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Some Suggestions for
Page 109
Page 110
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LUGGAGE DISPOSAL on Saloon Vehicles
T"problem of constructing a passenger-carrying * body is not so complicated if seats only have to be accommodated. Today, however, even on shortdistance buses of the service type, it is frequently found necessary to provide space for the housing of luggage. On long-distance coaches it is of vital importance that a passenger be able to take a good allowance of personal baggage and that this be stowed away in a waterproof position where it can remain in safety throughout the journey.
The suggestions here put forward are capable of being incorporated in bodies following approximately conventional lines.
For a long-distance coach the roof could be built higher than would be required in the normal way, the additional space being made into a compartment by the provision of a strong floor on each side at the cant-rail level. In this false roof would be situated a locker on each side of the central gangway, one locker being horizontally divided to carry small suitcases, whilst the other would have no division, but be arranged to carry larger packages.
Easy Access to the Cases.
• Loading would be effected from the interior of the vehicle by a person standing in the gangway ; the opening could be closed by means of a roller blind— operating longitudinally—lined with similar material to that which is used inside the coach. To support these lockers suitable brackets would have to be built into the roof at cant-rail level.
In the case of a vehicle which has to carry an unusually large bulk of luggage, that portion of the body which overhangs the rear axle is the least emufortable for passengers; therefore, it might well be devoted to the transport of dead loads. A bulkhead could be constructed across the body behind the rear
most seats, which would be situated across the chassis, slightly forward of the rear-axle line.
The rear of the vehicle would then constitute a van, the windows being protected by horizontal rails. The loading doors might be of the usual type placed at the sides, or the rear of the vehicle, arranged to open after the manner of convertible saloon cars. The appearance of this body would be scarcely distinguishable from the normal.
Where there is no objection to external loading and it is permissible slightly to raise the overall height of the vehicle, longitudinal lockers above the passengers' heads could be arranged to run from the back of the forward bulkhead to the rear of the vehicle, these being supported by suitable brackets inside the body. Access to these lockers would be gained by hatches, the hinges being on the centre line of the roof, or on horizontal lines disposed somewhat to each side of the centre line. When open, the hatches would be held by supporting arms.
A Substitute for a Ladder.
The man loading or unloading would have to climb up until his feet were approximately at waist-rail level. In order to avoid the need for a ladder, horizontal rails (two in number) could be fixed to the body sides. These might be of stdinless steel or chromium plated.
Normally, they would serve as longitudinal bumpers protecting the panels of the body, but when the driver had to remove luggage from the roof lockers, he could attach tread-plate brackets to the rails, thus providing two footholds, each of which would be capable of supporting both feet. The plates could be slid along the rails from point to point, as desired.
Forward control is being more widely adopted to-day for long-distance vehicles. A full-width cab offers a small amount of luggage accommodation on the near u31.
side. Several cases could be placed vertically the engine casing, whilst a few more could be laid horizontally over the top of the half-bonnet. The greatest amount of available space, however, is offered above the driver's head.
A Large Locker in the Roof.
The normal horizontal roof line could be continued to the extreme front of the vehicle, the forward end of the roof being finished by slightly canted panels which would serve as destination indicators. There would thus be a roomy locker between the forward bulkhead of the body and the front of the cab, the depth being decided by the difference in height between the roof of the cab and the roof of the bus. Loading would be effected through a hinged flap forming the top of the front bulkhead, the man standing inside the vehicle.
One of the most noticeable tendencies in modern passenger-vehicle chassis is the adoption of off-set transMission, the object being to arrange the pot of the rear axle as near as possible to the near-side brake drum, thus making it feasible to have a flat and lowlevel central gangway.
It would be possible with a chassis of this design to make use of the space between the propeller shaft
and the off-side frame member, wells being carried down to within about one foot of the ground. It would not. be feasible to arrange one large well in this space owing to the presence of chassis-frame cross-members, but the space could be split up into two or three lockers, access to which would be gained by raising trap doors in the floor.
Space Below the Floor.
Where there is no objection to the overall height of the vehicle being somewhat greater than usual, coupled with a higher floor level for the saloon, a very large locker could be formed by building a false floor across the chassis frame and mounting the actual floor of the saloon rather higher. Access to the space would be through hinged doors at the sides.
In the case of comparatively small coaches and buses which are well within the maximum permissible overall length, a detachable luggage box, supported by a grid with brackets to the frame, could he arranged to be mounted behind the rear panel of the body. This D32 would be used on those trips where the bulk of luggage was large; for ordinary short-distance work the coach would present a normal appearance.
Another suggestion for vehicles which are used occasionally on services on which considerable quantities of baggage have to be transported, is for a detachable bank of seats at the extreme rear of the vehicle. The seat cushion and squab could be removed, the lining boards covered with detachable material and the loading of the luggage effected through rear doors extending practically the full width of the body.
The foregoing suggestions have been confined to ideas capable of being put into effect on modern chassis and bodies. Should front-wheel drive be adopted in the future the problem of luggage space would be made very much less difficult because the whole of the chassis aft of the engine-gearbox unit would be free from mechanical details.