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THE ROAD TRANSPORT EXHIBITS AT WEMBLEY.

29th April 1924, Page 15
29th April 1924
Page 15
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Page 15, 29th April 1924 — THE ROAD TRANSPORT EXHIBITS AT WEMBLEY.
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A Comprehensive Display of Petrol and Steam Wagons and Tractors, Ploughing Engines, Road Rollers, Electric Battery Trucks and Fire Appliances at the British Empire Exhibition.

AMONGST the wonderful and vast collection of exhibits staged at Wembley to demonstrate the progress which has been made in developing the resources of our Empire, few have greater interest for the business man, and even for members a the general public, than those in the section devoted to commercial vehicles. Here are shown the very latest products of an industry Which has rapidly become one of supreme national importance.

Transport is to the nation what blood is to the individual. It ebbs and flows, feeding every part of that vast organization known as Empire, to and from the ceaselessly throbbing heart formed by the great cities and manufacturing centres, and of the many means of transport that by road has developed m a more amazing fashion than any other. The delicate child of only a few years ago has been so nurtured that it has thrown off its swaddling clothes and become a veritable giant. The space occupied in the Palace of Engineering at Wembley by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, in collaboration with the British Cycle and Motorcycle Manufacturers' and Traders' Union, comprises 50,000 sq. ft. of floor space, and of iris a large portion is taken by the commercial vehicle exhibits, whilst further examples of engineering progress with which this journal associates itself are shown elsewhere, both in the Palace of Engineering and other parts of the Exhibition. , Some 20 manufacturers of petrol vehicles have examples of their products on view, whilst nine builders of steam-wagons, tractors and road rollers, and three makers of electric trucks are represented.

A very important feature of the display is that permission has been obtained to change the exhibits at intervals of not less than one month, and many manufacturers are taking advantage of this valuable proviso; so that, in effect, this section of the Exhibition will be of a changing character, and visitors interested in commercial vehicles will be well advised to walk through it periodically in order to obtain full value from the changes.

On this occasion we are dealing only briefly with those exhibits which are being displayed throughout the first month, but,we shall give them more generous treatment in our next issue, when we shall also devote a section of our space to components and tyres. For the convenience of those of our readers who will be visiting the Exhibition we will deal with the products of the various makers in alphabetical order, although it is meet that we should start with the name of the Albion Motor Car Co., Ltd., because they have achieved a wonderful reputation overseas as well as in the home market.

They are represented by a 24 h.p. lorry of 2-ton capacity, built for the Anglo-American Oil Co., Ltd., and having a special body with slatted sides for the conveyance of Pratt's motor spirit in tins, whilst a 32 h.p., Mark IL, 3-ton chain-driven model is shown by the Weybridge Motor Engineering Co., Ltd. The 10-ton compound steam roller staged by Armstrong-Whitworth and Co., Ltd., is to be found on their stand in the main hall. This machine was built with the idea of embodying more modern practices into steam-roller design. It has, for instance, renew able liners to the cylinder and steam chest, a caststeel roller fork, roller-wheel centres of mild steel., machine-cut gears and a boiler lagged with magnesia blocks.

Much of interest is to be found in the 6-ton steamwagon 'built by Atkinson and Co. Chief amongst its features are the undertype uniflow engine, epicyclic two-speed gear carried on an extension of the engine crankshaft and only recently developed, a vertical boiler, which is claimed to be indestructible, a, highly efficient heater for the feed water, a steam superheater and three independent brakes. The Austin Motor Co., Ltd., is well represented— firstly by a fine ambulance on a 20 h.p. Austin chassis. This ambulance has two stretchers and four seats, also accommodation for an attendant. It is specially designed for its work, and is extensively used by British. rnnnicipal authorities. The second exhibit is the well-known Austin agricultural tractor of

25 fitted with wheels arranged to show various forms of tyre and strake equipment in section, and coupled to a trailer cart with two large wheels and a. small wheel in a pair of forks at the front.

.Beardmore Motors, Ltd., have on view an example of .their standard taxicab with a three-quarter landaulet body and an engine rated at 15.6 h.p. In the Amusement. Park we also noted a Beardmore car chassis carrying a.handsome replica of a safe built by John Tann, Ltd. The Bristol chassis, built by the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd., is one of the finest examples of a chassis built as the result of a user's experience, and tile 3-4-ton 40 h.p. model, which is shown in chassis form, incorporates some remarkably interesting features of design. Another exhibitor in the main hall is British n31 Electric Vehicles, Ltd. This company show an accumulator electric locomotive on rails, and a small three-wheeled industrial truck with a motor at the rear and under the platform, driving forward by roller chain to the near-side rear wheel, and springs carried between sockets and plungers. There is also a large four-wheeled platform truck to carry 2-ton loads, the single motor driving through an overhead worm to a differential rear axle.

