Economical, but Hard on Passengers
Page 59
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TOUR various correspondents' letters on fivecylindered engines have been followed by me with interest and I would like to add my own experiences to them.
I was compelled to spend four 'years in alarge city in the West Country, the buses in which, and in a large area all round, employed this type of power unit. The exceptions were a few utility buses which had smoother six-cylindered engines of another make, but much harder seats. I frequently went out of my way to avoid travelling on the five-cylindered vehicles, riding instead in the utility buses. I preferred hard seats to having myself deafened and .thoroughly shaken.
Imagine my dismay when; after a time, the utility buses were replaced by post-war types also, alas, fitted with the same engine—still rigidly mounted. After this I took to my bicycle whenever possible.
Although I now reside in London, where I ride around in the excellent R.T., I am glad, for the sake of the passengers, that this particular West Country operator is now standardizing on a six-cylindered engine.
On one occasion I booked in London to travel by coach to the North West. A fortnight later f cancelled the booking, having learned that the vehicles operating the service had five-cylindered engines. Some months later I found out that these particular vehicles had their engines flexibly mounted and perhaps would not have been so bad after all.
I was pleased, in 1950, to see the maker of the chassis concerned introduce flexible mountings—this should have been done years before. These mountings are very effective, successfully damping vibrations, and as a result reduce noise in the saloon. However, the upperdeck roofs on the bodies used almost exclusively on this particular type of chassis drum at certain road and engine speeds.
This five-cylinclered engine is one of the most economical on the market — for this reason it is widely employed by operators, who are thus able to keep costs and fares at reasonable levels. I suggest to them, however, that when they rehabilitate chassis with rigidly mounted engines they -should spare a thought for the, poor old passengers' insides and change the mountings to a proved flexible type.
I agree with E. Hirst about the so-called " ncw-look front on some double-deckers. I did not like one I saw at the Commercial Motor Show—all were based on the design evolved by Birmingham Corporation (which, to say the least, has somewhat unusual ideas on "good looks "). The Offending double-deckers looked a.s if they had coal bunkers tiuilt into the fronts—they certainly make the vehicles look much heavier, quite apart from the reduction in drivers' visibility which inevitably occurs. Still the neatest frontal treatment, in my opinion, is that on London Transport's R.T. bus in which good looks and excellent visibility have been combined. If designers must conceal the radiator cornpletely, why cannot they incorporate the existing shell shape with the grille, as many of the car manufacturers have done?
On the coach side it is obvious that many of the designers have never driven or ridden in their vehicles— pillars (usually in connection with curved corner panels on the windscreen) are placed in front of the driver's vision; steps are too steep and entrances too narrow for the "old lady" with whom every operator has to cope; moquette and polished woodwork are placed where they can be kicked by small children and careless adults; and some designers' ideas on good looks . ughl
London, N.W.2. E. If SMITH. •
Unwanted.
Drivers
.A S a lorry driver for 12 years, including war service 1-1 with the Royal Engineers, I find myself in much the same position as your correspondent I. E. Bullock, whose letter appeared in your issue dated October 24. I am not in the 400-letters class, but I have written dozens at times to transport concerns and to most of the petrol companies, as I have a lifelong ambition to drive a tanker, also to the local British Road Services depot but without success.
I would really like to know why it is that lorry driving is becoming such an elusive job, particularly when I read in the national Press of the shortage of transport workers. Advertising in the local papers and in technical journals for driving work in this field has also been unsuccessful.
I would like to point out that when making applications for positions, I always enclose a stamped addressed envelope, but in most cases never receive a reply, and buying stamps by the dozen is not cheap. So please, transport operators, even if you cannot all engage applicants, let them at least have replies when they do send stamps. I still cannot understand, however, why any lorry driver at this time should be compelled to find employment elsewhere.
Ashton-on-Ribble, Lancs. "AGED 30."
The 20 m.p.h. Farce, REGARDING your leading article 'The Absurdity of 20 m.p.h.," in your issue dated October 17. This has brought to my mind an incident which occurred when I was driving into London to visit the Commercial Motor Show. Running in on the A30 road in my small Saloon, I breasted a sharp rise behind a rigid eightwheeled milk tanker, boldly displaying a " 20 " plate on the near side. As it was not safe to overtake on the brow of the hill, I stayed behind with the intention of overtaking later. However, fast as my 1936 model could accelerate. it Could not beat the getaway of the eight-wheeler, which was soon bowling along at a steady 40-45 m.p.h.
It was very wet and there was considerable traffic approaching, so that the best I could do was to hang on to the tanker's tail for some seven miles. This, however, gave me a good opportunity of studying the perfectly steady, and obviously safe, progress of this ccimmercial model. It was a new Foden and when I lowered my side window, I could hear the " growl " of the six-cylindered two-stroke oil engine.
I have been some 20 years in road transport and have driven some heavies mostly of the p.s.v. type. Some of my work has been road testing, being a fitter by trade, but one of my ambitions still is to be the proud and careful driver of a sixor eight-wheeler.
Ilfracombe. R. M. ROGERS, A.I.R.T.E.