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TRACTOR-BUSES IN READINESS.

29th July 1924, Page 24
29th July 1924
Page 24
Page 24, 29th July 1924 — TRACTOR-BUSES IN READINESS.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

If the Law is Modified to Permit the Use of Tractor-trailer Type Vehicles for Public Passenger Work, Several Designs Will be Available.

EFFORTS have been made for some time—so far without success—to obtain the sanction of the authorities to the use of passenger-carrying vehicles of the tractor-trailer type. Row long it -will be before these efforts are crowned With success it. is at present impossible to say, but it is not the first time that design has advanced beyond the law. Even the motorcar, when first placed on the road, was an illegal vehicle when designed for speeds above walking pace. Why the tractor-bus should -still be barred from use is somewhat difficult to understand, now that its progenitor, the tractor-lorry, has advanced so considerably in design as to he a recognized means of goods transport and one considered quite safe for use on our roads.

There have been suggestions that accidents might be caused by separation of the trailer portion from the tractor, but we have yet to hear of anything like this occurring with the commercial vehicle carrying loads far in excess of these which could possibly he imposed upon a passenger-carrying vehicle.

Improved Braking.

Many improvements have been made in the means of connection between tractor and trailer, and also in the system of braking, and, so far as the latter is concerned, the Westinghouse control has proved very reliable and apparently quite suitable for passenger work.

It is possible that the authorities have not yet overcome their prejudices against the use of trailers for passenger work, and, so far as the ordinary trailer is concerned, they cannot be blamed for this conservative attitude, but the tractor-trailer is a vastly different pro- position, and one in which the braking on the trailer wheels, for instance, can be much more easily effected than with the ordinary trailer, in which the usual connection is by a loose cable. The length of a tractor-bus is necessarily somewhat greater than that of a more conventional vehicle, but it makes. op for this by possessing great powers of manceuvrability,

A Finished Example.

It will be remembered that a practicable type was exhibited by Carrimore Six Wheelers, Ltd., at the November show of commercial vehicles at Olympia, and although this was the first effort in this country which had developed to the extent of actual building, yet it was considered by many experts to be quite a sound proposition.

During a recent visit to the works al John I. Tbornycroft and Co., Ltd., at Basingstoke, we were interested in observing, in the drawing office, a design for a tractor-bus in which the tractor takes the form of a modified 2i-ton B.T. type chassis. This design differs considerably from that formerly mentioned, and embodies a trailer frame which is dropped behind the turntable and raised again over the trailer axle. This has the benefit of giving a central near aide double door, which requires one step only, and has a platform height of 1 ft. 10 ins, from the ground. At the near-side rear end there is another double door, in this case necessitating the use of two steps, because of the platform height above the raised portion of the frame, The minimum interior height is 5 ft. 8 ins. This is for that portion of the floor above the turn

table, elsewhere the headroom is much greater.

The tractor wheelbase is 11 ft., and the distance between the wheel centres of the tractor and trailer is 16 ft. The overall length of the vehicle is 35 ft., and the overall height 9 ft. 10 ins, for a single-deck bus to seat either 40 or 42 persons, according to the arrangement of the seats adopted, ofwhich two have been Laid out by the designers.

The Thornyeroft design, which we illustrate as a 40-seater bus, has been registered, and we are very hopeful that the work expended upon it will not be wasted by along continuance of the artificial barrier created by out-of-date laws, Reference to the drawings which we reproduce will show haw the difficulty of obtaining a moderately low platform height over the trailer axle has been ove.rcome. The side members of the trailer frame, alter sweeping round the turntable and joining at the front, are brought in at an acute angle to a narrowed portion, which is parallel in the vertical plane and comes inside the wheels.

Facilitating Entrance and Exit.

The provision of two doors of good width will enable the passengers to enter or leave the vehicle with great expedition, consequently there will be little loss of time at the stops.

This question of passenger congestion at the entrances and exits is one which deserves far more attention than is given to it in some cases.

We have seen buses in active operation in which the width allowed for passenger movement is by no means sufficient.

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