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A New British Steam Lorry : the "Standards"

20th June 1907, Page 3
20th June 1907
Page 3
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Page 3, 20th June 1907 — A New British Steam Lorry : the "Standards"
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A representative of this journal recently paid a visit of inspection to The Standard Steam Lorry and Omnibus Company's works, at Rayleigh, in Essex. These works are situated about a mile and a half from Rayleigh Station, on the Great Eastern line from Liverpool Street to Southend, and are in a most favourable position for the carrying-out of road tests along the narrow and unfrequented lanes which mark this part of the country. The plan on which the various departments have been laid out is quite in accord with the latest engineering practice, and the equipment Throughout is of the most modern type.

The main building is a steel structure of three hays: the -central bay is occupied by fitters, who work at metal benches built round the steel standards which support the roof, and to all these standards " wall-plugs " are fitted so as to enable small electric hand-drills to be used on any job. Another good feature which has been adopted -upon these standards, not only in the fitting department, but throughout the whole works, are extremely handy little jib-cranes, which save a lot of useless manual work in lifting heavy castings or other parts from the floor to bench or machine. Small jib-cranes on wheels have also been pressed into service for lifting heavy work from any one machine, and, after conveying it to the bench or another machine, as required, lowering the piece without any " man-handling." The equipment of the machine-shop, which occupies one of the side bays, comprises some of the very best examples of the modern toolmakers' skill; many of the machines in this dopartment are the actual examples of their types that were exhibited by their makers at the Machinery Exhibition, at Olympia, in September and October of last year. Notable amongst these may be mentioned the Massey, ring, turret lathe, on which an enormous number of operations may be performed at one setting. Our readers will, perhaps, remember this machine, in which the turret revolves on an axis parallel to the lathe-bed, which it encircles; the number of tools which may be mounted at any one time, by this arrangement, is much greater than could possibly be mounted in a flat or tilted turret. The other hay is set apart for erecting, and for the housing of vehicles undergoing running tests.

Smaller, but certainly not less important departments, including the general offices, drawing office, pattern shop, smithy, tool room, stores, engine room, and gas producer room, are all conveniently arranged in a manner which affords proper means of supervision. A considerable amount of care has been bestowed on the tool room and the special grinders which are to be found therein are amongst the best that can be obtained.

All the machinery is driven by a National gas engine, through belting and line shafting. A dynamo is also thus driven, and it generates the current necessary for lighting and for the electric hand-drills : a Dowson producer plant supplies the engine with the working fluid, and the economical result obtained by the use Of this producer plant is an excellent testimonial for the makers.

Adjoining the works, are some 32 acres of land available for extensions, and, indeed, at the time of our representative's visit, part of the land was being pegged out and levelled off for the addition of three more bays to the main shop ; these will just double its present size. The company is making arrangements to enter the field as motorbus builders, but the work in that direction is not sufficiently far advanced for us to make more than passing mention of it ; the cylinders for the bus chassis, however, are cast separately, and are of generous proportions. The bore is 5 inches in diameter and the stroke is 6 inches.

The 5-ton steam lorry, which is made by this company, and named the " Standard," is a particularly welt-clesig-ned, and substantially-constructed, vehicle, as may be gathered from an examination of the illustrations which accompany this article. The lorry is designed to carry 5 tons on its own platform, which is 12 feet 6 inches by 6 feet 6 inches outside the beading-s, leaving 75 square tent of platform available for goods. The overall length is te feet, and there is a wheel-base of ii feet i inches. It is designed to carry its full load up an incline of i in 7 with ease, and a further three tons may be hauled on a trailer. Its builders have realised that in a steam lorry, where exceptional loads often have to be carried, the design should also be exceptional, and every part of the machinery should be easily accessible, fully protected from road grit and mud, and well lubricated. After perusing this article, and closely studying the illustrations from line drawings, which are accurate to scale, we think the reader will agree that this wagon has many good points. Experience, gained with other wagons by makers of repute, has been brought to bear on the design and construction of the vehicle now under our notice.

In dealing with the steam wagon exhibits at the last Agricultural Hall Show (see " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR" of the 11th April last), we grouped the various vehicles into classes according to the type of transmission employed. The " Standard " steam lorry will, therefore, come under Type A of that classification, by reason of the employment of sidechains for the final drive, but the general design of this vehicle includes so many novel points, that we propose to deal with it more fully, rather than merely to place it under a type, as we did with numerous established systems in that show report.

