Opinions and Queries
Page 45
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The Window-shakers
TOUR correspondents, I. R. Peterkin and S.B.W., whose contributions appeared in your issues dated September 26 and August 29, respectively, should come and stay with me for a few days. I live in an area where five cylinders are the rule, and during the past three years the plaster on both sides of my bay window has cracked and the two side windows of the house have worked loose, due to vibration. My house is unfortunate enough to be situated within 30 yds. of a bus stop in each direction, and a total of 19 buses pass per hour.
The local bus concern has recently " de-pre-warized " 65 pre-war vehicles. These have been fitted with nice new 35-seat bodies, new radiators and new rear axles, but, unfortimatoly, the original engine mountings were left. When the engine gets above about half throttle, the vibration is shocking. The ride up from town, a journey of 42-minutes duration, makes one think that the unit is mounted in the chassis by means of concrete and Rawlplugs. In the 1950 models with the same make of engine and chassis, the mountings are different altogether and, although they have still only five cylinders, riding is a pleasure.
In the North there is a well-known service between Liverpool and Newcastle upon Tyne run by one private and five combine companies. I use this service quite frequently between Manchester and Leeds. For some unaccountable reason, two of the companies concerned stick like glue to five-cylindered jobs, although the trip involves the crossing of Standedge. The drivers of these are always under a handicap when overtaking the large number of goods vehicles which use this route, and they are fortunate if they can breast the top of this Pennine road at more than 22-23 m.p.h.
1 should add that during a long week-end spent at Morecambe recently, I made a few trips on the Corporation's petrol-engined double-deckers. These are very well preserved and, in my opinion, considerably quieter and smoother than anything produced in 1952. No thumping, no shaking, no rattling, no clouds of black smoke.
I have just returned from a few days at Earls Court and thought it a most excellent Show. I am sure, however, that most readers will join me in deploring the r esent trend towards tin fronts on the double-deckers
there. For four decades the radiator on the commercial vehicle has been a symbol of the manufacturer's pride and workmanship. Now, alas, it has gone and good and bad alike have fallen in line with the tin age.
Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire. E. HIRST.
A.B.C. Criticizes S.T.R.
PERHAPS it is dangerous to cross swords with such an expert statistician as S.T.R. In his reply to my letter on running costs, which was published in your issue dated September 5, he explains that the 5 per cent. depreciation on the extra capital cost is averaged throughout the life of the vehicle, amounting to Rs.125 in the case of Indian operation.
If S.T.R. is calculating depreciation in this way for Indian operation, he must do likewise for his figures for operation in this country if a clear comparison is going to be drawn. In the latter case, however, he quotes £20 as 5 per cent. interest on £400 extra capital outlay. If he is going to average this 5 per cent. in the same way as for Indian operation, the figure should be £10, not £20.
• Chorley Wood, Herts. A.B.C.
[1 am quite sure A.B.C. is not serious when he says that it is dangerous to cross swords with me. At the same time I do not agree that he is correct in the point he tries to make. There might be something in this plaint if I had been making comparisons between costs in India and costs in this country, but I was not doing anything of the kind; indeed, I would suggest that such a direct comparison is impracticable.
The figures I used in the article were sent to me by a friend of mine in India, where apparently the calculation of interest is made in the way described, and I saw no point in trying to correct the data supplied. The only comparison I made in that part of the article was to compare a petrol-engined vehicle with an oil-engined machine, both of them operating in India and subject to conditions and prices as they are in that country.
The interest was calculated, not on the cost of either vehicle, but on the difference in cost between them, and I think in view of that the comparison was accurate and the method of making the calculation justified.—s.T.n.]