FOR USE ON ROAD OR RAIL.
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The First Practical Demonstration of the Motorailer Wheel-conversion Device.
AT THE invitation of the Motorailcr Transport Co., Ltd., Avenue House, 21; Northumberland Avenue, London, W.C.2, we recently attended a very interesting demonstration of their Motorailer appliances for lorries and the Ford ton truck. The tests were carried out at Slough, use being made of some of the rail tracks which were laid down by. the Government when they constructed this war-time factory for overhauling motor chassis.
In the Motorailer scheme of transport, motor vehicles are equipped with ordinary flanged wheels suitable for running on rails, but to render it possible Le utilize these vehicles for road transpo.1 work when required, means are provided by which the flanged wheels can be equipped with solid tyres, or with pneumatic tyres in the case of the Ford.
The vehicle which we examined was a F.W.D. lorry, supplied by the Four Wheel Drive Lorry Co., Ltd. This vehicle was specially built for rail use and is provided with a special gear which enables the three forward speeds to be utilized also for reverse.
The vehicle was first run on the rails with its special cast-steel-flanged wheels It was then jacked up at each end in turn and the Motorailer tyre equipment fitted. This equipment consists of split ring, which corresponds, as regards its inner face, with the tapered surface of the periphery of the wheel. The tyre. and its split ring are put on the wheei together, and the ring is than drawn farther on to the wheel by means of bolts. This action causes it to expand against the steel band of the tyre, securing this firmly in position.
, To facilitate the removal of the tyre, a number of channels are cut into these split rings, and into these grooves are fitted V-shaped blocks, each provided with a strong setscrew. , These blocks take a bearing on the fixed wheel, and if the setscrews be tightened up• they withdraw the split ring sufficiently to loosen it in the tyre band; thus the removal of the tyres is greatly facilitated. It had already been shown that the F.W.D. vehicle could run extremely well on the rails, and to prevent any sear of the front wheels moving out of line the steering was locked by connecting the drag link to the ball of a, special. lever fixed in the axle for the purpose and so arranged that the wheels pointed ahead. It, took approximately eight minutes to change the vehicle over from road use to rail use, and we have no doubt that this time could easily be reduced if more suitable means for jacking were provided.
As a road vehicle it proved eminently satisfactory, and we noted that there was no tendency.. for the tyres to work loose.
Similar tests were carried out with a
Ford vehicle. In this case the pneumatic tyres were removed And pressedsteel-flanged rims substituted, making use of the same bolts employed for holding the detachable Ford rims. In this instance the steering was not locked, and we were not quite so well satisfied as to the benefits of fitting such a light vehicle for rail use, although much might be achieved by the use of heavier bodywork.
Apart from the special device, the company also propose to place on the ,market other devices, known as Motor. lifters, which consist of wooden blocks with steel-protected faces, which are clamped by chains to solid-tyred wheels and permit even a heavy vehicle to extricate itself when one or more of its wheels are.bogged