Motors and Machinery at Shepherd' s Bush.
Page 3
Page 4
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A Brief Description of Some of the Exhibits which are of Special Interest to the Heavy Motorist.
The Franco-British Exhibition at Shepherd's Bush, although remarkable for its magnitude, and for the many interesting and instructive exhibits therein displayed, does not, so far as mechanical road-transport vehicles are concerned, present a good or worthy show. Locomotives and other rolling stock for use on rails are well represented, as also is the marine-transport section, but the self-propelled road vehicle is not a very prominent feature of this exhibition, which has been instituted for the purpose of advancin.gthe arts and industries of the two nations from which its title has been taken. The fact that there is an almost complete absence of motor vehicles from the machinery section is hard to realise, when one considers that the introduction and the rapid advancement of the automobile industry has been due,
chiefly, to the energies of English and French engineers. Materials, and ma chine tools which are employed in the
producing of high-class vehicles, are, however, to be found on many of the
stands in the large machinery halls. it is only fair to the promoters to point out that the official motor trade may not support the show.
Motor Vehicles.
The only steam wagon that is exhibited is staged, in the mining section, by the Yorkshire Patent Stearn Wagon Company, of Hunslet, near Leeds. This machine is one of the company's standard six-ton type, and similar to that which was described in " THE: COMMERCIAL MOTOR" Of 7th February, 1907; one of them took an active and successful part in the R.A.C. trials.
In the same block of the machinery halls is the only other heavy commercial motor vehicle that is shown. We refer to the Renard train " power-wagon " chassis, and a special trailer chassis for use with such a train. This is shown by the Renard Road and Rail Transportation Corporation, Limited, of 82, Victoria Street, Westminster. Although staged by a British concern, this particular chassis is of French construction ; owing to the s.m.m.T. bond, the English Daimler Company may not exhibit, but it has the manufacturing rights for Great Britain and the Colonies. The "power-wagon " chassis is equipped with a 4oh.p., four-cylinder, Beille engine, and the gearing is designed to permit the travelling of a wagon and two trailers at speeds of from six to eight miles an hour when the wagon is loaded with five tons, and there is, in addition, a useful load of three tons on each of the trailers. When one trailer only is used, the speed can be accelerated to ten miles an hour with ease. In addition to this exhibit, 'the Renard Company is running one of its trains in the grounds, for the purpose of carrying passengers, at sixpence a head, along some of the avenues at the north end of the exhibition. This train
is doing remarkably good business, and its daily demonstrations should prove profitable to the company, not only on account of the actual receipts, but because of the attention which it is sure to attract from Colonial and other visitors from undeveloped countries. We illustrated this machine, which, un
like the one staged within the machinery hall, is of British manufacture, and was built by the Daimler Motor Company (1904), Limited, at its works at Coventry, a fortnight ago, and the system was described by us on the 21 si February, 1907.
In the French machinery section, there is a good show of " Unic" vehicles, but these are not, strictly speaking, of the commercial type. A large number of " Unic " vehicles, built to conform to the Metropolitan Police regulations, are now plying for hire, and they are amongst the most successful motorcabs in London; the " Unic " exhibit includes two vehicles whose chassis are practically identical with those of cabs. These machines are handled in the United Kingdom by Mann and Overtons, Limited, of 7, Lower Belgrave Street, Westminster.
