Contributions from Drivers and Mechanics.
Page 18
Page 19
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Ten Shillings Weekly for the Best Communication Received, and One Penny a Line of ten words for anything else published.
Drivers of commercial motors, and mechanics and foremen of garages or shops, who are engaged in any branch of the industry, are invited to contribute short, personal experiences, opinions, or suggestions, on subjects which are likely to Prove of in'erest to our readers. We shalt be glad to hear of anything interesting that has come under any driver's or mechanic's notice, either en the shops or on the road. Long and successful runs; services with no "lost journeys " ; workshop tips and smart repairs : all are suitable subjects. Send us a post-card, OP a letter, or a sketch—no matter how short, or how written, or how worded. We will " knock it into shape" before publication. When writing, it is as well to mention your employer's name, as a guarantee of bona fides (not for publication), and to state whether you wish your own name, or initials only, to be Published. Mark your envelope " and M.," aid address it to The Editor, "Tee COMMERCIAL Moron," 7-15, Rosebery Av.nue, London, E.C.
The Drivers' Choke. A Wolseley Partisan.
" R.J.H." (Cricklewood) writes :—" I have been a regular reader of the ' C.M. for nearly three years, and I was
very interested in the letter sent in by Hammersmith Bridge ' recently. I have driven four types of motorbuses since 19°4, and I have come to the conclusion that I like the Wolseley better than any of the others. Now that the few original faults which developed have been satisfactorily modified, I consider it the most durable and reliable machine on the market. It is easy to drive and to look after, and it wilt stand a great deal more rough handling than most other types : the Wolseley people certainly do put some good stuff into their work. The water circulation is first class : there is no pump spring to constantly come off. If your fan-belt comes off, you can complete several journeys without one. A Wolseley bus never steams at the radiator, and only wants a drop of water every five or six journeys. With regard to ignition, once your trembler coil blades and screws are set, you can run for weeks, whereas, with another make, the blade on the contact breaker keeps falling out or wants renewing. The change-speed gear is very easy, as, if the clutch stop is properly adjusted, changes can be made with the Maximum of ease and quietness. I am neither a Samson nor an Apollo. The engine starts up very easily, and pulls away quickly under load. The Wolseley is a British bus, made throughout in England, and I consider that, for a man who has to get his -riving by the journey system, he cannot, if he has the chance, make a better choice than the Wolseley."
A Vanguard Driver's Opinion.
".MILNES-DAIMI,F.R DRIVER " (Kentish Town) sends the following contribution :—" I should like to say a few words relative to the driving of motorbuses, in answer to the in. teresting remarks about the De Dion written in an earlier issue by Hammersmith Bridge.' .I have not had his long experience, but for the last 19 months I have been with the
Vanguard Company, driving a Daimler, and I contend that if properly looked after a Milnes-Daimler is as reliable and easy a car to drive as any make of bus on the road. The only drawback is that it is not such a clean machine to drive as the De Dion. Ignition trouble is easier to locate on the L.T. system than on the H.T. system of any make. I, however, had one peculiar experience with my ignition as fol
lows got a bad short, but could not locate the trouble for a long time. I eventually took off the bus-bar, and connected up from the magneto to plugs direct with complete success. I subsequently found that there was a large hole worn in one of the fibre blocks, so that the bus-bar was touching a stud on the top of the back cylinder, causing a short. We, of course, get big ends ' on the Daimlers now and then ; but, taking everything into consideration, I consider the Milnes-Daimler is the best motorbus at present for easy driving and a good day's work."
["E.asy driving and a good day's work" are, of course, points on which a driver should he particularly well able to ventilate his opinions. What have the drivers of Metropolitan and General Steamers and the Electrobnses to say on these points?—ED.]
A Conductor's Opinion of Traffic Inspectors.
Suggested New Routes.
A conductor in the service of one of the London companies, writing under the doubtfully euphonious nom-deplume of " BLUGGINS " (Albion Street, E.), has sent us the following :—" I am a conductor of a motorbus, and, thanks to a very hardy constitution and possession of a large portion of the patience which is usually ascribed to Job, still manage—in spite of my job—to keep a smiling face. I am bold enough to sendyou this letter, although, strictly speaking, I am neither a driver nor a mechanic ; .but I have turned more handles in the past two years than I did before that in thirty, and have helped so Many of my drivers to patch things up, that, in View of Our weekly offer of.a prize, I thought I would riskmy qualifications, and send you a sug gestion or two. If you are in doubt, put me down as a conductor-mechanic. I am more concerned with routes than radiators, strictly speaking, and 1 am of opinion that many a conductor could put the companies on to good things in the way of routes, if they were only given the opportunity. Who knows which way the most traffic goes, and where it can be picked up, much better than the conductor? Very few; not even the hopelessly-incompetent traffic inspectors that some of the companies keep prowling about the streets. " I remember one of these (he used to be a conductor himself once), who used to send in yards of reports to the office, about every slight stoppage of a motorbus, and he would word his reports= such-and-such a bus broke down2Min., Kilburn—magneto out of order—neglect of duty on part of night staff in garage.' He didn't know a magneto from a mummy, of course. He would have made a better miller than a traffic inspector; and he is the kind of man on whom many companies depend for their information as to the development of new routes, etc. " I suggest that one of the Holborn-Oxford Circus lines be run down King William Street and across London Bridge to the Elephant. This would take a lot of traffic from the City and South London and the Central Tubes. London Bridge is very badly served at present towards Holborn and the West End. My other suggestion is, that the Central motorbuses, on their Sunday service from Hampton Court to Charing Cross, be made to run through Shepherd's Bush to Richmond, instead of via Kew; they would. carry a great many more passengers. " I am sure many conductors, if allowed to do so, would be glad to make suggestions for improvements of existing routes which are, in many cases, not paying their way."
