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67-696: The Great Eastern Railway , which was formed from the merging of the Eastern Counties Railway and the Eastern Union Railway in 1862, operated passenger steamers across the North Sea from Harwich to continental Europe. By 1872, shipping trade had increased so that more capacity was required and the Great Eastern Railway obtained permission to reclaim land at Ray Farm, a mile to the west of Harwich, and build

134-624: A British mariner who was executed by the Germans for attempting to ram a U-boat in 1915. The Great Eastern name has survived, being used both for the Great Eastern Main Line route between London and Norwich, and also for the First Great Eastern train operating company which served much of the old GER route between 1997 and 2004. The Great Eastern Railway was made up of a number of constituent companies when it

201-416: A depot or loading and unloading ferries. These tractors may lift the coupling so the trailer legs clear the ground. A rigid truck and full trailer are articulated inside the cargo area length, so a semi-trailer can have a longer continuous cargo area. Because of this, a semi-trailer can haul longer objects, ( logs , pipe , beams , railway track ). This depends on the legislation; in some European countries,

268-484: A direct Spalding to Lincoln link. Board unity was about to be shattered when a short paragraph in The Times reported serious differences of opinions existed between the directors. In August 1865 deputy chairman Jervis-White-Jervis issued an appeal raising concerns about the management of the railway. This prompted an internal investigation and in a board meeting at the end of the month, an absent Jervis-White-Jervis

335-459: A full trailer can be as long as a semi-trailer. However, since a rigid truck is longer than a semi-tractor, this increases the overall length of the combination, making it less maneuverable. For heavy haulage or for increased manoeuvrability, some semi-trailers are fitted with rear-wheel steering, controlled electro-hydraulically. The wheels on all or some of the rear axles may be turned through different angles to enable tighter cornering, or through

402-646: A goods station in 1881. In 1902 the Northern and Eastern Railway was finally absorbed by the GER, although it had been worked by the Eastern Counties Railway under a 999-year lease taken on 1 January 1844 whereby the Eastern Counties Railway would work the Northern and Eastern Railway in return for an annual rent and division of the profits. Despite several half-hearted attempts by the GER during

469-475: A lack of progress on amalgamation. By February 1862 the bill had its second reading and was then followed by a lengthy committee process where various parties petitioned against the bill. On 7 August 1862 the bill passed as the Great Eastern Railway Act 1862 ( 25 & 26 Vict. c. ccxxiii) and the Great Eastern Railway was formed by the amalgamation of the Eastern Counties Railway and

536-504: A large marble memorial was installed at Liverpool Street station commemorating GER staff who had answered the call of duty to fight but died in action in the First World War. The memorial was unveiled by Sir Henry Wilson , who was assassinated by two Irish Republican Army gunmen on his way home from the unveiling ceremony. A smaller memorial to Wilson was later placed adjacent to the GER memorial, alongside one to Charles Fryatt ,

603-585: A large proportion of cargo. With 1,170,117 million tonne-kilometers transported this way in the European Union, including the UK, road tractors and semi-trailers are 77.6% of the total tonne-kilometers transported in 2015, according to Eurostat. In road haulage , semi-trailers predominate over full trailers because of their flexibility. The trailers can be coupled and uncoupled quickly, allowing them to be shunted for loading and to be trucked between depots. If

670-430: A new quay. This new quay was opened in 1883 by Charles H. Parkes, the chairman of the Great Eastern Railway company, the port being named after him as Parkeston Quay . The port had its own railway station , and a hotel was built between the northern platform and the quay; the hotel building is now used as offices. The railway station was originally called Parkeston Quay, but was renamed Harwich Parkeston Quay in 1934 when

737-649: A number of smaller railways (the Newmarket and Chesterford Railway , the Eastern Union Railway , and the Norfolk Railway ). Unsurprisingly the first GER board had a strong Eastern Counties flavour with Horatio Love in the chair and James Goodson the deputy chair. The board consisted of six former ECR directors with two Eastern Union Railway , two Norfolk Railway and one each from the Northern and Eastern Railway (still an independent body at this point) and East Anglian Railway. Operational costs were high on

