OPINIONS and QUERIES The Editor invites correspondence On all subjects
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connected with the use of commercial motors. Letters should be written on only One side of the paper. The right of abbreviation is reserved and no responsibility for views expressed is accepted. Queries must be accompanied by a stamped, addressed envelope.
WHY NOT TRAIN SAND AND BALLAST DRIVERS?
THB letter by H.W.H.F., of Bushey, concerning sand and ballast transport. difficulties Which you published on October 17 interested me. I agree with everything he says, but why not detail an experienced man to give all drivers of the sand and ballast trade a fortnight's tuition, under the most 'severe conditions (such as moving muck on a site), and then, if they are no use, dispense with their services rather than have the vehicles wrecked, when spares are such a problem?
I know that it is, easy to write of these things, but this could be done with the help of a drivers' association, which could 'grade the'drivers—a point which I have already mentioned.
• Your correspondent, H.VV.H.F:, must remember that most of the good sand and ballast drivers are away on Government contracts all over the country, whereas, in peace-time, their emplOyers had the pick of the .London drivers, who are more experienced in this trade than any others.
There are plenty of good men to be had still if one advertises for them and treats them decently when one
has them. E. E. CARTER. Elmhurst.
WOMEN DRIVERS [FOR DOUBLEDECK BUSES
MUCH has been written re,garding the first women Ilvidrivers of double-deck vehicles in the country, and
I thought it might be at well to say that we employed a licensed female driver of such buses as far back as
July 18, 1940. FRANK LYTHGO, General Manager', Middlesbrough Corporation Transport Department. Middlesbrough.
THE SUPPLY OF BATTERYELECTRIC VEHICLES
ON October 10 you made the following statement under the heading "One Hears" ;—" That the electric. vehicle industry in this country is almost in a state of suspended animation."
In your issue of October 17 the following appeared :— "It was at one time thought that the battery-electric vehicle would develop oka scale which would be sufficient to give considerable assistance, but here production capacity has cramped its style, and most of, if not all, the makers are, to a large extent, restricted to main tenance and the provision of. spare iSarts. ."
So far as the former paragraph is concerned, we think that reference to the report of the Electric Vehicle Association of Great Britain, Ltd., will ,shnw that the statement made therein concerning electric road vehicles is that for the year 1940 the production was retarded, , although this. company, through its subsidiary manufacturing companies, produced more road vehicles for the year 1940 than in any previous year in its history, including that of its subsidiary manufacturing companies. As we believe you are aware, we shave, for some years been responsible for approximately 70 per cent. of the output of electric road vehicles in this country, and our comment is therefore of some value.
So far as the year 1941 is concerned, we undoubtedly are restricted by reason of the licensing system, but all manufacturers of electric vehicles are now receiving a quota of steel in order to produce new vehicles, and there is reason to believe that the production in the future may be even greater than in previous years, including 1940. Nevertheless, it is correct to say that war conditions provided opportunities for electric vehicles hitherto not available, but it must be remembered, that electric-vehicle manufacturers, in common with other industrial 'units, have In the national interest accepted contracts for.war work of some kind' or other, which has taken up a very considerable portion of their capacity.
E. H. RienAnosoN, Joint Managing Director. (For Associated Electric Vehicle Manufacturers, Ltd.) London, W.C.2.
THE POSSIBILITIES OF CREOSOTE FOR OIL ENGINES
THE information given in the letter from Northern Engineer claims to be the result of a serious investigation. The only thingi serious about it, hOwever, is the dissemination of faulty information. .
This letter is only`another example of the harm done by numerous concerns and individuals who make a few trials in the use of creosote mixtures and, Whilst quite competent to understand their engines from the mechanical point of view, are incompetent to deal with , a fuel problem of this character. .
I have heard of a number of similar cases where all sorts of crude material, wholly unsuited for the purpose, have been used, mostly by people whose main object has been the circumvention of the Fuel Rationing Order, and the results they obtained were such as they deserved.
The present position regarding the use of oil of coaltar origin, in oil engines may be summarized as follows:—
(1) Coal-tar oil can be used successfully in blend with petroleum oil, provided carefully picked and highly refined fractions of the coal oil be used. Such fractions are prepared by only relatively few companies in this country, the names of which can doubtless be obtained on application to thb Ministry of War Transport.
(2) All attempts to use any sort of tar oil other than the above are foredoomed to failure.
(3) The use of such a blend is already established' on a very large scale. The whole of the buses of the corporations of Glasgow and Southport, to mention only two, are running on such fuel, and, furthermore, the Petroleum Pool itself takes in coal-tar oil and sells it in blend with its normal product. 'Northern Engineer might well be using this blend unknown to himself.
(4) It should be remembered that users of coal-tar oil in oil 'engines are allowed a special increased ration, and the fact that more operators do not avail themselves of this may be, in some measure, due to the prevalence of such experiences as those of Northern Engineer, whose conclusions are correct in respect of only the usual crude grades of creosote obtainable through the normal channels.
(5) Anyone interested in the matter would be well .advised to get in touch with their local Ministry cif Transport office, from which particulars of the increased ration available under the Alternative Liquid Fuel Scheme can be obtained and it will, doubtless, be able to give the names of reputable firms who are in a
position to supply this material, R. McINTYRE. Glasgow.
HOW SHOULD THE VEHICLE'S.
. LIGHT RE ARRANGED?
imAY I venture the bpinion that instead of perIV! mitting two masked 'head lamps to be used on vehicles it would be better and safer to employ a lowslung light, such as the fog lamp carried on many 'vehicles at the near side'?
Such a light, if directed slightly to the left, indicates well the position of the vehicle arid, being situated low, is less apt' to daizle oncoming drivers.
Before the war I always preferred to use a fog lamp instead of a head lamp. I am not a "kerb cuddler," but I ,do like to see the kerb or ditch, whereas it has often proved most difficult, hi:therto, with, one masked head lamp on the off side. I think, also, that it would be as well if all head lamps were now' fitted lower. Several times I have seen bad ditchings on Watling Street, and I am confident that had the lighting arrangemerit been as I suggest these could have' been avoided.
• Slough. AcLorar).
{Provided that a fog lamp in the position as described by " AcloIad " be masked, we cannot see that there can legally be any objection to its use in place of one of the two masked head lamps now permitted. The head lamp in use, however, should be on the opposite side to the fog lamp. The greatest trouble, in our view, is that so many of the masks are badly adjusted and throw the beams above the height of the lamps. When well adjusted, no dazzling beam should, on a level road, rise more than 3-4 ft. from the ground: it should be sufficient to cut-out all dazzle. Obviously, glare cannot be eliminated when the approaching vehicle is ascending a gradient. We have used, with great success, a Notek fog lamp equipped with a single-slit mask (by the same maker), which also has a hinged panel below the slit, so that an unmasked part of the lamp can „be used during a. fog, with the added advantage that the beam is still hooded, the rayi being directed downwards. Incidentally, this form of mask gives a widespread light, suffitient adequatelyto illuminate the off-aide kerb or ditch, even on a fairly wide