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Testing a "Yorkshire" in Yorkshire.

22nd February 1912
Page 19
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Page 19, 22nd February 1912 — Testing a "Yorkshire" in Yorkshire.
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An Account of a Full-load Run Under Weather Conditions of the Worst.

'•YOe nowt. to do but pull them rods, and it goes by itsen." So ran the comment of a cute small boy at Tadcaster, who, during a temporary stop on a recent test run with a Yorkshire motorvan, had volunteered the remark that, in spite of the snowy weather, he would sooner be a driver than a schoolboy !

It is more than likely that the young ragamuffin's opinion was also the impression of others who had witnessed our unhindered passage over the snow-piled roads a week or two ago between Leeds and York. THE Oman:Rom, MOTOR had been asked by Mr. E. A. Jarniain, the general manager of the Yorkshire Commercial Motor Company, to submit his very latest 25-cwt. motoryan to a short service test, and at the first available opportunity we made arrangements to go to Leeds for the purpose. In spite of willingness both on our own part and that of the constructors not to wait for fair-weather conditions, the first-made arrangements had to he wired off ; telegrams from the North told us that there was snow over most of Yorkshire to a depth of several feet and there was "likelihood

of more." A week's delay improved matters, but it was a Leeds of slush and fog and cold that received our representative on the night before the test.

Mr. Jarmain unhesitatingly concurred in our opinion as to the value of data secured when working conditions of the worst kind

were available. In the brief account which follows, our readers should therefore bear in mind that, over most of the route, the road re

sistance must have varied from 120 lb. to 200 lb. per ton ; 65 lb. is a normal figure, it will be remembered, for rubber tires on average dry macadam road surfaces.

It. was decided overnight that the machine which was to be submitted to test, a. standard 25-cwt. Yorkshire petrol van, should carry a full load from Leeds to York and back, a distance of 52 miles inelud. ing the run from the works into the first mentionedcity. It would have been simple to have picked a more difficult road, the neighbour

hood abounds in them, but many of these were still almost impassable.

The vehicle, the chassis of which was described and illustrated in considerable detail in our issue for the 24th of August last, had a commodious box body with front and back entrances, whilst a canopy afforded some shelter for the driver and observer. With fuel on board, the tare weight proved to be 1 ton 19 cwt., according to the record of the works weighbridge ; the two prospective passengers registered another 3 cwt. between them. To this running weight a load of 2,2 cwt. of pig iron WM added. Eight gallons of Taxibus spirit, of 760 gravity, were put into the petrol tank, and the radiator and lubricators were filled.

A start was made from the Hunslet works at 11 a.m. ; it will be recalled that the Yorkshire company is a branch concern of the wellknown Deighton's Patent Flue Co. ; the two factories are adjacent, The weather portents were far from favourable, Leeds wore its not unusual cloak of fog and the temperature was but a few degrees "above freezing." The first few miles were made over ill-laid granite setts, which were rendered an abomination owing to the presence of a substantial layer of slime. Steering and suspension were thus early on the road submitted to a searching test. The engine, a 15.9 h.p. White and Poppe, at once gave a good account of itself, and responded to control with commendable ease. The free and easy manner in which Leeds traffic monopolizes whatever portion of the highway it may happen to choose yielded excellent opportunity for a display on the part of the driver of perfect control over the machine. Brakes had suddenly to be applied, and with some frequency and considerable promptitude gears had to he changed. The impression which was soon created was that the Yorkshire chassis is the class of machine which a good driver likes, and there was no occasion throughout the day to modify this opinion. That, in conjunction with the youthful layman's suggestion with which this article was opened, is all that the makers could desire to hear with regard to the suitability of the machine for the road. Its workmanship and the grade of the materials of which it is composed are vouched for by the parent company's industrial reputation : of its road economy the lines which follow will speak. Briggate was reached in just under 15 min. The delay on the way from Hunslet had been considerable, on account of obsolete

horsed traffic and of trains. It was interesting to note that most of the many loaded coal carts had their attendant ragged urchins walking behind them with buckets ready to catch any of the load which was shaken off.

A patch of treacherous wood paving and several bad corners and more than several narrow streets were negotiated before Leeds and its gloom were left behind. These characteristics served to emphasize the wide angle of lock on the Yorkshire chassis, and once again to demonstrate the easy steerage for which the centre-pivoted front wheels and the large hand-wheel were considerably responsible. There was no snow in Leeds, or, if there were, the fog had helped to blacken its reputation and the heavy traffic had soon turned it into mud. Slowly climbing on to higher ground and going nearly due east, the countryside soon began to look wintry, and some five miles out snow lay on the roads to a depth of half a foot. Over some stretches it had been swept into piles along the centre of the 'cad, and, when other vehicles had no be passed, these had to be charged bodily by the "Yorkshire." Some few miles out, after a steady stretch of hard work on roads which were giving the engine plenty to do, and just after a large hospital—with a cemetery considerately laid out across the road—had been passed, the cold had become so intense that both driver and observer had to take further means to " keep it out." A wayside hayrick was attacked, and a good pile of dry fodder was soon piled well over feet which were rapidly becoming senseless.

Ta.dcaster hove in sight at a quarter of an hour after noon, and after a brief halt, the remaining miles were covered, with a regularity that was monotonous, as far as York. Lunch and a run through the old walled city, out by Walmgate Bar, back through the cattle market outside the city walls, and the wheels were soon westwards.

The return journey was eventless so far as the vehicle was concerned ; almost all the gradients were taken on top speed—a few only on third, and the engine pulled its load through slush and snowcovered roads at a pace that we will say was not below 12 m.p.h. Several steam wagons were passed in .difficulties owing to their not being provided with winter wheels, whilst a Broom and Wade paraffin lorry, " teufing," met us. The Post Office wiremen were busy all along

the road, and it was some consolation to think that there were even colder jobs than testing a " Yorkshire " wagon in January.

The works were reached again at 4.10, yielding a net running time of 3 hrs. 45 inM. for the 52 miles. A rapid inspection revealed no local heating, whilst the engine had not missed or faltered during the trip. It had been an intensely cold and rather miserable journey, but it had been one with no real history to record as to mechanical disability ; the machine had run with consistent monotony : 24 gal lons plus pint of fuel were returned to stores ; this showed a gross consumption of 5 gallons 1 quart 11 pints, i.e., at the rate of 9 miles per gallon—a result which was quite satisfactory, considering the state of the roads. For convenience of reference we append a few tabular particulars.

SUMMARY OF TEST. Total mileage-32.

Actual load, exclusive of two Passengers-22 cwt.

Total petrol consumed-5.46 gall. Rate of consumption-9.52 miles per gallon.

Roads very heavy, many inches of snow on parts of the route. Atmosphere "just above freezing."

Tags

Organisations: Post Office
Locations: York, Leeds

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