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804-430: A number of sub-sheds and locomotives would work from these sheds for significant periods. For instance it is estimated that some 150 engines were outbased from Stratford at any one time. Semi-trailer A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle . The combination of a semi-trailer and a tractor truck is called a semi-trailer truck (also known simply as a "semi-trailer", "tractor trailer", or "semi" in

871-419: A power unit fails, another tractor can replace it without disturbing the cargo. Compared with a full trailer, a semi-trailer attached to a tractor unit is easier to reverse, since it has only one turning point (the coupling), whereas a full trailer has two turning points (the coupling and the drawbar attachment). Special tractors are known as shunt trucks or shuttle trucks can easily maneuver semi-trailers at

938-476: Is often called a semi-trailer truck or "semi" in North America and Australia, and an articulated lorry or "artic" in the UK. Semi-trailers with two trailer units are called B-doubles (Australian English) or tandem tractor-trailers , tandem rigs , or doubles (American English). Other terms used are " B-train " or (when there are three or more trailers) " road train ". A double-trailer combination

1005-430: Is possible with the use of a dolly , or "converter dolly" (Australian and American English), essentially one to three additional axles placed under the front of a second semi-trailer. The first semi-trailer is connected to the power unit using the tractor's fifth wheel coupling while the converter dolly, already attached to the second semi-trailer, is connected to the first semi-trailer with a drawbar. In Australian English,

1072-466: Is quite complex. In many cases the operation of the railway that built the line was taken over (usually by the Eastern Counties Railway before 1862 and the Great Eastern Railway after that date) although the original railway company often existed in legal form after that date. The Great Eastern Railway Act 1862 stated that the purpose of the legislation was "to amalgamate the Eastern Counties,

1139-403: Is uncoupled. Many semi-trailers have wheels that are capable of being totally dismounted and are also relocatable (repositionable) to better distribute load to bearing wheel weight factors. Semi-trailers are more popular for transport than full trailers , which have both front and rear axles. Ease of backing is cited as one of the semi's chief advantages. A road tractor coupled to a semi-trailer

1206-645: The Long Island Railroad in the USA. The Railway Executive Committee was set up in 1912 after an incident between France and Germany in the Moroccan Port of Agadir and would take directions from the military and liaise with the railway companies. As it adjoined the North Sea the GER undertook a significant role in the war. Had there been an invasion then the railways had evacuation plans for

1273-477: The United States ). A large proportion of a semi-trailer's weight is supported by a tractor unit , or a detachable front-axle assembly known as a dolly , or the tail of another trailer . The semi-trailer's weight is semi-supported (half-supported) by its own wheels, at the rear of the semi-trailer. A semi-trailer is normally equipped with landing gear (legs which can be lowered) to support it when it

1340-798: The East Anglian, the Newmarket, the Eastern Union and the Norfolk railway companies, and for other purposes". This suggests that despite the fact that some of these railway companies had been taken over by the Eastern Counties Railway prior to the 1862 act, they still legally existed. The table below shows the building dates of the railways that made up the Great Eastern and the companies that built them. Abbreviations from above list. Other railways Notes The Great Eastern had one of

1407-475: The GER in 1889), and East Anglian seaside resorts such as Hunstanton (whose prosperity was largely a result of the GER's line being built) and Cromer . It also served a suburban area, including Enfield , Chingford , Loughton and Ilford . This suburban network was, in the early 20th century, the busiest steam-hauled commuter system in the world. The majority of the Great Eastern's locomotives and rolling stock were built at Stratford Works , part of which

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1474-586: The GER may be about to appoint a receiver. Early April saw daily negotiations with the Union Bank although agreement was reached with the drivers by the middle of that month. May saw the company trying to raise further funds via a parliamentary bill. However, by 25 June the House of Lords had rejected the bill and the board took steps to protect the company's property from its creditors. Matters were hardly helped when deputy chairman Samuel Laing resigned to become

1541-793: The Galloper wind farm is housed in the port and is made up of a dedicated pontoon, warehouse and office space. There are four ro-ro berths with linkspans . The specialised pier for the High Speed Ferry Discovery is disused now that the high-speed ferry service has been discontinued and its linkspan has been removed. There are extensive railway sidings adjacent to and within the port with 40 acres of standing for cars including electric vehicle charging points. In total, there are over 105 acres (0.42 km) of operational land with parking for over 1,000 trailers . Great Eastern Railway The Great Eastern Railway (GER)

