The Motor Drivers News.
Page 31
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How the Little Giant assists Horses on Anerley Hill, " Nemo " (Catford) draws our attention to the excellent work that is being done by a small tractor as an auxiliary on steep hills, in the following letter :—" I am able to sendvou some particulars of a well-known make of steam tractor, which will demonstrate the efficiency of this type of selfpropelled vehicle. The tractor in question has been doing splendid work, for the last live years, in assisting overloaded horse-drawn vehicles up the Anerley and Norwood hills. The tractor was bought by some ladies of Norwood, at one of the Crystal Palace shows, for the sum of 1:354, and it has been running almost every day since that time, hauling up loads of from one ton to five tons. The repairs and maintenance bills come to about l'iso per annum, and, last year, the machine assisted no fewer than 510 horse-drawn wagons and lorries up the two hills mentioned above.
" The upkeep does not amount to much more than that of one chain horse, whilst, on the other hand, the tractor does the work of at least four horses. The engine shed is just outside the Norwood entrance to the Crystal Palace. Attached to the outside of this shed is a box for public donations, and drivers, whose horses have been helped, are expected to give a trifle towards expenses, although money is not demanded from anyone. The amount accumulating from these two sources does not, of course, cover the cost of running the tractor. Unless a certain sum can he guaranteed for the upkeep, the tractor will, I fear, cease its good work, because those who have been keeping up this public service for so long are unable to continue to do so, and it is to be hoped, therefore, that something will be done in the matter. The Crystal Palace Company has, very generously, made itself responsible for two concerts in aid of this fund, and most of the money raised is to be handed over to the promoters, so that the tractor will be able to run for another year at least. I cannot help thinking that very few people know about the service which has been rendered in this way to horses, for the last five years, and I am sure, if it were known, a number of people would come forward to help in the scheme. On the steep hills round London, it is a common and painful sight to see horses tugging and straining to pull heavy vans, etc., up them. This especially applies to roads which are wet, and those whose surfaces are loose. There is plenty of scope yet for other tractors for hill work round London, and it would be an excellent thing if those who have any feeling for horses would club together in their several districts to purchase some sort of tractor. It may be argued that extra horses are, when possible, hitched on if a known steep hill is encountered, but the class of horse which is usually employed has generally long passed his working days, and it is nothine-'' short of cruelty to put him to
such heart-b4 work as that of cock-horse ' on very steep hills."
We shall be pleased to hear from anyone who is interested in this praise -worthy attempt to assist overloaded hones on such trying hills as those mentioned, and to put them into communication with the parties who have generously made themselves financially responsible for the upkeep of the tractor during the past few years.—En.]
A London Bus Driver's Favourite Make.
The following letter indicates the preference the writer, as an ordinary London driver, has for a particular make of omnibus. We suggest that any other motorbus driver, who has a preference for a certain type of machine, should send us a few lines about it, giving his reasons for the preference. The opinion of an intelligent driver is bound to be interesting, although, of course, not necessarily conclusive. The communication comes from one who signs himself " Hammersmith Bridge," and is as follows :—" I have taken your paper very nearly since the first number, and have read all you have had to say, and some of what the makers in their advertisements have to say, about what is the best type of commercial motor vehicle for various purposes. But there is very little said as to what the driver thinks is the best vehicle. I know very well a few don't think anything about it, but I hope I am not one of those. Garage superintendents and, I expect, manufacturers do not think the driver ought to have an opinion, but I do not see why, providing he has his head screwed on right, a driver's ideas should not be worth a little hit, even if. it is only a penny
a line. I ant glad THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR' gave the driver his corner from the very start.. " I am a motorbus driver, and there must be some thousands of us in London alone to-day. The average opinion of those thousands, or of those of them who take a real interest in their work, in my humble judgment, should be worth a maker's or even one's own employer's consideration. To cut a long story short, I unreservedly plump for the De Dion. There may be men who have been driving Daimlers, Strakers, Biissings, or other makes of buses, who are of opinion that they know what they are talking about, when they inform you that any one of these types is the best ; but I am going briefly to tell you why I think so much of the De Dion. I am not a trained mechanic, but I believe I have a mechanical bump on my head. I have heard many of the mechanics in the garages of our company say the lightness of the De Dion was what saved it, and i agree with them. The wooden frame, with steel side-plates, will stand a lot, of knoclein.g about : I have never seen one break through, and I can testify to their springiness. Everything on a De Dion is absolutely interchangeable. Any engine or gearbox can be taken out of one car and put into another, without. its being touched with a tile. I have been towed into garage with a gearbox damaged by accident, and I have been out again on the road with the same bus, and a new gearbox, in an hour and three-quarters. That's the sort of thing that puts heart into a driver and makes him bless the maker who arranges his parts so that quick replacements like this can be made if only the garage staff is willing. " I remember once, another man who was driving a Dc Dion, somehow or other lost all the oil out of his crankcase. Being a sensible ' sort of man he ran from Liverpool Street to Barnes with his engine squeaking terribly. At Barnes his big ends poked their noses through the crankcase and he was towed into garage late at night. Next morning that bus was on the road again with a new engine. " Another point is that driving a De Dion is not a job that requires a Hackenschmidt or a Zbysco. The change speed, clutch, steering, and brakes are all very easy to operate, and do not fatigue the driver unnecessarily. But of some other makers I could name, the less said the better : you've positively got to be a strong man ' to drive them. The whole De Dion mechanism is simplicity itself, and it is only one or two small things that go wrong. Platinum points havie always been my worst trouble. It is such a difficult job to keep them adjusted. The original honeycomb radiators were like watering cans, and, personally, I think duplicate ignition is a mistake, as, when one system breaks down, and vou want to use the other one, you generally find that the garage people have only tried to keep your one set in order, and that either the battery is run down, or someone has sneaked your distributor blade. " To sum up, my vote is for the De Dion omnibus because : (t) It is nothing like so fatiguing to drive as most other makes; (2) the quality of its material is first-class—the gears, for instance, which are wonderfully light, never seem to want renewing; (3) everything is absolutely interchangable, and there need be no long garage delay; (4) the bus gets away quickly; and (5) the engine is easily started. Against it, I have a few things, but I did not set out to say them."