• WATCH THE RAILWAY ENGINEERS.
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Ambitions Which Possibly May Arise—Railways as Motor Manufacturers—From the Locomotive to the Lorry—Facts That Must be Faced.
By " Cynicus."
IRECOLLECT that, in one of his weekly articies some time ago, "The Inspector" alluded briefly to the possibility of the railways, in the event of obtaining the powers unsuccessfully sought this year, attempting to make their own motor vehicles.
As it appears quite within the bounds of possibility that, before long, they will obtain the road transport powers that they want, it is, perhaps, opportune to consider the possibility of their entering the field as motor. manufa,ctitrers. This prospect is one which neither the manufacturer of British motor lorries nor the individual user can afford to regard with complacency. . It may, of course, be urged that, with a wellestablished industry, already producing every type of vehicle that the railways would be likely to require, there would be no particular inducement for them to undertake manufacture. It must, however, be remembered that, if the railway companies get the extended powers they seek, they will become much larger users than they are at present, and that they will have before them the example of another large public carrying concern—in the shape of the L.G.O.Q.--which has found it convenient, and, presumably profitable, to make its own vehicles. Another fact which is. likelyto have-a considerable bearing on the matter is that of the existence of highly efficient engineering departments on all the great railways. Are the engineers of these departments, representing,. as they do, ..perhaps the cream of the mechanical engineering profession in this country, likely to be content to operate large numbers, of machines which have been made by someone else ?
Are not the makers of locomotives—always, be it reroembered, a little contemptuous of the purely automobile engineer—likely to want to display their ability, to build a first-class motor lorry ?
I can imagine that -very many of these engineers will be only too keen to" have a cut" at lorry manufacture, and to show what they can do. I. can see them putting up a quite presentable case, from their, point of view, to the presiding deities of their.
companies. .
It must be remembered that the railways have already considerable experience of motor vehicle operation, and that they probably know the good and had points of most of the vehicles on the road to-day. They have exceptional engineering talent at their disposal, and their productive resources are—or could be made—formidable.
On the face of it it looks as though it would be quite easy and sensible for them to launch out as lorry manufacturers. I. will,, therefore, endeavour to show why, in my humble opinion, such is not the case.
First of all, let us examine it from the manufacturers' and the users'. viewpoint, Let UR realize, for one thing, that the British industry is, at the present moment, capitalizing a productive capacity which there is not the slightest chance of utilizing fully under present conditions. Factories and plant have expanded far beyond pre-war dimensions, and even the return of all our pre-war markets would not keep those factories busy. The Bri,tish industry wants, not a normal pre-war market, but a bigger market than it has ever had before. The industry, and every manufacturer in it., needs more customers. We can certainly afford to lose none that -exist at present— not even the railway companies, whatever their purchasing value may be just. now. A motor manufacturing plant is very much like a motor vehicle, in that, to get hest results, it .must be kept busy—. worked up to its full capacity. It: is to the interest of every user of motor vehicles in the country that our existing factories should be in that condition, because it is bound to affect the user's pocket sooner or later.
Full production is economical production, restricted production cannot 'be. Therefore, we have enough motor factories at present, and-the buying public 'does not want any more, It, certainly, would reap no benefit by the entry of the railway companies to swelran already overcrowded field of manufacture. Further, such an event might quite possibly put some manufacturers out of action. I say " might " intentionally, for the following, reasons. Addressing myself for the moment to those railway engineers who, I am suggesting, might possibly like to try their skill as lorry builders, and who have always, I think, been a little contemptuous of the automobile engineer, I would ask them to consider the following.
• First, and with all due respect. to their acknowledged capability and distinction as mechanical engineers, I would point out to them that motor lorry manufacture is a Specialized business. It. is specialized from top to bottom, through all the grades and varieties of labour and of plant. A motor manufacturing, organization is a growth, and its groWth can only be.'" forced " with difficulty and with risk. You cannot,make a satisfactory motor manufacturing concern like plum pudding, by putting in certain ingredients—a chief engineer, .a few draughtsmen, a teoptroom, some fitters, a few machine tools, and so on—and well stirring. It cannot be done.
Have you ever .observed the trials and tribulations of a 'general engineering concern when it turns to motor lorries, or motorcars, as an " easy" product to manufacture when its other lines are getting stale ?
You would hardly expect any motor manufacturer to try his hand at making locomotives at short notice. Still less would you axpect him to be successful. The converse equally holds good.
The engineers of the motor industry to-day are not, gentlemen of the iron, road, the grocers' assistants that they were commonly supposed to be, in many engineering circles, a decade or so ago. No, not by any means. Most of them know their job, and it has taken them a long time to learn it. The cobbler, therefore, should stick to his last.
So far, so good. Now as to production. If you make motor vehicles to-day, you are bound to make them in economic quantities. You must make them on the same lines (but better) as, I have been told, Baldwin's build locos.
Have you, gentlemen of the iron road, really the necessary experience of quantity production? Of the "'factory" as contrasted with the " works " ? During the war, I know, you made munitions. and other tifings, in quantity. But motor manufacture, combining peace-time quality with quantity, is rather different It is a complicated job.. It takes a heap of factory experience. It is the function of the specialist. You could specialize in time, of course— that I do not, for one moment, question—but are you yet prepared to make a job of it? I have tried to outline some of the pros and cons of the situation as I see it. I may be starting a hare that has no legs. I may be conjuring up a bogey. I may be crediting the worthy railway engineer' with ambitions which he has never held. Whether such is the case subsequent events will prove,