T. C. Aveling and Co., Ltd.
Page 14
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Exhibit:—Single-cglinder, paraffin-driven Lorry by Broom and Wade.
Those who attended the late Trials of the Royal Automobile Club will be glad to renew their acquaintance with a sister vehicle to the Broom and Wade, single-cylinder, paraffin .lorry,.. which so persistently and patiently pursued its lonely course—finally to success in London. The chief claims made by Mr. T. C. Aveling for his pro-, ttg-t . are that : (a) by employing a paraffin engine of the latest type, which embodies many developments suggested by modern petrol-engine .design, his lorries can and do successfully compete with steam-driven wagons in point of low fuel cost ; (b) at the same time,. they do not suffer the same liMitations. of range of action due to fuel capacity under which the steam-wagon labours. The lower tare. weight of the 3-ton machine, and its consequent higher legal speed, are formidable weapons with which tO encounter its chosen rival—the steam lorry. Its simplicity " is undeniable, and the fact that it does not possess any of the refinements of a pleasure-car chassis in no way militates against it. Broadly speaking, the mechanism consists solely of a large, single-cylinder, paraffin engine,
provided with a two-speed transmission gear, which is all mounted on a robust and simple running frame. The adoption of the single cylinder wa.--; certainly a bold stroke, but it brought with it certain outstanding advantages for this class of work, and these are calculated to equip it for the specific service its manufacturers intend it to undertake. The single-cylinder engine reduces the number of working parts to a remark able extent, and the employment of paraffin as a fuel brings the cost under that head down to 5d. per gallon, or less. So far as our present knowledge is Concerned, and unless sonic very radical alteration takes place in the design of internal-combustion engines, it would be difficult indeed to reduce the number of working parts below the number found on this interesting wagon. The general idea pervading the design has been to obtain the maximum possible power with the fewest possible parts, sacrificing refinements wherever possible, and then to get as much of that power as was humanly possible to the road wheels.
Better than anything we can say about this original machine is the unsolicited testimony of Bentley's Yorkshire Breweries, Ltd., which company has the original Trial vehicle in its service, and has, we understand, experi. merited with all types of commercial road automobiles, We have only space for, a short extract :—" The running Costs are very low indeed, and we have had practically no mechanical troubles we have formed a very favourable opinion as to its capabilities."