NEW A.E.C. SHORT-WHEELBASE TROLLEY-BUS.
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Produced to Meet the Demand for a Trolley-bus with a Short-turning Radius and with Pneumatic Tyres.
A'the sphere of the trolley-bus extends (and it is doing so with greater rapidity than is generally realized in the motor industry) the call is more insistent for a vehicle which can be easily manceuvred in narrow streets, can turn sharp corners, and can be taken over rough road surfaces. Such a vehicle can go into areas impossible for tramcars because of their size or for solid-tyred .buses because of excessive vibration. With a view to meeting this new demand the Associated Equipment Co., Ltd., of Walthamstow, London, E.17, have recently altered the layout of their model 603 trolley-bus, incorporating a short wheelbase and providing it with large pneumatic tyres.
The wheelbase of this model used to be it ft. 6 ins., with an overall frame length of 22 ft. 84 ins. The wheelbase has now been reduced to 10 ft. 84 ins., the over-hang at the rear being• 6 ft. as before. The wheel track has also been widened from 5 ft. 2 ins, at the front to 6 ft. 4 ins, and from 5 ft. 74 ins, at the rear to 6 ft. 14 ins. It will thus be seen that the dimensions make for greater stability.
The tyres with which the chassis is equipped are: Front, 34 ins. by 7 ins.; rear, 36 ins. by 6 ins. twin.
The design of the chassis follows in the main the usual A.E.C. practice. The I-section front axle is a stamping in 45-50-ton nickel steel, and the rear axle easing, carrying overhead worm-drive transmission, is a steel casting. with -vanadium-steel axle tubes pressed in.
The motor is one of the induced ventilated type manufactured by Bull Motors, Ltd., developing 50 h.p. at 500 volts-1,000 r.p.m. The temperature rise does not exceed 75 dogs. C. after one hour's run at full load, starting from cold, and the motor operates sparklessly with an accelerating current of 160 amueres with full field and a current of 120 amperes with the field shunted to the extent of 33i per cent.
The controller .(of the drum type, made by the Electro Mechanical Brake Co. is operated by means of a pedal, which is arranged with six plainseries accelerating notches and provided
with a separate drum suitably interlocked for reversing. It is operated in conjunction with the A.E.C. patent automatic governor control. The rheostat is an E.M.B. unbreakable, jointless and rustless grid-type resistance, mounted between steel sides and 'fitted with small-mesh ventilating covers.
The trolley gear consists of Estler's concentric-type trolley base, fitted with 18-ft. steel poles and swivelling trolley heads. The switch gear consists of two circuit breakers, one contactor (for operating the field shunt in conjunction with the A.E.C. governor) and the necessary lighting switches for the driving and interior lights.
• The chassis is fitted with a 30-seater body of the one-man-operated type, and ample room is allowed for a large number of standing passengers. The spring cushion seats are covered with serviceable leather, which extends also to the back-rests. The body was constructed by Messrs. Strachan and Brown and embodies this firm's patent drop windows, emergency exit at the rear, and driver-operated entrance.