A TOURING COACH ARRIVES FROM AMERICA.
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Luxurious and Speedy Travel is Afforded by the Fageol Safety Coach, which is Very Popular in the States.
WE HAVE on many occasions described and commented upon the various types of coach employed in urban and inter-city transport in the States, and our readers will be familiar with many of the details of the rageol Safety Coach, as it is called, an example of which has arrived in this country and is now in the hands of the concessionnaires, Warwick Wright, Ltd, no, New Pond Street London, W.1.
Last Wednesday we were afforded an opportunity for taking a run of several Miles on this vehicle, which included Fitzjohn's Avenue, Hampstead, this being climbed almost to the top on the highest gear, the first half being surmounted at a speed of 30 m.p.h., which gradually dropped Midi the third gear was brought into use at 18 m.p.h., at which speed the climb was finished.
The vehicle proved to have delightfully easy riding qualities, due to the long fiat springs, low centre of gravity ;(the platform being 22 ins, from the ground), the supplementary air springs at the forward end and the 36-in. by El-in. pneumatic tyres, whilst the Westinghouse air brakes with soft iron shoes operating in hard steel drums on the rear wheels were smooth acting and yet extremely effective.
The engine is exceedingly powerful, and gives an acceleration equal to that of a private car. It is a Hall-Scott sixcylinder monobioc, built as a unit with
Brown-Lipe clutch, having 13 compressed fibre and 13 smooth tel plates, and a four-speed 13rown-Lipe gearbox with direct drive on top. This unit is three-point mounted in the chassis, being insulated by Thermoid buffers, and the unit also includes the vertical-tube
radiator, which is of the built-up type. The bore and stroke are 4i ins. and 51 ins-respectively, and at 1,850 r.p.m. (the governed speed) the unit develops 110 blip.
The whale of the valve gear, including camshaft and tappets, is in the
detachable cylinder head, the camshaft being driven from the crankshaft through the medium of a silent chain and two spur gears. This chain also drives the fan and the shaft for the water pump and magneto.
There is a friction clutch for the fan
in the chain housing, whilst the centrifugal governor is located inside the large camshaft gear. A two-cylinder air compressor for the Westinghouse cylinders is driven by a link belt from the timing gear. Each piston has a springsplit skirt, five upper rings and a lower ring, and it is claimed that through these practically no carbon is formed, and that the pistons will wear for 100,000 miles without developing ship.A clearance of .003 in. is allowed in the bigends, and the heaviest oil obtainable is used for lubricating, the gear pump having an output of seven gallons per minute. Oil is also pressure-fed to the camshaft.
The drive is taken through a threepiece propeller shaft with four Spicer joints and supported by two S.K.F. selfaligning double-roller bearings mounted in grease-reservoir housings.
The final drive is by underneath worm in a Timken rear axle provided with underslung springs.
The low platform is obtained by drop-. ping the frame and giving a kick-up over each axle, and in the body there are fairly high wheel arches and a slight arch right across the floor upon which the feet can rest.
The wheelbase is 19 ft. 2 ins. The track at the front is 5 ft. 10 ills, and at the rear (to between the tyres) 6 ft. 4/ ins. The brake drums are 21 ins. diameter with a 4-in, face, and the finaldrive gear ratio is 4-1 to 1.
Steering is effected through a Rosa cam and lever gear with an 18-in, wheel, and the 35-gallon petrol tank is carried under the back seats, the feed being through a Stewart Autovac, The starting, ignition and lighting are all effected through Delco apparatus, and it is extraordinary how easily this big engine can be put into motion.
The interior has exhaust heaters running down each side under the seats, the heat being controlled by the driver. There are two ventilators and six 21 e.p. lights in the roof.
The vehicle holds 26 passengers and the driver. The seats all have doublespring cushions, and the side windows can be dropped. The whole body is finished in Duco enamel. .