AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

The Concluding Portion of the Account of the Oldestablished Motor-vehicle Organization of this Great

11th July 1912, Page 7
11th July 1912
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 7, 11th July 1912 — The Concluding Portion of the Account of the Oldestablished Motor-vehicle Organization of this Great
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Company.

(Continued from page 387 in ow last issue.) Total Mileages Run by N.E.R. Motorbuses and Chars-a-bancs during August, 1911.

Service. Miles.

Scarborough, 15 machines... 9835 Harrogate, 8 machines 4873 Ripon, 5 machines ... 2062 Bridlington, 2 machines ... 1524

South Shields, 5 machines... 3593

Thirsk, 2 machines ... 1080 Beverley, 2 machines 1894 Blyth, 4 machines 2678

Total ... . . 27,539 We may supplement this with a short table showing the mileage -clone by certain of the steam wagons on goods services.

Total Mileage Run by the Goods Wagons and the Tractor during August, 1911, Service. Miles.

Forth, 3 Strakers, 1 London

derry ... 740 Northallerton, 1 Thornycroft,

1 Garrett ... 681 Hull, 1 Straker, 2 London

derrys ... 580 Easingwold, 1 Straker, 1

Londonderry ... 320

Leeds, 2 Commer Cars 834

Total ... ,.. 3155

Special Parties.

After careful examination of the records and statistics which were placed at our disposal by responsible members of Mr. Vincent Raven's staff, we naturally formed the conclusion that it is in connection with the ability to run specialparty services at short notice that a railway company scores so heavily, and this is a branch of the motor department's activities which the North Eastern Railway Co. has developed with remarkable consistency. At the present time. as a matter of fact, there is such a growing demand for transport facilities for special parties of all kinds from more or less inaccessible parts of the N.E.R. Co.'s territory to some one or other of the many pleasure resorts in the districts, that it is only by the most careful system of organization that the many special parties are accommodated at such short notice as is so often only procurable. The outing habit is, of course, one which has a stronger hold on the masses in the north than it has in the south, and the practice of making up large parties to travel direct by motor vehicle, without the necessity of going to some distant station, and perchance of having to change trains, etc., is growing with amazing rapidity.

Careful Organization—Rapid C oncentrat Most elaborate precautions are taken at the headquarters at York in order to locate each machine at any time with exactitude. Not

only, of course, is it known what machines are at work in certain districts, but care is taken that the actual vehicles which are carrying out the services and those which are standing by, are also known. The railway's complete network of telephones and telegraphs, as well as the ability rapidly to concentrate spare available machines at any one point by virtue of rail transhipment, enables such an organization as the motor department of the N.E.R. Co. to fulfil emergency orders for pleasure parties, very often up to 700 or SOO people, with facility and promptitude. Vehicles are ordered to some central point by telephone, and are dispatched by rail with remarkably little delay. They are collected from all over the system at one spot ; they= carry out the combined service, and then return to stand either as spare

machines or to take up their places in regular service on the following day. Of course no private concern could hope to compete in such a way with a railway company. It is nothing short of an eye-opener to those who are familiar with traffic organization in big urban districts to become acquainted with th facility with which the railway company can temporarily re-mould thE; whole of its motor services in the minimum of time.

Some of the Special Orders, It is perhaps interesting here to add a short note with regard to some of the special services which were carried out during 1911. Special orders which were completed were as follow. The table shows the way in which the demand becomes acute in the midsummer months.

It is, indeed, surprising to discover to what an extent this branch of the company's activities has increased of late ; masonic outings by the score, any number of similar peregrinations on the part of cooperative societies, social clubs and organizations of every conceivable kind, and all sorts of other unusual services are nowadays arranged and carried out with commendable facility. Cattle and furniture sales in out-of-the-way country districts are making increasing calls on the company's motor department for emergency services to the nearest railway stations.

Special Passenger-vehicle Parties Conveyed during 1911.

Month. No. of Parties.

January ... 2 February 2 March 4 April 14 May 23 June 94 July 189 August ... 39 September 14 October 5 November 6 December Total ... ... 399 The above figures, it is confidently anticipated, will be very largely increased during the coming season, whilst when the new Leylands are delivered, and if and when further batches of new vehicles are ordered by the directors, this branch of the motor department's activities will, without the slightest doubt, increase to an enormous extent. All the above parties were, of course, arranged specially to the requirements of each promoter, who wished, in all cases, to take some tour which was not specified in the ordinary table of services. Several of the parties were very large ones, and in many cases required more than 12 cars for their accommodation.

A characteristic party was one which travelled from Hull to Scarborough by rail, then by motor chars-à-bancs from Scarborough to Whitby, then to Torrington Dale and Pickering and back to Scarborough. This party needed 15 chars-à-bancs for its accommodation, and these were forthcoming from all over the company's system overnight.

The total number of passengers carried by motorbuses and chars-abanes during 1911 was 362,523.

The North-Eastern Touring Ground.

It is not necessary for us, in an article of this kind, to attempt to describe, from a picturesque point of view, the principal features of the many lovely tourist trips, of which the company offers its patrons a choice. Carefully-drawnup guides and schedules of routes, with suggestions for the arrangement of all kinds of outings, are provided at any of the company's stations. A special feature of the facilities which are available is the list of combined rail and motor tours.

The North-Eastern territory is exceptionally rich in places of historic interest and of picturesque situation. Castles and cathedrals, watering-places, spas and waterfalls, dales and moorland, all are to be found in abundance in the country which ranges from Selby Abbey to Durham Cathedral, and from Hawes Junction through the dales to ruined Whitby Abbey. Few parts of this country present so many varied attractions to the tourist proper. This characteristic of the N.E.R. country is sufficient in itself to explain the reality of the motor department's success. That the activities of this branch of the company's organization will increase out of knowledge within the next few years is our conviction, as the result of careful examination of the pertaining conditions and of the alertness of the company's officials.

It is with first-hand knowledge that we write as we have in the last paragraph, for not only is the country and its special characteristics, both from the agricultural and sight-seeing points of view, known to us, but our recent tour over the system served to refresh our memory as to the possibilities of passenger and goods haulage in Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland.

Piloted by Mr. W. Murray, junr.. who is the callable chief inspector of the department of which Mr. Frank Carr is in. charge, we visited the company's system at all points, and in spite of great diversity of service and of multiplicity of types of machines, and of the huge area over which the department's activities are spread, we found evidence of first-class organization, keen appreciation of the possibilities of future extension, and a general verve and thoroughness throughout which augur well for the whole undertaking.

Considering the difficulties with which the company's officials have been faced in regard to the use of old types of machines, and to the necessity of much early spade work, we repeat that all credit is due for the success which has crowned their work.


comments powered by Disqus