An Interesting Single-deck Motorbus.
Page 4
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We are enabled to reproduce on this page several photographs of a new single-deck, public-service yeLacle which, on Saturday of last week, was dispatched to Derby for employment with the fleet belonging to Commercial Car Hirers, Ltd., which operates services on the Alfreton-Chesterfield, the Alfreton-Derby, and the Derby-Ashbourne routes.routes. We were asked by Mr. J. C. Moth, the secretary of the hiring company, to inspect the machine, which we illustrate, before its departure North. A representative of this journal, therefore, took the opportunity to have a run through traffic in town, in order to obtain some idea of the clase of machine which wasdispatched for this country service.
The chassis itself calls for no special comment : it is of the standard W.P. " Commer Car " type, and, needless to say, embodies all the latest refinements which the makers have introduced recently. It is in the matter of the coachwork more particularly that our readers will be interested. The illustrations herewith will serve very well to indicate the class of " carosserie " which has been adopted in this instance. The body is divided by a Partition and a sliding door into two compartments. The forward one, which also includes the side entrance, is reserved for smokers, whilst the rear compartment accommodates those who have no addiction to the weed. Nine passengers can be comfortably seated in the front section, whilst good seating is provided for 11 at the back. Three extra passengers may also he carried in front with the driver. The norm;i1 accommodation, however, does not seem to be of very much moment, as we were informed by one of the drivers, who has had considerable experience of these Derbyshire routes, that, it is no uncommon thing, at times of great pressure. for a 20-seated machine to carry 40 or even more! Our informant also told us that, when there was a great demand for passage on these vehicles, would-be passengers were not at all loath to make the journey seated on the bonnet or perched on the roof. The body has been constructed throughout in the works of Messrs. G. Scammell and Nephew, and, as a matter of fact, we illustrated this identical body while it was in course of construction in the Spitalfields shops. In its finished state it is undoubtedly a very creditable production. The sideentrance arrangement has called for considerable ingenuity on the part of the builders, and the two small photographs which we reproduce indicat the arrangement of folding sten and gateway. The bottom step is lifted and folded out of the way when necessary by means of a suitable handle placed inside the compartment. The general finish of the coachwork and upholstery is probably somewhat in advance of that required for ordinary provincial public sePviee, but the proprietors have undoubtedly had in mind the increased publicity which a well. finished machine like this will insure. The whole vehicle is painted grey with suitable lining and let
tering. The lighting of the interior is effected by the ordinary arrangement of metal-encased box lamps, whose positions may be seen in the photograph of the complete vehicle herewith. Acetylene lighting is used for this front and back illumination, as well as for the headlamp, and these details have been supplied by the Economic Car Light Co., Ltd., of Cromer Street, King's Cross. A light iron ladder, to facilitate the, loading of baggage on the ton of the vehicle, and. presumably, for the occasional rescue of too-venturesome passengers who have insisted on riding in that position, is, when the vehicle is running, carried slung beneath the chassis by suitable chains and clins. The wheels are shod with 34 in. Continental tires throughout. We were interested to notice that this smart-looking vehicle bore the C.M.17.A. badge on the front of the, dashboard, where it is a decided ornament.