Rotinoff GR7 Atlantic road tractor

During the 1950s Rotinoff Motors made approximately 36 heavy-duty tractors known as Rotinoff Atlantics and Super Atlantics. Almost all were exported; used by the Swiss Army or in Australian cattle trains, except this one. It was bought by Sunter Bros Ltd, a heavy haulage company, in 1957 to deliver the UK’s first nuclear reactor to the Bradwell Power Station, Essex. The Rotinoff had to carried 12 heat exchangers; each weighed 300 tons and carried separately the load was the heaviest to be hauled by a vehicle in the UK. After the Bradwell job Sunter Bros continued to use the Atlantic until 1974. This Rotinoff also achieved another first by being the heaviest vehicle to take part in the London to Brighton run.

These bogies, or trailers, were used to carry twelve heat exchangers from Bradwell Quay to Bradwell Power Station in 1957. They would have originally been attached to the Rotinoff Atlantic Tractor.

Each exchanger weighed 300 tons, which was the heaviest load to be hauled by a vehicle in the UK at that time. Due to the heavy load, only one exchanger could be carried at a time.