads made this possible. This paper will explore the gradual shift toward greater homogenisation of rail freight transport that would eventually lead to the loss of (heterogeneous) wagon load traffic.
First edited by General Editor - Derek H Aldcroft, 02/2015; Ashgate Publishing Company., ISBN: 978-1-4094-4046-8
Paper given at the 10th International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility - HISTORY AND FUTURE OF INTERMODAL MOBILITIES, El Museo del Ferrocarril de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; 11/2012
Freight traffic on railways had always been important, however a major targeted development of containerised traffic began in the United Kingdom from 1926 and its growth was significant through the Second World War and beyond. Nationalisation of the national transport system, including rail and some road, in 1947- 48, did not halt it either; the number of containers available for traffic despite the withdrawal of old examples, still grew quite markedly until the end of the 1950s.
However this container growth was a partial measure. In order for ‘true’ inter-modal transport to develop in the UK, new techniques, such as the standardisation and unitisation of loads, needed to be embraced including the spread of palletisation. The influence of unitized freight had developed in the USA in the 1920s and 30s, but the entry of American (US) forces in both the European and Pacific theatres of World War 2 gave a new urgency and the military of all the Allied combatants were affected. The Armies needed to achieve more with less human intervention and the unitisation of loads made this possible. This paper will explore the gradual shift toward greater homogenisation of rail freight transport that would eventually lead to the loss of (heterogeneous) wagon load traffic.
First edited by General Editor - Derek H Aldcroft, 02/2015; Ashgate Publishing Company., ISBN: 978-1-4094-4046-8
Paper given at the 10th International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility - HISTORY AND FUTURE OF INTERMODAL MOBILITIES, El Museo del Ferrocarril de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; 11/2012