The Motor Drivers News.
Page 31
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An Unlucky Run with a Steam Wagon.
" R.S." (Coventry) sends the following communication :— • ' I have had some experience in driving steam wagons, and, also, some trouble with them at different times. I thought perhaps the following account of a rather unfortunate run, which occurred last winter, would prove of interest to your readers, although not exactly pleasant reading.
"Our journey was from a depot to our headquarters and back again to the same destination, a total distance of eighteen miles. The load consisted of boxes and barrels of various descriptions. We started about eight o'clock in the morning, with a light trailer behind. The wagon steamed very badly from the first, and we had to stop, and wait about every two miles for half an hour, or more, to get up steam. To make matters worse, the roads were frosty, and slippery, and whenever we came to a hill, we had to put ashes, and coke, under the wheels to make them grip. After we had gone about five miles, we decided to leave the trailer at a village, as we could get along better without it. Two miles further on, a couple of joints began to blow,' and this delayed us nearly an hour. We eventually arrived at our destination about six o'clock in the afternoon, and, after unloading and reloading, we got away again by eight o'clock. Progress was very slow, owing to the bad steaming, and when we had gone about eight miles we ran short of water ; after making enquiries we found some down a byroad, and filled up the tank. When we were ready to start again, we found one of the back wheels had sunk down, and the wagon could not move. It was quite dark by this time, and our jack was not strong enough to lift the loaded vehicle, so, one of us went to the nearest railway station and borrowed a large jack, and some pieces of wood. With these we managed to get the wagon out, and we started off once more. It was a very black night, and driving was difficult. An uneventful run was made to within a quarter of a mile from home; time, about 5 o'clock in the morning, when, suddenly, and without any warning, the wagon stopped. I got down to ascertain the cause, and found one of the back wheels deep down in a newly-made trench, which had been filled in loosely. Not being able to get a jack this time, there was nothing for it but to have the load off. We did this, with the help of a friendly policeman, who gave us a hand with the barrels, which weighed over 6cwt. each. We got the vehicle out at last, and then we had to load up again, after which the depot was reached a quarter of an hour later."
Are London Motorbus Drivers Slovenly ?
" J.W." (London) asks us to insert the following :—" With reference to the letter from W.S.C.' in your issue of October 4th, I should like to say a few words about slovenly drivers. As for drivers being dirty, I think, that if W.S.C.' was driving a motorbus in London he would have a different tale to tell. The hours are different, being, in some cases, twice as long as they are in the provinces. If a man has the sole charge of a vehicle he will look after it, but, when two men are on the same bus, the chances are that they do not work well together. The first driver does his gi hours, or so many journeys, for which he gets paid, and tells the afternoon man that the bus is running badly, the consequence being that the second man loses a journey in putting the machinery right. Then there is enmity between them, as both work for themselves. Get two good drivers who will work together, and see the difference; the night man will leave word how the bus is running, so that the early man can see if the job has been done, and, if not, he has it done before going out. The result is a better mileage and a cleaner bus. The traffic in London is very different from that elsewhere, and the driver has to keep his eyes in front of him all the time ; perhaps, in congested traffic, it takes him 20 minutes to run a mile, and when he does get a chance he has got to slip along to make up for lost time. The brakes in London have to be in perfect order, as the driver never knows when the police will test them : a driver, therefore, has to get under his bus to adjust his brakes nearly every journey, and it is a dirty job on some of the buses; thii adjustment is done at the garage with country services. W.S.C.' does not, perhaps, know that a pair of brake shoes lasts about three days, whilst in the country I have had them wear for three or four months, and it is impossible for a driver in London to keep himself as clean as he would like to do. You will not find a cleaner class of men than the horse bus drivers in London, and they are the men that the majority of drivers of motorbuses are recruited from. One or two companies will have no others, and they are the most careful men on the road, as they know the rules of the road, and a company that employs them has comparatively few accidents. I saw in a recent issue of the F.xpress that a man had passed Scotland Yard, and did not know the rules of the road. Mr. Plowden fined him zos., with costs. I have known men, after twelve months' driving in the country, to come up to Scotland Yard to pass, but only to fail miserably, whereas another man, after eight days' practice in town gets through all right. The various companies will not supply clothes, as they would not last three months, owing to the hard wear which they would get. I have had new suits of clothes, which in a month's time were filthy, and it costs 4s. 6d. to have them cleaned, and every driver cannot afford this expense. Overalls can be worn on the bus; they are all right at first, but, after a time, if they are not washed they get very dirty and hard. I may say that men going through the Scotland Yard examination have to trust to luck a good deal, as, although they may be the best of drivers, the slightest mistake may disqualify them, whereas others may do the right thing at the right moment and pass."
Some Hints on Ignition.
" S.O.B." (Hampstead) sends this letter for insertion in the Drivers News :—" Perhaps you can find space for the following incident, as it will serve to illustrate and confirm the remarks made in last week's 'editorial' on A Motorbus failure.' We had occasion to fit a set of new exhaust valves into a De Dion motorbus engine, and, when this was accomplished, I took the bus out for a short trip, to make sure that everything was in good order. It was fit for service in every respect, and I sent it out in charge of the regular driver. He came to the garage a couple of hours later saying that the engine would not 'pull' and that ' everything on the road passed him.' I could not understand this, so, I got up beside him and told him to take the vehicle out again for a spin on his proper route, just as if he were still in service. The first noticeable point was, that he (the driver) ran the engine almost exclusively on the ignition, and, suee.enough, in a little while, the engine got tired ' and objected EU any little rise in the road. I stopped the vehicle, and got down to investigate, and round that, owing to the continued retarding of the spark, the additional heat had expanded the valve and stem just sufficiently to keep it off its seating ; of course it was the veriest trifle, but it cost the omnibus company money. When the engine was cooled down, I tied the spark advancing lever in the forward position so that the driver could not move it, and then told him to drive back to the garage. The vehicle went back without a falter, but the valve stems had to be shortened a trifle, or else the relieving driver would also have lost a journey. The adjustment of the valves was perfect, in fact, it was theoretically perfect, but, still it brought the mechanics into trouble, although they knew, well enough what the drivers were like. Notwithstanding that the above took place on a bus belonging to one of the best managed companies operating motorbuses, and, incidentally, one of the largest and wealthiest, it brings under notice at least four of the most important factors necessary for the successful running of motorbuses, viz., supervision, repairing department, instruction department, and driving, each one of which depends upon the others. Now, if a wealthy and thoroughly organised company loses money so easily when it can afford a competent supervisor for each, and every, department, it looks as if only one thing can happen to those small companies with a limited capital of ZT0,000 which can only afford one general supervisor. Where is a man to be found who can efficiently take charge of all departments at the salary that the company is able to offer him?
"I did not intend to encroach upon so much of your space, but I think the subject warrants it, as it ought to show some of the unthinking shareholders just one of the reasons why a mint of money is required to run a motorbus company at its fullest earning capacity,"