Queen Mary trailer
Bedford OXC and "Queen Mary" semi-trailer carrying part of an Avro Anson aircraft at the RAF Museum London
Commer Q2 and "Queen Mary" trailer
A Queen Mary trailer is a British semi-trailer combination designed for the carriage and recovery of aircraft. The trailer was made by Tasker Trailers of Andover, with Bedford or Crossley Motors tractors.
Description[]
Features included:
- Very low floor and ground clearance, typically around 12 inches (305 mm).
- Single axle.
- Wheels outboard of load area.
- Side rails to allow carriage of wings upright, resting on their leading edges.
Load was 5 tons "distributed evenly".
These features were a natural result of the intended load, aircraft being typically light but long. The name is presumed to derive from its length, a reference to the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary.
Use[]
The vehicles were used by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm during and after World War II.
Post-war civilian operators included Silver City Airways.
Notes and references[]
- Reference to delivery on Queen Mary Trailer, RAF Museum, Hendon
- Crossley vehicles collection
External links[]
- Photographs of Queen Mary trailer towed by a Bedford tractor at 2 M. T. RAF Lichfield; this is similar to the well-known Airfix model in the RAF Recovery set
- Photograph and brief text, a Hawker Tempest on a Queen Mary trailer following a crash landing
- Picture of a recovered crashed Lancaster bomber being transported on several Queen Mary trailers
- A picture of a de Havilland Comet airliner fuselage being carried on a Queen Mary trailer[dead link]
Categories:
- Military trailers
- World War II vehicles of the United Kingdom