PROGRESS IN PASSENGER TRAVEL.
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and Developments in the Bus and •Coach World.
The .Latest Doings A Weil-tried One-man Hood.
A Hood" Which, it is Claimed, Can be Raised or Lowered in One Minute. 0NE OF TEE outstanding features of the 1921 motor coach season, which is fast drawing to a close, is the attention which has been concentrated on the solution of • the hood problem by inventors and manufacturer's alike, who have applied theariselves with considerable energy to this troublesome problem. Many new types have been conceived, in which new principles have been tried, but it is yet too early to say with any degree of confidence whether most of these types will find -general favour amongst proprie
tors. There is evidence that some of. them possess a practical utility, but others have not been sufficiently tested to enable an accurate opinion to be passed upon their merits. A motor coach hood which is a oneman hood in every sense of the term, and one which has given satisfaction to many users, amongst which is the New Brighton Motor Coach Co., of 175, Victoria Road, New Brighton, Who have had it in use for some 1El months past, is the Nev.-king, designed by Messrs. Cooper, Webb-Jones and. Co., of Stockwell Works, Walsall.
The construction of the individual fittings of the hood can be clearly seen from one of our illustrations, whilst the pictures at the bottom of the page show its opplication to a Daimler pneumatictyred coach. There is no welding of props required with this company's fitting, as each socket screws to the side of the body, in which slides a tube to which • the hoop finger is attached, this socket being provided with a spring catch which automatically holds the stick in an upright position. When the hood is up, the canvas is attached to the back stick only..
To put up the hood, the canvas is drawn across the body, and the hoop sticks are pushed up the sockets, which automatically lock the fitting in position. The sticks can be pulled up either before or after the canvas is drawn over, but in every case it can be done without disturbing the passengers. To pull the canvas across is a matter of half a minute only, and the strapping of the hood material to the hoop sticks can be done after the passengers are covered. To lower the hood, all that is necessary is to roll back the covering to the back of the vehicle, where it is housed in a pocket made by the canvas between the back finger and the back of the body. The individual sticks to each row of seats are then brought down by releasing the catch in each socket. The intermediate fingers and hoop sticks are neatly accommodated behind each row of seats when lowered.
It is claimed that the whole operation of raising or lowering the hood can be carried out by one man in one minute. This design of hood has many features to commend it, chief amongst which are that the weight of the hood at the rear, when down, is about one-fifth of that of the ordinary type of hood in which the hoop sticks and covering are accommodated at the rear, whilst the life of the fabric is lengthened by the fact that there is no pinching, chafing, or shearing by the hood sticks.
Converting Coaches for Goods Haulage.
THE SAMUELSON TRANSPORT CO., LTD., who have built up a worthy reputation amongst road tourists from the Metropolis, have decided to convert a number of their motor coach chassis for goods haulage during the winter months, and at the present time we are given to understand that 50 of their large fleet are being converted for the transport of general merchandise. It is stated that the first freight service will be run between London and the South Coast, and that these will he followed a little later on by services between the Metropolis and a number of the principal towns in the Midlands.
This freight-carrying fleet will work. in conjunction with a fleet of Ford vans, which have been used during the 1921 season for the transport. of tourists' luggage to the various holiday resorts, and will enable the company to accept goods. overnight in London, and guarantee delivery in Birmingham and Manchester by eight o'clock the following morning.
The plans of the company have already been formulated, and a start will be made with these freight-carrying vehicles early in October.
The Samuelson scheme is undoubtedly a meritorious one, but its success will depend to a very large extent upon the rates which are charged, and which, to appeal to traders, will 'certainly have to be below those charged by the railway companies.
Whether the conversion of passengercarrying chassis to goods haulage is a sound proposition is entirely another matter.
The 1,200 Miles' Tour.
The Lafily-Schneider Saloon Bus Completes its Tour of Great Britain and Part of Scotland.
IN OUR last week's issue we dealt
with the tour of the Laflly-Schneider saloon bus. as far -as Edinburgh, and with this week's instalment we complete the. 1,200 miles' run which was organized by the Laffly. Co. (England).
