Folkestone Motor Coaches.
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The Successful Employment of Large-Diameter 'Wheels.
In 1901, Mr. J. W. Cann, the present managing director of the London and South Coast Motor Service, Limited, arrived in Folkestone during the course of a motoring holiday, after a long sojourn as a mining engineer in almost every quarter of the globe. Japan, China, Australia, Burmah and Canada -were all scenes of his earlier activities, and it is his proud boast that he was a pioneer at Kimberley, Johannesburg, and Barberton, Western Australia.
Seven years ago, Mr. Cann yielded to the advice of some ,of his Folkestone friends and initiated a public motor service, between Folkestone and Hythe, with a small 6h.p.
wagonette. This was soon followed by another M.M.C., which was known as the Canford bus, and which ran to the satisfaction of the owners until last year, when it was refused a license by the authorities. This second machine was built to carry nine passengers, and it had a two-cylinder ,6h.p. engine, which was eventually converted to give up to loh.p. Then followed, in 1902, a new roh.p. two-cylinder wagonette, which was licensed to carry In passengers, and which bore the name of" GranvPle." This vehicle, although now superseded by more powerful machines, still runs in service when traffic is unduly heavy, and when everything which can turn a wheel has to go out and earn money.
November, 1905, saw the formation of the London and South Coast Motor Service, Limited, which took over the two older cars that Mr. Cann had been running between Hythe and Folkestone, together with his patents on braking and spragging apparatus and tire holders. The company, after proceeding to allotment, placed an order, on Mr. Cann's recommendation, with the Thames Ironworks, Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited, for an experimental motor coach built to seat 20 passengers. We understand that the Thames machine was seleeted by Mr. Cann during a visit to the Agricultural Hall Show ; he was particularly struck with the possibilities of the large driving wheel, and other special features of its construction, including the sixcylinder engine, and it was on condition that Mr. Cann's ideas were closely followed that this sample order was placed. The machine arrived for service in Folkestone in June of 1906, and, as might be expected with the first of a type, initial difficulties were met with and overcome. The engine was not entirely up to its work, and a new one of larger power was placed in the chassis. Various other improvements, which experience had taught were advisable, were embodied in five further coaches, which were then ordered as the result of the satisfaction which the directors felt with the running of the first machine.
Considering the enormous staffs and huge garage equipment which the London omnibus companies find it necessary to maintain, in order to secure an efficient service on the London streets, it is remarkable that this service, running from Folkestone as a centre to most of the large towns in Kent, has been running consistently for three years with a minimum of trouble. Very little garage accommodation is provided, and one or two good all-round men can comfortably handle all the repairs that have been found necessary during the last year or two. It must be remembered, of course, that this seaside service is of an entirely different nature from that which is met with in the Metropolis. The regular Folkestone-Hythe route has been kept up all through the winter and summer, and that profitably, for quite a number of years, and, at the present moment, this road is more than well supplied with vehicles belonging to a large number of owners. However, the London and South Coast Motor Service machines, with their powerful soh.p. engines and ingeniously-constructed, patent, motor-coach bodies, enable them to include in their sphere of operations trips to London, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Margate, Eastbourne, Canterbury, Whitstable, Deal, and Walrner.
During the trial trip undertaken by our representative recently, the difficulties which beset the conductor of crosscountry services, were forcibly brought home to him, owing to the complete obstruction of the highway on several occasions by sheep and cattle. The most amusing disregard for the safety and comfort of other users of the road was shown in the instance which follows : outside Folkestone, a large number of gipsy-vans were overtaken on a comparatively narrow stretch of road, and, after considerable exercise of the passengers' and guard's vocal talents and to the accompaniment of the tuneful shrieking of the hooter, all the vans were safely passed on the off side with one exception, and no amount of audible warningsufficed to move this last gipsywagon one inch from its chosen course in the middle of the road. The coach-guard was eventually dropped, and instructed to go ahead, and, if necessary, forcibly to take the horse to the -side. He effected his purpose, but returned with the amusing information that the sole occupant of the van was standing inside it, with the reins in one hand, while he calmly shaved himself with the other.
