COACHING PLANS AND PROSPECTS FOR 1922.
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Coach Services Within a City's Boundaries
EDINBTJRGEI Corporation is running
' a considerable number of motor omnibuses, but even before these veers put on the streets the Corporation had three 28-seater Leyland motor coaches in operation. These actually commenced running in August., 1919, and the number was increased to nine for the summer of 1920. . So satisfactory wele the results obtained, and so popular did this type of vehicle prove in the Scottish capital, that the number was increased to 15 in 1921, by the addition of a further six machines of Leyland manufacture, these, however, being 32-seaters,. although e9uipped with the same powered engine, viz., 30-36 h.p., at in the case of the others.
Owing to the agreement. existing between the Corporation and the Scottish Motor Traction Co., the Corporation is not permitted to run motor coaches outside the pracincts of the city. but there are many points of interest within its precincts which are well worth visiting, and in this connection the Corporation runs two main tours, one occupying 40 minutes, and for which the charge is is.., and the other occupying 80 minutes, for which the charge is 2s. 6d.
Perhaps the most popular tour is the shorter, which is known as the Arthur Seat Route. For this, daring the season, coaches commence operating from the Mound at 10.20 a.m., and run from this point every 30 minutes until dusk, except on Sunday, when the starting hour is 2 p.m.
The Mound was formed between 1781 and 1830, about 2,000,000 cartloads of
earth being used in its construction. At its lower end stands the National Gallery, which is a fine example of Ionic architecture. The Scott Monument forms a prominent feature of the route; it is 200 ft. in height., and contains Steell's marble statue of the author. Just before reaching the Register House, which contains the public records of Scotland, the coaches turn along the 'North Bridge and then along Cannon Gate, past john Knox's House to Holyrood Palace, which, after being destroyed by fire, was rebuilt by Charles the Second. Continuing, the drive is round the wonderful Holyrood Park, past St. Margaret's Loch and along the whincovered hill towards Dunsapie Loch. Opposite this lies the road over the Lion's Haunches to the cone of Arthur's Seat. The Salisbury Crags tower to the right, and the romantic Radical Road winds round their base towards Holyrood Palace.
The return journey is made via Melville Drive, with its beautiful meadows, on the right, Tollcross, past George Ileriot's School and the Royal Infirmary to the George the Fourth Bridge. In winter, a certain number of the coach chassis is fitted with enclosed bue bodies, whilst others are made into lorries; but a, few of the coaches are left in their original guise and are utilized to help out the buses and trams during rush times, particularly on Saturdays. When employed as buses, the chassis are altered by the addition of heavier rear springs and frame-lengthening pieces. One of our illustrations shows a well. laden coach traversing a portion of the famous Arthur Seat Route.
Coach Tours Run by a Tramways Co.
THE MOTOR coach programme of the Great Grimsby Street Tramways Co., of Cleethorpes, which is a. branch of the Provincial Tramways Co., Ltd., for the forthcoming season will be on lines similar to those in vogue during the 1921 season. The company own the largest fleet of coaches in the district, and they run tours to all parts. of Lincolnshire as well as to parts of Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. Four additional vehicles will be brought into use in time for the 1922 season, which
opens at Easter for both long and shortdistance tours, bringing the total number of vehicles up to 14. Very few longdistance tours will be run between the Easter and Whitsun Holidays, although they ill constitute a regular feature after the latter vacation is passed. The fleet of coaches which is operated includes six Palladiums, which have proved exceedingly satisfactory. These vehicles are fitted with -what the company term corridor-type bodies, and will again be brought into use this year. These vehicles seat either 32 or 36 passengers, although coaobes of smaller proportions to seat 24 passengers are used on some occasions.
The entrance on the corridor-type bodies is at the front, two doors being provided, one for the—driver and the other for the passengers, the latter being particularly wide. Access to the seats is by way of a central gangway, the seats each being arranged for two passengers, excepting the seat immediately behind the driver, which accommodates three passengers, and the rear seat, which has room for five persons. Gangway seats Los accommodate 'five extra passengers
can be fitted when necessary. These
seats -form part of the sides of the permanent seats, and let down, as required, to form the extra seats. When net used for thiss purppse the corridor is invari
ably used for storing luggage, whilst a large receptacle at the rear fulfils the same purpose.
