1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180 
SEATS and SEATING
Page 116
Page 117
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
of Passenger Vehicles
How Seat Design and Construction Contribute to the Comfort of Coach and Bus Passengers. Some Modern Proprietary Products
IN so far as the travel-by-road habit has obtained such a strong hold on the public no excuse is needed for putting forward the view that the present-day popularity of the coach and bus is largely founded on the high degree of travelling comfort which is provided. Many features may be said to contribute to this end, but the type of seat employed is one of outstanding importance, not only in the matter of the shape which is favoured, but also in the class of foundation used for cushion and back squab and in the style of finish adopted.
During recent years seats and seating on passenger vehicles have improved out of all recognition and to-day, even on the regular-service bus operating in industrial districts, the comfort obtainable is usually much better than that offered by the third-class railway com
nartment. Moreover, on vehicles engaged on long-distance services the ease and freedom given by comfortably sprung, nicely shaped and wellupholstered seats is often superior to first-class railway facilities.
In connection with the latter class of vehicle, one has to remember that many night services are now in operation and the class of seat which is satisfactory for daytime use does not necessarily meet the requirements of night travel. During the day the average road traveller finds an interest in the changing surroundings and provided a seat is well sprung, suitably raked and does not unduly constrict the limbs, he or she is content. In the dark hours, however, when only the interior surroundings afford some measure of relief, other features, such as head rolls, adjustable backs, etc., give added comfort.
Following up this line of thought, but
drifting for a moment from the subject of seats, it should always be remembered that at night soft colours are most restful and that a monotone or fine-pattern class of upholstery, which harmonizes with the general scheme of decoration, is preferable to gaudy, multi-coloured coverings. Then, again, a material such as moquette, which is now available in a wide range of styles
08 and colour combinations, has a warmer appearance and makes for greater cosfness than, say, a plain leather covering.
One of the most interesting types of seat which we have seen is that patented by Lamplugh Spring Seats, Ltd., Bushey Mill Lane, Watford. This company's product is a radical departure from the chief methods of construction (coil-spring and pneumatic) and consists in building the seat and back squab from specially tempered springsteel slats (made from chromium steel), these being shaped to give the right
degree of comfort and resilience. .
One of the most advanced forms of the company's seat cushion consists in the use of a shaped layer of spongerubber over the steel slats ; this method of construction is shown in one of our illustrations. This combination dispenses with all other stuffing materials and is clean and hygienic. Trimming in the ordinary sense is done away with, the sponge-rubber being simply secured to the spring frame.
In the Lamplugh back squabs the spring members conform to the -shape of the body, ample support being. given to the shoulders and spine. Only one layer of felt or wadding is required. The company's type of back squab lends itself to the employment of a stowaway arm-rest.
Sponge-rubber as a seating medium has been on the market for several years and a company which has stressed its merits is Sorb° Rubber-sponge Pro
ducts, Ltd., Woking. Seat cushions, squabs and arm-rests are built up of laminations of the material, each layer being staggered to ensure adequate resiliency at every single point of contact. Pile emetic cushions have come well to the fore on passenger vehicles and in this connection the products of David Moseley and Sons, Ltd., Chapel Field Works, Ardwick, Manchester, have achieved much success. The salient feature of this company's Float-on-Air cushion is the patented tubular construction, which, it is claimed, allows an unusually low air pressure to be used. The air tubes are arranged in folds and are inflated' to a pressure slightly above that of the atmosphere ; a patent type of valve is used. The pressure is so low that re
bound is avoided. We illustrate a normal two-seat cushion for bus work and a feature to note is the separately inflated tubes at each end, which make the sides non-collapsible.
To return to the subject of seats, G. D. Peters and Co.. Ltd., 8, Central Buildings, Westminster, London, S.W.1, can be mentioned as a supplier of a wide range. The company's seat, which we illustrate, has been developed for use in long-distance vehicles, an unusual feature being the incorporation of a detachable head-rest, which avoids the passenger's head being strained either backwards or forwards ; it is thus eminently suitable for use in night-service coaches. A neatly arranged table is fitted into the back and below this the back is recessed, so as to give the maximum knee space.
The Peters Ascot combination seat cushion is worthy of note by those operators who place a high value on passengers' comfort. It consists of two spring frames in a unit, the lower portion of the cushion being made up of fairly substantial springs which are designed to absorb road shocks, whilst the upper portion consists of soft springs which adapt themselves to the contour of the passenger. This cushion can be fitted to any type of Peters seat, or supplied for including in bodybuilders' seat framings.