We see no objection to conductors sending to us imitable contributions for this page, Many conductors are almost mecanicierm after a year or two on the seat—En.]
Thornycroft Steamer Runs Home without its H.P. Piston Ring.
The sender of Me following communication is awarded the Ws. prize this week.
G. HAZELWOOD (Wandsworth) writes the following letter : " I have recently been driving a Thornycroft steam wagon, and have had to have a few repairs executed. Amongst other things, I had a new H.P. piston rod fitted. The incident I am writing to you about happened when I had completed about four miles out of a five-mile journey at fair speed. suddenly heard a bad knock in the engine and, of course, stopped the machine at once, put her out of gear, and turned the flywheel by hand, but I heard nothing wrong. I then tried steam in her while the gear was out, and still I gat no result; but, directly I got on the footplate, and set her ' alight' in the low gear, the knock seemed worse. I took the side plate off, hut the H.P. crosshead was all tight. I suspected the H. R cylinder, for, as I have told you, I had had a new rod in that side. I, last of all, took the back cover off, and found the junk plate adrift From the piston, so I took it out, and the rings as well. I put the cover back, 'and ran the engine out of gear, which showed me I had, luckily, broken nothing vital. I was then able, on the slow gear, to take my load of bricks to its destination. found it was a job to drive the engine backwards, but I succeeded in taking the wagon home in her crippled state, though I burnt a great deal of fuel," [The H.P. cylinder was barely assisting the L.P. cylinder at all. We suppose the driver was admitting live steam to his L.P. steam chest. The fuel consumption is, of course, easily accounted for by the necessity for running on the slow gear, as the load was hauled by the single cylinder only, and then only a part of the energy was being got out of the steam.—ED.]
Why I Prefer Cab Driving.
" OLD Bus DRIVER " (Catford) sends the following letter: —" Having experience of both cab and bus driving, I should say that the taxicab driver is better off than any other motor driver, not even excepting the chauffeur on a private car. I ant therefore not surprised to find that Many of the old motorbus drivers have given up, their jobs,in favour • Ofcab work: The work is lighter, the pay is better, arid. the occupation more pleasant. A driver finds the monotony of driving a bus over the same route, day after day, very trying. if, however, he becomes a London cab driver, he may get a run down to the further suburbs or to Brighton, and he may occasionally force a little fresh air into his lungs in this way. " I consider that motorbus driving is not very healthy, as there is so little protection afforded the driver. I recently had a long bout of rheumatic fever, which I entirely attribute to exposure while driving a motorbus. My ambition is to drive and own my own motorcab, and, in my opinion, there will be, before long, a number of driver-owners ill the London streets. The risks were too great with horses, but you can insure a motorcab."
i" Old Bus Driver" must remember that the omnibus driver has regular employment and probably, on the 1, hole, shorter hours than the cab driver, As taxicabs increase, their drivers will have to work harder to earn the fares which, at the present time, are not very diMcult to obtain. The prospects ot a Brighton trip are alluring to a townsman—in the stunmer. We are unable to understand why a inotorbus driver's job should be more unhealthy than that of a taxicab chauffeur. Surely the cab has the more exposed seat —ED.]
The First Cricklewood Motorbus (1902). E. HAMMOND (Newton Road, Cricklewood) gives an account of one of the earliest public motor services in Lo.loon, in the course of the following letter :—" Considering the extent of the motorbus service to the Cricklewood district at the present time, has occurred to me that it might interest many of your readers if I sent you an account of the first motorbus to run down the Edgware Read.
"The machine was a 6h.p. Daimler, with tube ignition, and was fitted with a phaeton body; it was licensed to carry three passengers. The service was commenced, on ist February, 19o2, by the Middlesex Motor Carriage Company, of Waim Lane, Willesden, and the route was from Cricklewood to the Marble Arch, via Brondesbury, Kilburn, and Maida Vale. There were no penny fares and the charges were: all the way, :-7ixpence; to Elgin Avenue, threepence. The engine behaved very well, and the chief trouble experienced with it arose from an occasionally choked burner. The gearbox turned out to be unfitted for public-servicework and eventually its failure was the cause of the car's being taken oft' the road. New speed gear-rings had to be fitted very frequently. But, taking the performance all round, I am of opinion that this early machine was not far short of the modern omnibus for reliability, although, of course, its carrying capacity was not excessive.
" As the driver of the car, I can truthfully state that on no occasion was it necessary for me to shed my passengers. A little time after this service was suspended, some:-Daim.:-.. lers, of the same type, but fitted with wagonette bodies, were put into service by another owner; next, the single deck Pioneer ' vehicles took up the running, to be followed by the large number of modern machines which appeared at the time of the `. boom.' I enclose two:tickets.which Were
used for the early servicel have described." • :1
[We illustrate the_tieket which E. Earomond sent' to us, and, as an intereSV tog contrast, lute have also included.orie of the new, sixpenhy, -date tickets wank-, are in use on the latest London service—the Pullman.—EDd