• PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
A SALOON BODY ON A FORD CHASSIS.
An Ideal Type of Vehicle for Use in Thinly Populated Areas.
AVERY NEAT and compact little saloon body has recently been built by the Chelsea Motor Building Cu., Ltd., 164, King's Road, London, S.W,3, and:fitted on:a Ford tort chassis, to the order of the Grove Motor Co., Balderton, Newark.
• So far as its general construction, is concerned, the body is framed up in ash and is strengthened at vulnerable points with angle brackets and corner plates. The sides and back of the body are constructed, of sheet. steel. The roof is of reatchboarling, which is covered on the outside with a good quality moleskin and on the. .$)iside with Duratex. It is finished' off on the inside with four polished mahogany fillets, each;running from 'the centre to the four corners of the roof. _From these fillets four corner six-volt electric lights andone centre roof light, aresuspended. The height of the body from the floorboards to roof is
5 ft. 4 ins. •
The body is aaranged to seat 18 passengers, and obviously on a chassis such as the Ford tonner this entails'a lengthy._ overhang, especially as the-chassis frame ends at the :-Centre of the rear wheel. The overhang was actually 4 ft. 4 ins, on this Chelsea body, and the company found it necessary to support this part of the body by 3-in. by 11-in. rolled steel joist, braced by kingposts and wire cables.
The seats are uptiolsteriai in Duratex, and are being well sprung and provided
with back rests. Polished mahoganyframed windows are.,fitted at the sides; and these have rounded and polished edges, which are fitted in velvet-covered channels to prevent rattle. All the windows are of the railway type and can be adjusted so far as depth of opening is concerned. A large oval light is fitted in the rear panel.
A door is fitted 'on:each side of the body -just ahead of the rear wheel, and each is fitted with a slam lock and a plated outside door handle.
The driver is actually seated inside the body, and for this reason all inside lights are arranged behind his seat, and, to obviate reflection, which might be eon fusing when driving on the road, a curtain isarranged to be hung from the roof behind this seat.
Spare-wheel lockers are fitted beneath the near-side running board in order to reduce the weight of the overhang and also to balance passenger weight.
The finish of the body is very pleasing, its French-grey colonring, in which the mouldings are lined out in black, giving an excellent tone to a Well-finished production.
It would appear that the Grove Motor Co., Ltd., are to use the bus on a service between, Newark and Old Baldertou.
A NOVEL AMERICAN BUS BODY.
A Design with a Particularly Low Centre of Gravity.
I N SPITE of the fact that Americans generally have been very lethargic in adopting the petrol-propelled motorbus as a passenger-carrying unit, indications which have heen forthcoming during the last few months show that chassis manufacturers and body builders in the States are now cencentratingf.attention upon this important matter, a fact which is fully endorsed by the number of regular services which have sprung into being, ousting in many cases the unwanted jitney and its irregular operations.
Bus-operating conditions in this country and America differ in many respects, hut there is little question that manufacturers across the water can, with advantage, take a leaf out of the book of their English confreres, and that this has been done, in more than one case, is fully evident to those who have studied recent developments in the motorbus industry. of America.
Many original designs, however, are also being put on the market-, and one of the latest types of single-deck vehicle which has recently appeared is that designed and built by the Fageol Motors Co. This vehicle, of which we reproduce
an illustration on the next page, possesses a number of interesting details. It has been expressly -built for long-distance travel, which is popular in California and other parts of the country where it is in service. The chassis which is used is neither an ordinary commercial chassis with a bus body fitted to it, nor a converted touring-car chassis, but it has been specially designed to travel long distances with comfort and safety, even at high speeds. The general appearance of the vehicle, in fact, closely resembles the large touring car, and it would appear that the designers have been influenced by experience gained in this side of the industry.
The most interesting feature of the whole vehicle is the fact that its overall height is only 6 ft. 3 ins., actually foss than that of some closed passenger cars. It has been possible to obtain this low centre of gravity by placing the frame very low, bridge construction being employed to clear the front and rear axles.
The doors of the body, which are 27 ins, wide and 53 ins, deep, extend down to the running board, which is 16 ins, from the ground, and forms the only step. The roof and body • extend out over the running board. The windows are of the drop-down type and are arranged to be atcommodated, when they are in the lowered position, between the outer and inner door panels. The framing of this bus body is of white oak covered with aluminium sheet, and the roof is of slat-type construction. The interior finish is carried out in mood veneer, and the seats are upholstered in leather, which encloses a well-stuffed spring case.