1608-594: The Great Northern Railway as far as Wakefield and with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway to interchange traffic at Lincoln and Retford. The crisis continued into 1867 and by March it was apparent that the preference share payments due in April could not be paid. The board also received a letter from the drivers seeking improved working conditions. Additionally The Times suggested

1675-476: The London and Blackwell line and a cattle plague seriously affecting that traffic. By March the board was meeting most days in an effort to keep the railway running. The financial crisis of 1866 saw loan interest rates rise to 10% on 12 May. On 8 June the board approached Parliament for the right to borrow more money and raise additional money through new shares to fund the expansion programme outlined above. This

1742-479: The T&;H and Great Northern Railway at Crouch Hill , Both links remain part of the national network in 2019 . When the war started several jobs fell to the railway – reserve troops and naval personnel had to be returned to their units and this saw an upsurge in usage of normal services. Various units were moved to the coast for defensive purposes and at the same time the government had started buying horses throughout

1809-492: The area leading to additional trains. There were also then the units that were being moved to the front line. The Royal Navy was using coal as its primary source of propulsion and additional coal trains would have been operated through the area as well. In August 1914 the Germans disguised a passenger steamer (the Königin Luise ) in GER colours and deployed it as a minelayer. This ruse was spotted on 5 August 1914 and

1876-520: The axles being able to be lifted for lighter loads and saving on tire, brake, and axle wear. Nearly all sufficiently tall modern trailers are equipped with a rear underride guard to prevent cars from passing beyond the rear edge of the trailer, and most also have side underride guards for the same reason. There are also other smaller differences with regards to kingpin depth, lighting, door locks, et cetera, though most purpose-built tractor trucks can carry most types of trailer regardless of which continent it

1943-659: The basis of standardisation over its disparate inherited fleet), carriages and wagons under construction. More ships were being ordered for Antwerp and Rotterdam traffic and proposals for 28 miles of new metropolitan lines and a new city terminus. In March 1864, a joint committee of the House of Commons and House of Lords approved the East London Line which would link the North London , Great Eastern and London and Blackwall railways. The parliamentary bill for

2010-482: The board were not pleased with this and it was not until 3 January 1868 that a reduced board of eleven members met with six new members including Watkin and Viscount Cranbourne MP who was elected as the new chairman. The new directors were all allocated specific roles and a number of changes were made to reduce costs and improve profitability. Cranbourne also approached the London & North Western Railway to report on

2077-461: The chairman of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway on 1 July. On 2 July a suit was bought before vice-chancellor Sir Richard Malins and the GER was placed into chancery . Regrouping after this, the board pursued Edward Watkin , an MP with many other railway interests, as chairman. He did advise that the board that it needed to reconstitute itself in order to rebuild confidence in order to acquire new capital. Some existing members of

Harwich International Port - Misplaced Pages Continue

2144-530: The civilian populations. The GER did require some upgrading to deal with the increased levels of traffic – lines were doubled, additional passing loops provided, platforms extended and watering facilities improved (for both the iron and more conventional horses). A number of link lines were provided including the link between the Tottenham and Hampstead at Gospel Oak to the Midland Railway and between

2211-428: The end of steam on the Great Eastern in 1959. Coaling at engine sheds was generally done by hand with the coaling stages constructed of wood. At a busy engine shed such as Stratford, each individual coaler employed on the coaling stage was expected to empty the contents of a 10-long-ton (10 t) coal truck during his shift. Turntables were generally small – in 1900 the longest was 50 feet (15 m) – enough to turn

2278-550: The following board meeting in February, Charles Turner was elected as the new chairman. The new board, facing a financial crisis, had identified a number of issues including the provision of a new terminus station at Liverpool Street , Bishopsgate (the existing terminus) was to be converted to a goods terminal and a new coal depot to be built in Whitechapel. The financial environment was still proving difficult with losses on

