Use of retarders on buses I was interested to read
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the interview between Mr. Hubert Perring. chairman of the ECE Committee, and David Spain (CM September 26).
I would certainly agree to the recommendation that 'coaches and buses used in hilly or mountainous districts should be equipped with some form of retarder. However, while I cannot speak for exhaust brakes, I would like to clear up any misunderstanding regarding fire risk with Electro-magnetic retarders. My company has manufactured over 100.000 electro-magnetic retarders which are in use throughout the world in hilly and mountainous districts, and indeed over normal terrain and. to date, there has not been one instance of fire hazard arising from the conditions that Mr. Perring suggested.
The unit is friction free with varied rotors designed specifically to dissipate the build-up of heat generated by the kinetic energy of a heavy vehicle going down the steepest hill. Moreover, there is a whole range of retarders varying in size in which one can select the proper model for a given application.
Mr. Perring. also quotes an instance of a driver descending an Alpine route with the brake contin,ously on until brake fade had developed and inevitable loss of control had occurred. He does not say in which country it happened, but in France it is compulsory for all vehicles traversing mountainous routes to be fitted with retarders to enable them to meet just such a contingency. There have been similar incidents recently in this country, which could have been avoided if the vehicles concerned had been fitted with a retarder.
One can only hope that the ECE Committee's recommendations will be backed up by the necessary legislation, then the fear of the "run. way" coach will be a thing of the past. C. J. DUBANT, General Manager, Time Retarder Ltd., Slough, Bucks.