Petrol price

[Reckless Rat]

My 20 year old Merc E Class has a long range tank. It holds 80 litres of diesel, but it does have an effective range of over 1200km, something I doubt many moderns are capable of, especially the leccy ones. Fortunately I filled it before the price rises.

[Duncan Grimmond]

Those of us old enough to remember the Eagle comic may well recall the marvellous "cut-away" drawings of technological wonders... one that sticks in my mind from 1958/9 or so was of a "containerised" port and transport system which incorporated containers unloaded from ships straight onto rail bogies eventually ending up (having been centrally opened and distributed) on British Road Services for rural and Scammel Scarabs for urban deliveries from the nearby railway station...a brilliant projection for transport planning which was working but went for naught following the massive drive towards road building and the deliberate destruction of the rail network.
Eeh, nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

[Hugh Barnes]

I thnk there are still plenty of trains carrying containers from ports such as Felixstowe to central distribution points (DIRFT at Daventry being one such) The idea of being centrally opened and then distributed by Scammell Scarabs may have long gone (along with the Scarabs) but the concept still exists, both here and in Europe, including a recent service that now sees a train from China to Europe offered by a number of carriers in half the time it takes to transport a container by ship.

[Bruce Nicholls]

On the subject of central opening and distribution, our company regularly sent a van to the container port in Birmingham to collect goods shipped in mixed containers. I assume small consignments can still be shipped in mixed containers so I assume the central distribution bit is still working to some degree.

[Tony Betts]

Thanks tony,

stelt taxes, it always makes a mess of comparisons. 5p off petrol tax today, means 7.5p back in 3 months time.

Everything seems to be going up in price so quickly at the moment.

Although much of it is companies jumping on the get rich quick bandwagon.

Vintage cars rely on small businesses for parts, and these high prices are again pushing small engineering firms to the wall.

Most steel costs have risen by 30% in the last 12 months. And we all know how much electric has risen. Its the same for a small work unit.

Tony.

[Dave Mann]

    Like this one Duncan.

[Duncan Grimmond]

Lovely, thanks for that!

[John Mason]

I know I am getting old when I think of the first gallon of petrol I bought at 3 shillings and 4 1/2 pence. Today’s decimal equivalent of 17pence a gallon.

John Mason.

[Tony Griffiths]

My 20 year old Merc E Class has a long range tank. It holds 80 litres of diesel, but it does have an effective range of over 1200km, something I doubt many moderns are capable of, especially the leccy ones. Fortunately I filled it before the price rises.

In 1990 I had a Diesel Discovery with a long-range tank. The standard tank held 89 litres, the auxiliary 35 litres = 124 litres = 27 gallons; one could see the suspension compress when both were filled. The car only ever did 32 mpg no matter how it was driven, giving a range of about 800 miles. I kept the installation a secret from my wife and, on holiday as we approached Souillac - with 750 miles on the clock - she said, "It seems to be doing a lot of miles without filling up, I bet you're stretching it to the limit again."

[Anne Griffiths]

It may well cost £20ish to fill your tank but, tell me, what else can you buy for £20 that brings as much enjoyment as driving a hundred miles in an Austin 7?