The corridor coaches, the bodies or which, it should be mentioned, are built to the design of the company's engineer, are provided with three steps in place of the usual two, the top step being inside the body. This space is covered, when the vehicle is travelling, by a hinged flap fitted to the door, which, when let down, acts as a safety device, preventing the door opening in the event of passengers leaning against it. The rear of the body is protected by a covered steel buffer, which effectively protects it from being damaged.
The company will as in the past, eater very largely for private party organizations; in fact, the only deviation from Last year's programme will be in the matter of fares, which will be reduced considerably.
G.W.R. Road Services.
/FETE Great Western Railway Co. will I during 1922, as heretofore, act tip to their slogan, "The Holiday Line," and complete the efficient -train services which they run from London to the North-West and to the West Country by liberal use of road motors, giving access to practically all the. picturesque and romantic scenery of Devon and Cornwall.
As an example of this linking-up by road vehicle, we might mention that in one particular case passengers leave London at 10.30 a.m. and are deposited at Land's End less than eight hours later by the G.W.R. bus. In another case tourists leave Paddington at 11 a.m. and reach the serenity of Saloornbe, with its beautiful harbour, before 6 p.m. Besides this road service the G.W.R. Co. will also run a number of motor coach excursions from the more populous points, these tours being arranged to meet all tastes. Seine of the char-abanes trips, will include visits to Princetown and Ta,vistock from Moretonhamp. stead, a day, trip ; a circular tour from Bovey Tracey Station to some of the
• most romantic Dartmoor scenery, which is half-a-day tour; a day tour to the Lizard, and many similar excursions. It is more than likely that many new tours will be instituted this year.
The. standard vehicles which are used by qiis company for their road passenger services, both on regular said excursion work, are of A.E.C. manufacture, the coach bodies, which seat 28 passengers, being of standard design.
Prospects on Merseyside.
97 largest type •of passenger motor vehicle operated in the Mersey district are the 33-seater Straker
Squires in the service of W. B. Horn, Ltd., of Birkenhead. For the forthcom ing season they will have on the road
three 33-seaters two new 20-seaters, and a saloon bus, also a Straker--Squire hold
ing 42 passengers. The larger coachea are distinguished by remarkably fine bodywork, bulbous in shape and finished in rich aaxe blue. Being well sprung, the bodies are mounted rather high.
When the coaching season opens, the new smaller machines, 20-seaters on pneumatics, will be in realliness, and this may he taken as an evidence of an antioipated demand for more comfortable machines. The bodywork will be a the conventional design, the original idea of having a passage down the centre, and pairing the seats off in twos, having beenvetoed for the reason that during night riding it was found when every passenger occupied an end seat, that the chilliness of th6 atmosphere was felt.
Mr. W. B. Horn told a representative of T C omm ercial ill ()tor recently that, he thought the prospects of the season were fairly good; but everything depended upon work coming out of the town. Although plans for the coming season had not yet been completed, it was intended to run the usual day trips to places within a radius of 50 miles or so including a -daily service from BirkeAeacl to Llangollen a. favourite coaching resort in North Wales.
Last summer Liverpool and Wallasey coach companies kept Llangollen in the limelight, and as two of them have madethe respective catering establishments in which they are interested efficient coach: mg centres, fares were announced.. "with meals" punch and afternoon tea) and for the run only." Mr. Horn expects that the same practice will prevail again this year. Messrs. Horn are also contemplating running to Llandudno and to the .North Wales coast resorts.
"Do you fear the competition of cheap railway fares?" we queried. " Not in the slightest," said Mr. Horn. " From observation, I can say that an entirely different class of people travel by coach. They do so because they appreciate the open road and are actuated by different ideas from the railway passenger. I do not think we shall be adversely affected by cheap fares on the railways."
Mr. Horn went on to say that a better class of trade was developing, and that was why they were putting smaller and pneumatic-tyred coaches on the road. The matter of fares has not yet been considered, but there would, he expected; have to he a differentiation between. the 20-seater and the 33-seater. Of course, a20-seater. he pointed out, is a very useful coach for conveying small parties.
