Bodies for Commercial Vehicles.
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Some Impressions from Olympia.
During the past years, in which the motorcar has been <71 the road, the attention of makers has been drawn chiefly towards the production of the fast and high-speed vehicle with light chassis and a minimum of weight in the body ; further, the positions which have been assigned to the wheels have left very little room for the provision of an adequate body for commercial purposes. The development of the commercial side has shown the makers that there is a market if they can produce the requisite chassis. The exhibits at Olympia are all in the direction of an improved and suitable chassis for a body which can accommodate a paying load. These may be divided into four classes—(a) the commercial passenger vehicle; (I)) the heavy delivery van ; (c) the light van ; and (d) the steam heavy goods wagon. Of these, the passenger vehicle is the one which is principally represented at the Show : it is also one which appeals more strongly to he mind of the " man in the street," as being that which is intended for his own personal convenience, and that Through which he can, by holding shares in the various companies, acquire a more direct interest. The comfort of the passenger is not the least important part of the. vehicle, and it says something for the manufacturers that the bodies are constantly being improved in these particulars.
It would appear from the form of the horse-drawn vehicles, which we still have running on the streets, that the comfort of the passenger when travelling was the last thing thought of. Taking the omnibuses which are exhibited, it has been exceedingly difficult to find any one of them which could be regarded as a perfectly-seated vehicle. There are, in the construction of public service vehicles, several points to be observed, such as ease of access, a goad seat suitable for the average individual, light, air, and ventilation without draught. As regards the first, some of the buses appear to have been made without due consideration of the fact that they would draw up against the kerb, for the steps have not been so conveniently arranged as they might have been. Others, again, are not provided with a sufficiently wide step for getting in and out with ease; this, for many people who are past their first youth, is of great consideration, as a wide step enables them to get both feet on each step. The seating accommodation has been made, in many instances, to suit the particular individual who was concerned in making the vehicle. All persons are not alike, and it requires an extensive knowledge to hit that happy medium which will enable people to sit in comfort on a narrow seat. The seats of many of the omnibuses exhibited are made without any inclination towards the back, and they would have been much more comfortable if the back rest had been deeper.
These points do not appeal to the man who is responsible merely for the design of the outside appearance of the car riage. He is anxious to give a good, light appearance to the body, and cuts down the waist rail ns low as he possibly can, forgetting that the object of the omnibus is to transport passengers, and that external appearance is a secondary matter. The object in view is the provision of light, and here he has improved on the old omnibus very considerably indeed; in fact, this has been carried so far that strength has, in many instances, been sacrificed to get a quarter of a square foot of extra space on each window, About one-half the exhibits are provided with windows to drop into the sides, so That air may be given to the interior. This is of considerable value, but it has the disadvantage that the occupants sit with one side of their faces and shoulders cold, while the other is warm; they are sitting sideways to the current of air—not the position which is most conducive to health.
In ventilation, nearly every omnibus had a different plan, and few that have such fittings are perfect in this respect. The double-deck omnibus with covered roof on the stand of the Motor Car Emporium (in) has the ventilators protected at the ends, thus directing the fresh air entering by the sides over the ceiling. In another omnibus, the frame over the side light is hinged at the bottom and turned inwards against supports at each end, which arrangement ensures that the air in entering the bus is thrown against the roof and not down upon the necks of the unfortunate passen gers who sit below. Some of the omnibuses have the windows pivoted in the centre, but this doss not give. su Ilicient direction to the current of air to keep them \veil ventilated without making a draught. One has venetian ieuvres fixed along the length of the side light, these being covered on the inside with a hinged panel, but the ends are.
lef uncovered so that the rush of air entering, although. troken by the venetians, is not driven against the roof.. Two of the omnibuses on the Milnes-Daimler stand, one of which has been built for the L. and NAV. Railway, are finished in a manner which has probably not been applied. Lo any public street vehicle before. A ceiling is fitted to, the interior of the bus, below the roof proper, and in this two ventilators are inserted : the ceiling finishes on the top rails, below the ventilators, and thus the current of air passing along the side of the omnibus draws the heated air from the interior through the ventilators. This is, perhaps, the most perfect system without an up draught.
