'Keeper of the Flame' Martin Phippard has been on his travels and he says: "Hi Brian, 
Martin goes on to say: "As you will note these are Swedish B-trains or 'links' as they tend to call them. The first few are used to haul coils of steel and the last is one of the special overlength combinations permitted to operate only on short runs on public roads within the Gothenburg dock area."
All this is evidence, as if any were needed, of the increasing number of Swedish operators shifting to B-train outfits. Regards,
Martin." Of course what I find interesting is that it's not a Scania or a Volvo but an MAN....! Now click through here for that special
Germany 1...Sweden nil!
And here it is the the overlength special (33-metres OAL). And with a Volvo pulling it....thanks Martin.
Having read on another site Martin Phippard's history of B-doubles, A- and C-trains worldwide I have to admire his interest and expertise.
And living on the Ontario-Quebec border I see B-doubles(mostly tankers)almost daily; fuel distributors even use them to deliver to local filling stations - not easy getting those 8-axle beasts through your forecourt, mate.
The Swedish examples above show a large gap between the 1st and 2nd trailer load-carrying platforms; curious as it seems wasted space and not what I'm used to seeing here.
Hi Froggy, I had the same thought when I saw these photos, and it also seems a pretty strange idea to have a tandem-axle set on the front semi and a tri-axle set on the rear one. It is always surprising how different countries/states have different solutions to weight restrictions and they all think that they have the right ones.
Here in New Zealand B-trains, as we call them, are very common, but 6x4 or 8x4 tractors are required; 6x2's as in the photos above are not allowed. You would also never see this combination of axles on the semis; you have 2 tandem-axle semis, 2 tri-axle semis or a tri-axle on the front semi and a tandem on the rear one.
I've also read, thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from Martin's B-train etc history; maybe you have an idea of why the Scandinavian ones were designed that way, Martin?
The 'wasted space' explanation is fairly simple. These ISO demountable frame bodies are used to haul steel coils, hence lots of weight concentrated in a very small area. WRT the axle set-up the lead trailers are configured to be able to hook up to a European 'standard' 13.6-metre tri-axle semi-trailer and stay within the overall 25.25-metre OAL limit. That's why the rear trailer is a tri-axle. The lead trailer also has a sliding tandem axle bogie and a sliding fifth wheel for optimum flexibility. BTW Froggy in Canada I have sen the tandem lead, tri-rear set up called the 'reverse B-train'. Apparently the turning circle is much better with the tandem at the front.
Thanks Martin, I knew there would be a logical explanation, and that you would know what it was. It makes sense, although I'm not too sure about the last sentence. I have driven B-train tankers for almost as many years as they have existed in NZ, and the one I drive at present has a tri-axle front semi and a tandem rear semi which has an excellent turning circle; I would have thought that it depended more on the position of the rear turntable, the position of the kingpin and the landing legs on the rear semi, etc, rather than whether there were 2 or 3 axles.
Nice one, Martin! You always seem to come up with the most interesting truck combinations!
best regards
Niels
Vic, I agree entirely with what you say but the turning circle explanation was the one given when I asked a driver who had one of the 'new' reverse B-trains. Personally I prefer a tandem-tandem or tri-tri arrangement. the others look out of balance.
Froggy, where are you located? You say the Quebec/Ontario border but whereabouts? Are you near Ottawa, Temiscaming or New Liskeard? No need to be precise.