2345-545: The grouping in 1923. Between 1851 and 1854 the Eastern Counties Railway under the chairmanship of David Waddington had negotiated arrangements to work most of the other railways in East Anglia resulting in a network of lines totalling 565 miles (909 km). Whilst Parliament favoured competition it was also aware that the ECR was constantly at war with its neighbours and whilst these working arrangements were approved there

2412-611: The largest engine sheds in the country at Stratford which in January 1923 had an allocation of 555 locomotives. At the other end of the scale, small engine sheds at the end of country branch lines had perhaps one or two locomotives in their charge. At this time the locomotives were generally allocated to the major shed in the area and the smaller sheds had no actual allocation. Before 1914 the engine sheds were organised into districts, with sheds at: Stratford; Ipswich; Norwich; Cambridge; Peterborough; King's Lynn; and Doncaster. In 1914 this

2479-589: The later B12 Class 4-6-0 locomotive . By 1932, with the advent of bigger locomotives and the working of other companies' locomotives onto GE territory, turntables had grown, with the major sheds generally having 60-or-65 ft (18-or-20 m) turntables. In 1922 the GER locomotive allocation across its sheds was: Cambridge - 178; Colchester - 47; Doncaster - 5; Ipswich - 131; King's Lynn - 37; Lincoln (Pyewipe Junction) - 12; Lowestoft - 22; March - 97; Norwich - 119; Parkeston - 20; Peterborough East - 86; Stratford - 555; Wisbech - 7; and Yarmouth - 20. Each main shed had

2546-506: The latter part of the nineteenth century, it was the Midland Railway (MR) that finally bought the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR) in 1912 with the MR offering a better deal for the LT&;SR shareholders than the GER ever had. The agreement was ratified by the LT&SR shareholders on 26 June 1911. During the following parliamentary session, the official parliamentary bill allowing

2613-434: The latter two services were discontinued by 2005. Cruise ships once called regularly at the port during the summer months, although in recent times these calls have become more and more infrequent. The year 2016 saw 12 visits – the lowest since the service started. While the majority of opinion puts this down to the recent economic downturn, others feel the reason is due to the lack of facilities for visitors when compared to

2680-458: The likes of Southampton or Dover. Tankers call at the Carless refinery , and some general cargo and bulk cargos are worked at the port. As of May 2010, the port was the base for the installation of the offshore Greater Gabbard wind farm and Thanet Wind Farm in the southern North Sea, and has also been used for Gunfleet Sands Offshore Wind Farm . The operations and maintenance base for

2747-433: The necessarily low clearance prohibiting conventional landing gear. Different types of semi-trailers are designed to haul different cargoes. Common widths are 8 ft (2.44 m), and 2.6 metres (102.36 in). Generally speaking, most North American type trailers use two axles with dual-tire hubs totaling 8 wheels, while most European type trailers use three axles with single-tire hubs totaling 6 wheels, with one of

Harwich International Port - Misplaced Pages Continue

2814-463: The new Parkeston Quay West station was opened to serve the west end of the quay. It was given its current name, Harwich International , in 1995. The port remained under the ownership of the Great Eastern Railway until 1923 when the company became part of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). In 1939 the Admiralty requisitioned Parkeston Quay for naval purposes, naming it HMS Badger . It

2881-486: The new freight line failed although other bills including the construction of a new London terminus were approved. Later that year the GER was in talks about expansion northwards with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) which lead to the deposition of a bill in early 1865. The board meeting of February 1865 saw passenger receipts outstripping goods receipts. Fish traffic from Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth

2948-422: The new railway and new sources of revenue needed quickly. Work at improving suburban services was put in hand and trains from London to Norwich speeded up to give businessmen and merchants more time to conduct their business. A new suburban line to Enfield Town via Seven Sisters was proposed as well as a new London terminus to replace an inadequate Bishopsgate . By August 1863 receipts were increasing and many of

3015-840: The port Harwich International Port. The main user of the port is the regular ferry services of Stena Line who run twice daily passenger and freight services to the Hook of Holland ; as well as freight only services to Rotterdam Europort. The main vessels serving the port are the RoPax ferries the Stena Hollandica and the Stena Britannica , and the RoRo ferries. Previously, DFDS Seaways operated services to Esbjerg , Denmark (ceased 29 September 2014), Cuxhaven (and before that to Hamburg ), Germany , and Gothenburg , Sweden ;