H. G. Burford and Co., Ltd., 'are represented by an example of their *ton standard chassis fitted with aluminium-alloy spoked wheels. This model includes many improvements, of which the most notable are the detachable cylinder heads and the twopiece externally contracting brake shoes. Final drive is by internal gears, the axle being of the dual type with a separate member for load carrying. An example of their 2-2i-ton chassis is staged by Dennis Bros., Ltd. This is a model specially designed to be suitable for either overseas or the home market. The engine can be accelerated to give the vehicle' a speed of 20 m.p.h., and it will climb a gradient of 1 in 6 fully loaded. Four speeds are provided, and the final drive is by the famous Dennis overhead worm gearing. A second 2-21-ton Dennis chassis fitted with a body for carrying tins of petrol is shou by the Weybridge Motor Engineering Co..

Amongst the transport,units for cairying comparatively light loads, the Dunelt motorcycle and sidecar combination, built by Dunford and Elliot (Sheffield), Ltd., ranks high. The engine is of, the twostrokes cycle type, the whole forming a simple and reliable outfit for loads up to 4 cwt.

In the main hall is also to be found the stand of the Drewry Car Co., where are shown an internalcombustion locomotive, a two-seater inspection car for railway work and a 20 h.p. six-cylinder rail coach with swing-over seat-backs and controlled from each end.

Fodens, Ltd., have a low-sided lorry to carry 6-ton loads. This vehicle is a modernized overtype, gives high efficiency and power combined with much greater comfort for the driver. The body in this case is finished in varnished natural wood with a cab to match, and even the sheet-metal panels stretching to the front of the boiler are painted to resemble grained wood.

Two huge engines for ploughing on the double-. engine and cable system are staged in the main hall by John Fowler and Co. (Leeds), Ltd. One is a compound steam type with 600 yds, of wire rope and an automatic coiling gear ; the other is a 70 h.p. type fitted with a heavy-duty four-cylinder engine constructed for use with motor spirit, paraffin or aledhol. A special feature is the use of a small single-cylinder air-cooled engine for starting purposes. A recently produced undertype steam wagon is that shown by Richard Garrett and Sons, Ltd. The 834 main features of this wagon are an engine with two high-pressure cylinders and Joy valve gear, a twospeed gear for negotiating bad roads or for steep hills and a double-chain drive to a dead back axle.

Large and small motor-driven mowers and light and heavy types of motor roller are exhibited by Thomas Green and Son, Ltd.

A neat little battery electric industrial truck to carry 2-ton loads is shown in the main hall by Greenwood and Batley, Ltd., whose distributing agents are W. Goodyear and Sons, of Dudley.

Guy Motors, Ltd., are represented by a 2i-ton lorry with a body built to meet the requirements of the British Petroleum Co., Ltd. It is intended for the transport of motor spirit in cans, and the vehicle is finished in green with a red cab. Outstanding features of the Guy chassis are an engine with detachable cylinder heads and inclined valves, a doublereduction rear axle of particularly neat type and oil lubrication throughout.

The only British six-cylinder commercial chassis is the P-type Halley, which is shown by the makers, Halley's Industrial Motors, Ltd., carrying a 1,000gallon tank built for the British Petroleum Co., Ltd.

The only petrol tipping vehicle on view is that built by Karrier Motors, Ltd. This is of the K.5 type, designed to carry 5 tons and fitted with a 50 h.p. engine. The tipping gear consists of a single telescopic hydraulic ram situated between the cab and the body, the pump being driven by a friction wheel from the flywheel. The final drive on the chassis is a double-reduction spur-and-bevel type. A Karrier 2-ton C.Y.4ype chassis fitted with a summer, and winter coach body is shown by the Weybridge Motor

Engineering Co., Ltd. '

One of the best known of our British lofries is the Leyland, and the example shown by Leyland Motors, Ltd., is their standard A.1 2-tonner fitted with a 30-32 h.p. engine, and embodying the well-known Leyland feature of a patent spherical thrust member at the front end of the tubular member enclosing the propeller shaft. The body is of the fiat platform type finished in Tarnished wood. It has a particularly good cab and a three-piece windscreen. Mann's Patent Steam Cart and Wagon Co., Ltd., have recently evolved avo new wagons to carry 4 tons and 6 tons respectively, and that shown is the 6-ton model. It is fitted with a special Mann rack-andpinion-type tipping gear driven through the medium of a cone clutch and reduction gearing. The boiler is the only one of its type, being side-fired. Three speeds are provided, and the final drive is by a single roller chain.

