Ways of Overcoming
Page 38
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The Luggage Problem on Coaches
An Expert Describes Methods of Building Luggage Containers to Afford Adequate Protection Without Detracting from the Sniart Appearance of the Vehicle
RECENT years have seen greatly increased attention paid to the question of accommodating luglage on coaches. The establishment of the all-the-year-round long-distance service on an extensive stale, coupled with the remarkable expansion of longdate tours, has compelled the provision of improved facilities for housing an increased quantity of baggage per passenger.
The practice most generally followed to-day is to incorporate within the lines of the body proper a sunk compartment in the roof and at the rear. It need not be so excessively deep as to make the body proportions appear unduly high at the rear, but it should be large enough to carry at least as many large-sized suitcases as there are seats provided.
A Metal Container.
The best method of construction is to make a sheet-metal container, similar to a shallow tank, with welded joints and secured to the roof sticks, which will require to he suitably rein forced. The outer panelling is then developed around it on skeleton framework, with a gradual "fading out" to the front, to camouflage any abruptness of line, Draining is an important considera.tion, and, as the bottom of the -container conforms with the line of the roof sticks, which should have ins. rise in the width of the compartment, the best method is to carry the water away by means of copper pipes inserted at each of the bottom corners, carried down under the quarter panels and discharging into the cornice water mouldings. Special care is required in soldering these pipes to the sheet steel.
The pipes should be flanged to provide a generousarea for the joint, . which must be inside the compartment, and the bottom should be bulged downwards, so that the flanged joint is the lowest point. The outlet above the cornice mould will need to be covered with a louvre, otherwise the wind will interfere with the free discharge of the water.
Better Protection for Luggage.
It is somewhat surprising that little attention has been given generally to the protection of luggage from the weather. Who has not been astonished, when following a luxurious coach costing probably between £1,500 and £2,000, to see the whole appearance spoiled by an ugly, shapeless mass of sheet, flopping about in the wind and doing anything but protect the luggage?
This need not be so, for, although there may be difficulties in the way of a metal cover, Which would be cumbersome and liable to rattle, the require 134 ment can be adequately provided for by making a sheet of best-quality double-proofed black duCk to the size of the compartment, and sewing on, all around, a deep border of the same material. This must be secured to staples on the compartment by means of straps, which will allow the necessary adjustment for varying heights of luggage.
It will always be neat and effective, and, when not in use, it should be rolled up snugly and strapped on the inside front of the compartment.
• Fixing Wearing Slats.
It will be found necessary to protect the luggage from the bottom of the container. Strips of wood about I in. thick should be fitted' across the body and be cut 1 in. short at each end to allow for free drainage. Whatever method of fixing is ernployed they must not be screwed to the bottom, for, if holes be drilled in the bottom of the container, • water will-sooner or later be sure . to find them. A good method is to screw them to three, strips of hoop iron, the ends of which are turned up the front and back of the container for fixing.
In order to protect the panelling from damage it is usually found necessary to provide a handing deck, as the contour of the rear panel makes it difficult to reach the compartment from the steps. This platform should be inset into the centre of the rear quarter panel.
Access is generally provided by folding steps inserted flush.. in, the rear panel, a double-pillar arrangement in the framing taking care of the weight imposed. This method has almost entirely superseded the folding ladder of earlier times, chiefly because of difficulties encountered in housing it when not in use.
For all that, the writer favours the ladder and would not be surprised to see its return to popularity. It is much easier to negotiate and is not a disfigurement to the panels, which is more than can be said of the inserted steps. Now that the body sides are carried
down low, it would not be difficult to provide accommodation for the ladder.
• It has generally been accepted that the rear is the position for the luggage compartment, but the writer dispOtes that" vieW: In his opinion, a container immediately behind the Cab is to be preferred. The reasdn for this preference is that it is nearer amidships, and, therefore, conducive to steadier riding. Moreover, as streamlining in a modified form has apparently come to stay, the compartment can be built completely within the lines of the body', and is of considerable assistance in producing the fall away to the back.
This method was adopted, some time ago, by a well-known concern, but access was acquired from inside. The writer believes that greater efficiency can be attained if access remains from the outside. Further, the . forward position contributes to the extra height required at the rear, owing to the prevailing practice ofraising the floor to reduce the wheel-arch projection.
Compartments Under the Floor. , There is also a considerable amount of room along at least one side of a coach—unless it is fitted with a central entrance—below the floor level and outside the chassis frame, and several suitcases can be accommodated at that point. Hinged doors in the panels afford easy accessibility. The raising of the floor level at the rear also makes room for a . capacious compartment above the spare wheel.
Reference has been made earlier to the .growing popularity of extended tours. A commendable procedure is followed by some operators by including in the facilities provided the loan of suitcases of uniform size. A.D.