THE PROBLEM OF THE TRACTOR-BUS.
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A Vehicle which Presents Many Possibilities and may Assist in Coping with the Increasing Congestion in Passenger Transport.
THE GREAT and surprising rapidity with which the tractor-lorry has 'developed has turned the attention of many designers and users to the possibilities of utilizing this form .of vehicle for passenger 'work. Unfortunately, for the present its use is debarred in this country owing to the fact that a trailer is not peeinitted to carry passengers, a matter to which we refer in another article in this issue.
In spite of many prophecies of disaster, the tractorlorry has proved that it can carry large loads safely, and certainly efficiently, and as passengers weigh considerably less than goods there is very little reason to suppose that the tractor-bus should be less safe for the latter particularly as in the latest forma of this interesting vehicle special attention is being paid to the matter of braking, and in at least one type, the Carrimore, Westinghouse pressure-operated brakes are utilized for both the trailer and tractor wheels. They are so arranged that the greater braking effort occurs on the trailer wheels, thus helping to straighten the vehicle instead of accentuating any tendency for the rear part. to skid round.
We recently illustrated an American type of tractorbus which is actually in operation, and immediately this appeared we received from Carrosacrie Latyrner, Ltd., a design for a somewhat similar type of vehicle which they had had in hand for some time, only awaiting the necessary sanction to start manufacture. .; On this page appear designs for single-decker and double-decker buses which have been, prepared in response to overseas inquiries by Scammell Lorries, Ltd., for use on their well-known vehicle, which was the first of its type built on modern lines to be produced in this country, and which is being employed to an increasing extent.
The most startling fact about these suggested passenger vehicles is their huge carrying capacity combined with extreme mobility. The single-decker provides accommodation for 42 persons and is 37 ft. long, whilst the larger machine seats 94 and has a length of 40 ft.
The Ministry of Transport has already recognized the tractor-lorry as a specific type of vehicle and special modifications in the law have been made to meet its advent, and although we are afraid that it will take some little time to persuade the authorities to license such a machine for public passenger work, we believe it is quite possible that such an occurrence may take place in the near future, providing the manufacturers are sufficiently far-sighted to build and bring to the notice of the particular officials concerned suitable tractor-buses which have been designed to overcome any risk of accident, whether this is due to separation of the tractor and its trailer portion or through neglect to provide sufficient braking power. The one great difficulty which will have to be overcome in vehieles of this type' is the trouble of frame and body distortion through the twisting action sometimes imposed upon the teailer_ In our opinion, thiS. is often not sufficiently studied, and in those few examples where provision has been made to prevent such action,'. by supporting the trailm frame at what is practically three. points, the" cure I.? has involved other difficulties due to the load.