BODYWORK FOR THE SMALL COUNTRY BUS.
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The Type of Vehicle whichis Supplanting the Carrier's Van in Dealing with Light Goods and Passenger Transport.
TBE small country bus performs a function similar to that of the ordinary town service bus—that is, the carrying of passengers for long or short stages, but the characteristic variety is one whtch supplants the old horse-drawn carrier's van and is designed to provide room for goods and parcels as well.
The particular type of vehicle under consideration has a single-deck body, seldom holding more than 14 passengers. This is large enough to meet the demands of many urban and rural localities and, moreover, is eminently suitable for one-man control. Even this seating capacity is greater than that of the average carrier's van, and, owing to the greater speed of the motor bus, it can easily do twice the daily mileage of the horsed van, so that, in many instances, two or more journeys can be made to the market town and back, or the route may be varied in order that more than, one outlying district may be served during the course of the day's Operation.
The country bus body may have the most up-todate form of construction with all the latest types of fitting, but utility and adaptability should be considered of far greater importance than attractiveness of design, or anything in the nature of elaborate finish. The seats should be of a reasonable degree of comfort, but luxurious ones are apt to take up too much room where space is strictly limited. Plain cushions and seats of simple gonstruction, again, are more easily stowed away or folded up, so as to make more room for goods when occasion arises. Still, these considerations need not prevent the designing of a neat and well-balanced outline, whilst a little polished or lacquered metalwork, together with a bright colour scheme, will compensate for any severity of outline or finish.
The front entrance, with mechanically operated door, is most suitable for the country bus. The door reaches to the front edge of the lower step and has large and convenient commode handles and, the entrance-way being lighted up at night, the maximum of safety is ensured, making a very favourable contrast with the old carrier's van, with its unattended and often steep and unlit rear entrance.
The back of the body is built much after the style of a medium capacity boxvan with a pair of doors. There is no need for these doors to open to the full width of the body, but they are preferable in any case to a single wide door. As the rear part of the body Is to be used first for carrying goods when required, and the front part only In cases of emergency, square hind corners are better than rounded ones, especially if both the side and back turnunders are restricted.
The back doors are fitted with fixed windows with louvre panels above, furnished with hinged or sliding panels so that the ventilation may be regulated. These back doors should also be regarded as an emergency exit, so that a folding back step is provided which will also be useful when loading or unloading is being done. These doors can be opened either from inside or outside.
Goods should be piled so as to leave the central gangway clear, and for the same reason the use of gangway seats is to be avoided, though they are often used.
With regard to the arrangement of the main windows, it is suggested that two large ones be furnished on each side and fitted with balances rather than winders. A third and smaller window is fitted at each side towards the rear. This window is long and narrow in outline and is set out well above the elbow so that it is not likely to be broken by any strong cases or similar articles whieh may be carried in the rear portion.
When this part of the bus is used for passengers, this style of window gives a little extra privacy or suggestion of snugness, which may be preferred by some of the older passengers. A large area of glass Is unnecessary in a passenger-goods vehicle. Panels between the windows entail the use of extra side pillars, which help to stiffen the main structure and increase the rigidity of the roof if used for carrying a part of the load.
If a partition be adopted, this will be more useful if it is framed in just behind the first two larger side windows, so that, when required, it forms a division between the passenger and goods portion of the bus. The former is fitted up with seats facing forwards and the latter with long seats, or this long type of seat may be fitted throughout. This partition, if in front of the wheel-arch, has a sliding door, both the end fixed portions and the door being glazed above the waist and having permanent, lottVre panels at the top. This door will not be used much, except when the luggage compartment, is . full and there is no room for passengers in it, or...the day is cold. Otherwise, the passengers will prefer to keep it. open, in order to promote an atmosphere of sociability and to enable conversation to be carried on between any members of the party. A special smoking compartment would not be welcomed, but two good air extractors fitted to the roof will help to disperse quickly the clouds of smoke which may be emanating from two or three rather strong pipes!
Folding and Detachable Seats.
If seats of the chair pattern are used they are made detachable from the floor and made to fold up so that they can be fastened against the sides of the body. The cushions are covered in the best-quality leather cloth or real hide. The cushions if stowed away separately are strapped in one bundle against the body side or else against the back of the driving seat. The long seats rest on hinged stays and the seat folds upwards, so that the cushion is protected and need not be removed.
As already mentioned, the seats in the front compartment may be designed in a similar manner. A long seat which accommodates three passengers should not fold up in one piece, but rather be divided into one single and one doublezportion so that part of the seating may be folded, the remaining portion B28 having a definite seating capacity. If a seat for
three is divided in the middle, half of it is more than enough for one and not enough for two persons, -whilst space is wasted which mignt be used for the disposal of parcels. The end seat on each side by the back doors is provided with a seat rail or hip iron which folds up automatically with the seat. This rail acts as a safeguard when the back doors are open.
The Use of the Roof.
The hind rack or cratch, or even a tailboard, is sometimes advocated for the country bus as a simple means of adding to the goods-carrying capacity of the vehicle and having the advantage of being more easily loaded than the roof. But the use of a hind rack or tailboard is at variance with modern ideas of safety, because it interferes with the free use of an emergency exit. Extra luggage space should be provided on the roof, either in the middle or towards the front, rather than by concentrating it towards the rear. A light, ladder is provided to facilitate the handling of the roof load. The ladder is detachable and fastened horizontally at the side of the bus at about the chassis level. It can then be used in any position. The roof rail is so arranged that the top load does not come in contact with the roof ventilators.
The interior is finished in the varnished wood, a light tone being used in preference to a dark one. White enamel with a matt, rather than a lustrous, surface is used for painting the woodwork above the waist and for the underside of the roof. The floor is covered with hardwood wearing slats and not with lino. For journeys after dark, a roof lamp is fitted under the front canopy to light up the front entrance and steps, with one on each side of the partition, that behind the partition beihg mounted so as to throw a light well to the rear. Accumulator lighting• is only satisfactory so long as the battery is large enough for the work entailed and if it receives regular attendance and recharging with, of course, a duplicate one in reserve. But as both head and dash lamps should be fitted, a good dynamo set is the best investment.
The length of the body behind the back of the driving seat will be about 9 ft. to 9 ft. 6 ins. for a fourteenseater. When seats which face forward are used, these will be. 2 ft. 2 ins, apart, measuring from the back of one seat to the corresponding part of the one behind it. The body is wide, so that the length of crosswise seats can be made 2 ft. 9 ins. or 2 ft. 10 ins, long if necessary. Then any letck of resilience of the seat is compensated
for by an extra inch or two in length. If the body is made 7 ft. wide overall, there will be a 10-in. gangway at the seat level with cross seats each 2 ft. 10 ins. long, allowing 3 ins, thickness for the side framework including the drop windows. The width inside being about 6 ft. 6 ins, at the waist ensures a good loading area, even when the seats are folded up. Headroom should not be more than 5 ft. 8 ins., so that the roof load may be kept so low as possible. A lowloading chassis is also desirable from this point of view, apart from the advantage gained by easier access for the passengers and easier loading at the rear.
As the country bus will not always run on the same journey, removable or reversible destination boards are fitted, so that all those likely to he interested may become familiar with the bus route. It is also a good plan to give a list of the weekly journeys of the bus, whilst time-tables should be pasted up, the panels between the windows being used for this purpose.