The Remy Magneto.
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An American Production. Secondary Winding in Separate Coil.
The supply of magnetos is not yet so plentiful that we can pass by the introduction of a new one to the British market without comment. The Remy magneto is such an one. Manufactured in the United States, it is being handled in this country by Mr. Walter H. Johnson, of 14, Panton Street, London, S.W. Several models are standardized, including a special one for commercial work. This is of particularly robust construction, with superimposed magnets, and is well calculated to withstand a considerable amount of rough usage without suffering any damage. There are one or two features of this machine which render it rather interesting. • In the first place it should be noted that the armature of the magneto is solely devoted to a primary winding, the secondary being contained in. a separate coil, with which the switch is made integral, the two forming a convenient dashboard fitting, which is generally arranged so that the switch protrudes from the back of the dashboard, the coil remaining on. the other side. An advantage 'claimed' for th;s system is that, if it be• desired•to have dual ignition, this may immediately be arranged by coupling a battery to the two terminals on the coil, which are placed there for that purpose. It is •further claimed that ,this coil can be of larger dimensions and more heavily insulated than when it is contained within the magneto, the question of space, of course, being in this case less a matter for consideration.
The contact-breaker itself has several features calling for comment. It should be noted, in the first place, that the rocking-lever fulcrum pin has a bearing in a bronze bush; there is, as a consequence, no likelihood -of this bush swelling and,seizing on. to the pin, a not infrequent occurrence with that type of machine in which a fibre bush is employed. The contact-breaker arm is attached to the stationary part of the mechanism, and does not revolve. For this reason it is not necessary to consider the question of centrifugal force when designing the contactbreaker spring. This can, therefore, be lighter than would otherwise be the ease.
Another'ii interesting point is that the operating cam is in the centre, consequently the lift of the cam need only be one-half of that required at the end. As a result the cam form differs only slightly from the circular, and the hammering action due to its motion is only slight. The contact-breaker arm is a steel pressing, very light, but very strong ; the B50 platinum points are very substantial and can be easily and quickly adjusted. For speeds up to 2500 revolutions per minute the ordinary contact-breaker spring is sufficient to : return the arm to its "make" position. At speeds exceeding this, a second guard spring comes into operation, and it is found that very high speeds can be obtained without any difficulty, owing to the contactbreaker arm's not following the cam quickly enough. The distributor brush is so arranged on its spring as to have a movement on the lines of a universal joint, so that, at whichever end wear occurs, the brush always automatically takes up an even setting. The distributor is constructed of a special material, the trade name of which is "Bakelite." Owing to the nature of this material, we are informed, it is not necessary to clean the distributor more than about once every twelve months, as the frequent contact of the carbon brush does not, in the case of "Bakelite," cause black deposit. For this reason it has not been deemed necessary to fasten the distributor by means of a spring clip. Another interesting accessory which Mr. Johnson is marketing is a self-contained ignition and lighting outfit. This is so arranged that it can be fitted on the same platform as a standard Bosch magneto. It generates sufficient current to light a full set of side lamps at the same time as it is charging accumulators for use when the engine is not running and also for starting purposes. Of course, when it is desired to use the current for starting, a separate motor will be necessary.
We understand that at least one large firm of engine builders is making arrangements to fit this generating set when requested. The same firm is also milling the edges of its engine flywheels.
Railways and Transport Difficulties.
*In. certain of our daily contemporaries there continue to appear from time to time criticisms of railways and the delays that occur in the conveyance of traffic. Indeed, it would almost seem that in some quarters there is an absence of appreciation that the railways are now in the hands of the State for the sole reason that the State traffic should have precedence of all other requirements.
Extent of Government Business.