The stairs to the roofs are much on the -Same pattern as those at present in use in ordinary street omnibuses. Some of the builders have, apparently, considered it advisable to. give a greater radius to the sweep of the staircase, and in this manner have provided a greater space between the back of the body and the inner frame of the staircase, thereby sheltering the conductor or providing some room for light luggage. The scats an the tops of the omnibuses arc very much of one pattern, and none of them could be said to be very comfortable; there is one instance where the backs are excessively high, whilst the scats are much too Iow and narrow. The extreme roundness of many roofs would appear to have been dictated by the thought that, as there are long-legged and short-legged people, it is necessary to makeseats to suit them; but to ensure that the right people shall get to the right places, it will be necessary to label the backs accordingly ! Great consideration might be given to. the outside passenger, so far as seating accommodation isconcerned, for, although the weather in England is beautiful during some months of the year, there are days when the rain is constant and insistent; it is in such circumstances that the supply of inside seats is not equal to the demand. One omnibus is shown with the top seats covered, but whether it will be possible to bring these into general use on the present form. of chassis, and with the restrictions hnposed by gravity centres, it is difficult to say with any degree of certainty, Even if the frames are kept as low as possible, such canopied upper decks present a very top-heavy appearance, and the experiments which have been tried in London with covered omnibuses have not been very encouraging. One omnibus has an arrangement for a cover to be drawn over the top, from front to back, and this does not have such a heavy appearance, though its efficacy as a shelter is open to question. Sir Ernest Cassel's private bus, on the -Milnes-Daimler stand, is fitted with round• cornered, phaeton seats on the top, and looks It is just possible that many of those firms who have commenced, building motor omnibus bodies have not fully considered all the requirements of the omnibus body when transferred from the horse-drawn under carriage to the selfpropelled chassis which is able to travel al from two to three times the speed over our uneven roads. The greater weight of the under carriage and the load carried has, naturally-, resulted in the provision of the heavier body, and it is the just distribution of the various framing timbers, and their relation to the strains which they have to bear, which will determine the length of the useful life of a motor omnibus body. In providing for the heavier loads and stresses,
stronger springs have had to be employed, and what this means tan-only be ascertained when there arc but one or two passengers in the vehicle. If the springs are of such strength as is necessary to carrythe fun load, they cannot yield so readily when the omnibus is empty. The conse quence is that they do not yield sufficiently to prevent the
body's being shaken to pieces before its time. This is a point which will only come hometo the omnibus -body
builders as the result of the increased experience which they are acquiring in connection with this trade. No .provision has been made for carrying light loads, neither, so• far as it is possible to. judge, has any more or less elastaz body been generally introduced between the under frame of the bodies and the steel frame of the chassis, although the solid rubber tyres are not adequate for all purposes.
Taking the omnibuses as a whole, they appear to be built of sound and suitable material, but it has yet to be demon. strated in actual service whether the proportions of these materials are such as are suitable to meet the requirements of the work which they have to do. For instance, in riding in one of the popular vehicles which are now running on the London streets, it is observable that considerable vibration is set up when travelling over the ordinary routes, only quarttr full, at the rapid pace accomplished; yet it is impossible to find evidencethat provision has been made to meet this, especially in view of the increased length of body, which is a most important point. The bodies du not appear to be as well plated as the horse-drawn omnibuses are, although the twisting and bending strains are greater; further, the vibration set up is very great, and will in time affect all the joints. It must be recollected that all the ,early electric tramcar bodies were too lightly built when that mode of traction was being, ml induced.
There is exhibited on the stand of Charles Jarrolt and Letts, Limited, an omnibus of French make and pattern. This omnibus differs chiefly in that the entrance is fm the off side, and not on the near side as is usual with us; the seats in the interior are lower and more comfortably cushioned than in any of the others, the roof has the old longitudinal seats which have almost disappeared from the London streets, and the staircase is narrow and rather awk_ ward, It says something for the enterprise of this company that it has ventured to bring over and show a French pattern of body. The premier place is undoubtedly that taken by the L. and N.V. Railway omnibus on the MilnesDaimler stand. This handsome pattern has just recently been introduced by Mr. C. thxlson, the omnibus builder of Horseferry Road, Westminster, and it is extremely interesting to find that, where the initial outlay is not the greatest consideration, an English firm, which has been .connected with the horse-drawn omnibus for so many years as this one, should have turned out a vehicle which has so much to commend it. It resembles a railway saloon carriage, More than an ordinary omnibus. The interior is trimmed in leather, with the upper part in polished mahogany; racks are provided for light parcels, and the ventilation has been referred to above; by drop-ping front and side windows, the interior is transformed to a semi-open carriage. The usual open entrance has been done away with by the adoption of sliding The heavy delivery vehicles exhibited are not so numerous: they are of various iratteros, some being completely boxed in, and others haying tilt hoops covered with waterproof canvas. In these, the ordinary wheelwright's practice is followed in the building, and experience alone will show whether this will undergo any modification, for there is a considerable difference, as has already been pointed out, in the strains to which they tire liable, as compared with the corresponding horse-drawn vehicles. The light delivery vans are, perhaps, of greater interest, as it is in these that further improvements in the chassis will be made before they become that ccmplete commercial success which is antici paled. The conditions of carrying and delivering domestic supplies require extreme care to prevent any objectionable fumes from the exhaust and burning oil from entering the interior of the body. A great many of