3082-808: The pre-amalgamation disputes were being settled. The GER and Great Northern Railway each submitted bills for a line from March to Spalding and although the GNR was successful the GER was awarded running rights over the new line which would later become part of the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway . Steamboat services were also seen as a new source of revenue with services running from Harwich to Rotterdam, Flushing and Antwerp. A change of leadership also occurred with Horatio Love being replaced by James Goodson as chairman with Captain Henry Jervis-White-Jervis as his deputy. Love

3149-534: The railway was extended westwards from an earlier temporary terminus in Devonshire Street , near Mile End . The station was renamed Bishopsgate on 27 July 1847. The Great Eastern attempted to obtain a West End terminus, alongside the one in east London, via the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway , formed by an act of Parliament , the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway Act 1862 ( 25 & 26 Vict. c. cc) of 28 July 1862. Plans to extend

3216-451: The same angle (so-called 'crab' steering) to move the rear of the trailer laterally. The two types of couplings are fifth-wheel coupling and automatic. In some applications, no separable coupling is fitted, and the trailer is bolted to the tractor unit, using a bearing, and rocker feet as are used under a fifth wheel skid plate. The towing vehicle has a wide coupling plate known as a fifth-wheel coupling bolted onto its chassis, on which

3283-427: The semi-trailer rests and pivots. As the tractor reverses under the trailer, a kingpin under the front of the trailer slides into a slot in the skid plate, and the jaws of the fifth wheel close onto it. The driver has to raise the trailer legs manually and couple the airbrake lines and electrical cables. Some low-set trailers such as lowboys/low-loaders and car transporters have electrically powered landing gear due to

3350-593: The ship sunk by the British light cruiser HMS  Amphion and destroyers HMS  Landrail and HMS  Lance . The GER employed significant numbers of women during this period as many men had joined the army. By 1916 unnecessary travel was being discouraged to conserve coal supplies. The company set up a section dedicated to the movement of military traffic and between 1914 and 1918 nearly 10.5 million men were moved on GER services as well as significant numbers of horses and supplies. Specific military traffic

3417-537: The state of the permanent way and rolling stock. By August 1868 the tide was turning with increased receipts and some debts being paid off. The GER had done a deal with the Midland Railway to route their coal traffic via their lines and a new coal depot at Whitechapel opened in December further improving profitability. By August 1869 the financial position had improved enough to restore a dividend and this

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3484-499: The takeover by the MR was passed on 7 August 1912 although it was legally backdated to 1 January 1912. At the time of the sale the LT&SR was one of the most prosperous railways in the UK but too small to fund the changes it needed to make. In 1914 the GER became the first UK railway company to employ a general manager from overseas, Henry Worth Thornton . He had previously worked as the General Superintendent of

3551-424: The tractor unit is called a "prime-mover", and the combination of a prime-mover and trailer is known as a "semi-trailer", "semi" or single. Some popular manufacturers are Kenworth , Iveco , Freightliner , MAN , Scania , Mercedes-Benz , DAF , Renault Trucks , Volvo , Peterbilt , and Mack . Semi-trailers were invented by August Fruehauf in 1914. Road tractors and semi-trailers are responsible for carrying

3618-606: The western end of this line via a proposed 'London Main Trunk Railway', underneath Hampstead Road, the Metropolitan Railway (modern Circle line ) and Tottenham Court Road, to Charing Cross , were rejected by Parliament in 1864. A new London terminus at Liverpool Street was opened to traffic on 2 February 1874, and was completely operational from 1 November 1875. From this date the original terminus at Bishopsgate closed to passengers, although it reopened as

3685-507: Was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia . The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern Railway in 1923. Formed in 1862 after the amalgamation of the Eastern Counties Railway and several other smaller railway companies the GER served Cambridge , Chelmsford , Colchester , Great Yarmouth , Ipswich , King's Lynn , Lowestoft , Norwich, Southend-on-Sea (opened by

