Specialized Vehicles at the Paris Fair
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Although More Normal Types are Not Exhibited at the Paris Fair, There is an Assembly of Vehicles for Use in Public Works
THE engine and specialized-vehicle section at the annual Foire de Paris, last week, was even larger than usual and contained many novel and interesting exhibits. Ordinary goods vehicles do not appear at the 1:air, but a large area of the grounds is always devoted to types employed in public works, i.e., excavating, pile-driving, road-making, etc.
In this department of civil engineering, the oil engine has achieved an overwhelming supremacy, and whilst, for many years, French manufacturers were content either to use imported engines or to build under licence, they are now developing designs of their own with much success,
Road-snaking machinery exhibited was largely of American origin, although many machines, such as road rollers, pusher-scrapers, etc., were built under British
licences. Power rollers are always a strong feature at this show and amongst them was an interest4ng novelty exhibited by Albret et Cie,, one of the most important roller concerns in France. This was a handy little machine for work in sports grounds, parks, etc., or even for garden work.
The power unit comprises a modern single-cylindered fan. cooledpetrol engine with substantial flywheel, anctembodying such features as overhead valves and a light-alloy head. Transmission includes a multiple-disc clutch and threespeed gearbox. There are two independent brakes, with foot and hand control, and the complete machine, which is particularly well turned-out, weighs approximately 15 cwt.
Another striking exhibit, in this section of the Fair, was a big snow-plough by the F.A.C.E. concern of CorbeilEssenne. This appliance has an oil engine driving a rotary cutter, with spiral scoops, which is mounted transversely at the front. The scoops are capable of attacking hard frozen snow and their spiral form causes the snow to be thrown out at high velocity through chutes on each side.
It is due to the use of snow-ploughs of this type that so many main roads in the mountain districts of France are now kept open all the year round, instead of being closed to traffic for several months.
Fire-fighting appliances of all kinds were displayed, as usual, by the Delahaye and Renault concerns, but on this occasion no special novelties were noted. Mobile cranes and self-propelled excavating machines were shown in great numbers, the former being mostly of French make and the latter almost all American,