A DAILY SERVICE
Page 29
Page 30
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Links LONDON and a BUSY KENTISH PORT.
ONE has only to visit the works of prominent coachbuilding concerns to secure unmistakable evidence of the development which is taking place in connection with the long-distance travel-by-road movement. The demand for regularservice vehicles for use on town and suburban routes is still keen, and such buses are now better and more comfortably equipped than ever before, but a big percentage of the orders at present being placed emanate from operators or potential operators of long-distance limited-stop services.
Many such routes have already been opened up—some have been established for several years—and the encouraging results obtained augur well for a remarkable expansion of activity in this direction during the forthcoming year. The pioneer work on many of these routes has been left to a comparatively small number of enterprising concerns, which, if it may so be put, have blazed the trail for others to follow, but, whatever the initial difficulties, that their optimism as to the ultimate success of such services was not ill-founded is to be seen in the continuous progress of existing services and the opening of numerous new routes.
A typical example of this kind of enterprise is to be found in the case of the Express Safety Coach Co., Ltd., 47, The Grove, Hammersmith, London, W.6, which was the pioneer of the daily road service between Dover and London. Four saloon coaches are used on this route and the company's latest acquisition for this service is a Gifford 24-seater, having a particularly well-appointed body which was built by Metcalfes, London, Ltd., Lincoln Works, Romford. The running schedule is arranged so that coaches leave the Market Square, Dover, at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., journeys being made in the opposite direction from Eccleston Street, Victoria, at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. During the summer months as many as sifx departures are made from each terminus on Saturdays and Sundays and this is not really surprising in view of the efforts put forward of recent years to popularize Dover as a holiday centre. All the coaches are licensed at Dover, Canterbury and Maidstone, whilst two of them are licensed in London.
Most of the bookings for seats are effected at offices—the company has premises at Dover and Canterbury—but now and again tickets are sold on the road, although not on the London side of Maidstone. There is no question of plying for hire from village to village, the service being mainly intended to benefit travellers to the centres enumerated.
The fares in force are, as might be expected, higher in the summer than in the winter. They are as follow, the winter charges being given in parentheses :—Dover and London, single Cs. 6d. (5s. 6d.) ; day return, 9s. 6d. (7s.) ; period return, 11.s. 6d. (9s. 6d.). Canterbury and London, single, 5s. 6d. (58.) ; day return, 8s. 6d. (7s.) ; period return, 10s. 6d. (9s.). For the Maidstone to London section of the route the fares remain constant all the year round,
being single 3s. 6d., day return 5s., and period return 5s. Children under 12 are charged half fares.
Each vehicle does a round journey daily, its mileage for each trip being 154. The route which is followed passes through some of the finest scenery in Kent, and we are not surprised to learn that the service is extremely popular with Americans visiting Canterbury Cathedral.
The success of the service has not been a chance happening, but has been achieved by dint of the corn
pany's recognition of its obligations to the travelling public. The coaches are at all times run to a fixed schedule, and whatever the conditions the daily service is maintained. Even the severe frosts and heavy snowfalls of last winter were no bar to the adherence to the set time-table.
Then, again, the company is mindful of the need for maintaining the smart appearance of its coaches, and apart from nightly attention being given to mechanical features, the upholstery and cloth linings are cleaned by electrically operated vacuum equipment. The attention given to the question of appearance is further exemplified by the neat dark brown uniforms with which the drivers are provided.
As we have already mentioned, a Gifford 24-seater saloon coach has just been purchased for the DoverLondon service and the nature of the interior appointments of its Metcalfe body clearly reflect the operator's desire to provide the utmost comfort and convenience for its patrons, apart from bearing witness to the highly developed art of the bodybuilder. The general arrangement and equipment of the interior are good, and, whilst what may be termed " frills " are absent, there is a host of features incorporated which are in good taste and which create an atmosphere of refinement as well as suggesting travel comfort.
