DAY TWO ON LOCATION GOT VERY HAIRY! www.crackerbo...

ON LOCATION FILMING WITH JEREMY IRONS DAY1 www.crac...

HOW OLDIES SHOULD BE CARED FOR! HOT SUBJECT FOR TODAY! www.crac...

CONVERTING "GEEST " GARDEN TRAILER TO BULK CARRIER! www....

HAVE YOU EVER SPENT A NIGHT ON AN OPEN BEACH WRAPPED IN A STAIR CARPET? ...

WHAT A WEEK, TUMBLED AND NEARLY BROKE MY HIP!! www.crackerbook...

WHY THE NO 1 WAGON?

WHY THE NO 1 WAGON?

Another post for Sammy on Kindle!
At the Brewery, special wagons with low loading decks and smart cabins on the front, for the driver; were used when the horses were delivering beer in bottles and barrels to the public houses in the area. These "modern" wagons had rubber tyres and hydraulic brakes, just like your family car.
But for special occasions it had to be the No 1 Wagon. This was an original horse drawn dray from the last century, carefully restored and preserved in the company colours and displaying the name on a special headboard above the driver's seat.
These older wagons were built to be used before there were "tarmac" surfaced roads. Before there were men out doing road repairs every day. Before motor cars and lorries.
The wheels were large and narrow, made entirely of wood but with a strong iron tyre "shrunk" on to the outer rim. This iron protected the wooden bits and allowed the wagon to travel over the bumpy, rough, stone and dirt roads without damage. The big wheels meant they could cross large holes without falling into them. 
As you can see from the picture above, the wheels were set at and angle to the ground, sloping outwards at the top. This was all to do with simple physics and the "principal of moments", something you young folk will learn at "big" school. It is all to do with going round corners and carry loads. Your family car is designed in a similar way but because of all the bodywork you can not see the "steering geometry"!
Today, you use rubber tyres because the roads are far more smooth and if you are lucky, with not so many pot holes!
So the No 1 Wagon was used just for special occasions. It was extra smart and beautiful to look at; a perfect advertisement for the company. I must add that driving a traditional wagon with iron tyres on modern roads was likely to try and shake the teeth out of your mouth and the grinding grumbling noise from the iron tyres could give you a big headache! ks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------