Setting out from Edinburgh, the bus proceeded to Glasgow by Stirling. The road to Falkirk was in good condition. From Falkirk to Stirling there was a marked deterioration in the condition of the road surface. This section of one of the main tourist routes, traversed by many motor coaches and commercial vehicles on their way to the North, thus avoidieg the tedious waiting and expense of the Forth ferries, has been a source of frequent complaints this season.
The road has been repaired recently., though many of the large furrows left by the wheels of heavy vehicles are still in evidence. The Lafily-Schneider came through thia test with flying colours. Even on the worst stretches in the vicinity of Bannockburn the passengers had no grounds for complaint.
Lunchwas taken at Stirling, and when the journey was resumed the passengers had an opportunity of appreciating the adequate and substantial character of the protection afforded by the fixed roof and windows, a. heavy rain driven in great blasts by a strong westerly wind making things unpleasant for those unprotected.
After leaving Stirling, a detour was made to give those present a chance of seeing what the engine could do when put to it Over one of the eld routes used in early Scottish motor trials. Leaving Kippen and the valley of the Forth, the road rises rapidly over the Fintry Hills via Fintry to Lennoztown. There is a long hill—about four miles—whieh has a single figure gradient in parts,and several hair-pin bends after the approved Six Days' Trial manner. On this hill the bus had an excellent test, as it is unlikely that a more difficult gradient will be met with anywhere in motor coach touring. The vehicle behaved splendidly.
At the top we were given an opportunity of examining the engine, which was found to be only fairly warm. At no point was theeradiator very hot, although bottom gear had been used several times on the way up. Most of the _climb was done on second. To Glasgow the journey was without incident, except that in the city the bus attracted considerable attention.
From Glasgow to Birmingham.
The original itinerary from Glasgow was departed from, and Carlisle was reached via Ayr and Dumfries. inatead of crossing Shap Fel1. the bus travelled through Kirlestone Pass; where it. was cinematographed at 1,800 ft. above sea-level, when the highest point was reached. The climbing of Kirkstone Pass was described by all the party as "a remarkable feat," especially as some • of the roads were difficult to negotiate, owing to their narrowness.
086 As the bus careered along the highways and by-ways of rural England, its unconventional lines riveted the attention of the countrysider quite as much as of the town-dweller, whose curiosity, perhaps, was more intense, and we% only satisfied by a close inspection of the vehicle. Those who availed themselves of the opportunity of viewing the interior experienced a very obvious sense of pleasure as they Declined in the wellupholstered seats, impressed with the beautiful harmony with which the fitting of the vehicle had been carried out.
In the Lake. District the Lafily bus was filmed as it travelled over a threequarter mile stretch of road— It may be •appropriate to mention here that the film is to be exhibited in the public cinemas, both at home and abroad, under the title of "A Tour Round England." The film story of the, tour will be first exhibited as soon as possible, now that the tour is over, at an invitation show.
At a number of places en route representatives of the municipal authorities viewed the vehicle, and manifested a keen. interest in the utility of the Arrow safety signal.
After leaving Preston, the bua proceeded via Heaton, Manchester, Peel Green, Warrington, Preseot, Liverpool, Port Sunlight and Easthara to the ancient city of Chester, where it was decided to test the hill-climbing capacity of the vehicle on a freak hill—St. Mary's Hill. At the base of it, the road was made of setts leading up to cobbles that seemed to les set in grass. The vehicle was emptied of its passengers before it set off to climb a gradient of 1 in about 3.
Without any further delay we then made for Wrexham and Llangollen. The next stop was Shrewsbury, and as soon
as the vehicle pulled up outside the Crown Hotel, where the party had lunch, it was surrounded by eager sightseers. Although we did not leave Chester. until 10.30 a.m., the 88 miles' rim to Birmingham was completed by 6.15 p.m.
The only "incident" up to this stage of the journey was caused through a pinched tube, which necessitated a ten
minutes' stop. The tour has demonstrated the possibilities of luxury travel for parties beyond the capacity of the private car, and, secondly, the excellent adaptability -of this type of vehicle for winter touring. The Laffiy:Sehneider bus has certainly set new standards in what may be termed "first-class road travel."