The largest Tour-wheeled petrol vehicle in the show is a 7-tonner produced by the Maudslay Motor Co., Ltd. The platform space in this vehicle is greatly increased by building the cab round the engine so that the forward dash is practically level with the radiator. The engine has an overhead camshaft and valves, and the final drive is by double-reduction spur-and-bevel gearing. Merryweather and Sons, Ltd., the well-known builders of fire appliances, have a large stand in the main hall; on which is shown their latest all-British motor turntable fire-escape ladder, in which the raising, extending and revolving are all performed by the power of the engine of the vehicle. In addition, there is a Merryweather-Hatfield-type trailer pump, whilst other appliances of the same make are being employed by the Exhibition fire-brigade.

The products of Morris Motors, Ltd., the greatest .British exponents of mass-production, are repreaented by a 10-cwt. van built.for the motor .department of the British Petroleum Co., Ltd. This has ' a very neat body with double rear doors, a roof rail and double sliding doors behind the driver's seat.

Much interest centres in the huge tractor-lorry ;built by Seammell Lorries, Ltd., which has just been completed for Shell-Mex, Ltd. The body is of the general-purpose type, with detachable hinged sides and removable steel hoops to take a tilt cover. A powerful steam tractor, capable of drawing 20ton loads and known as the Super-Sentinel, manufactured by the Sentinel Waggon Works (1920), Ltd., is shown, in conjunction with a 4-ton trailer. This tractor embodies many new features, including a patent differential incorporated with the crankshaft, and a vertical water-tube boiler without stays or stay tubes Another very interesting Sentinel exhibit is the Sentinel-Camsell rail roach shown in the main

H. C. Slingsby lialOW2 the Automatic elevatingplatform battery-electric truck.

A Qtype tank wagon built for the Anglo-American Oil Co., Ltd. is exhibited by J. I. Thornyeroft and Co., Ltd. This has a D-shaped tank with three compartments built by the Steel Barret Co., Ltd. There is a steel shield fitted behind the cab. An interesting feature of this vehicle is the dished front wheels.

The only petroi-electric chassis on view is that built by tilling-Stevens Motors, Ltd. This is the T.S.G type fitted with forward steering. The only connection between the dynamo and the driving motor is by electric cable ; consequently, the eInteh and change-speed gearing are entirely dispensed with and a remarkably smooth drive obtained. The Unic standard taxicab, is now an entirety British product. The engine has an R.A.C, rating of nearly 14 h.p. A special feature is an automatic advance for the ignition. .The transmission is orthodox, the final drive being by spiral bevels.

A fine 26-passenger bus of the type which may be used either for one-man control or with a conductor is shown by the Vulcan Motor and Engineering Co. (1908), Ltd. The seating accommodation is for 23, and there is standing room for three persons. Two doors are provided at the near side, and an extra door at the off side for the driver. The lower step of the front entrance folds up as the door is closed.

One of the most interesting advances in steamroller design is that shown by Wallis and Steevens, Ltd:, in the main hall. It is very carefully balaneed, has a patented locking device for the fore-carriage and a flexible rear axle. . .

The Weybridge Motor Engineering Co., Ltd., show three vehicles, to which we have already referred. One is a winter and summer saloon bus with a detachable top, the whole being mounted on a Karrier chassis built to carry 25 persons. The second is the 3-ton Mark II model Albion for carrying motor spirit, whilst the third exhibit is an open-type lorry for carrying motor spirit, the body being mounted on a 21-ton Dennis chassis. Two fine exhibits are staged by the Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co., consisting of their wellknown 7-ton steam wagon in chassis form, and a new

product, the Yorkshire Power Farmer. The former is perhaps the most advanced example of steamwagon design which has yet been put forward. It follows petrol-vehicle practice in having unit -construction of engine and gearbox, the latter affording three speeds, and a bevel.-and-spUr double-reduc tion rear axle. The Power Farmer is described .elsewhere in this issue.

A Fo-rd ton-truck and a Cotfredson chassis are shown in the Canadian building.

Close to the Amusement Parkis to be found the large garage and , charging station used by the Railodok battery-electric passenger ears, built and put into service by G. D. Peters, Ltd.


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