Star Engineering Co.
Page 35
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Principal Exhibits :—toh.p. Cab; one 14h p. Van.
Two vehicles are exhibited on this stand, a landaulette cab, and a iscwt. van. Another van, designed for 25cwt., will arrive, though later, from the factory at Wolverhampton.
The landaulette is very roomy, and is especially suitable for commercial travellers, or for public hire as a hackney carriage. The exhibition vehicle is not made strictly to Scotland Yard's requirements, but cabs can be supplied to conform to the regulations, if required, with very slight alteration. This cab is fitted with a roh.p., 4cylinder engine, the cylinders being 3.1 inches in the bore, cast in pairs, and the piston stroke 44 inches, with the valves all on one side, so that they can be operated by a single camshaft. All the gear wheels are enclosed, and the governor, which is mounted separately, is driven by a small pinion meshing with the spur-wheel which drives the inlet camshaft. The governor is, thus, able to act direct on the carburetter, which is of the company's automatic type, resulting in a very steady-running, flexible engine. The water-cir
culating pump is of the centrifugal type, and is gear-driven from a fibre wheel on the back end of the camshaft. A mechanical lubricator is fitted, with separate sight feeds to each delivery pipe.
The drive is transmitted by a leatherfaced cone clutch, through a flexible coupling, to the gear-box, which is of the straight-through sliding type, giving three forward speeds and a reverse ; all shafts are fitted throughout with ball-hearings. The final drive is by carcian shaft to a live axle. The live axle and differential, and also the hubs, are fitted with Hoffmann ball-bearings.
The whole vehicle is very neat, and of serviceable appearance, and all details of the design have received careful attention. The light delivery van is designed to carry a load of 15cw-t., and a traveller or assistant in addition to the driver. It is fitted with a r4h.p., 2-cylinder engine, of 5 inches bore, and with a 41-inc11 stroke. The valves are on opposite sides, and the camshafts are driven by large fibre timing wheels. The inlet valves are opened by overhead tappets. A mechanical lubricator is provided, and high-tension ignition. The gear-box provides three forward speeds, and a reverse, and is one with the differential countershaft casing, from which the drive is transmitted to the wheels by side chains. Pneumatic tires are fitted to the front wheels, and solid-rubber tires to the driving wheels. The larger delivery van is fitted with a similar engine and gears, but has a longer frame, and is generally heavier to suit the increased load which it may have to carry.