Developments in the Highlands.
Page 9
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From a Special Correspondent.
About two years ago, the present
writer contributed an artiele* to THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR dealing with the
opening which existed in the High lands of Scotland for commercial motors of all kinds. It was then sug gested that the antiquated mail-coach services which still held sway in many parts of the North might profitably be discarded in favour of the most up-todate form of road locomotion. It was pointed out that the long stages, steep gradients, and the inadequate railway service were in favour of the enterprising pioneer who would introduce motorbuses into the Highlands, and that a change was advisable in the best interests of both commerce and the public at large.
Though entire credit is not claimed, of course, for the vast development in motor traffic which, has since manifested itself in the Highlands, it is satisfactory to think that the seed was not sown in barren ground. In a recent conversation with a. hotel proprietor in a remote but popular summer resort, the writer was informed that the purchase of the large chars-abanes, which he now uses to convey his guests to and from the distant railway station, to deposit them safely on the shores of the rather " ungetatable " lochs in the vicinity, as well as to conduct a regular mail service, was directly traceable to his perusal of the article in question. And it is unlikely that this is an isolated instance.
Many of the old mail-coach routes in the Highlands are now traversed by motorbuses, chars-a-bancs and wagonettes, and these vehicles run with extraordinary reliability, regardless of weather conditions, over roads which would be deemed absolutely unsuitable for them in England. A striking example is the recent substitution of a motor service for bone-shaking mail gigs on the road from Carve, in the east of Ross-shire, to 1711apool, on the west coast of the county. The latter is a small township which does a considerable trade in the herring fishing season, and is also much frequented by anglers. Garve, although the nearest station to Ullapool, is no less than 34 miles away, and the two places are separated by a bleak hill road which winds through clefts in the mountains—the Dirrie Mhav (Dreary Moor) it is called by the Gaelic-speaking inhabitants. Since unchronicled times, the road had been traversed twice daily by two mail gigs, each drawn by three horses, which performed with difficulty their allotted task of drawing the heavy conveyances, laden with passengers and merchandise, to the halfway halt, Anguish Inn. In the winter months, it was not an unusual occurrence. for both wigs to be snowed up. This jour ney (which, by the way, was one of those for which motor vehicles were advocated in the article in THE CostAIERCIAL MOTOR already mentioned) is now negotiated expeditiously and comfortably in an up-to-date motorbus, which performs the double journey daily without taxing its capabilities unduly.
In Aberdeen, which, although it is situated in the north of Scotland, is not generally regarded as a Highland town, there has been a great influx of commercial motors of all kinds. The Great North of Scotland Railway Co. must be included among the pioneers, for it is some years since they instituted their excellent motorbus service from Aberdeen to Alford, Midmar and F.cht, and followed up this achievement by running a fairly-frequent service to Newburgh, 12 miles north of the Granite City. The shrewdness of the Aberdonian is proverbial, and it is not surprising that the local traders discovered, without loss of time, that commercial motors provide great facilities for the transport of goods of almost every description, and that, having regard to the relative sizes of the cities, they were before their brethren in Edinburgh and Glasgow in the adoption of motor delivery vans. The Corporation set the commercial men of Aberdeen a good example, by being among the first to invest in a motor hose cart.
The manufacturer of motor vehicles who would cater for the passenger traffic in the Highlands must bear several things in mind, but, first and foremost, he must remember the mountainous nature of the country. Speed is not so important as hill climbing capacity, and high engine power, as well as low gearing, is very advisable. There must be a big .reserve of power,for the engine which will pull a loaded bus up a 1-in-10 gradient in summer with comparative ease will give up the ghost without a struggle on some dark winter's night, when there is a foot of snow covering the ground, and when the passengers, shivering with cold inside, betray a great reluctance to walk. The roads are rough and stony—one may almost say rocky—and there must be far inure clearance than is usual under the body of the car. Again, the general construction of the chassis and body must be ste-oneer than that required for English roads ; it is impossible to give too much care and attention ro the selection of tires. It is a great recommendation if the engine will run on paraffin, for this fuel is always mailable, and depots where petrol is sold are few and far between in many parts of the Highlands. There is no gainsaying the fact that the field has been neglected in the past, even by the Scottish manufacturers. There are still many mailcoach services in the highland.s which could profitably be displaced, and tenants of the shooting boxes have not yet been made folly aware of the advantages of having large and strongly-built motor wagonettes for the conveyance of their angling and shooting visitors to loch and moor. Makers of steam traotors might well devote more attention and enterprise to the requirements of the timber industry in the Highlands, for the system of horse haulage which is general at present is a slow and expensive one.