HIGHLAND REGION SNOW CLEARING
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The first civilian Foden 6x6 26-tonners to go into action have joined Highland Regionai Council as snow clearers — a job which demands a high level of specification coupled with a sophisticated anti-corrosion treatment.
• Douglas Chappell is very proud of his three new 26-tonne Foden 6x6 snowclearing vehicles. As principal plant engineer in Highland Regional Council's roads and transport department, Chappell looks for vehicles that will cope with the most severe winter conditions, and he feels that with the Fodens as his front-line machines, his team is ready for the weather.
The Highlands is Scotland's largest region, at 25,123km2, and within it there are 778km of trunk roads — nearly a quarter of the Scottish total — so Highland Region's winter maintenance programme is essential to the economy of the area.
The new Fodens were delivered in December, and the unique design is a combination of Highland Region, Foden and Department of Transport expertise. "We went to Foden because they were the only ones prepared to listen to us, and build the vehicle we wanted," says Chappell. "Close attention has been paid to the anti-corrosion treatment, and here we were fortunate to call on the experience of Fred Berg, chief mechanical engineer of the DTp.
"Many of the chassis components are stainless steel or GRP, and all components were coated in Belzona liquid anode before assembly; each entire vehicle was finish-painted with chlorinated rubber."
Other special features include heavyduty alternators, stainless-steel 318-litre fuel tanks, extended cabs, heated windscreens, Eberspacher night heaters, and three pairs of quartz halogen headlamps.
These are the first civilian Foden sixwheel-drive vehicles. They have Perkins Eagle 800-Series 350L engines, geared to provide power for ploughing as well as speed to get them where they are needed. The specification reflects the severity of the Highland winters. Although the last two winters have been unusually mild, memories of the very heavy snowfalls in the late 1970s are still fresh in the minds of Highland people.
MATCHING RISK
Within Highland Region there are eight divisions, each with a divisional engineer, responsible to the director of roads and transport. Each divisional engineer looks after winter maintenance in his own area, with an allocation of staff and vehicles to match the likely risk of bad weather.
Some of the fleet are dedicated winter vehicles, including 40 6x6s and 89 4X4s, often former military trucks.
For the most severe conditions, Highland Region has a fleet of 18 snow blow ers. Top of the range are the two Schmidt VF5 units that can shift up to 5,000 tonnes of snow an hour, and there are also VF3 and VF1 units.
"The weather can cause extra maintenance problems for us, says Chappell. "The extreme cold can cause brakes to seize and fuel waxing, although it must be said that the fuel manufacturers have improved its resistance to cold.
"Salt causes damage too — it seems to get everywhere, which is why we have gone for a high level of component protection on the new Fodens. On our 6x6 Iveco ploughs, which are aircooled, the salt and sand can block the fins, while on watercooled engines, hard-packed snow can block the radiator — so there is no ideal."
The dedicated fleet is augmented by general haulage vehicles, which can be fitted with smaller snowploughs and gritter bodies. Chappell is responsible for providing the right machines for the divisional engineers, and his colleague Angus Maclnnes, as principal engineer (operations), ensures that they are deployed properly to deal with weather conditions.
SNOW GATES
We have vehicles strategically stationed if the weather breaks down," says MacInnes. "We know the main trouble spots — Drumochter Pass on the A9, the A82 at Glencoe and the A835 beyond Garve — and we have snow gates that are closed when conditions worsen." The snow-gates are closed in consultation with the police, and the roads are patrolled before closure to make sure that there are no vehicles on the closed section.
"Drivers are sometimes puzzled when they find the gates closed in apparently good weather, but on a road like the A9 conditions can change dramatically in just a few miles," says Maclnnes.
A sophisticated forecasting system helps Highland Region cope with the weather. Ice sensors are placed at regular intervals on the trunk roads to measure road temperature. These also detect if roads are wet, dry or icy.
The information is fed via telephone to computers in the divisional offices, which allows the region's drivers to see where problems are likely, and to adjust the rate of salting to suit. The drivers are in radio contact with their offices, and can be alerted of any sudden changes.
During the winter, snowplough, blower and gritter drivers are on a daily stand-by basis, and there is a double-shift 24-hour patrol on the busy A9 road north from central Scotland to the Highlands.
Daily reports are also received from the Meteorological Office, showing 24-hour and 2-5-day forecasts, which are faxed to the region's offices. All of this information allows forecast graphs of road conditions to be produced.
Highland Region's headquarters at Inverness also receives the ice-sensor and weather-forecast data, to allow central monitoring in extreme conditions. "It makes all the difference, having so much information," says Maclnnes. "In the old days we used to just look at the roads."
SNOW BLOWERS
When the snow does come the ploughs can normally cope, but in heavy snow the blowers are used for initial clearing, backed up by the ploughs. But even the blowers can run into problems. If there are cars abandoned on the road, the blowers can't get through.
Highland Region's experience of dealing with some of the worst weather conditions in Britain has gone into kitting-out its winter maintenance fleet for any eventuality. The vehicles carry an emergency kit that includes a sleeping bag, thermal suit, balaclava, woollen gloves, long socks and a kit-bag with sealed emergency rations which include self-heating food packs. The drivers also carry manuals prepared by the divisional engineers.
What advice would Chappell and Maclnnes offer drivers heading for the Highland Region in the depth of winter?
"Never leave with a half-full tank," says Chappell, "and always carry a small shovel, food and beverages, and plenty of clothing and decent footwear. On HGVs, I would certainly recommend winter-grade fuel and good tyres, and make sure your lights and wipers are in good condition, and your load properly battened down."
Maclnnes adds: "Just because the weather looks clear, there is no guarantee that it will stay that way — and if you do get stuck, stay with your vehicle because help will be on its way."
0 by Gavin Booth