In plan, the side members of the frame are quite straight, there being no inward set at the forward end in order to get sufficient steering-lock, the novel arrangement of leading wheels and axle making any " set " in the frame unnecessary. The side channels are 6 inches deep, with flanges 2..1 inches wide; they are well stayed and braced by cross members and stays. The frame is supported by semi-elliptic springs, over the axles, but the leading axle, as may be seen in our illustration, is of unusual construction. The body of the axle is built up of forged ends, and a straight piece of I-section steel 5 inches deep, riveted together; a vertical pivot (X) is fitted in each end, and the trunnion (W), to which the steering lever (Z) is attached, swings on the vertical pivot pin. The leading wheel-casting rides on the outer surface of W, and is kept in position, on the one side, by the flange which is machined solid with W, and, on the other side, by the naveplate (Y) which is secured by studs to the trunnion (W). This arrangement permits the leading wheel to turn on a line perpenthe axle arm, and the effort reto either lock is reduced to the

dicular with the centre of quirecl to move the wheel lowest possible amount. dicular with the centre of quirecl to move the wheel lowest possible amount. The rear axle is of very simple construction : it consists only of a straight, rolled, round, bar of steel, on to which the spring-seats are shrunk; the ends of the axle for the driving wheels are case hardened and ground. The roadwheels fitted to these axles are Rayner's patent, as described in "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR " of the 6th instant. The steering gear is of very neat and compact design ; it is of the worm and quadrant type, is irreversible and is sensitive to the touch—we

mow of no other steam or petrol lorry, `gZ7M.•......)f such weight, that answers so quickly .o the wheel with so little effort. This

s chiefly due to the arrangement of the eading axle pivot. The idea of using )ne, slightly-enlarged casing, to conam both steering worm and quadrant

Ind the screw-brake operating gear, 511.116i1 Ja0Q1 itruck our representative as being 6-UM-CILIA

worthy of note. We illustrate a sec.

:ion through the steering-gear casing, -3CMI-118)111. n which, it will be seen, the steering DgML. vorrn is keyed on to the central spindle, ind the brake-gear worm is secured to t tubular shaft which surrounds the iteering spindle : all thrust on the later is taken up by ball-thrust bearings. Ihe screw brakes are of the expanding .ype, and act inside the chain-rings mhich are bolted to the driving wheels, is may be seen on reference to the g-enn-al-arrang-ernent drawing. A footever operates shoe brakes on the outer ?nds of the differential shaft, whilst, of course, the engine -everse forms another means of braking when found necessary or desirable.

The loco. type of boiler is used, this class of steam raiser laving given such excellent results in the hands of other wellknown wagon builders. All the fire-tubes, which are 14 inch n diameter, are submerged, even when ascending or descend41ga very steep gradient. The usual mountings are on the boiler, and two fusible plugs are fitted in the crown of the fire-box. The mountings are disposed with a view to the lorry's being managed by one man when necessary, and the arrangement is such that the driver has complete control Dyer all levers without the least strain or discomfort. The non-return valves, which are screwed into the boiler shell, are provided with a stop-cock between the steam-pressure zontents of the boiler and the valve, in order that the latter may be taken out, cleaned, or ground in, while the boiler is under steam. The chief source of feed-water supply is the engine-driven pump (C), which is shown in the general arrangement : this is driven directly from the engine, by means of the pinion (D), on the crankshaft, and the wheel (El which is mounted on a stud. The pump has a double

set of ball-valves, thus considerably reducing the risk of pump troubles with dirty water. A steam-driven, Moore pump is also fitted, as well as a Gresham and Craven injector. The horizontal-compound engine normally runs at soo r.p.m., and has ordinary D slide-valves operated by a modified form of Stevenson link-motion. The diameters of the cylinders are ; high pressure, 4 inches ; low pressure, 7 inches. The piston-stroke is 6 inches. A simple by-pass arrangement permits the engine to be run as a twin-cylinder, simple engine when required. The general design of the engine presents no special features, other than that the case which encloses the crankshaft and link-motion is of exceptional size, and is provided with covers, which, when re-, moved, gives access to every part contained by it, and that without the necessity of removing, the. body or load. The crankshaft is turned out of a solid, round bloom, ao inches in diameter, of Siemens-Martin steel; our representative saw a crankshaft in course of manufacture from such a bloom.

The second-motion shaft, which, together with the differential shaft, is contained in the casing mentioned above, is machined from a steel casting. By sliding this shaft to the off side, the toothed part (G) is brought into mesh with the pinion (F) on the crankshaft, and thus gives the low gear : by sliding it in the other direction, J is caused to mesh with H, which is the ordinary running pair of gears. One, at least, of the two pinions (K, K) on the second-motion shaft is always in mesh with the wheel (L) which surrounds the differential-gear cage : the edges of one pitof gear teeth only are running at different speeds when they approach each other. The changes of gear are effected from the driver's seat, by means of a hand lever which is mounted on the shaft (f)-), and communicating to the bell-crank (N) and rod (M) through the jointed rod (0). A simple and cheap form of semi-universal joint is employed for this and all other connecting rods for the brake and steering gears_

The whole engine and gear, as shown in our illustration, is suspended from the frame at three points, by means of the suspension bolts (91, 92, 93). The case is oil-tight and dust-proof, and the only parts of the transmission gear which are exposed to external influence are the Hans Renold, roller chains.

Our small, outline arrangement of the wagon will convey a good idea of the general proportions, and, in conclusion, we must compliment the designers on their having turned to account the lessons which earlier practice has out before them. They have, too, avoided the use of keyed wheels in any part of the vehicle.

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