BODY DETAILS AND ESSENTIAL FITTINGS.
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Features of Construction which Contribute to the Comfort and Convenience of Passengers. Details of Equipment which make for General Efficiency in the Operation of Motorbuses and Coaches.
SINCE the publication of our speCial passenger-vehicle ",!issue a year ago considerable develolirnents have been effected in the design of motorbuses anl motor coaches, particularly in relation to bodywork as a whole and to details a construction. These improvements have not been revolutionary in character, but concerned, mainly, with the modification of existing features to give increased comfort and safety and the use of equipment which adds to the ' general convenience of passengers.
The space at our disposal wills.only permit of the briefest description of the ;various devices and methods of construction with which we propose to deal, but -we trust that sufficient will be said to show that coachbuilders, and those who meet their requirements in the matter of fittings and interior equipment, are not unmindful of the. needs of the user and of the travelling public. Let it be said before proceeding, however', that those associated with the passenger roadvehicle movement and who wish to keep themselves acquainted with the progress made in all branches of use and construction cannot do better than peruse our weekly feature entitled "Passenger Travel News," in which all such developments are regularly recorded.
We have said that many new ideas have been introduced tdp provide additional comfort for passengers by suitable means of insulation from road shocks. Let us consider some of them. This is a question which is concentrated In the main on types of seat. The single or double spring case is still largely used, and seats built on this principle are supplied by G. D. Peters and Co., Ltd., of Caxton House, Westminster, London, S.W.1. The company's doubletype seat cushion consists of two separate layers of springs, one of which damps out the main road shocks, whereas the other bears the weight of the passengers. •
Another type of spring seat is that for which Siddall and Hilton, Ltd., of Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire, are responsible, and it undoubtedly possesses many features of merit, not the least of which Is its non-sagging properties. The seat, as will be seen from one of our illustrations, consists of a strong fratn'sig carrying a series of longitudinal barsto which transverse ,wires, placed at seeder and close intervals, are connected, their ands being wound several times round their 'respective bars to prevent unwinding. These wires are retained in position by longitudinal wires carrying coiled wires through which the transverse springs pass. The spring can be made in varions depths, but in DO ease is much stuffing required, because the strain imposed by the load is not localized and the renotion of the spring not spread over a portion of its area only.
For the Bowden spring seat, which is the product of the Bowden Brake Co., Ltd., of Tyseley, Birmingham, use is made of a series of steel bows built up
on a light framework. This is supplied complete as a seat, with back-rest built on the seine lines, or as a cushion as illustrated, and in the latter ease a new type of fixing has been evolved for securing the steel strips to the framework.
A more recent contribution to this problem of seat springing is the use of pneumatic upholstery as introduced by David Moseley and Sons, Ltd., of Ard wick, Manchester. The use of air as a cushioning element is a comparatively new line of thought and one which possesses many possibilities. In the Moseley Float-on-Air patent system the
cushion consists of an outer cover within which is a tube, or tubes, arranged in folds as shown in one of our pictures. Each tube is provided with a patent type of introverting valve and is inflated to a pressure of something less than 4 lb. The use of this low pressure is undoubtedly one of the secrets of the Moseley system.
The leather cloth sold under the trade name of Levvarex by John Smith and Co. (London, E.), Ltd., of 44, tipper East Smithfield, London, E.1, is used as a covering for all types of seat and is proving very popular on motor coaches. It is supplied in a variety of antique and plain designs, and, as it is waterproof, can easily be cleaned with a damp cloth. Other ideas have been p,ut forward for increasing the riding comfort and, although rather beyond the scope of this article, we can hardly omit a reference in this connectionto certain special systems of body suspension which have achieved success, particularly on saloon buses.
There is, for instance, the Strachan .device patented by Messrs. Strachan and Brown, of Wales Farm Road, London, W.3. In this company's original method a subsidiary frame was supported on the main chassis members by a series of steel brackets carrying ordinary laminated springs of small dimensions, their number depending on the size of the body. In the latest system a bracket bolted to the chassis side members carries a series of rubber blocks which forms not only a cuehioning device but also a rebound snubber. Three assemblies of this kind are fitted on each side of the chassis.
The Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd., of Bristol, are responsible for another effort in this direction. In this company's system the body rests on ten large rubber blocks supported by brackets on the chassis frame members. A rebound rubber is fitted below each bracket, the whole 'being secured by bolts passing through the body framing. The body, it should be mentioned, is carried entirely upon the rubber blocks and is allowed play to the extent of about in.
We should not neglect mention of the Holden system, which has been applied to a number of Guy vehicles. It consists of two steel channels, one of which is fixed to or forms the chassis, whilst the other is securely bolted to the body, between which is disposed a rubber tube inflated at a low pressure. The tubes extend along each side of the body and are interconnected so thatthe pressure in each tube can be regulated and equalized.
In returning to the main theme of our article, we can, perhaps, next consider features of safety. This is a subject which has received much attention from local Remising authorities, many of which have framed stringent by-laws in relation to emergency doors, position of petrol tanks, etc. This subject of emergency doors is an important one on those vehicles in the sole charge of the driver, and it is without question very. desirable to provide an alternative means of exit to that at the front.