From Birmingham to Bath.
The Laffiey:Schneider saloon bus set off from Birmingham on its trip to Bath at after 10 o'clock instesel of at 8 a.m., and throughout the day its times were thus roughly two hours behind the
original schedule. •
Large crowds encircled it outside the Midland Hotel, and after leaving Heath's Garage the Laffiy set off on its 90 miles' trip, the day's run completing the 1,000 miles., The road led through Northfield and the Austin works to Bromsgroyef , and thence. via Worcester, Tewkesbury, Gloucester and Bristol.
The Laffly-Schneider bus showed itself capable of a. speed of over the legal limit, and all the way was in front of its new schedule, the time thus gained being spent at interesting points on the route. Lunch was taken at the picturesque New Inn Hotel at Gloucester, leaving a 43 miles' journey for the afternoon.
The big Michelin pneumatic tyres, which contribute so much towards the comfort and silence of running, had now done well over 1,000 miles, since they covered over 100 miles before the tour started. Despite this distance, with close upon a five ton load, they showed no signs of wear whatever—indeed, were they washed and well sprinkled with French ehalk, it would be hard to distinguish them from new.
The engine ran perfectly throughout the clay, and returned a petrol consumption of about 11 m.p.g. From the interior it was difficult to tell what gear was engaged on hills, the silence and lack of vibration being the same at all speeds. The trip from Bath to London was devoid Of any outstanding incident..
The Conduct of Motor Coach Parties.
THE rowdy conduct of certain classes of motor coach trippers this season has become so pronounced that steps are now being taken to prevent a recurrence • of this undesirable behaviour. The proprietors of motor coaches are the first to realize the-'damage to their business that this kind of _conduct entails, but unless universal action is taken any in dividual attempt at. suppressingthis rowdyism will simply result in loss of business to the individual ooneertied.
Another feature of the case with which the proprietor is intimately concerned is the diffibulty of collecting his passengers at night. Parties stay out lath in some 'distant town and often do not reach home till midnight. The driver, who is generally paid a weekly wage, naturally does not turn up at the garage till late next morning, when quite possibly the coach has to go out again. The result is that the examination of the vehicle is either neglected or skimped, for the driver is only able, to spend a few minutes instead of a few hours in its care and maintenance. The proprietor suffers in consequence, and two courses are open to him. One is to employ a relief driver, -and the other is to enforce an earlier and more orderly return on the part of his passengers. He is loth to take the latter course, as it will inevitably result in the same business going elsewhere to proprietors who are less particular. The only cure seems to lie in the introduction of local legislation to deal with these special cases. Stich legislation has already been introduced in some parts of the country, and there seems to be a feeling amongst proprietors that it might be extended with advantage.
Restricting Coach Traffic.
The question of applying to the Minis-try of Transport, through the County Council, for an order prohibiting char-itbanes traffic on highways considered to be unsuitable for that class of traffic, has been carefully gone into by a sub-cornmittee appointed by the West Ward Council, and in its report to the aothor:
ity, which met at Hackthorpe, it recommended that application be made with regard to certain specified roads, which, on account of their length or width, were not suited, and could not, without endangering the safety of the vehicles, be used. It suggested that, in framing the order, the Ministry provides nothing to prevent the use of the highways by local originating traffic, of the neighbourhood, or of any vehicle used for the sole pur pose of agricultural work. In addition, it recommended that the specified vehicles to be prohibited should exceed 6 ft. 6 ins, in width, and 14 ft. in length overall, and weight, unladen, over 40 cwt.
The specified, roads were as under:—
Shap. Urbanboundary to Brampton Grange; Brampton Grange to Mardale; Gatefoot to Brampton ; Brampton Grange to Yanwath School; Fernilea to Askham; Main's House (Pooley Bridge) to Howtown ; and the highways through the Lowther Park to Askham, leading from the Kendal to Penrith main road.