Rootes Re-equip Maidstone Factory
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THE Maidstone factory of TillingStevens, Ltd., has been completely re-equipped by the Rootes Group since taking over control 3i years ago, and vehicles are no longer being produced there. Three main lines of production are in operation, and these were seen on Monday when Sir Reginald Rootes fermally announced the " re-birth " of
Tilling-Stevens. • Transmission units for the Humber 4 x 4 military vehicle are receiving priority at the moment, the other lines being the reconditioning of engines for the entire group at the rate of over 300 a week and the production of the Commer TS 3 oil engine. The oilengine output is on the increase and the nearby Romney works are to be devoted to its further design and servicing.
ORANGE COACHES WILL BE A BOON
rONFIDENCE that the purchase of
the Orange Luxury Coaches undertaking "would prove to be of the greatest possible benefit" is expressed by Mr. J. H. Ewer, chairman of George Ewer and Co., Ltd., in his annual report.
The accounts for the past financial year included only three months' winter trading by the Orange. organization, "a recognized loss period in our industry," and the consolidated figures for the Ewer group were accordingly thrown out of balance.
It is proposed to capitalize £150,000 of reserves.
"WEEK-END BUS TRAFFIC DISAPPEARING"
TELEVISION is changing the habits of the public, and week-end and evening traffic on buses is disappearing, according to Cllr. S. W. Bridges, chairman of Leicester Transport Committee, when he spoke at a meeting of the East Midland Transport Users' Consultative Committee on Tuesday.
alr. Bridges said that 87 municipal transport undertakings had evidence of it. "We and other authorities up and down the country have found that receipts have almost disappeared on Sunday. We believe it is because of television."
The committee were dealing with complaints of lack of services in the Lincolnshire Wolds. Horncastle Rural District Council said that when the Lincolnshire Road Car Co., Ltd., were approached, they replied that their services in the area were unremunerative. Rather than increasing them, they were considering their reduction.
"BAN ROWDY TRIPPERS" HERE bus operators made a regu lar practice of carrying trippers who caused annoyance in the town, the Scottish Licensing Authority would be approached with a view to having the licences cancelled, Ayr Town Council decided on Monday.
BY adapting their already popular 2-ton petrolengined chassis
• to take the B.M.C. 3A-litre oil engine, the Austin Motor Co., Ltd., have produced a far more economical vehicle without a marked decrease of performance. Giving a return of 25.85 m.p.g. for continuous running over a difficult circuit, this latest addition to the Austin range should prove an inexpensive vehicle to run under normal haulage conditions.
Recently I tested the MorrisCommercial 3-tonner with a similar engine (The Commercial Motor, May 14), so it was natural that I should conduct most of the Austin
to reduce wear, whilst the head, where the highest temperatures occur, is maintained at a relatively low temperature.
For mounting in the Austin chassis a different bell-housing casting is employed, this being necessary to mate up with the Austin gearbox, and a different front mounting bracket is used. An AC oil bath air silencer is attached directly to the manifold, but in all other respects the engine is similar to that used in the Morris-Commercial.
A 16-gallon fuel tank is mounted on the right-hand side of the frame, and there is a filtering gauze at the end of the take-up pipe in. the tank. The fuel is then passed through a Tecalemit fine filter, attached to the rear cab cross-member, before The fully floating rear axle has a cast-steel centre case containing the final drive gears, these being spiral bevel and mounted in an easily detachable carrier. Suspension is by semi-elliptic springs at front and rear, and although no dampers were fitted to the vehicle tested, these are obtainable as an extra. The suspension is such, however, that dampers would be unnecessary except for traversing extremely bad roads.
A standard cab and body were fitted to the vehicle tested, the cab being the normal Austin all-steel type. With twin opening windscreen panels, hinged quarter lights and full-drop winding door windows, ample ventilation is available. Curved corner lights in the rear panel provide good all-round visibility.
weight for 6.50-20 eight-ply tyres, but under the 6 tons permitted with 7.00-20 10-ply tyres, the alternative equipment.
I was accompanied on the trials by a works representative who drove the vehicle via Redditch and Stratford-upon-Avon to Sunrising Hilt. The engine was reasonably quiet mechanically, with little sign of "Diesel knock," and the AC silencer effectively cut down induction roar. By the time we reached the bottom of Sunrising, the engine had reached its normal temperature, so I checked this and found it to be 150° F., with an ambient temperature of 49.5° F.
The hill, which has an average gradient of 1 in 10 and includes two sharp bends, was surmounted in second gear, with a clean exhaust the