3752-463: Was a condition that a bill for full amalgamation was presented by 1861. Waddington departed under a cloud in 1856 and was replaced by Horatio Love. By 1860 many shareholders were unhappy listing several grievances they saw as getting in the way of their dividend payments. These included continual conflict over working of other lines, suspicion and distrust of the joint committee, inadequate services to and from London, on-going litigation and law costs and

3819-450: Was confirmed on 4 July. By this time there was little money available for dividends and the company looked very carefully at their expansion programme and unprofitable branch lines. By December 1866 little interest was being shown in the new shares, so the board went unsuccessfully to the Bank of England and Union Bank for further loans. The GER did, however, manage to agree running rights via

3886-425: Was considered too cautious and some on the board still resented his role prior to amalgamation at the ECR. Various directors were allocated specific responsibilities (generally running these through committees) leaving Goodson free to develop new schemes and represent the GER on lines where they had a financial interest. Following an accident at North Wootton in early August 1863, where the deaths of five passengers

3953-494: Was formed in 1862. The most notable was the Eastern Counties Railway, which had taken over most of the main companies by this time. After 1862 there were still a number of companies operating independently in East Anglia, but most of these were eventually taken over by Great Eastern, although some such as the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway survived until 1923. The history and exact status of many of these railways

4020-428: Was generated at Brimsdown , Ponders End and Stowmarket . Because of attacks on east coast shipping, traffic previously moved by sea was also carried on the GER (and more specifically the Great Eastern and Great Northern Joint Railway). The GER also suffered from a number of Zeppelin attacks with, amongst others, the dormitory at Stratford engine shed and the royal shelter at King's Lynn both being hit. In 1922,

4087-402: Was growing and money was being spent on stations, replacing wooden bridges and upgrading the track. However, a number of shareholders voiced concern. The following month the House of Commons rejected the joint GER/L&YR bill forcing the GER to restart negotiations with the Great Northern Railway. The chairman of the parliamentary committee suggested to the board that the next bill should include

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4154-468: Was on the site of today's Stratford International station and the rest was adjacent to Stratford Regional station. The GER owned 1,200 miles (1,931 km) of line and had a near-monopoly in East Anglia until the opening of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway in 1893 although there were a number of minor lines, such as the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway that stayed resolutely independent until after

4221-456: Was partially attributed to the poor state of the rolling stock, a large rolling stock order was placed. By December 1863 the financial picture was looking better and in early 1864 the GER started looking a new railway to move coal from South Yorkshire to London via Spalding and the GN link from Spalding to March. The Great Eastern was clearly in an expansionist phase with further locomotives (forming

4288-592: Was reduced to five with King's Lynn and Doncaster being abolished. By 1915 they were organised onto four districts (primary sheds in parentheses): Southern (Stratford); Eastern (Ipswich); Northern (Norwich); and Western (Cambridge/Peterborough). The Great Eastern did not see the maintenance of engine sheds as one of its top priorities. Many original structures it inherited from constituent railways struggled on in various states of disrepair, not only through Great Eastern days, but through its successor company London & North Eastern Railway from 1923 until 1947 and indeed to

4355-457: Was released back to the LNER in 1946. On 1 January 1948 the LNER was nationalised and the port came under the ownership of British Railways (BR). In 1984, as part of the privatisation of BR's Sealink ferry services, the port was sold to Sealink's new owners Sea Containers , which sold it on to Stena Line in 1989. In 1997 Parkeston Quay was acquired by Hutchison Port Holdings , which renamed

4422-401: Was replaced by William Shaw as deputy chairman. The internal investigation concluded that many of Jervis-White-Jervis's concerns were relevant including borrowing more money than authorised and the poor deal the GER got on leasing the London and Blackwell Railway. In a meeting in January the following year many of the directors were duly replaced (by members of the investigating committee) and at

4489-539: Was whilst the Walthamstow line (now the Chingford branch line ) was under construction. In the same month, Deputy Chairman Charles Turner resigned due to suspected fraud which was to lead to his bankruptcy later in the year. Although proceedings were initiated no prosecution resulted. The original London terminus was opened at Shoreditch in east London by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) on 1 July 1840 when

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