So many different types of emergency door are now in common use (each maker has individual preferences in thin connection) that it is quite impossible to refer to the various respects in which they differ one from the other. They all have as their object the ready opening of the door in emergency, and means are adopted to prevent . its inadvertent manipulation. We should, perhaps, make an exception in the case of the patent type devised by Guy Motors, Ltd., of Wolverhampton, since, we believe it to be the only form of emergency door which can be operated by the driver from his normal position as well as from outside and inside the vehicle at the rear.
There is little to be said about front entrances on one-man-type buses, for they are mostly of the two-piece pattern and completely enclose the steps leading to the body of the interior. The single. piece door is still favoured on buses of a larger type, however, and is usually inset so that the steps do not, protrude beyond the overall body width. This form of construction is followed by the Hickman Body Building Co., Ltd., of 8, Grove Road, London, S.W.12, amongst others, and certainly reduces the area of flat surface presented by the deep door running flush with the body sides. In the Hickman saloon bus body the connecting piece between front door pillar and body side is placed at an angle whieh coincides with the driver's line of vision from the driving position, thus offering the least possible obstruction to his view at the front near side of the vehicle.
The types of window in common use on saloon buses and all-weather coaches have not undergone marked alteration during the past year, and a mere Mention of the names of Messrs. Strachan and Brown, G. D. Peters and Co., Ltd., Beckett, Layeock and Watkinson, Ltd., and Rawlings Manufacturing Co., Ltd.. as manufacturers of such devices of approved • design and construction will suffice. The windows are mostly of the balanced type and can be regulated in any desired position.
The twin subjects of lighting and ventilation play a big part in connection • with the comfort and convenience of passengers. Al' insufficient number of lamps and their disposition at. unfavonrage points can cause much discomfort. Lamp fittings themselves are not always. so Satisfactory as they might be, and this has been the experience of the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd., who have produced a lamp of the type shown in an accompanying illustration. This embodies several improvements in design. A flanged ring is used to carry the glass globe and within ills a second serwed ring which, through the medium of a V-shaped rubber washer, presses the globe firmly into contact with the flange. The flanged ring complete with the globe is then screwed On to the body of the lamp, which, in turn, is bolted to the roof. This form of construction allows a quick assembly fey wiring, facilitates the changing of Wits and is, at the same time, proof against irksome rattle.
So far As ventilators ore concerned, Special devices are now being used which ensure a constant supply of fresh air for the interiors of enclosed vehicles. There is for example, the Airvac ventilator as Schd by Then. Whittingham ind Ltd., of 89-49, Neal Strek, Long Acre. London, W.C.2, This is really a most ingenious device, the general details of which can he seen from our sectional illustration of a small-pattern ventilator. The appearance of the Airvac has been improved of late by reducing its overall height. The device forms a most attraetive fitting for buses when combined with a roof light and shutter.
Another type of ventilator is that with which Thomas Tilling. Ltd., have conducted experiments. It operates on the scent-spray principle and, as shown in the drawing on this page, consists of an oval-shaped nozzle which is turned to meet the air blast, and the air passing through it surrounds and converges on to a central nozzle. This Is connected by a tube to the air extractor fitted within the body and a suction effect thus created: A detail fitting which should prove a distinct boon to owners of open-type coaches is the box prop manufactured by Messrs. Cooper, Webb-Jones and Co., of Stockwell Works, Walsall. As one of our drawings shows, it is a neat device, shaped to fit over the top edge of the body, and one of its merits is that it can be fitted when the body is nearing completion as there are no prop irons to weld. • Its use prevents the stick from falling back when the hood is being erected. .
The question of hoods seems to have fallen into the background, for very few new ideas have been put forward to solve the problem of providing protection for passengers in open-type coaches. There are one or. two quite satisfactory, types of hood on the market which can be Operated with the maximum of case, but the subject would appear to be deserving of greater .attention at the hands of designers and inventors. Perhaps it is the increasing demand for the all
weathei coach which has destroyed the chances of inventors in this field of development. The Jackson type of fitting manufactured by Messrs. Cooper, WebbJones and Co. still remains popular.
Coaelibuilders in general will, we are sure, be extremely interested in the clinch core moulding, for which Short Brothers. (Rochester and Bedford), Ltd., have acquired the sole selling rights in this country. This is intended to displace the ordinary type of lead-filled brass or 4111.1111illiliril moulding and consists of a half-round semi-hard rubber core td which is fixed a prang strip, some of the prongs holding the core in position and others being used to fix the covering. material. .'Along this .k strip spot-welded wire nails are disposed at intervals. This. form of moulding is lighter than the ordinary type and can be covered at the rate of 100 ft. pee. minute by a special machine used for the purpose. Messrs. Short Bros. use clinch core Moulding exclusively in their various .-bodywork products and have found that it results in .a great saving in cost and labour and is eminently satisfactory in use.