Big Scottish Timber Haulage Plans
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A LTHOUGH Scottish Pulp and Paper Mills will haul a small proportion of the necessary supplies for their new plant near Fort William, 90 per cent of the timber required will be carried by private hauliers and timber merchants— and in some cases hauliers will be expected to do their own loading.
This was explained last week by Mr. Christopher Budden, wood operations manager for Wiggins Teape's new mill. Contracts worth many thousands of pounds are now being concluded.
The delivery of these supplies and the distribution of the mill's finished products poses a problem in logistics which has for many weeks engaged the attention of the pulp mill company's top executives.
Mr. Budden stressed that a paramount consideration had been the need to minimize interference with the normal flow of traffic on the western seaboard. "I know that the various haulage contractors are just as anxious as we are that ordinary traffic should not be obstructed", he said.
It was for this reason, he explained, that his company had decided to convey the bulk of the Argyll timber by rail, using Crianlarich (lower) Station as a collecting point. "It would have been more economic to have transported the timber by lorry all the way but we wanted to keep the roads as clear as possible ", he added.
To handle the 300 tons of wood which Argyll's forests will supply daily, British Railways are to establish a spacial loading depot at Crianlarich. The first lorries carrying their 12-14-ton loads are due to arrive in the spring.
Initially the loads will be handled at the railhead on a one-shift basis, but if the need for a longer operation is proved then Wiggins Teape would give it serious .consideration. said Mr. Budden.
A fleet of 8.0 lorries will transport the Limber to the mill. As the bulk of the Argyll contribution will come by rail, Mr. Budden said that no more than five Dr six lorries per day would pass through Fort William itself, where the traffic problem is already a serious one and is ikely to remain so until the new relief -oad is constructed.
These lines will bring timber from 'orests directly south of Fort William. The mill will be open from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. and it is likely that lorries using roads heavily frequented by summer tourists will be on the move at an hour when the traffic volume is at its highest.
Mr. Budden is confident that the forestry roads will be well able to cope with the heavy traffic which they must shortly bear.
A series of schemes for improving public roads affected by pulp mill traffic was authorized by the Government. Estimated cost will be almost £1,020,000 towards which the Government will contribute £620,000 in direct grants.