THE PIONEERS OF THE LONDON-HASTINGS SERVICES.
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The Doings ot a Prominent London Firm who have Done Much to Popularize Road Travel to the Coast Amongst Londoners.
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AItiONGST the numerous seaboard
' towns in the county of the Downs, Hastings, including its twin resort, St. Leonards, in -more respects than one, stands pre-eminent. -Apart from its -outskaascling historical -connections, which form sonic of the most thrilling pages of British enterprise, .its,g-eog-raphacal location and modern attractions.-combine to make it a spot favoured by the Lonifener. The greater part of:the holidaysmaking fraternity visiting "Hastings •hail ifrom the Metropolis, and this has 'been -oath-dent in itself to juStiirtheitianguration of regular motor eoah -services -earring the season to this popular seaside resort. Close on la years ago the first LondonHastings-London motor motor coach service was pionered by Messrs. Timpson's, of 175, Rushoy Green, Gafford, London, S.E., and this firm claim to have taken more money onthie service•than all other proprietors put .together. This ;firm, which is conducted by Mr. Timpson and his five sons, paved the way -for' the development of -what has proved to be a very popular service, and they !undoubtedly possess the finest 'fleet of vehicles engaged on this coastwise journey.
The fleet which will be put on the road when the season -opens on i..-Good Friday will comprise-Asa-or ao :vehicles, snost of which are Karrier 28 and 33seaters, fitted with luxurious Superbe bodies, although there are a few StrikerSquire A-types-also in use. Four new
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machines -will make -their how to the public this season, -these being two .33seater Straker-Squires and two 28-seater Karriers, The machines which have seen service have all been subjected to an exhaustive overhaul during the closed season (the firm are strongly opposed; to theconversion of passenger vehicles to goods uses), every engine and chassis detail which
shows signs of wear having been replaced, so that when the vehicles see put into service at the opening of a-new season they are fully expected to run without mechanical failure during the busy period.
Repairs called for in the height of the season reduce earning capacity. It is-not so much what they e,ost,-brit what is lost while they are being executed. If any of the Karrier engines Should give trouble during the season, power units from two Karrier lorries which are used for general haulage can be changed over to the coaches; such a change can be -effected in the cotu.se*of a night by two -smart men. Every :machine must be in such a condition -before it is ,put on to the road each season that a -steep hill
can be taken on aecondespeed with a fall load.
The winter work carried out on the vehicles enables the firm to keep the whole of their staff employed for 12 months of the year. They are very careful in the selection of their employees, 95 eer cent, of. whom are Mons exservice men, and every driver must, be a hard and fast teetotaller. This, we think, a veay, wise precaution, particularly as the firm undertake a lot of beanfeast work, since it reduces the risk of untoward • accident on the road. Accidents are often the work of a fraction of a second, and can only be avoided if one is capable of clear thinking.
The bodies are also renovated and repainted during the winter months, although, being such high-class productions, this work is neither elebensive nor laborious. "The dearest body is the
best and cheapest in the long run" is a belief on which the firm pin their faith, and, by the application of this idea, door and similar troubles, invariably brought about by cheap greenwood bodies, have been avoided. No pains are spared to make the seating comfortable, for, in. the, opinion of Messrs. Timpson's, wall-sprung seats and properly sprung che.ssis give riding equal to the pneurnatie-tyeed coach without the attendant risks of this equipment Themeating in all the bodies is conventional, but in other respects they possess outstanding feataue.s. Each body is mated with aluminium paint, and the seat tops and roll-over elbows are enamelled white in order to prevent them being finger-marked Nickel-plated fittings are used throughout, and. one can well imagine the glittering spectacle which. a string if such handsome coaches presents on the road. Good quality leather has been found to be the only material to give serviceable wear, and all substitattes are taboo. The seat.s are fitted at an angle which provides a restful position, and, the backs end 9 Ms. from the floorboards, thus giving plenty of toe room for passengers or space for small luggage.
All the vehicles are fitted with Jackson-type hoods, which are considered far more satisfactory than many of the socalled one-man hoods. Most of them are
equipped with sprags of the drop type as a safeguard against backward running, although they have not so far been called into use. Towing 'hooks are fitted fore and aft, so that, ishould any of Messrs. Timpson's coaches encounter a stranded char-a-banes, it can be hauled. This shows a fine spirit of camaraderie, and such action is worthy of imitation by other road users. Each of the fm's coaches has an individual name, the word " Silver " being the prefix in /nest cases. One of the machines, known.:as "The London Belle," as stated -to have carried more passengers during the 1920 season than any other coach in the country. It is the firm's intention to study very carefully this season the respective earning capacities of the 28 and 33-seatere, and the results of this observation will have an important bearing on the type of
machine to be adopted for figure service. So far as the 28-seater is concerned the basis of fares for private hire work in 1922, as settled by the south-eastern char-a-bancs section of the M.T.A., of which Messrs. Timpson's are leading lights, is 2S. 6d. per mile, plus 3s. when such service is carried on Saturdays or Sundays. The firm's main service is to Hastings, although they also run a limited number of coaches to other south-east coastal towns, apart from conducting services in
and around each of these places. For this, purpose about 15 licences are taken oat in Hastings, and it says much for the manner in which the various services are organized. that the firm have never yet been refused a licence. They were the 'first people to obtainlicences in Hastings, and at that titne the fare to and from London. was only 3e. each way, although this seasou it will probably remain at 8s. 6d. each way. Only six maelkines,are licensed-for the whole year two quarterly liceneea being taken out for the rest of the fleet.
Messrs. Timpson's do not reckon to keep a mach for more than four years, during which period they are hard worked, as can ee gathered from the fact that the total mileage covered by the Sett in a year is approximately 360,000. Most of their coaches run on Pirelli solid tyres, which have given aveay satisfaction.
Mach of the excellent running of the firm's mashes must be attributed to the fact that one 'driver is kept to one machine, and, naterally enough, he evinces a healthy interest in its welfare. When drivers reach the firm's London headquarters late at night they can be provided with sleeping ac-commodation if they care to take advantage of it. As some of the vehicles are often on the road after darkness has set. in, special attention is paid to lighting. Electric lighting—C.A.V. lamps have given good service—is favoured in preference to acetylene lamps, as the. latter cannot be switched off or dimmed for the convenience-of other road users. Paraffin lamps are also carried for uses inthe event of anforeseen trouble with the electrical ;nstallation.
Theatores system at the Bushey Green .headquarters of the firm is very complete. Petrol is stored on the Anglo-American system—we should have menticined before.that 'i.m.p.g. is an average figure for the fleet–,-whilst Vacuum oil is stored in tanks of 3(X) gallons capacity. A tyre press. with a capacity upto /..30 tons is erected on a 3 ft: ferro-conerete. bed., which is sank intothe ground in order to obviate' the need for lifting wheels. During -the season Messrs. Timpson's maintain a working . agreement with Messrs. Skinners, of Western Road, St: Leonards. In our next week's issue we will deal with this company's activities as-well as. with thoseof most of the other Hastings and St Leonards proprietors, and will deal with one of the phases of the movement which. hasdone much to undermine the-coaching services to, from and in 'this.'favourite south-east coast holiday resort, i.e., cut rates.