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AN INTERVIEW WITH THE N.E.R. CHIEF MECHANICAL ENGINEER.

11th July 1912, Page 9
11th July 1912
Page 9
Page 9, 11th July 1912 — AN INTERVIEW WITH THE N.E.R. CHIEF MECHANICAL ENGINEER.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

A Permanent Department. "A Good Man and a Good Brake." The Tram and the Trolleybus.

In conclusion, we sought the opinions of Mr. Vincent L. .Raven, the company's chief mechanical engineer, with regard to some of the most pertinent questions affecting the development of commercialvehicle interests in provincial and urban districts. Raven, who, as we have already recorded in this series of articles, has been associated with the .N .E.R. motor department since its first inception, readily accorded us an interview at the company's chief offices at York, and we may fittingly conclude, therefore, with some account of his answers to our queries. They, of course, carry very considerable weight., and should be of interest to all those who have the future of the commercial vehicle in this country, especially in provincial districts, at heart.

" Do you consider," we first of all asked Mr. Raven, "that the industrial vehicle has now definitely proved itself to be an indispensable part of the organization of a great railway company ?" " Without the slightest doubt," was the answer.

"Our experiments are amongst the oldest in this country, and we have purposely tackled all kinds of problems in connection with them, and have 'tried out' all manners of machines. Commercial vehicles are invaluable for many kinds of special work, amongst which I would particularly mention : the conveyance at short notice of special parties between out-of-the-way places over eross-cuuntry routes ; the regular running of pleasure parties from holiday centres, through some of our finest show districts ; and the possibility of offering special inducements by way of combined rail and motor services to tourists and other sight-seers. Our company has always been to the, front in its endeavours to offer every possible facility to the public. I think you will agree." From our own somewhat extensiveexperience, most readily," we assented. Then, passing to topic two : " The subject of excessive speed on the part oi chars-it-banes in provincial and seaside services has, you may have noticed, Mr. Raven, been occupying the attention of the interested public recently."

"I suppose that is so," was the reply, "hut, as a matter of fact, we have no trouble in that. respect. Our speeds are always moderate. That you will have noticed in the course of your trips on our system, as you were free to come and go just as you pleased, and to note our regular working. A good man and a good brake, and there will be the minimum of accidents. We have had no mishap, I am thankful to say, in connection with our passenger-vehicle services. I put it down to the facts that our machinery is well maintained, although some of it is old, and that our drivers are good men." "With regard to your unique co-operative experiments in connection with the farming communities at Easingwold and elsewhere, do you think that this method of developing a district has a future before it ?"

"Yes," said Mr. Raven, "but it is a matter in which most careful organization must play a part. Our knowledge now on the subject is, of course, most comprehensive. The farming community must be educated in such matters with considerable patience, and they must be persuaded of the advantage of estab lishing small roadside collecting places, or exchange posts, we might, call them, for goods and parcels. They must also be convinced, as we have been able to persuade them in certain instances, that it is to their advantage and the advantage of their districts that both outward and inward loads should be provided for the carrier wherever possible. The motor vehicles can then, with success, be employed to travel over regular routes, taking up at the roadside depots, and so efficiently connecting large farming areas with the more or less distant railway stations. The principal point is this, that even if there is not a lot of money in such experiments for the railway companies, the effect of such services, if they be properly backed by the residents whom it is intended to benefit, is that the whole district becomes bettered," Transport is the life of trade' is a text which I notice you have not infrequently quoted of late, and we fully realize its truth."

" We should like to hear, Mr. Raven," we pursued, "whether you have much difficulty in connection with the licensing of public vehicles in your districts!'

"No, our relations are of the most friendly character with practically the whole of the district authorities with whom we come in contact. There has been some slight friction in connection with one of the local authorities at Scarborough, but we are hopeful that this can be arranged. As a rule, we run from our own station yards, and do not ply for hire, and that simplifies the matter a lot. I think the local authorities, as a rule, understand our anxiety for general development, and a big corporation like ours is in a position to run at considerable sacrifice for a, while for the ultimate benefit of some district, where perhaps private enterprise cannot afford to hold out long enough.

In regard to trams, you ask? It is obvious that the motorbus is now getting very severely up against the tramcar as a public-service transport proposition. Of course in London the success of the new type is an eye-opener, even co those of us who know a good deal about the mechanical side of traffic, and there is no doubt that if it were not for the fact that many local authorities have such large financial interests in existing tramways, the motorbus for urban use would go ahead at an even more rapid rate than it has. Of course for char-is-banes work, where, as a rule, it is not the rival of trams, its future is a, perfectly assured one. Its ultimate triumph over the tramcar leaves no serious doubt in my own mind. The trolleybus appears to me to be a compromise which is hardly worth while."

A parting question as to future developments was answered by a cryptic smile by the N.E.R. chief engineer, who, however, reminded us of the fact that new Leylands are now being delivered in some number, and that it was evidence of the fact that the company was going ahead very briskly with its motorvehicle developments.

"Remember," said Mr. Raven, as we shook hands on leaving the head offices, "I've been talking to you as chief engineer only and not as general manager, although naturally I am vitally interested in traffic and kindred questions. Good-bye."

Tags

Organisations: Permanent Department
People: Raven
Locations: York, London

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