I’ve taken a break from reading about drivers ■■■■■■■■ about the job etc
As a young lad in the sixties in Birkenhead I was always struck by the huge screaming made by Commer trucks, usually tippers, the noise seemed to be ear splitting!
I never noticed their disappearance but they did’nt seem to be around for too long.
Years later I discovered they reason for the big noise, they had a supercharged two stroke diesel engine that had been developed from a German airplane engine used before and during WW2, it had three cylinders with opposed pistons and two crankshafts with an engine driven blower which ran at twice the engine speed, hence the scream.
Apparently this boxer style engine was light, compact and had a very good power to weight ratio and allowed for a flat floor in the cab.
Anyone on here ever drive one?
!(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170726/965cb4d48fc7aba7f3cf333a06ae5b0b.jpg[/IMG
This is the one my dad drove
He said they were good lorries and in the summer they would often “decoke” themselves especially when being giving some welly and sometimes the sparks from the exhaust would set the grass on fire whist overtaking other lorries
)
Belting photo! thanks for sharing that, I believe that for their time they went like stink and would pull uphill much better than a conventional four stroke motor of that era, that’s what a supercharger can do for you but they do create some fierce heat.
I recall a make called Karrier which I think was a sister brand to Commer and both part of the Rootes Group which included the car brands of Hillman, Singer, Sunbeam and Humber
The Commer TS3s would go even better if you did away with the air filter!
Retired Old ■■■■:
The Commer TS3s would go even better if you did away with the air filter!
ROF You have been a naughty boy in your day havent you, Tinkering with motors, 
, Mind you I have tinkered with a few Gardners, A long time ago as it were sadley to say A bloody long time ago when I was Rampant & Raring to go , 
, Regards Larry.
We’ve all done it, Larry! Including the sparks from the AEC Mercury after you had fiddled with that lovely rotary pump! And the Big J which gained 15 mph after you had slipped the fitter at North Woolwich a ten bob note.
Those were the days, eh?
The blower isn’t really a supercharger as such it’s more about just helping to do the job of the missing induction stroke together with the out going exhaust gases pulling the new charge in.The problem being,without real boost pressures,the critically small amount of time available to fill the cylinders with the new charge between the end of the power stroke and the start of the compression stroke.
This is more like the ultimate potential of proper forced induction used with two stroke.IE around 5 x as much power and torque as the TS3 from around 3 x the capacity produced at less rpm. 
My father had one just like the blue one above, when he drove for the Buckie Fish Company. If you Google Earth and find Portgordon School, then track south to the Keith junction with the Fochabers road you will see how far you could hear one when the exhaust fell off! Teacher exclaimed " what in the name of god is making that screaming noise?" I explained it was my dad - you could hear the gear changes clearly. Jim.
Different cabs for the two Commers , but both powered by the TS3 engine .
Photographed at the Classic Commercial Show , Gaydon , June 2017 .
Cheers , cattle wagon man .
bigdave789:
I’ve taken a break from reading about drivers ■■■■■■■■ about the job etc
As a young lad in the sixties in Birkenhead I was always struck by the huge screaming made by Commer trucks, usually tippers, the noise seemed to be ear splitting!
I never noticed their disappearance but they did’nt seem to be around for too long.
Years later I discovered they reason for the big noise, they had a supercharged two stroke diesel engine that had been developed from a German airplane engine used before and during WW2, it had three cylinders with opposed pistons and two crankshafts with an engine driven blower which ran at twice the engine speed, hence the scream.
Apparently this boxer style engine was light, compact and had a very good power to weight ratio and allowed for a flat floor in the cab.
Anyone on here ever drive one?
Oh yes, me in 1960, we had one at Fred Chappells with only one silencer box on it…EVERYBODY heard that coming. You should witness one de coking itself at nightime. Go on Youtube and seek videos on TS3 engines.
youtube.com/watch?v=JrAoj5Cuu68
youtube.com/watch?v=pGaISFg_ZIw
The garage I worked for in the early '70’s had a contract to service all the units and four in line trailers,(Yuk), for Tesco when their main transport depot was at Winsford?
After servicing the motors, had to road test the units didn’t I? What a joy.
IIRC,Toleman??,those that transported cars anyway,I’m sure they had some TS23’s,on nights you could spot them a mile away on the M1,the exhaust manifold was glowing red hot,and as mentioned previously,the “screaming” nouse couldn’t be mistaken for any other motor?
David
Off topic and I’m sorry but…you want a screaming diesel engine■■?
Turn the sound up:- youtube.com/watch?v=C1ICcOu0NkM
grumpy old man:
Off topic and I’m sorry but…you want a screaming diesel engine■■?Turn the sound up:- youtube.com/watch?v=C1ICcOu0NkM
The Deltic sounds better.While it’s the 12 v 71 which provides the definitive sound of the two stroke truck engine. 
Cattle wagon man, do you remember S Slack from Belper, Derbyshire ? They had a bunch of commer ts3’s on livestock, they sounded so sweet when they pulled away loaded
