PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
• BUS PROGRESS IN AND AROUND GLASGOW.
A Review of Developments Which are Taking Places Together with Details of Existing Services.
IOR to 1924, the motor omnibus was not a prominent factor in Glasgow's transport arrangements. This was possibly due to the excellent facilities and cheap fares then offered by the corporation tramways and to the fact that the few bus services from the city ran chiefly to districts which were either poorly served or totally neglected by the railways. The demand for improved transport existed, however, and, so soon as vehicles which were superior to the trams both in comfort and speed became available, the local bus, proprietors were soon competing for this traffic.
By the summer of 1925, over 40(1 buses were in daily service, and although progress has been slower since then, the bus has become the recognized means of transport for thousands who travel daily to and from the city. At the Present time it is easily possible to travel by bus to almost any point within a 30-mile radius of Glasgow.
What. will probably constitute the largest fleet in the district will soon be owned by the Glasgow General Omnibus Co., which started operations in December of last year. The company's red buses now penetrate into most parts of the county of. Lanark, and it maintains regular services from Glasgow to Shotts, via Hamilton, Motherwell and Wishaw ; to Stonehouse, via Hamilton and Larkhall; to Lesmahagow; to
_ Netherburn, via Hamilton ; to Hamilton, via Tollcross and Cambuslang; to
East Kilbride, via Rutherglen and Burnside; to Newton, via Burnside and Cambnslang. The opening of further routes is under consideration.
The company has secured a convenient site in Waterloo Street, Glasgow, within two minutes' walk of the L.M.S. Central Station, • and here it is proposed to erect a central bus station from which all the express ser
vices will start. This will be completely under cover and buses will leave for various destinations at fixed and
frequent intervals. The station will have four large platforms, with heated waiting rooms, parcels office, kiosks, etc., and will be able to accommodate 17 buses at one time.
The company's main garage and repair shops, which are situated at Hamilton, cover over 4,000 square yards and have recently been extended to house its ever-increasing fleet. The latter at present consists of five Model 409 52-seater covered-top double-deck Associated Daimlers, 65 Model 413 29seater buses of the same make, running on pneumatic tyres, and 25 Model 41611) 32-seater buses. The last-named are fitted. with six-cylindered Daimler
sleeve-valve engines of .40-70 h.p. Iü addition, there are a further 50 vehicles on order from the Associated Daimler Co., Ltd., of which 45 are of the Model 416D type.
With the exception of the doubledeckers, all the bodywork of the buses is by Metcalfes, Ltd., which maintains
this tinder contract. Special coach Works are being built adjacent to the company's garage at Hamilton to undertake this work. In spite of the intense comPetitibn in the Glasgow area the company is making steady progress, and in the week ended April 23rd last its buses carried 254,438 passengers, excluding weeklY ticket holders, and we understand that this figure has now been doubled.
The Scottish Motor Traction . Co., Ltd., has recently extended its operations to the west by the purchase of Messrs. Hendries' omnibus fleet and garage at Coatbridge and the business of Messrs. Tennents, of Bathgate. In addition to extensive motor coach tours in the district, this company runs a half-hourly service between Glasgow and Edinburgh, the time taken for the journey being 2 hours 50 mins., The fares are 2s. 9d. single and 4s. 4d. return. For the convenience of passengers who wish to travel the whole distance between these two cities, " limited stop" .buses, which du the journey in 2-1.7 hours,.have recently been instituted, and on these vehicles a supplementary fare of 44. is added to the usual charge. The latest overtype Albions are ern ploYed for these through runs.
The. Scottish General Transport .Co., Ltd., runs three services, which enter Glasgow from Gourock, Ardrossan and Kilmaruock respectively. Although originally established in Lanarkshire; with headquarters at Coatbridge, the company started operations in Ayrshire in 1922 and has since transferred its
entire interests there. A large up-tociao repair depot has been built at Kilmarnock, whilst bus stations have been. ereeted at Paisley, Ayr, Ardrossan and Kilmarnock.
The Lanarkshire Tramways Co., the first venture of which into motorbus
operation took place in 1909, when a petrol-electric bus built by the British Thomson Houston Co., of Rugby., was placed on trial, operates services around Hamilton and district. In 1925, the company ran a fleet of 112 vehicles over 150 miles of road, carried 27,690,000 passengers during the year and Maintained garages at Coatbridge, Bellshill, Harthill and Motherwell. Since then, however, severe competition has forced it to withdraw from the Glasgow routes and, at present, only a few local services to Hamilton, Strathaven, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Motherwell and Airdrie, etc., are being worked.
A large garage, having a floor area of over 26,000 sq. ft., was completed in October, 1925. An interesting feature of this building is that it does not contain a single supporting column, and has a clear span of 127 ft. Although only single-decked buses are in use at present, 18 ft. of headroom has been allowed in case the building should be needed for garaging double-deck vehicles. The necessary fuel for the fleet is stored in two 10,000-gallon underground tanks.
Only a portion of the company's fleet is at present in commission, the older vehicles having been dismantled. Those in service to-day consist of 17 Pentaiota-type Lancias and about 30 A.E.C.s of Models 501 and 505, as well As a few Halleys and Albions.
In addition to the undertakings mentioned, there are several large fleets run by private owners. Perhaps the best known of these is operated by Mr. J. C. Sword, of Airdrie. Mr. Sword, whose bases are chiefly the latest type Albions, was the pioneer of the Glasgow and Paisley -service in 1925. Since then his business has been largely increased and, in addition to working. a Glasgow, Coatbridge and Airdrie route, he runs regular services between Glasgow, Paisley, Johnston, Dairy, Kilwinning, Saltcoats and Ardrossan.
centre of the body and special springback seats are fitted. Drop-windows, which are operated by patent winders, are provided all round, and the front screen is of the V-pattern.
The head is built of two or more steel tubes, which are situated lengthways and hinged at both ends; on these slide the cross-pieces that carry the hood. The cross-pieces are specially shaped and, as can be seen from one of the accompanying illustrations, allow plenty of headroom when the coach is closed. When the hood is fully extended, it is held in position by fasteners at its front and sides, and when it is down the complete head is folded and stowed away in a box which is built into the rear of the body. The longitudinal members can then be folded out of sight along the top of the cant rail, where they are held in position by spring clips. It is claimed that the head can be raised by one man in 3 minutes and lowered just as easily.
The lines of this soundly designed and constructed body are distinctly pleasing and, for a coach of comparatively small dimensions, the Thurgood product is exceptionally roomy, thus contributing to the general comfort of its occupants.
In order to meet the large demand for these vehicles, Mr. Thurgood has recently acquired further premises in Ware which are to be devoted to building this particular type of body, an example. of which was recently built to the order of the Worthmore Motor Co., 32, Victoria Street, London,