The vehicle is fitted with pneumatic tyres on all four wheels, these being of 36 ins. by 6 ins. dimensions. The track of the bus is 5 ft. 10 ins., and this feature, combined with the low centre of gravity, makes the vehicle very stable when travelling at speed. The bus, as ins. and has a wheelbase of 218 and is built to seat 24 passengers, but by varying the wheelbase a smaller body" can be used.
The chassis is fitted with a Hall-Scott engine and a Brown-Lipe clutch and gearbox. The power unit, which develops 62 h.p. at 1,800 r.p.m., is three-point suspended and rests on Thermoicl pads, which are intended to insulate the engine from the frame.
We are indebted to our contemporary, Autont9tire Industries, for the brief details of this interesting vehicle.
THE ERA OF THE SMALL COACH.
Public 'Preference for Small Pneumatic-tyred Vehicles Influences the Decision of Coach Owners.
THERE are many motor coach: owners, users untd now of the largest types of vehicles only, who have found that the smaller type of vehicle is most useful for certain periods of the season, quiteapart from its value when used in conjunction with coaches of larger passenger-carrying capacity. The small vehicie undoubtedly gives the most remunerative resuits at the opening and closing of the season, when holiday traffic is sparse, especially in places where the season proper is confined to a few weeks in the months of July and August.
Apart from these considerations, the travelling public at the present time also evince a partiality for the smaller type of coach running on pneumatic tyres, and although this preference may only represent a passing phase in the development of the coaching movement, it must receive 'consideration at the bands of coach proprietors who lay themselves out to meet the requirements of their patrons.
It. is this tendency, coupled with other important factors, which influenced the
decision of the Lake District Road Traffic Co., of Ambteside, to purchase the Smaller type of coach. Until this year this company, who so long ago as 1904 put their first motor coach into service, have been users of the larger type of motor coaches running on solid tyres only, but in accordance with the general trend of development they have found the necessity for small 14-seatere mounted on pneumatic tyres.
They have recently taken delivery of two 14-16-seater Fiat coaches, the bodie-i of which were built by the Northern Counties Motor and Engineering Co., Ltd., of Wigan Lane, Wigan. The body is of the front-entrance type, with the driver on the near side, andis provided with a central gangway. For the summer months A one-man hood and side curtains are provided, but if the vehicle is used during the winter the hood. can be removed and a detachable saloon top fitted. The method of carrying out this conversion is very simple and the complete change over from • the open type of vehicle to the totally en-closed saloon can he carried out in about 15 minutes.
The two bodies supplied by the Northern Counties Co., are Of the same type, and the company have supplied one saloon top to fit either machine. The illustrations given on the previous page shOw the vehicle in each of its guises. The body certainly presents a very workmanlike appearance, and the application of the saloon top enables an all-the-yearround use to be found for the machines.
A Motor Coach Clearing House.
Under the auspices of the Lancashire Chamber of Transport, motor coach owners in the :Manchester district again have the opportunity this year of availing themselves of the use of a Motor coach clearing house. The principal difference to a haulage clearing house is that there is more fixity of rates. All passenger vehicles using the clearing house are operated from Manchester and district, and the owners have a say, as .members of the association, in its administration.
In an interview with Mr. 3. S. Howarth, secretary of the Chamber of Transport, we were told that trade, so far this year, had been ratlier disappointing. The schedule of fares had been revised and reduced, but rate-cutting and outside competition were very manifest.
A 'may complete list of fares has been compiled, to over 120 destinations, and as coach owners in towns adjacent to Manchester are members of the association, the rates are tabulated in the style following, the quotations to Southport being given as an example :— ,4s; -04 IS a 0.
'Et g,V8 5;-=, '41"
Southport... 9s. ficl. lit. 9s.
All fares are based on a full guaranteed party according to the capacity of the coaches-24, 28, or 33-seaters; 14seaters are subject to an extra charge of 15 per cent., and 18-seaters are subject to an extra charge of 10 per cent. It is provided that all coaches snust be at liberty by 11 p.m, the same day. After this a charge of 10s, per hour is made.
c40 Motor Coaching for the Lancashire Holidays.
Coach owners in tho Lancashire manufacturing towns are busy arranging tours for the annual holidays. As is probably well known, for a period of a week or 1.0 days, the industries of these towns are at a standstill, works are closed,; and the whole population goes holiday-making.
Some exceedingly cheap tours have been organised. One might almost say they defy competition. For instance, there is a four days' tour of North Wales from Bacup, visiting Llandudno, Bangor, Pwilheli, Criccieth, Barmoutb, Dolgelly, with three nights' hotel accommodation, all for just on £3.
