PROGRESS IN PASSENGER TRAVEL.
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
The Latest Doings and Developments Luxurious All-weather Coach. in the Bus and Coach Word.
• A Daimler Design which Incorporates Many Novel Features,
T IS MUCH too early yet to say with any degree of certainty whether an all-the-year-round usefulness for the motor coach will ever be found to be a remunerative proposition. It depends to a very large extent upon educationeducation of the pnblic to the fact that road travelling can be made as comfortable and convenient during the winter mouths as in the more equable period of the year.
Whether or pot road touring will become general during the winter is largely a matter of speculation, but no one can gainsay the fact that the British coachbuilder has contributed his quota towards the evolution of a type of machine which, to all intents and put- poses, supplies a greater measure of comfort than the usual railway compartment.
So soon as the summer coaching season. ends, many proprietors are at a hissto
know how to employ their machines
during the intermission between the seasons. Some of them take the, line of least resistance, and store their machines for seven or eight. months (living on the . profit made during the rest of ths. year), whilst others favour the conver• sion of the machMes for goods-carrying purposes: The latter practice is generally conceded to be unwise, but in that. it finds 12 months' employment for the vehicle has something to recommend it, whilst to anybusiness man the former must of necessity pail. .
The type of motor coach which CRT] be used for all-the-year-round service is in being-not 'perhaps in -its final form—and it now remains to create the demand for its use during the winter months, which can undoubtedly be accomplished in a variety of Ways if sufficient thought be given to the problem. Motor each owners should get
24 together and contrive to devise sorn.6 general plan of conmaign.
in the meantime, attention should be directed to' the type of machine which can claim to offer protection in all weathers. The Daimler coach can, without doubt, meet these conditions, It was at the last Commercial Vehicle Exhibition at Olympia that the Daimler Motor Co., Ltd., staged the first attempt of any British manufacturer to. supply the all-Weather motor coach to fulfil the requirements of a serviceable summer and winter machine. Its design was intended to provide. seating
arrangements conformable with first-class travel.
The company have continued to .focus considerable attention on the development of, this type Of machine, and the pictures which we reproduce on this and the previous page afford an indication of the rapid advances which are being made in this direction. The vehicle illustrated was built to the order of Humphreys' Garage, Ltd., of Pontypridd, and it was delivered to tlfis concern a few days ago.
In general design and construction this motor coach follows its predecessor. As in. the latter case, a single door gives entrance to the interior of the vehicle. The windows on both sides of the coach are so arranged that, when not required to make the coach totally enclosed, they can be lifted up,. in slides or runways, and stowed on the unde,side of the roof, automatic locks holding each pane safely it, position. Our line illustrations, reproduced herewith, depict a window. in each position.
The coach can be used either for large or small parties, the maximum passenger seating accommodation being 113, in addition to the driver. . As the pictures show, the seats are of the armchair type, and, with the exception of the four built into the back of • the body and the driver's 'seat and that alongside, all of them are of the revolving' type. When the coach is engaged by a smaller party, the centre seats, four in number, can be removed, thus providing a gangway down the centre of the body.
We now come to one of the most novel features of the vehicle. A long table can be brought. into use in this gangway. When -this table is net required, it folds away neatly below the underside of the roof, where it. is held firmly in position by spring brackets, without in any way being an obstruction. It is a simple matter to lower the table into position, when, apart from the supports from the roof, it can be made perfectly rigid by a support, from the floor. As the seats revolve, it, is possible to group them round the table, and passengers can thus enjoy each other's company. In the illustration in which the table is shown doWn, it will be noticed that the chain sockets are in position, but it should be pointed out that these can be removed with the seats.
The driver's seat giv.es, a yeiy easy
driving position, and although a passenger is accommodated on the right-hand side of the man at the wheel, this seat is slightly recessed, so that ample leg moth is provided without interference with the safe and easy manipulationof the coach.
It will be seen that a tool locker is fitted to the back of the driver's seat, and, in this position it leaves the whole length of the vehicle beneath the
chassis frame for the provision of lockers for the reception of passengers' valises, etc. On this particular coach two lockers are provided on either side, one extending to the rear mudguard, the other being behind it. Further provi-. sion for luggage is supplied by a guard rail, which is fitted on the roof.
The chassis to. which this handsome and luxurious body is fitted is the Daimler C.K. type with a 13 ft. 6 in. wheelbase. The vehicle is fitted with large section pneumatics, and those people who have had an opportunity of riding in this type of vehicle testify to its re• markably -smooth and speedy running. The Daimler all-weather coach which we have described will certainly occupy a premier position amongst vehicles of this description. It provides the summer tourist with a semi-open type of vehicle in which he is not inconvenienced by the heat of the sun or strong wind, the fixed roof and the windscreen offering adequate protection in this direct-ion, whilst, at the same time, by the simple process of sliding the windows into position the vehicle can be made completely weatherproof.
Coaching in Manxland.
How Road Traffic Has Increased in Three Years
UP TO two or three years ago there were only about eight motor coaches in service in the Isle of Man. To-day there are 50 all told,, and all but about seven or eight vehicles are licensed from Douglas.. There are only five 28-seaters in the whole island.
Along the whole length of the Douglas promenade there are only two concerns of coach owners who haVe booking offices on this splendid parade, and one of them is the Taxi and Automobile Co., Ltd., whose fleet consists of two 28-seater Dennis coaches and an 18-seater Unic on N.A.P. tyres. , Two touring cars are also at the disposal of passengers-.
