Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Thursday 2 January 1936, page 9


RAILWAY CONTAINERS.

On the railways in Great Britain there are now in service 10,636 containers, compared with 1574 in 1928. As an indication of the popularity of this transport system the number of container movements in 1914 shows an increase of 146 per cent over those in 1930, and 700 per cent over the movements in 1928. The container was first used in England before the war when closed horse-drawn can were loaded on specially arranged platform rail trucks, but in 1920 the container system was definitely introduced. New overhead cranes have been installed at several of the principal London railway depots to speed up still further the handling nf container traffic. In order to meet the requirements and suggestions of traders, a number of types of containers have been evolvcd. The most popular is the "B" covered container, this is approximately 14ft long, 6ft 6in wide, and 6ft 3in high, and has a capacity of four tons. "A" type are covered containers of 2½ tons capacity, and are used for groceries, confectionery, paper, and boots and shoes. For the building trades, small containers, some with lids, designed to carry loads of 1½ tons to 2½ tons are found suitable for bricks, tiles, slate, and stonework, these can be hoisted to the upper floor of buildings in course of construction. A special type of container, constructed for removing household furniture, is largc enough to carry the furniture and effects of a complete household.