We cannot for obvious reasons set out in detail what the railways are doing in conveying munitions of war and Government stores, but the fact that the work has, so far, been well done has been placed on record by the Prime Minister, Lord Kitchener, and other authorities. The extent of the Government business has been, and is, enormous, while superimposed upon it is an abnormal amount of certain classes of merchandise traffic. This is indicated by the fact that great quantities of freight which in ordinary times are conveyed by sea have been diverted to the railways in consequence of the high rates now charged for sea transit, or to the closing of ports. For example, coal for London and the south of England is passing in very great quantities. Indeed, we have been informed-that the tonnage conveyed by one of the larger railways to places in the Metropolitan area during recent weeks has exceeded last year's totals by one-third. This is a noteworthy fact in the light of the outcry in coal circles as to shortage of that commodity. Apropos of that feature of recent criticism, however, we observe that since the appointment of a Government Committee to investigate coal supplies less has been said of the alleged deficiencies of railway companies, and we should not be surprised if this were due to the fact that the Committee who visited certain railway coal depots found the actual conditions very different from what had been represented to them.
State of Affairs at Junctions.
The fact is that there has been congestion in various quarters, and there will continue to be congestion, especially at junctions and exchange stations. In the months of December and January this was contributed to by floods and general unfavourable conditions of weather, with the result that there were accumulations of traffic. Then the southern lines were practically fully occupied by Government business, with the result that the other lines had goods "blocked back" for want of free exchange. The effect of such a state of affairs is obvious. "Keep the traffic movin " is a railway axiom, and when on any line there is interruption of circulation delays are bound to occur. Added to this have been the difficulties incidental to withdrawal of many thousands of trained railwaymen for service with the Army and Navy, and the frequent inability of traders to promptly release railway wagons.
Joint Working a Partial Remedy.
As already announced by the Prime Minister and President of the Board of Trade, however, the Railway Executive Committee have tackled the problem with characteristic thoroughness and energy. A strong Committee has been set up, and we understand that satisfactory results have already accrued. Again and again traffic has been diverted from one line to another to avoid delay ; one company has come to the assistance of another in regard to the supply of rolling stock and engine power, and in various ways steps have been taken to organize the railway resources of the country in such a way as, while continuing to give preference to Government requirements, to provide the promptest possible transit for civil traffic.
Another Nickel Accumulator.
There are two main types of storage battery in general use for supplying the necessary current for the propulsion of the battery vehicle. One, in which the principal elements. are lead' oxide and dilute sulphuric acid, is perhaps better known to the user in general, not alone from its use in the above capacity, but -more so, perhaps, from the fact that it has been for some years generally adopted as an ignition and lighting 'battery. For tractive purposes, this particular form of cell has of late undergone some considerable improvement, and one or two special forms have been evolved which are capable of giving exceptionally • good service under the arduous conditions usually met with in commercialvehicle work.
• The other type, which is of more recent date, is the one in which the principal constituents have a basis of nickel and iron, the electrolyte being a solution of caustic potash. The active material is contained between thin sheets of perforated nickel.
There are still considerable differences of opinion amongst users—and amongst battery makers, as to the comparative merits of these two types.
Reference was made, in these columns, a short time back, to the Ironclad cell, which represents perhaps, the most advanced construction of the lead form of cell. Attention was also drawn, at the same time, to the Edison accumulator, which is an example of the alkaline type. We are pleased to be able to draw attention to a similar one to the latter, which is manufactured in this country, the makers being Worsnop and Co., Ltd., Lamp Works, Halifax, the sole agents for London and district being The Motor Lighting Co., 51, Whitcomb Street, Londtin, W. C.
For the newer type of cell certain special advantages are claimed; it is said to be comparatively indestructible, owing, principally, to the fact that it is " all steel," and that it does not contain any
corrosive acid. As a consequence, it can be sub. lected to considerable rough usage without suffer ing any material damage. Moreover, there is no celluloid or glass case, the container being maclensf sheet steel, and is enorrnoualy strong. Even the terminals, in the case of this battery, are not of brass, but of steel. It is further claimed that it is light in weight, and that marked economy in space is effected when this type of call is used. Then, again, the absence of acid, and, consequently, of liability to corrosion and damage to clothes, is undoubtedly an advantage worthy of mention. It can be rapidly charged or discharged, and, further, may be left untouched for long periods without deteriorating, and will even retain its charge during that time. A point worthy of note is that in general this type of cell is rated at its output capacity—that is to say, a 40 amp.-hour cell will actually deliver that amount of current before the need for recharging.