Although the driver's seat is in the passenger-seating compartment his position is isolated, and at night thedriver is screened off by a dropdown curtain held secure by snap fasteners on the seat-back sides, thus preventing reflection in the windscreen from the interior lights. Behind the seat are four transverse seats, each for two people, on each side of a central gang-way, which is 1 ft. 2 ins, wide,
then two single seats, over the rear wheelarches, which f a ce inwards, followed by another transverse seat, on the off side only, for two people, and finally a fullwidth seat at the rear for f our persons, where, of course, greater seat space per passenger is given.
The seats are upholstered with furniture hide of a rich brown tone, and the seat cushions, which are 2 ft. 8 ins. wide and 1 ft. 6 ins, from back to front, are detachable. Marshall spring cases 8 ins, deep are used for the seats, and the back flutings are padded with Imperia wadding, which has a smooth and uniform texture and is inserted into the squab by the use of a special type of injector. Both seat cushions and back rests are raked at an angle which gives ample support to the limbs; the rests are individually shaped. A small criticism is that the raised edges on the gangway ends of the transverse seats hardly seem necessary and might usefully be employed in the width of the seat. The distance between the backs of the seats is 2 ft. 6i ins.
The interior finish throughout is in walnut, a deep inlaid panel being used at the waist-rail level. The inside lining boards are covered with Rexine. There is a large oval centre-piece in the roof and four corner pieces equidistant from it which give relief to the clothcovered roof space. In conoection with this centrepiece, it is most interesting to learn that a colour photographic process has been developed whereby it is possible to photograph designs on wood or the grains of timber and transfer them to other sections of wood, specially sensitized to receive
them. This is particularly valuable where inlay work is concerned, for it is possible to simulate the original design with exactness. Moreover, we are told that the image is durable and, unlike inlay work, does nottend to peel. If the treatment can be employed on a fairly large scale it is much less expensive than inlay work, so that on this score alone it has much to recommend it.
The illustration of the interior which we publish serves to give a very good impression of the nature of the appointments. For example, there are deep pockets at the backs of the transverse seats in the form of nets on spring-rod tops, aluminium-faced footrests, coat and rug rails on the seat backs, racks for hats and light packages at the cantrail level—these extending along the complete length of the sides—de
tachable ash-trays, etc. The ashtray fittings are quite neat, but, from views we have heard expressed in certain quarters, we think it unwise to use a bowl which can readily be removed from the bracket into which it fits—a small point, perhaps, but one which is deserving of consideration, unless the coach operator has a good stock of spare bowls !
There is an abundance of lighting equipment and, not only are there five ornamental lamps fixed to the side pillars, but there are also eight roof lamps, the latter being of the type which is known as the " butter-dish " pattern, with frosted-glass bowls. They are of American make and are marketed in this country by Messrs. Lewis, Dixon and Son, 30, Percy Street, London, W.1.
All the rectangular side windows are made to lower, the mechanism which is used being of the Rawlings type with garnish-rail operating fittings. The main lights have louvre ventilators above them and, to preserve the line of the body sides, similar ventilators are also used above the windows in the doors —rather an unusual feature. There are three Airvae ventilators in the roof, two in the rear section of the coach, whilst the third is used i n conjunction with a light fitting to embellish the oval centrepiece.
There are two doors for passenger s' use, each being 2 ft. 3 ins, wide; they are of full depth and completely /enclose the step 'wells. These wells are 15 ins. deep and are recessed to a depth of 14i ins, from the interior panelling of the doors. The headroom at the maximum point is 5 ft. 10 ins., but the floor, which has a rubber covering, is slightly raised to clear the back axle, and at this point is reduced to 5 ft. 7 ins. The body is 19 ft. 7 ins. long and 7 ft. 5 ins. wide.
A section of the roof at the rear is railed in so that luggage can be carried at this point. To reach
this section a two-piece folding ladder is brought into use and, when
it is extended, the front end locks into the rearmost rung of a fixed ladder section, running a short dis tance along the roof and over the rounded back, and into brackets on the underside of the body. This twopiece ladder is housed in a box below the rear of the body.
One of the neatest ideas we have seen for accommodating the spare wheel and tyre is used on this vehicle. In the rear panel is a recessed section—it extends below the back seat—into which the wheel fits snugly. It is covered by a detachable plate, forming part of the panelling.