With the present number of coaches, the method has always been to withdraw one or two machines whenever a special trip to any towns already named was contemplated. This necessarily has led to an irregularity of service on the part of the South Coast people, and has allowed their busi
ness rivals to take full advantage of the " thinner road. Six more machines are, however, now being delivered, and these will enable Mr. Cann to keep a constant service going on the Folkestone-Hythe route, and, at the same time, to hold a considerable fleet of powerful machines at his disposal, in order to develop the country trips which have proved so .popular in the past with visitors. Considerable credit for this popularity should, no doubt, be given to the arrange ment by which the patented bodies are adaptable for all conditions of our regrettably-variable climate. The three photographs which we reproduce show a typical motor coach equipped for rough weather, with the enclosed back portion, weather screen, and canopy, whilst, for showery spring weather, the front part is left quite open, and the back portion has an extremely comfortable enclosed body; finally, one of our photographs shows the machine in summer garb, with all the seats open to the four winds of Heaven. Mr. Cann has a constitutional objection to the use of the word " charsh-bancs," as applied to the vehicles which he controls, and he insists that they be described as patent motor coaches, for he feels, and we cannot do other than admit that he does, so with some justification, that there are many chars-a-bancs. on seaside services which are not much more than toast racks on wheels.
During the course of a recent trip between some of the towns already mentioned, our representative was impressed. to an extraordinary extent by the easy-riding qualities ot these large Thames machines, and he was inclined to ascribe. this money-making characteristic to the provision of the huge driving wheels which are such a conspicuous feature of the chassis. The six-cylinder 5oh.p. engine is, of course, quite a novelty with such heavy machines, but the wisdom of the engineer in his choice can hardly be disputed when such hills as those running over Shakespeare's Cliff have to be tackled, at a speed which must compare favourably with the direct line through the cliff by rail, and with the machines carrying a full load of passengers. The ease of riding was quite remarkable, and it is no exaggeration to say that there is no heavy machine unequipped with pneumatic tires that has made such light work of indifferent road surfaces. The: last six machines, which are now being delivered, are practically identical with those which have been running for over two years, with the exception that they will be provided with high-tension magneto, and the gearbox will have rather neavier driving shafts. The engines are of the six-cylinder, vertical type, with a bore of 44 inches and a piston stroke of 6 inches, and develop 5oh.p. at 900r.p.m. The cylinders are cast in pairs, and the engines are fitted with multiple-jet.
carburetters. An interesting feature of these vehicles is the radiator, which Mr. Cann has adopted ; it is made in Burton, and is known as Hill's radiator. It certainly bears a strong family resemblance to the Ryknield.
We understand that the original idea of providing such a large engine, besides enabling such heavy machines to tackle the stiff gradients on the country roads at a satisfactory speed, was to eliminate if possible the use of gears, at any rate for anything more than starting purposes. This, however, was not found entirely practicable, and, although most of the driving is clone on the top speed, the other gears are, of course, found useful for traffic and other conditions. Four speeds forward are provided, and the gears are made of chrome-vanadium, case-hardening steel. The final transmission is by side chains. At first sight, the size of the driving wheels, which are 821 inches in diameter, would lead to the impression that an unduly large reduction must have been provided in the gearbox, but the compensation is found in the fact that the engine is of such a size as to develop its full horse-power at goo revolutions per minute. A detail, which we are surprised to find has not been adopted by more manufacturers, is the provision of small rubber buffers, under the spring hangers, which act as auxiliaries to the main road springs, and these buffers effectually damp the oscillations of the long, stiff, road springs that are necessary for vehicles of this class.
It remains for us to mention several of the patents which Mr. J. W. Cann turned over to the company at the time of its formation. The combined all-weather body is certainly Patent internal-ratchet sprag ; used on the Folkestone service.
a carefully thought-out contrivance, and one which largely contributes to a continuity of service, in all weathers, throughout the year. Such enterprise should make the London omnibus conservatives shudder. We illustrate, by sketch, the internal sprag which is now one of the company's patents. We do not approve of such an appliance, as we countenance 170 fitting which removes the complete reliance of a driver on his brakes in both directions, whilst a stone under a wheel is as good as a sprag when the vehicle is at rest. When the machine is well under way, the use of a sprag produces results on the vehicle comparable to the antics of a springbok. The attachment of the tires on all the company's machines is effected in the manner shown in another sketch, and we were interested to hemfrom the manager that it was a poor tire which did not render them 15,000 miles of service. They are all North British Rubber Company's tires, and the cost, over a distance of 170,000 miles, work. out at qid. per car-mile.
Those responsible for the affairs of the company are apparently very satisfied with the financial results so far achieved. The second annual report presented in March, 1908, showed a net profit of ,4;36g on total traffic receipts of 1-6,o80. A sum of ,..g47 was expended on repairs• in the 13 months ending 31st December, 1937, but no further provision was made to cover depreciation. A preference dividend, at the rate of six per cent. per annum; was last paid.