The company operate over. fern routes, each starting at and returning to Douglas, these including (1) a dw,i, tour round the island, via Rams W, Sulhy, Ballaugh, Kirk. raichael, Peel, St. John's, Port Erin, Castletown, and Port. Soderick, which is the only road available for a ran round the Island ; (2) tare; holiday tours, one to the north and the other to the south, the former being via Laxey, Ramsey, Sulby, Kirkmichael, St. John's; Crosby, and the latter vii; Crosby, St. John's, Port Erin, and Castletown; and (3) an evening run from Douglas to Rushen Abbey, Castletown, and back to Douglas. All these tours are indicated on the map which we reproduce herewith.
It will be noticed that passengers who participate in a whole-day tour cannot take a second run end see entirely new scenery there are no alternative roads in the island, with the result that, Manx coach owners have not the same opportunity of meeting public demands as, say, North Wales owners, who have opportunities for organizing numerous attractive tours.
The Taxi and Automobile Co, do not, as a rule, allow passengers to choose their own seats, because it has been found that when couples come along at the last moment, to book seats, rather than be separated they have preferred not. tos go on the trip at, all. The accommodation of the passengers is prearranged.by the company's manager, Mr. Marlow,and when the available number of vacant seats has been sold, passengers are located to their respective seats in such a manner as to keep parties of friends together without anybody being left out of the social circle. This company has an interesting system of keeping a record of each trip, both from the booking and from the -maintenance points of view. A daily sheet is issued for each machine. On the -left-hand side particulars are given of the names-and amount received from passengers, and a perforation enables this portion to be toils off and retained at the office of the company. The remainder constitutes a driver's running sheet, on which he has to give the requisite particulars to enable accurate running costs to be ascertained, these
026 details including petrol put in the tank previous to a journey, petrol consumed on the journey, mileometer readings (finish and start), total mileage, time spent on road; whilst space is left in which the driver is asked-to record any irregularities which may occur.
Full-day tours commence at 10 a.m., and in the course of a 70 miles' journey four stops are allowed, the vehicles re-turning to Douglas by 6 p.m.—in time for dinner.
Mr. Marlow mentioned that. there seemed to be a bigger proportion of Daimler coaches in use on the Island than of any other make, but that his company had found the Dennis coach eminently satisfactory.
During the Tourist Trophy Races, which took place a few weeks ago, the company took a considerable number of people' to Craig-na-Bar to view the sport, the return fare being 5s. Fridays and Saturdays are always quiet days for motor coach bookings in the Island, owing to week-end changes in the holiday-making population.
Coaching from Oxford to the Zoo.
Considerable enterprise in the institution of attractive motor coach excursions has been displayed be the City of Oxford and District Motor lin; Services, and the novel idea of running daily trips from Oxford to the Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park has been attended by remarkable success. Children, naturally, form the bulk of the passengers on these trips, and there is seldom--if ever—a vacant seat to be found on the coaches
which leave Oxford at 8.30 a.m.,' going direct to the Zoological Gardens, the start homewards being made at, 5.45 p.m. The return fare for adults is 12s. and for children 7s. 6d.
In addition to this, a varied programme of coach tours is arranged each week to _such places as Brighton, Bournemouth, ,-Kenilworth, Bath and Burnham Beeches. Special coaches. are -run to race meetings, and to other events such as the Shakespeare Summer Festival at Stratford-on-Avon. Seats can be booked in advance, and excursions are cancelled, and money is returned, if less than 20 passengers are mailable. This, needless to say, does not often happen.
A London Coach Station.
The Samuelson Transport Co., Ltd., who have done much to popularize the motor coach tour from London, have made, it is reported, during the past few weeks, arrangements for the establishment of a central garage in London, which will serve as the starting point for loug-distance trips to different parts of the country. A site has been selected in the neighbourhood of Marble Arch, and it, is interesting to note that it was from the same spot that the stage coaches and post chaises of our forefathers used to start.
At. the outset accommodation will be available for 20 motor coaches, but whenthe premises are completed it is said that 120 vehicles will be able to be housed. Each distinct service will have its own platform fromwhich the vehicles run, and booking offices, Waiting rooms, etc., will be provided.
Coaching from Darlington.
Excellent facilities • for seeing the varied scenery of the Yorkshire countryside at its best are givian to residents of Darlington and district by Mew's. bland'e. Garages, Ltd., who have organized a carefully thought out programme of short circular tours and half-day and whole-day trips to be run during the coming months. On several evenings each week the company operate circular runs in the vicinity, commencing from Darlington Market Place. The route selected occupies. two hours, for which the modest charge of 3s. is made. The most interesting of their last week's longer runs was on Sunday, when one of their "Royal Blue " vehicles visited Reeth, via Leyburn, for a fare of 05., affording en route charming glimpses of the many beauties of Swaledale andWensleydale.
Cultivating the Coach.
Bridlington Corporation is cultivating char-O-bancs traffic. It. has successfully negotiated with coach proprietors of Leeds to establish regular services to Bridlington and arranged parking ac commodation for vehicles. The local Business Men's Association, which aorks in conjunction with the Corporation, has arranged to advertise tha char-it-bancs services and to render assistance and encouragement.
A Railway CoachService.
Charging a smaller fare than do either the electric trams or the existing motor omnibuses, the London and NorthWestern Railway Co. have inaugurated a rail motor coach service between Llandudno and Colwyn Bay in the late afternoon and evening. The journey is " non-stop," and occupies 15 minutes.