Improving the Seat Edge.
The Forster spring-coil-edge seat frame, which we illustrate, is made by Eisen and Robbins, Ltd., Canal Street
Mills, Long' Eaton. The hard, wire frame, which is generally used on the top edge of seat frames, is replaced by a special coil consisting of inner and outer cores of closely, wound spring wire. This provides an extremely resilient front edge, as the coil responds easily but only where pressure is applied. The coil always springs back to its original position when the seat is not in,Rie. This eliminates the onshapely appearance of ordinary cushionS.
.The company supplies either seat fraMes. or completely upholstered seats. One of the most popular types of seat produced by Siddall and Hilton, Ltd., Sowerby Bridge, is known as the G.S. model; it is well suited for use in service buses. It is light, yet robust in construction and embodies in its design a strong, pressed-steel pedestal leg. The back is fully sprung and is carried
between two rigid metal supports. Covering and other details can be made to suit specific requirements.
The Nesta range of scats is made by Nests, Ltd., Brunswick Square, Tottenham, London, N.17, the Equipment and Engineering Co., Ltd., 2 and 3, Norfolk Street, London, W.C.2, act ing as sales agent. The company's
seats are strong and light and are built with an eye to beauty of line without the sacrifice of comfort. Many models are available, but the one .which we illustrate is a de luxe pattern for longdistance coaches. It is built as a unit, but each passenger, has an individual cushion and back-rest. A lightweight bus seat, styled N.L.B. 104,weighs 'under 30 lb. In this model the back is .independently sprung. Many. of the Nesta seats have deep,. double-spring cases, 'but..one, type. N.T. 193, has a single case in which the cushion it sup.
ports by two pressed-metal legs, to whic two bent tubes, rigidly holding
the cat back., are secured..
Th Lace Web Spring Co., Ltd., Sand acre,. near Nottingham, Manufactures Buoyant seats, a special de luxe patte n having. a double-spring case, sprin rolls and separate spring squabs. It is made to any size required, with wood or pressed-steel pedestals. Semibucke seats, made in pairs, and Pull, man triple seats also figure in the comp ny's range.
Another well-known maker of seats is Cassel and Keeble, Ltd., Lenton, Nottingham, which supplies seats, uphol stered and ready for trimming, from 10s. and trimiped complete, from £3 7s. (Id
A. Sideways-sliding Seat.
Amongst the leading bodybuilders which market special seats is Duple Bodies and Motors, Ltd., The Hyde, London, N.W.9. The Duple patent sear moves inward towards the gangway as a result of combined weight and pressure when two bulky passengers occupy it. So soon as the load is partly or wholly removed, the seat moves outward towards the windows, thbs increasing the gangway width.
Several other bodybuilders also employ seats of their own design, amongst them being Strachans (Acton), Ltd., Wales Farm Road, Acton, London, W.3.
Apart from suppliers of complete seats, there are several concerns which market seat mechanisms and seat pedestals. The Brown chair leg, which is made by E. G. Brown and Co., Ltd., West . Road, London, N.17, is made from pressed steel of high tensile strength, and it is so shaped that it does not impede the work of cleaning down the floor. R. Disturnal and Co., Bridge Works, Wednesbury, also makes a range of pressed-steel legs for passenger-vehicle scats.
The Leveroll mechanism, which is well known by reason of its use in many pleasure cars, is now available for the driver's seat of coaches and buses, the commercial model being known as the Busella. It is designed so as to alleviate fatigue and it can be raised or lowered, as may be required, remaining perfectly rigid in any position. It is available in two typos, the S model weighing 8 lb. and the l3 model 7 lb. This Class of mechanism is produced by A. W. Chapman, Ltd., Itruielagh Gardens, London, S.W.I.
A company supplying hair padding in sheet form is Trost (London), Ltd., 45, Hatton Garden, London, E.C.1. It is economical in use and gives even upholstering.
Seat coverings are available in a variety of materials, including moquette, leather, leather cloth rattan, rep and
certain combinations of them. Simpliers of moquettes include Lister and Co., Ltd., Manninghain Mills, Bradford, and John A. Wood, Ltd., liar. purhey, Manchester, which market smart and stylist patterns in a variety of colour schemes. Fabricord is a material largely used for seat coverings, and over 40 different grainings and colourings are prepared by the Welin-Higgins Co., Ltd., Grosvenor Road, Coventry. It is a durable product which requires washing only With soap and water to clean.