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CONFERENCES

17th November 1931
Page 58
Page 58, 17th November 1931 — CONFERENCES
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AT OLYMPIA

A R6un-1 of the Papers and Discussions, During the Show Period, Under the Auspices of Various Important Organizations

Railway Representatives Confer

REPRESENTATIVES of the railway companies, including members of the Railway Companies Association, met at Olympia on November 66, under the auspices of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Mr. Reginald Clayton, managing director of Earlier Motors, Ltd., who was in the chair, introduced Mr. F. C. A. Coventry, road transport manager of the Great Western Railway Co., and Mr. Coventry addressed the meeting on various features of design of motor vehicles' which, he said, the railway companies needed.

At the time of the 1929 Show, he regarded the 2-tonner and the 4-tonner as suitable railway types of road motor, but now, when 6-tonners were almost as speedy and as easily handled as lighter machines, he looked upon the 2-tonner and the 6-tormer (with forward control) as the most useful models. Between the two, he regarded the trailing-axle sixwheeler as of some value, and said that there was need for a cheap tractor for loads of 8-10 tons, also for a light trace tor suitable for replacing the horse. He spoke strongly on the matter of maintenance, being opposed to the system of "office maintenance," whieh means systematic overhaul on a regular mileage basis, although he admitted that it might be useful with bus companies where vehicles were mainly housed under one roof and used regularly on the same routes. For the railways he favoured maintenance on the inspectionand-necessity system.

Mr. Coventry said that manufacturers would do well to modify existing models so as to remove slight objections to design, this being preferable to so frequently introducing entirely new models.

Sir John Thornycroft thanked Mr. Coventry for his speech and asked if the railway companies could not treat their vehicles with more consideration.

Mr. John Shearman, road transport engineer of the L.M.S. railway concern, praised the effort which had resulted in the production of a light tractor to replace the horse. As regards oil engines, he said that his company had had four in use for about six months and they had given satisfaction ; so far tla one could see, there was little to fear in the matter of maintenance costs with these engines.

All the above railway speakers had asked for lower first cost, explaining that railway vehicles cover small mileages daily. Mr. Clayton said that if this meant that smaller engines could be fitted, lower prices might be possible.

After some remarks by other speakers regarding the possibilities of electric vehicles, and other matters, Mr. Coventry replied, stating that he was prepared at once to accept a smaller engine with, perhaps, an auxiliary two-speed gearbox to give fairly good speeds on level roads. He said the objection to electric vehicles was their rather high initial cost and maintenance expense and their limited range of .operation, whilst the difficulty with the steam vehicle was the time taken in raising steam in depots where separate men could not be kept for this purpose.

After the meeting a luncheon was held, at which Sir Geerge Beharrell spoke on the value of co-operation between road and rail.


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