Steam v. Petrol.
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Views from Lancashire.
By The Editor.
Two recent visits to the County Palatine, during which it was possible to pick up the threads of many old road-haulage connections, and to renew many valued carrying acquaintanceships, have more than ever impressed the conviction upon the writer that neither steam nor petrol will oust the other for heavy motor transport in the north. Steam will certainly snore than hold its own in town haulage, for reasons which will be made apparent in the course of this article; petrol, on the other hand, will predominate in long-distance w
For and Against Steam.
The great commercial strength of the steam wagon is found in two principal features: (a) ability to run upon steel tires without, an enormous repair bill ; (h) ability to haul a trailerload with advantage. Independence of rubber tires, for which no demand can be said to exist when distances below 250 miles a week are sufficient for the jobs in hand, means a net saving to the owner of not less than 2A. per mile on cost account—on the wagon only—compared with a petrol wagon; the haulage of a trailer frequently means that the steamwagon owner is indifferent, to a back load—that he can haul enough OD one trip to afford to run back empty. On lowmileage work, and particularly in paved cities, the high earning capacity per trip of the steam wagon and trailer is not likely to be excelled by any internal-cla omnstion-engined vehicle, either because of the limitations of speed imposed upon all motor vehicles when a trailer is hauled, or because uf tire costs if rubber he used and a trailer hauled in the latter case. Where a lot of empties have to be taken us the back load, and considerable load area is wanted, the regular haulage of a trailer by a steam wagon is of additional value to the owner.
Experience has proved that the steel -tired steamer is inure economical than the petrol vehicle up to a 12-mile radius of working, and that steam remains the better power, say, between a radius of 12 miles and one of 18 miles, if rubber be fitted. Above. an 18-mile radius, petrol appears to be scoring heavily. Progressive municipal authorities in Lancashire. who do not take pride and boast about the frequency with which they can harass owners of commercial motors, are broadmindedly giving their tacit assent to the use of motor wagons with loads which bring the axle-weights in excess of those that can be registered under the Heavy Motor Car Order, and this is found to be of no small advantage to certain
steam-wagon owners. There may or may not be a continuance of this latitude.
For and Against Petrol.
The characteristic advantages of petrel vehicles, in so far as these appeal to Lancashire and Yorkshire owners, are now stated to be the following, chiefly : (a) certainty and highness of point-to-point speed, owing to the absence of occasion for stoppages on the road to attend to a fire, or to obtain water, and no loss of time at the beginning and end of the day in getting up steam or drawing fires, etc., respectively; (b) moral effect on public esteem and sympathy, by reason of the greater cleanliness of a petrol lorry, its quieter running, and its lesscumbersome appearance; (c) assiiredness of greater uniformity of quality and supply of fuel consumed, it having been found that petrol varies much less than does coke; (d) ease with which fuel can be purchased, and its facile stowage; (e) consistent running on long trips, and reliance upon keeping regular hours for the men—to the advantage of customers, employees and owners. Against petrol vehicles, no single criticism has been advanced or communicated in respect of long-distance haulage. A few grumbles were made in regard to the higher first cost of the vehicles, but it is generally admitted, by those who have acquired the data and records, that the greater first and running coats of the rubber-tired petrol vehicle are more than recouped by the greater earnings. One important point, to which attention was drawn in several cases, is the comparative advantage of an owner's being able to ascertain the weight of the loads upon a petrol lorry, by reaann of the small variation in unladen weight from time to tine.
Where Steam Beats Petrol.
