Operating buses in Hong Kong
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AS a psv enthusiast (and preservationist) I was somewhat disconcerted on carefully reading an article on Hong Kong by Noel Millier in the Passenger Transport Number to find that buses got scarcely a mention. Surely he could (and should) have of necessity covered the following points (though not necessarily in this order): (a) What was actually wrong with the Dennis rear axle? I would like to know and I am sure many others would,Ioo, Transport Engineer in August 1979 published data on the Dominator rear-axle troubles and how they were successfully overcome. (b) Tyre and brake lining life. (c) Fuel consumption of the 6 LXB engines. (d) Is engine overheating a problem? Have any modifications been made to the cooling system? Engine life before overhaul; types of lubricants used. Have they had any broken timing chains? We have, in Belfast, on LX engines. (e) Has the Voith gearbox shown an improvement in service life over the epicyclics? Does the retarder improve brake lining life? Have they had any problems with the valve gear due to engines being overspeeded on the severe down gradients? (f) Bus overhaul methods including reconditioning of spare parts — compared with British practice (g) Multi-storey bus garages — space is a problem. (h) As a photograph of an LT DMS was curiously included, perhaps a few service details could have been covered, particularly comparing gearbox life with that of LT's experience.
Doubtless there are reasons why there was so little "meat" in the article, but surely his journey was a waste of time and money. I, for one (and two friends who work for Ulsterbus) was not interested in the geographical treatise on Hong Kong and would have much preferred more article and fewer colour photographs (more suitable for a magazine like Truck]) Wishing you a year of much more investigative journalism in 1982.
DEREK A. CARTM ILL Guy Arab Preservatioh Group Belfast Noel Millier says: IT IS the flavour of Hong Kong, with its crowded bustling streets, humid climate, and often difficult terrain that make it among the most difficult double-deck-bus operating territories of the world. While I could happily spend six months of the year reporting from Hong Kong, my brief for the article was to report on Dennis vehicles for the Crown Colony and this is what I endeavoured to do. I quoted a KMB engineer as saying that no bus can operate in HK conditions without problems, so a list of specific mechanical failures experienced could give a somewhat negative version of the buses' performance.