HAULING TRAMCARS BY MOTOR VEHICLES.
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Some time ago . the Metropolitan' Asylums .Board voted £220 for an experimental trailer, specially designed by the; "former engineer-superintendent of• the Mead Ambulance .'orks for-attatIF meet to the standard motor vehicles $tationed at the fever •hospitals for the conveyance of patients between Long Beach Pier and the wards. It was then stated that if the experiment were sueces.sful and this method of ia'aotion were adopted, i.i would be possible to dispense with the hire of horses required for drawing the trams used for the purpose in question. The pi-eject, however, was abandoned owing to certain difficulties which arose before much could be done in the matter.
At that time referefite was made to another proposal which had also been under consideration, namely, the provision of a petrol-driven tractor to run on the existing tram rails and tow the
.tramcars. The former. engineer expressed the opinion in this case that the employment of any such form of tractor would prove. unsatisfactory, as owing to the short. wheelbase of the tramcar and the long overhang at each end, it was impossible to devise any means of coupling the tractor and the car so that they would be able: to negotiate the 'short-radius curves .withont risk of
derailment. •
The ambulance ceinnaitte.e of the Board has now prepared a revised pro
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nasal for hauling the tramcars by means of the standard motor vehicles, a special trailer bar being used. The committee considers that this proposal holds reasonable prospects of success and that the cast will 'only be about SAO.
It is considered that the difficulties in negotiating the short-radius curves will be obviated under the revised scheme, as the motor vehicle will be a free-running vehicle 'and not confined to the rails.