Apart from all-town haulage, between docks and warehouses, such as in the case of Yairrie. and Co., Ltd., of Liverpool, there are certain inter-urban trips which can be done, better by steam wagon. If on all-paved highways, the overloading factor often tempts the carrier to give a preference to steam, but that portion of the earnings does not enter into the cawswhich is now given. A practical difficulty has arisen in Lancashire, during the last year, by reason of the refusal of the railway companies to carry empty skips (baskets) from the weaving mills back to the spinning mills, unless they have already enjoyed the advantage of carrying those skips from the spinning mills to
the weaving mills, with their original contents of kops of yarn. It is in this connection that the steam wagon and trailer often score, especially when used in conjunction with a parallel service of petrol vehicles. For example, taking the triangular service to which reference was made in last week's article about solid-rubber tires for five-tonners, a petrol-vehicle triangular service, from Oldham to Blackburn with yarn in skips, thence from Blackburn to Manchester with cloth, and finally from Manchester to Oldham with raw cotton, could not be maintained without, the co-operative aid of a steam wagon and trailer. The specific use of the steam wagon and trailer is to work between Oldham and Blackburn, taking its own load of yarn in skips to Blackburn, and then making a back journey to Oldham with a load of empties equivalent to its own load of skips plus those of several quick petrol wagons, thus freeing the petrol wagons for the triangular service, and at the same time keeping the weaver clear of empties and the spinner supplied with them. The 3b•ton rubber-tired steamer is fully holding its own with the equal-rapacity petrol vehicle, in all cases where comparisons are possible.
Vehicle Damage and Road Damage.
Some interesting opinions were expressed in regard to the control of unduly-high speeds on the road. One owner thought it rather a good thing that coke was used for steamers. because this fuel did not burn freely enough to enable the men to overdrive. Another pointed out that the governor of a petrol engine does not act in relation to road surface; he, therefore, thought it was of no account whether a driver of that class of vehicle had a governed engine or an ungoverned one. The point is to employ good men, and to have some measure of mobile road inspection.
Another owner tersely summarized the situation in regard to road damage: " a petrol lorry will knock up a poor surface. even on a good foundation; steam goes for the foundations." On the question of steam or petrol for long-distance work, another owner drew attention to the extraordinary rapidity with which tarpaulin sheets wore out upon steam wagons, owing to the practical irepossibility of carrying enough coke anywhere but on top of the sheet, in spite of efforts by makers to provide enough space on the top of the driver's cab. This particular owner regarded this as a great drawback to steam in compar icon with petrol.
Attitude of Railway Managers and Warehouse Owners.
Briefly, the railway companies are recognizing the inevitable. They are afrald to shut either steam or petrol out of their depots and yards, because they think (and probably quite rightly) that they would thereby help to develop motor transport more generally and rapidly. They have responded, in their own organization, in the matter of trying to give greater facilities to cotton traffic of all kinds, and a particular instance of this is shown by the saving of time resulting from the off-loading of " fiats" from railway trucks standing upon viaducts, instead of their being run into the yards, and the lowering of the " flats " directly on to the platforms of lorries standing below in the streets.
Less Waste by Motor.
One of the largest spinners in Lancashire remarked: " I like to use motors whenever I can, because the yarn is damaged less by motor transit than by the usual rail and horse method: there is less waste by motor." Thus it comes about, in spite of the preparedness of the railway companies to make concessions all along the line, and to allow extraordinary facilities in regard to free storage—either in sheds or in uncharged-for trucks upon sidings, that the commercial motor is becoming more and more the vogue, and more and more in demand. Warehouse interests are gradually veering round in their favour, and there is every indication of a large increase of orders from master-carters.
In conclusion, it may be pointed out that the cost per mile of a steam wagon and trailer is found to average about is., whilst that for a fiverton petrol lorry (without trailer) is found to average fully 11d. Neither of these figures includes a charge for management. Turning to earnings, the steam wagon and trailer can average, if organization be on good lines, 2s. 8d. per loaded mile—a figure which permits the sacrificing of a back load without positive loss. A five-ton petrol lorry curator, readily secure average earnings in excess of is. 8d. per loaded mile, and it is therefore obvious that it is of greater importance to the petrol lorry to secure its back load every time. Its greater speed usually enables this to be achieved. Hence, if back loads be obtainable, in long-distance work, the concensus of opinion is in favour of the use of the rubber-tired petrol vehicle; otherwise, the general view is that the slower steam wagon and trailer is the better investment.