Passing Comments
Page 44
Page 45
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
PPmay be argued that modesty pays, but an visitor to the Glasgow Show could not fail to wonder why so many chassis makers fail to draw definite attention to really clever and commendable features of their products.
ONE can walk around a stand and see three or four ordinary-looking vehicles without having one's interest attracted by any outstanding feature, although the make in question may be noted for quite remarkable elements of design.
* * AN interesting valve rectifier for charging the
batteries of electrically propelled vehicles from house power mains is being produced by Electricars, Ltd., of Birmingham. It is claimed to charge at a rate high enough to keep the batteries well up, and to do this economically, provided that they can be left for a nightly charge of at least 14 hours.
CSST iron as a material for road surfacing has recently been arousing considerable attention. At the stand of Iron Roads (Great Britain), Ltd., at the Public Health Exhibition we learned a number of interesting facts about its possibilities. An example of this concern's Tripedal Unit cast iron road sections, subjected to tests by the mechanical engineering department of the Regent Street Polytechnic, withstood impact tests of 330 ft.-lb., equivalent to the blow of an iron-tyred wheel carrying a one-ton load, falling from a height of nearly 2 ins.
THESE sections of iron road are practically all triangular in shape, being either equilateral or right-angle triangles. Thus they are easily fitted together to cover road surfaces and to surround rectangular obstructions such as manholes. Curves demand the spaces between the units to be tapered slightly, but the gaps are of negligible width. THE obscurity of that part of the Road Traffic Act relating to contract carriages was emphasized when Mr. J. II. Stirk, chairman of the East Midland Traffic Commissioners, asked an applicant for a licence whether he understood contract work. On receiving an affirmative answer, Mr. Stirk said : "Then you are a clever man. There are many barristers who would be glad to know."
THE urgency of the building extensions that are taking place at the Vauxhall factory at Luton is evidenced by reason of the work being entrusted to several contractors, all working under heavy penalty if they should be behind schedule, whereas they will receive a substantial bonus if their jobs be completed earlier. The extensions are further proof of the increasing popularity of Bedford vehicles. • INTERESTING developments are taking place in connection with hydraulic couplings for roadtransport purposes. At the works of the Hydraulic Coupling and Engineering Co., Ltd., Isleworth, we saw, recently, amongst numerous large couplings of the type used in power stations, collieries, and on oil-engined locomotives, a model suitable for a 10-h.p. ear. This was showing promising results. THE latest type of Vulcan-Sinclair coupling for use in conjunction with a conventional gearbox incorporates an ingenious method of minimizing drag when the engine-is idling, and of avoiding the difficulty of stalling the engine. Much of the oil is in a reservoir in the inner part of the driven member. This is ejected by centrifugal force, to circulate through the vaned portions, only so soon as the speed of the driven member rises. Hence, even if the engine be speeded up, slip continues until the vehicle gathers speed.
AN amusing incident occurred recently when a well-reputed haulage contractor took delivery of his first oil-engined vehicle. The machine was of the latest type and on its first run out attracted no small attention from the local inhabitants. Just when it reached the Town Hall, however, the engine failed, and, after several attempts to start it. the vehicle had to be towed home. It was found that a garage boy had filled the fuel tank with lubricating oil, the mistake having been due to the drum being marked "Oil for Diesel Engines." Oil companies producing special lubricants for compression-ignition engines should label themas lubricants, so that they cannot be mistaken for fuel.