A GLIMPSE OF LEYLAND ACTIVITIES.
Page 9
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The Manufacturing Policy. What Buyers Demand. Notes on the Leyland-Clarkson Boiler. Works Internal Transport
ON EVERY visit to a company maimfactoring commercial vehicles on a large stale, interesting information is always to be obtained, quite apart from facts regarding, say, the development of new models.
While recently at the huge works at Leyland of Leyland Motors, Ltd., we proved the truth of this statement, and left Ciith what might be described as a pat pourri of information, from which we have extracted details which may be of interest to our readers.
The policy of the company is to manufacture standard chassis in bulk, rather than to individual orders, and, where possible, an endeavour is being made to establish a floating stock. So far, the stock minimum has net been reached owing to the increasing demand, and this in spite of the fact that the works are on full production and have been _ working overtime in some departments for over a year.
From the point of view of orders received a decided tendency is being shown towards the development of the doubledecker bus rather than the saloon type, this being partially due to the Ministry of Transport's proposal for the limitation of overall length. Those who run buses must be certain that each vehicle can carry an adequate number of passengers, and, with shorter vehicles, only a doubledecker will meet the case, and these are being particularly favoured .by large municipalities and for neighbourhoods where difficulties, such as low bridges, are not encountered.
Users are also tending to study more closely the question of increasing. the comfort of the passengers, and pneumatics are being specified to a consider ably greater extent for .single-deck buses, the tyres usually employed being 40-in. by 8-in, all round, with twins at the rear.
In the i.Rhere of goods transport the tendency is for an increase in the use of the heavy haulage vehicle, the 8-tonner of the driver-by-engine type, which gives increased loading space and more even distribution of the weight; proving very popular.
As a result oi the Nuneaton disaster, the company are paying particular attention to simplifying the operation of the emergency doors used on certain of'their passenger vehicles. In the type which has been in use so far, the door is releaaed by lifting the squab after raising the seat, but in the new type no obstacle whatever is placed in front of the door. There, is merely a handle at the upper part which must. be pushed up to release the three catches, and the door may also be opened from the outside by means of an ordinary handle. A push-up lever is employed in preference to a pull-down type in order to prevent the dooi opening through the lever being brought down by vibration or being pulled down by accident.. Very successful remits have been obtained with the Clarkson thimble tube boilers which have been fitted to Leyland steam wagons during the past three years. These have proved to give from 15 per cent. to 20 per cent: better fuel economy, and the upper parts of the boiler certainly seem to keep very much cleans, whilst it has been found that the solid matter deposited from the water is precipitated to the bottom.
Experience -has shown that. Clarkson boilers have been in constant use for two years without splitting for cleaning and, contrary to the expectations of some users, there is very little wastage of the tubes externally and remarkably little pitting internally.
Great advantages are afforded through the ease with which sediment can be cleaned from the thimble tubes.
An interesting phase of the work car. ried out at Leyland is in the use of small Trojan platform vehicles for the internal-transport system. Put into cornmission in the early part of the year, two of these machines have been subjected to exhaustive test, being on duty daily from 7.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the working week. To the few who are not acquainted with the capabilities of this little vehicle, it-s suitability for such work is astounding. Reliability in a works vehicle is a sine pea non if production is not to be disorganized, and in this connection the small number of moving Farts in the engine (seven in all), the solid tyres (which obviate punctures due to scrap metal, etc.), and the :remarkably foolproof epicyclie system of change-speed gear, have all contributed to its success. The vehicle has an ample steering lock and can, therefore, penetrate into any corner of the works, almost always without reversing, but where this is required it is not necessary to apply the brakes, a mere backward or forward movement of the control engaging the corresponding gear without mechanical detriment.