When his company last year were funning coaches on day trips (single bookings), so as not to disappoint people, when a minimum coach load could not be obtained, a smaller char-a-banes was put into service, if the number of passengers was not less than seven. When the number was smaller still a touring car was turned out.
AS to coach designs and the arranging of the seating, that some of these improvements are not appreciated by passengers is evidenced by an experience of Messrs. Horn. One of their large coaches had been arranged for the seats to face each other in twos, so that; if passengers wanted, they could play cards and make themselves generally more sociable. Only an one occasion was this type of coach asked for passengers preferred the old arrangement. What passengers do like, it was added, is well-sprung_ vehicles with plenty of knee-room between the seats.
In addition to their coach services, Messrs. Horn have in their excellently equipped premises five body-building and
repair shops. The coach-building department is now 'in the thick" of it. The firm's own coach bodies were designed and built in their own works. Besides working on bodies for their own use, four 20-seaters are being built for coach owners in the Isle of Man. They will be put on Berliet chassis with pnen matic-tyred wheels. The Commercial Motor some months ago reviewed conditions in the Isle ef Man, and drew attention to the restrictions imposed on the size of the machines; the 20-seater, therefore, promises to be a very fashions able machine in the " Lir Island " this season.
Ilfracombe Owners' Intentions.
I LFRACOMBE is well situated as a centre from which motor coach trips can be run to most of the beauty spots of the counties of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset. As in pasts years, the n_roprietors operating from this North Devon resort will, in most cases, confuse their activities this year principally to the organization of day and half-day trips. The season normally opens at Easter and continues until the end of September, although there is little business to be done until July and the two succeeding months when most of the
holiday-makers arrive. Ilfracombe has only a normal population of about 10,000, and, naturally, coach proprietors have to rely upon visitors for the bulk of their business.
During last 'season there were 10 or more owners running tours from Ilfracombe, with a total fleet of between 30 and 40 vehicles, and the opinion of some local owners is that this number of vehicles is more than sufficient to meet local requirements, particularly in view of the fact that the season is a, short one and that proprietors have to make their profits over a period of three months.
One of the principal concerns running coaches in the town is Autocans Ilfracombe, Ltd., who run what is known as "The Royal Red" fleet They have been engaged in the motor coach business since 1912, when they took over the whole of the business carried on by a firm of coach proprietors known as Messrs. F. and J. Poole. The present fleet consists of six vehicles, these being four Daimlers, an A.E.C., arid a Garford, the seating capacities of which range from 14 to 20. The company intend to add to this fleet if conditions warrant it; but, at the present, time, it
is difficult to say whether past results will justify extensions in this direction. The company pin their faith on the small type of coach for two reasons, the first being that of passengers' comfort, and the second the nature of the roads.
During the 1920 season the company commenced their experience with giant pneumatic tyres, and so satisfied were they with the results obtained that the whole of their fleet is now fitted with tyres of this description. It is their firm belief that passengers prefer to ride in a pneumatic-tyred coach.
The company will, during 1922, make a speciality of long day tours, as they have done in the past, which have proved to be a great success, their small pneumatic-tyred vehicles being particularly suited to this class of coaching. They anticipate an all-round reduction in fares.
Another Ilfracombe owner, whose coaching arrangements for 1922 will be very similar•to those of the past year is Mr. Thomas Copp, who is the proprietor of the Silver Cars. This owner last year ran five coaches, these being three Maudslays, a Napier and a Crossley, of seating capacities for 26, 22 and 14 persons, and it is probable that the existing fleet will be again put into service. He Will commence with short trips at Easter', and, as the season advances,
gradually extend the distances which are covered, such places as Lynton, Clovelly, Tintagel, Minehead, Torquay, Swinton Sands and others well known being included in the itineraries.
. Mr. Gopp claims that his coaches are the only coaches that convey the G.W.R., S.W.R., Cook's, American Express Co.'s, Dean and Dawson's, Tourist Development, Adams' Express Co.'s, and Frame's Tourist Ticket passengers.
The districts in and around Ilfracombe tax the vehicles, to the utmost, on account of the numerous gradients and the surfaces of many of the roads, and local users generally express the opinion that, for this reason it is essential to have coaches of proved reliability. Strict attention has also to be given to the maintenance of such machines.