Another Bacup motor coach company are running their third annual eight , days' trip to Morecambe. For the fare of £2 is included the run to Morecambe; Monday, Morecambe to Windermere and back Tuesday, Morecambe to Arnside and Silverdale and back; Wednesday, Morecambe to Orange and back; Thursday, Blackpool and back; Saturday, home.
.Ignoring Councils' Refusal to Grant Licences.
A number of applications for char-isbanes lieences having recently been refussed by the Bedwellty and Wynyddislwyn District Councils, the proprietors, in face of the restrictions, put vehicles on the road With the intention of bringing matters of contention between the councils and themselves to an issue.
As a result of the char-I-basics owners' action, the Blackwood magistrates had, a few days ago, to hear summonses brought against no fewer than six proprietors for driving for hire without
licences. The defendants were represented by counsel, who explained, whilst pleading guilty of the offences for his clients, that it was an unfortunate thing that licericss should not have been granted and the position regularized.
They did not wish to maintain open conflict with the councils, but desired to have the position made clear and be able to act upon legal methods. Having regard to the convenience tendered to the public by the buses, an intimation from the magistrates to the councils to the effect that the public was served by the vehicles might go a longway to ease the situation.
The chairman, in imposing small fines of Ss., stated that the bus proprietoss should be prepared to run regular daily services to time-table and under proper conditions. It was unfortunate that activities had been confined to the busy days of the week. An undertaking should be given to observe the .councils" conditions if licenses were granted. Such an undertaking was given by defendants' counsel.
A 1922 Record.
A 1922 motor coaching record was Set -op a few days ago, when a party of over 1,000 members of the Women's Branch of the Wigan Constitutional Association took Blackpool by storm. It had the distinction of providing one of the big-, gest chara-banes excursions which have ever visited Blackpool. No fewer than 42 big motor coaches were required to convey the visitors The transport arrangements were in the hands of lislessrs. Middleton and Woods, of Wigan' who had the co-operation of other motor coach proprietors in thattown. The party arrived in the morning and returned after tea.
Bus Services Making a Village.
Some months ago we announced that Messrs. John Lee and SODS' Motor Services, of Rothbury, had established a useful two-days-weekly bus service between Rothbury and Newcastle, and at the time emphasized the advisability of commencing such hi-weekly services where the remoteness of the outlying termini, or the small population and consequent small travel requirements, were not such as to warrant the inauguration of daily facilities. The suecesa of such a service is now more than demonstrated by the latest development made by the above-named concern. Since the establishment of the 'dependable service, its popularity has rapidly increased, and, incidentally, the pretty little Northumbrian village has acquired additional favour as a week-end resort, and, in view of the. increasing demand, Messrs. Lee are now operating the service every Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday—during tile summer months, at any rate. The journey is by way of attractive rural scenery, passing Longframlington, Longhorsley and Morpeth, and is operated by means of comfortable 14-seated Crossley omnibuses.
A Bus for Theatrical Touring Parties.
We reproduce on the next page an interesting type of passenger vehicle width can better be described as a conveyance for carrying theatrical parties and their impedimenta.The vehicle was supplied by Messrs. Allda,ys Motors to the Arts League of Service. Our illustration shows the vehiele on a recent climb up Honister Pass in Cumberland, in which county the company were touring. The body, whioh is mounted on a reconditioned Zstype Lancia chassis of 50 cwt. capacity, is designed to accom-misdate ten passengers, including the driver, entrance to the passenger compartment being gained through a tip-up. seat on the near side of the driver's seat. This compartment provides comfortable seating accommoglation for six persons, and is fitted with two sliding plate-glass windows in Becklethwaite channels. The back portion of the bus is arranged to accommodate the company's theatre fittings, whilst a false floor is also arranged under the passenger compartment to enable lengthy articles, such as props, window frames, etc., to be carried.
The hon. organizing secretary of the Arts League of ?service states that the Lancia bus has already covered 3,000 miles without "'mechanical trouble of any kind, and that the vehicle is often driven a matter of 100-140 miles in is day carrying a full complement of 'passengers and equipment. In fact, the party find the vehicle as comfortable to ride in as an ordinary touring car.
The Brighton Aquarium Coach Scheme.
In spite of the fact that the Brighton Corporation has arranged to lease the Aquarium to the Southdown Motor Services, Ltd., for the purposes of a motor coach station and garage, considerable local opposition is still being offered to the project, and a petition initiated by the Buight.on Association is being extensively signed. It calls 'upon the Ministry of Health to -prevent the site being "used in a manner-that Would be gravely detrimental to Brighton itself and to the
health, happiness and convenience of its residents and visitors." It is readily admitted that some sort of accommodation is necessary for the motor ooaches visiting the town during the summer months, but it is considered undesirable to place such a station on the sea front.