Gyreacta Diffieulties • 4 •i . Described..
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DEVELOPMENT difficulties associated . with the Gyreacta transmission. system for large passenger vehicles were described by Sir William Black, chairman of A.E.C., Ltd., to the Omnibus Society, in_London, on Tuesday. Sir William is the Society's president for 1960.
He said that the gyroscopic effect of a 200-1b. flywheel running at about 15,000 r.p.m. was such that if a vehicle so_ equipped were to run over a humpbacked bridge it would be airborne for some time, and possibly not land pointing in the same direction as when it left the ground. In an accident which caused the flywheel to break away, it would "go through a city like an atom bomb."
Sir William was speaking about the evolution of passenger vehicles and factors affecting their fiesign. He said that fundamental matters such as the location of the engine and entrance had to be settled well beforehand either with great foresight or by " a lucky guess."
A prototype front-entrance doubledecker, built shortly before the war by A.E.C., was not favourably received. The major criticism was stated to be the danger of a passenger's being run over by the front wheels.
The company abandoned the project, but the subsequent success of the Leyland Atlantean proved how wrong they were to have done so, he _admitted.
SAFETY TAILBOARDS SHOW
A DEMONSTRATION of tailboards 1-1. 5 in. deep and bearing diagonal strips of red reflector tape is to be held on the Mepal Road, Chatteris. Cambs. on February 4 at 6 p.m. by Mr. T. C. Williams, Chief Constable of the Isle of
Ely. He considers that such boards reduce the possibility of collisions with stationary commercial vehicles to which they are fitted.
Experiments with tailboards of this type on vehicles of the Metal Box Co., Ltd., Wishech, show that they can be seen from up to 300 yards in the light of headlamps. Mr. F. W. Bishop, traffic manager of the company's Wisbeeh depot, has said that the tailboards may be fitted to the vehicles of the company's other bases throughout the country.
STRIKE OF B.R.S. MEN ENDS THE unofficial strike of British Road Services workers came to an end on Wednesday morning when 124 men at Thornaby-on-Tees returned to work. They were the last men to restart, following protests over conditions in the new 30-mph. agreement. The remaining strikers, in London, went back to work the previous day.
GUIDE TO E.F.T.A.
ACOMPLETE guide to the European Free Trade 'Association was published on Wednesday by the Federation of British Industries, .21_Tothill__ Street,
London. .R sets out tbe: 'Objects of the Stockholm ConVention,' and deals with-the sections covering import duties and quotas. The book costs 7s. 6d.