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Aussie bus
Elroy Engineering, a small factory and design office at Pennant Hills, Sydney, Australia, has made a 116-passenger town-centre bus, powered by lead batteries. Consulting engineer Roy Leembruggen reckons to have overcome the usual weight and cost barriers which have been the commercial stumbling blocks of electric buses.
Qantas commissioned the firm to design an airport terminal bus for jumbo jets, in anticipation of an airline boom. But airline profits took a nosedive and no order was forthcoming. However, Mr Leembruggen later went ahead with the idea as a town bus after a survey identified 106 sales possibilities in Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea.
The bus, christened the Townobile, is designed for a 30-mile range with quick battery exchange.
The bus has an aircraft fuselage-type construction in welded 50-ton tensile steel sections, clad both sides in galvanized medium-tensile steel. Mr Leembruggen was for six years a designer with Alcan, and he rejected aluminium for the structure because of potential fatigue problems.
The 12.2m-long Townobile weighs 4,470kg unladen, and Elroy Engineering compare this to 8,650kg for the 10m British Silent Rider Mark 1 (converted Seddon RU 33), and 8,400kg for the 11m plus trailer German MAN-SLE. The British vehicle carries 50 passengers, the German 99.
So Elroy claim a low running cost per passenger-mile.
Truck rallyist
Twenty-fifth in the Ivory Coast-Cote d'Azur Rally, among 95 cars and 40 motorcycles, was a Saviem 4x4. Or it would have been if it had been entitled to be entered.
The truck, with a 712 Saviem diesel engine developing about 76 horsepower, was backing u o two Renault 12s, and arrived at Nice within the time limit.
The Saviem was driven all the way-5,340 miles including 3,415 through Africa, across the Libyan and Tenere deserts — by Mazan (Vaucluse) dealer Maxime Rol. A good effort.
Foden car
J. B. Wilson, manager, spares and service administration at Fodens, has written to me about my note on January 21 on the interesting cars once owned by J. E. (Ted) Foden. The Mercedes in the photograph on this page has a Foden engine, originally fitted when the car was owned by Fodens Ltd and was driven for some years by their present joint managing director, Patrick Trem low.
It was sold to an enthusiast and the company lost track of it until 1973 when a Mr Cavendish asked them to repair a Mark IV engine for it, in order to replace its Mark 1.
It's not certain that this is the precise car referred to in the previous note, as two Mercs were fitted with Foden engines, says Mr Wilson. The photo shows from left to right: S. C. Gray, a development engineer, Mr Wilson and Mr Cavendish.
Watch your angluage
The boys at National Travel (South West) can take a joke. Last month I poked fun at them for announcing a bi-lingual leaflet -in Englsill /Gaelic. I commented that "Englsih" isn't what it used to be!
Now their public relations officer, Alan Watkins, has written to me as follows: Daer Brisd Yee O raed iwth cnosdirealb interest teh praagraph retaling to our Gaelic coch hier leeflet in youre latest columne.
To be frakn, teh error sliped through our cluches!
But we trust that in 1797 National Travel South West will contineu to provide you with teh hrad news your plublication seeks — and provide you with the dod laugh as well!
Best wishes, Nala 0. Wastkin, public relations occifer.
Them again...
It's those men at National Travel (South West) again . . There are so many coach tours of Britain's beauty spots that they've hit on another idea: take passengers on a tour that includes a visit to a disused airfield hanger, show them old films relegated to the archives — and let them ride in an out-of-date bus.
The three-day tour starts on April 17, costs El 9.50 and includes visits to Black and White, Cheltenham; Devon General and Greenslades, Exeter; and Western National and Royal Blue, Plymouth.
Among the vehicles to be used — subject to availability — will be one of Greenslades' narrow coaches for touring Devon's moors, and a preserved 20-year-old Exeter Corporation double-decker,
Abba cada bra
ABBA, currently the world's top pop vocal group, has chosen Volvo trucks to carry it on its European Tour '77 — that's the message from Ailsa Trucks. Surprise, surprise — well, the group are Swedes, after all.
But they have chosen a British haulier, Edwin Shirley Trucking Ltd, of Cranbrook, Kent, to take them and their 30 tons of equipment around. Setting up, moving, packing and transporting the stage equipment for the tour employs 50 people.
fj by The Hawk