THE TRAILER FOR MOBILE CATERING.
Page 11
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The Advantages of the Trailer Over the Power-driven VEhicle. Developments Brought About by Speed and Mobility
QOME years ago we heard a pan
technieon proprietor and a funeral furnisher, in the local Conservative club, discuss the merits of the motor vehicle and mutually agree that in their particular trades or industries motors would be uneconomical and even totally unnecessary. One argued that he was only busy around quarter days and tile other asserted that his passengers were never-in a hurry. Both have lived long enough to close down their stables and to house theig vehicles in garages. One would -almost have telt justified in expecting the local coffee stall keeper to have joined in the conversation and completed an unprogressive trio, for any access of mobility would not have been considered necessary or even desirable for the coffee stall that takes up a pitch late at night, and is moved back to its depot (perhaps in an adjacent street) at' six in the morning.
But. the attributes of speed and mebilty have revolutionized the coffee stall. It now goes far afield, is taken to race meetings, sports gatherings, garden fkes, and boat. races, and it follows troops on manceuvres.
As a matter of fact, outdoor catering is a great garfible in this country, with Unreliability of weather and uncertainty of the attendance of the buying public, so that speed in a coffee stall isdecidedly 'useful in enabling the vehicle to be run back to depot and to return to its pitch should circumstances warrant.
Better still is the idea of separating the power unit from the coffee stall, and utilizing the former as a means of getting quickly to the sales pitch, and as a tender to bring fresh supplies if re
quired. The trailer can then be constructed in such a way as to give more working room, and to have At much lower floor and counter and more headroom—each one of which is a distinct advantage. Mobile stalls of this character are employed by Mr. Louis Connolly in London, and after six months' usa have proved so successful that flarthet orders for vehicles of the kind have! been
placed. A single haulage vehicle can deal with a number of these stalls, taking them individually to their pitches at nightfall and retrieving them in the morning, and acting as a tender should supplies run out prematurely.
We illustrate one of Mr. Connolly's mobile stalls. Its overall length is 15 ft., and its body dimensions 12 ft. by 5 ft. 6 ins. Its counter is only 3 ft. 6 ins, from the ground, and the headroom for the counter hands is 6 it. 7 ins., so that there is no restriction anywhere. In fact, ,three counter hands can serve and attend to customers, and a very large number of meals can be served.
An old chassis frame with cranked axles moved to as near the ends of the frame as is possible (the springs _being quite short) serves the purpose of a foundation, and the cross-members are dropped -so as to provide room for the well which has only a few inches of
ground clearance. The front wheels steer on the Ackerman principle, a drawbar hinged on the front axle turning the steering wheels through the front connecting rod.
The body is built of metal panels
an ash frame, with mullion lights all round the frieze. There are two large flaps which act as shelters to customers standing at the counter, and close the vehicle when it is out of use. A divided door at the rear end permits an extra small serving counter to be put into service, and in the latest vehicle to be built there is also a serving window at, the off side.
The interior is fitted with an oil stove at the forward end, screened off with aluminium sheet, and below the counter on the one side and below the shelves on the other are washing places and cupboards with sliding doors for food, stores, crockery, etc. Three largo shelves, fitted with glass slide fronts, hold the sandwiches, cakes and other foodstuffs, dainties being displayed in narrow trays, which each have a place. Cups hang on hooks, and bottles of Oro and mineral waters are also set out., whilst on the counter is a large glass "barrel " of lemonade. The interior is lighted with incandescent petrol gas mantles, or with electric lamps fed from storage batteries. Provision is made. for
20 gallons of water. The vehicle is enamelled white inside, and after various experiments white enamelled iron has been chosen for the counter thp. The appearance of the vehicle is particularly smart, and one is assured that an nusually good class of customer is attracted by it The builders are Redrics, 68, High Street, Battersea, London, S.W. 11, who are registering the design.