Charcoal-gas-driven Railcars.
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T"gas-producer industry continues to make. steady .progress in France. An interesting recent development is the use of charcoal as a fuel for railcars.The Chemins de Per du Midi have fitted gas .producers to the railcars operating on one of their branch lines in the Department of Lot et Garonne. The particular service in question runs between Tonneins and Sos, a distance of about 50 kilometres.
The railcars are made by Horne et Buire, of Lyons; they are fitted with Ballot engines, and the gas producers have been supplied by the Societe Frangaise de Gazogenes, of Paris.
The latter firm was one of the first in France to specialize in the manufacture of charcoal gas producers for automobiles. Their . appliance, which is known as the." Autogaz " machine, was described some years ago in these columns. It has since undergone considerable mollification and improvement.
/338 The generator has a horizontal furnace and includes a small boiler, as water vapour is used.
The arrangements for washing and purifying the gas have been carefully studied. The gas undergoes four separate cleaning processes before it reaches the engine. The first compartment in the purifier contains water. From this compartment gas passes upwards through a second one, which is filled with broken cork. The cork dries the gas and extracts much of the dust. From the cork compartment the gas descends and is bubbled through paraffin, finally rising through a compartment filled with spiral steel scrap.
Considerable weight reduction has been effected in recent Autogaz models, both in the purifier and generator.
A very neat set has been designed for use with the Fordson tractor. This machine was exhibited in the agricultural machinery section of the recent
Foire de Paris. The generator is mounted in front of the radiator, and the purifying apparatus behind the driving seat.
The Autogaz mixing valve for starting up on petrol and turning over to gas has been redesigned and is now quite a small and compact arrangement.
Amongst Autogaz machines for special purposes is a type for use on motor-driven contractors' locomotives. This has already met with a fair measure of success. The standard type of Autogaz machine for lorries and tractors weighs under 6 cwt. complete.
The average fuel consumption claimed is 600 grammes of charcoal per h.p.horn.. This type has met with very great favour in the French colonies, and the greater proportion of the " repeat orders" received by the makers come from abroad. Autogaz machines are manufactured at 17-19, Rue d'Ouessant, Paris 15e.