the vans exhibited are provided with loose bottom boards, to enable the mechanic to get at any part of the machinery, but this is a decided objection from the tradesman's point of view l Some other means will have to be found, either by the speedy removal of the body or by lifting it, while preserving intact the structure of the body, to get at the machinery. This is accomplished in one case, where a light van has been made for a baker's business, the body being hinged at the back, so that it could be raised to enable anyone to get at the " works." In the majority of the light bodies exhibited, durability has been sacrificed to extreme lightness. There is a general absence of light corner plates at the joints, where they would have been put in the case of horse-drawn vehicles, and in cite or two cases only are the bodies adequately plated. No provision has been made for taking up the constant jar which will in time start all the joints. A very hancNome bodv made by Whitlock's, the carriage builders, is on a Crawshav-Williams chassis in the Main Hall. This is a departure from the usual practice in making this class of vehicle, and certainly gives a greatly-improved appearance, whilst making the body suffiCiently strong to stand the strains to which it must be subjected. The contrast between panels and frame proves that, given a good chassis, there will be a very large field for the wheelwright who studies the particular requirements for the body which is to do good service as part of a light motor van_ The painting and finishing of the vehicles on exhibition varies considerably, and it was too painfully evident that many of them had been finished in a great hurry; indeed, as not a few were not complete on the second day of the Show, 4 would scarcely be just to them to say very much about the i-haracter of the painting and varnishing. Many of the manufacturers have been extremely busy, and have had too short a time to prepare for this Show. The bodies which are placed on heavy steam vehicles are of varied pattern, the open platform and the completely enclosed being represented. With this class of vehicle, particular attention to weight and imperviousness to the fumes from the motor and to the weather is not so important; the weights they carry being chiefly of rough. and heavy goods, they do not demand finish so much as care that the strength shall be adequate to the work. Ilere again, however, notice must be taken of the fact that a load having some measure of elasticity in it is more easily conveyed than a solid load, say, of cement or flour; possibly, if a slightly elastic body were introduced between the framework of the chassis and the vehicle, an improvement would be made. Three special vehicles, which may be refetTed to separately, are exhibited. An ambulance for the Government, built by Messrs. Holmes and Company, of Margaret Street, to the specification of the War Office Hospitals Board, has the interior fitted to carry two patients on stretchers, one placed above the other, is on the Straker and Squire stand. Underneath the gallery carrying the bottom stretcher, a box has been placed providing accommodation for spare stretchers, and along the opposite side are seats on which four patients can be carried seated. The ambulance has accommodation for an orderly in the interior, and for another on the front seat, with the driver. The windows in the clere-story are pivoted to give ventilation, but whether the ventilation would be sufficient for a vehicle in constant use is open to doubt, and there appears to be hardly sufficient step room for the bearers when lifting the top stretcher into position. The difficulty of getting a low-hung ambulance, sufficiently wide to carry the stretcher and seated patients, on the present form of chassis will have to be overcome before these vehicles can become general in home and foreign service; the conditions in the cantonment or military camp would certainly be met by them in the form here presented. The ambulance exhibited on the stand of James and Browne, Limited, has been built to the specification of the Metropolitan Asylums Board, and it is intended to carry one patient lying down, with only one attendant in the in tenor. No special provision is made for insulating the body from the chassis, a point which should receive consideration. The specification has been, as is always the case with the work of the Metropolitan Asylums Board, closely followed by the builders, and all the panels are arrangedfor ready disinfection. On the Maudslay stand, there is exhibited one of a number of motor cars which has been supplied by that company for use in India. This van is intended to take the place of the present horse-drawn mail cart, and is provided with a box behind the driver's seat to carry the mails of the district only. The hind part is fitted up as a Nvagonettv, and over the whole and the driver's seat there is a roof, fitted on rods, carrying curtains which are made to enclose the interior in bad weather. The seats are of bent wood, suitably perforated, and there is no loose cloth or lining about to rot or encourage the inroads of insects. The lines of the body have been so proportioned as to give a very handsome appearance to the whole, and the vehicle, with its large wheels and compact form, has a very smart appearance. It is painted the Post Office red, and bears the Imperial and Royal cypher on the panels. The Lacre Motorcar Company, Limited, exhibits (in the wood and iron) a commercial traveller's brougham. This is a particular type of carriage which has been designed by this company to meet the requirements of commercial travellers who carry samples with them. The body is about the SiZe of a double brougham; the doors, however, being well to the front leave a large amount of room available in the interior for the conveyance of samples and other goods. Space is provided underneath the seat, in the box, under the floor-board, behind the passengers' heads, and elsewhere, for the carriage of parcels, both bulky and small. The interior is fitted with two writing tables, which fold down against the front, the ledge above them having receptacles for pens, ink, etc. A very comfortable front seat is provided, which would certainly be improved by the addition of an extension front, for use in bad weather; commercial travellers who make useof these carriages have to continue their work irrespective of the weather. The designers of these bodies have had to consider several points which are not generally thought of as necessary : sufficient accommodation for the occupant, provision for a fair amount of samples, a light body and yet one sufficiently strong to stand the wear and tear of such work. The builders have succeeded in making a very excellent vehicle, and have made liberal use of the built-up panels which are now coining into such general use. Finally, the steam tipping body and gear of the Jesse Ellis wagon is excellently arranged, and provides an economical system of unloading contractors' material, or other stores of that nature.