AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

• PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.

14th October 1924
Page 23
Page 24
Page 23, 14th October 1924 — • PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
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?

The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.

SMALL BUSES OF SELECT DESIGN.

A Range of Useful and Workmanlike Bodies Built for Fitting to One-ton Chassis of any Make.

TIIE last few years have witnessed many developments and improvements in the types of vehicle used for varying forms of road service, but in no direction, perhaps, have greater changes been wrought than in connection with the design and construction of passenger vehicles, and more particularly have we in mind the small bus used for inter-rural service or for linking up sparsely populated areas with the busy centres on market days and similar special occasions.

The advances made in the design of small buses intended for rural work have been promoted chiefly by two factors. In the first place the competitive element has produced a keenness on the par'. of the owner to provide better travel facilities than his rivals in order to secure the larger portion of the limited available traffic and, again, the call Of the puhlic for adequate Onvenience and comfort comparable in a measure with railway travel has prompted the owner to pay attention to these important considerations. Although, in some parts of the country, primitive-looking buses, in which obsolete chassis, often originally designed for touring-car service, are fitted with cheap, squat and badly proportioned bodies, it is true that the vast majority of such vehicles have been displaced by roomy and comfortable buses, in the design of which the requirements of the passenger have been properly taken into account.

These points have certainly received the attention they merit in the design of the Small bodies produced by Frank Allen, Ltd., of Brigg, who,.by virtue of more than a century's association with coachbuilding, can certainly claim to have contributed to the general improvement and extended use of passenger vehicles in rural areas. With such experience the company have naturally acquired a ready knowledge of the needs of both owner and passenger alike, and

it is by appreciating these factors in their true and relative perspective that they have achieved much success with their various small bodies.

The range includes five different types of body, all of which are constructed to fit any make of one-ton chassis. There are two models of an all-weather body— a convertible bus and lorry body, a general-purpose bus body and a saloon bus body. In order to give our readers some idea of the thought and workmanship which lie behind these productions, we will deal is. brief with the salient features of two of these models which are certainly representative. Let us first take the saloon bus body, which, perhaps, will make the widest appeal. This is built to seat 14 people, and has recently undergone certain modifications following, it would appear, the recent disastrous accident at Nuneaton, and the seating is now planned so that a clear gangway is at all times available and the emergency door is unobstructed. The company have acted wisely in effecting these improvements, for no stone must be left unturned in an effort to make passenger travel by +Tied sale certain and comfortable.

The body is constructed of selected and well-seasoned hardwood and the superstructure is strengthened with body irons at vulnerable parts to en.sure rigidity and durability. The outside panelling is carried out in steel, the joins in the panels being covered by aluminium moulding.

The entrance door is at the front near side, and as passengers pass to the seating compartment the driver can collect the fares. The actual seating is made up of two transverse seats on each side of a central gangway to the rear of the driver's cab, behind which are longitudinal seats linking up with the rear panels. By following this plan ample space is left between the gangway and the emergency door in the centre of the back of the body. There is a tip-up seat attached to the near side of the framework, which faces that used by the driver. All the seat cushions are built on spring mattresses and covered with leather cloth, whilst the back rests are also adequately upholstered. A special double-locking device is employed for the emergency door, and, although this normally holds the door % perfectly secure, it can be easily operated in case of need.

. There are five windows on each side of the body and three in the rear panel, and one window at the sides is arranged to be lowered in Beclawat velvet-lined channelling. The window in the entrance door, and that on the opposite side of the driving seat, are made in halves to slide sideways. All the fixed windows are bedded in rubber in order to prevent rattle. The framed ventilators (four on each side) ensure ample fresh air for the interior, and they are fitted with nickel plated anti-rattle fasteners.

The roof is of three-ply mahogany and is made perfectly waterproof by a covering of stol-t canvas bedded in white lead and painted white.

The well-proportioned build of the body can be seen from the illustration. Its lines are graceful and the appearance is certainly enhanced by the domed roof and rounded panels at the rear. The price of this body is £160.

The convertible bus and lorry body will make especial appeal to those who find it impossible to secure sufficient employment for a vehicle in one or other sphere of operation. It is not a bus body built on to a lorry. platform, but incorporates in its design a combination of the needs of each form of service ; it is built on sound lines and designed for speedy conversion. When the vehicle is in use as a bus the entrance is, of course, at the rear, the step which gives access to it being capable of ready remeval when goods are to be carried.

The construction of the framing follows that employed in the other model. The bus body has three large windows on each side and two at the rear, the centre lights at the sides being arranged to fold downwards. In hot weather the partition separating the driver's seat from the passenger compartment ran be removed to ensure extra ventilation. The seats are arranged longitudinally and are formed of well-padded spring mattresses covered with leather cloth.

The roof is slatted and fitted with a luggage rail, and pulley hooks are conveniently disposed to facilitate the removal of the bus body. The general lines of this body are clearly shown in one of our illustrations, from which it will be noted that there is an entire absence of the improvised, the bus and lorry bodies fitting with an exactness which indicates that they have been conceived on sound and workmanlike lines. This convertible model sells at £120.

Tags


comments powered by Disqus