Flatbed road train (MB LP 333) "Transit Transport"

Flatbed road train (MB LP 333) 'Transit Transport'

The Millipede combination from the far North

In the far North, as a 6-axle combination, the Millipede was intended to symbolise the breakthrough in transport requirements for the new West Germany a powerful machine! The Flensburg forwarding company Transit Transport 7111 first ordered the prototype, which WIKING is now miniaturising in period style, and also gave it a 3-axle trailer. Heinrich Peter Petersen founded the forwarding company at the port of Flensburg in 1947, and a new forwarding facility in the Schleswiger Strasse in Flensburg was opened in 1962. The Millipede was Petersens first road train. Because of the Seebohm laws, at the end of the 1950s the unusual lorry, with its double front axle, was built by Mercedes-Benz as an emergency solution. Only because of the third axle was it possible to build a lorry with a permissible gross weight of 16 tons. In 1960 the permissible gross weight for two-axle lorries was then again increased from 12 to 16 t. The LP 333 was therefore built only from 1958 to 1961. Altogether 1833 vehicles were built, 354 of which were in the final year of production. In the logistics world, the Millipede from Mercedes-Benz marks the start of appreciation of front wheel drive lorries, which at the time were much less favoured than bonnet trucks.

1958-61

Forwarding company from the far North

Driver's cab and radiator grille gentian blue with silvered ornamental trim. Interior light grey. Headlamps hand-painted in silver. Inserted steering wheel, black. Chassis with cardan part, bumper and double fenders carmine red. Flatbed and folding top gentian blue. Base insert silver, wheels carmine red. Driver's cab with silvered ornamental strips and door handles, plus signal orange indicators. Logo TT Flensburg 7111 on passenger side. Bumper corners designed with silver profile, rear row of cab windows printed with curtain patterns. Side of flatbed printed with white lettering Transit Transport Flensburg. Peak of folding top with 7111 lettering and company logo. Trailer with gentian blue flatbed and folding top, as well as red chassis, swing axle and wheels. Flatbed insert silver. Side of flatbed printed with white lettering Transit Transport Flensburg.