Useful Components and Accessories`
Crossley Brothers, Limited, of Manchester, is exhibiting, side by side with one of its large four-cylinder gas engines, an example of its lighter motors, such as are fitted to at least one make of motorbus. Its four cylinders develop 4oh.p., at the normal speed of z, toor.p.m. Another of this company's exhibits is a single-cylinder petrol engine ; it is directly coupled to a small Wilson-Hartnell dynamo, which is capable of generating 32 amperes at Ito volts, when running at 7oor.p.m. W. H. Bailey and Company, Limited, of Salford, Manchester, has several interesting fittings on its stand, and amongst these are steam-boiler mountings, spare-wheel and tire carriers, and a speed indicator of an entirely novel character. Most speed indicators consist of a sensitive governor, with balls or discs which are deflected by the action of centrifugal force. But such instruments are necessarily delicate in construction, and are easily deranged. The one shown by Bailey's is known as Fielding's Patent " Miloscope," and it depends for its action on centrifugal force, but the material acted upon is a liquid, and is not metallic as in other instruments. When a vessel containing liquid is rapidly rotated round its vertical axis, the level of the liquid will fall at the centre, and will rise up the sides of the vessel, as is shown in one of the accompanying illustrations. Fielding's " Miloscope " acts on this principle; as the level of the liquid is disturbed, a float is caused to rise or fall, and, in doing so, it indicates on a scale the speed of the vehicle in miles per hour. The vessel is kept -whirling, by means of a flexible shaft,
and gearing, from one of the road wheels, in the same manner as any other speed indicPtor. A mileage recorder is also embodied with this instrument.
Near the Renard Train stand, Hans RenoId, Limited, has a good display of chains and sprockets in a well-arranged showcase, and Fastinit, Limited, of 6o, Alderman.bury, E.C., has a small stand at which an assistant is ever ready to demonstrate the practical nature of the Fastnut washers.
The Drewry Car Company, of 13, South Place, London, E.C., is showing a new carburetter, which is made by Trier and Martin, Limited, of New Church Road, Camberwell, S.E. The construction of this carburetter is
shown by the accompanying sectional drawing, where B1 and B2 are two concentric cylindrical chambers, of unequal diameters, into which a hollow compound plunger (11, T2) is fitted.
This plunger is provided with ports (P, P); a rod is fixed to the open end, and passes through the cap which is screwed on to the outer casting. The large chamber is surrounded by a jacket (W) for hot-water or exhaust-gas heating, and ports (A, A) through the jacket are cast for the purpose of admitting the extra air supply. The main air supply enters at the outer end of the chamber (B2), and passes through the openings (S), and these can be regulated by means of a shutter. There are three jets, situated in three orifices in the chamber (B2), which communicate with the float chamber (F). When the plunger is in its extreme left-hand position, all the three jets are covered; as the plunger is moved to the right, the jets (J1, J2, and J) are successively uncovered. At the same time, the plunger (11), uncovers the orifice (A), and extra air is admitted through the holes (C, C), and is mixed with the petrol vapour in the larger chamber meanwhile, the throttle ports (P, have been opening in the same propor. Lion. The makers claim to have obtained excellent results with the device.
A fine example of pressed-steel frame. work suitable for motorbus or lorry chassis is shown by Wm. Beardmore and Company, Limited, of Glasgow. whilst Thos. Firth and Sons, Limited. of Sheffield, have a good show of petrol. engine crankshafts made of nickel. chrome steel, and a number of specimens of tool steel, including the well-known " speedicut " steel.
In the French section, there are several showcases containing example of Continental workmanship, and 01 the better-known manufacturers wc may name Vermot and Lemoine.
Machine Tools.
The two most imposing stanch amongst the machine-tool builders ark factors are those of Alfred Herbert: Limited, of Coventry, and Selig, Son. nenthal and Company, Limited, of 85. Queen Victoria Street, E.C. These twc stands face each other, and, collectively contain enough machinery to equip an motor works of average size. Th( structure of Alfred Herbert's stand h the same that was shown at the last machinery exhibition at Olympia ; it h built up with steel columns and girders and, with its countershafts and the machines which are driven therefrom is a complete model machine-shop One of the company's flat hexagon. turret lathes occupies a prominent posi. tion on the stand, as also does a stoutly. built worm-hobbing machine whiclemploys only a single cutter while generating the form of the teeth.
The Colchester Engine Company Limited, Joshua Buckton and Company, Limited, John Holroyd and Company, Limited, and John Hetheringtor and Company, Limited, are prominent amongst other companies which are showing machine tools of interest tc motor manufacturers.