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MANY requests have been received for the names of makers of fittings by which coal-gas can be utilized. A small compressor for a final pressure of 5,000 lb. per sq. in. is supplied by Belliss and Morcom, Ltd., of Birmingham, which has also developed special reducing valves; Vickers-Armstrongs, Ltd., Vickers House, London, S.W.1, can provide Vibrac cylinders, and ..kntial, Ltd., of Birmingham, the special air-gas mixers.
ENGINES, particularly of the compression-ignition type, which may appear practically perfect on paper, are sometimes found to require modifications. To finish a new casting would be costly, but this expense can frequently be avoided by using the skill of the welding engineer. Barimar, Ltd., for instance, has effected alterations to the cylinder heads of oil engines, in one case, building up the valve seats to raise the compression ratio.
THE railway companies' adaptation of the con tainer system to furniture removal will not improve their financial position if the method of use be similar to that exemplified in a recent case. The house was a large one, with furniture to fill two vans. One container was brought to the site by a Fordson, which stayed by it, its driver idle, until the container was packed. It was then hauled to the railway station. There the driver had his lunch and afterwards brought back a second container. AFTER two years of experimenting, Roadless Traction, Ltd., has evolved for its track gear weight-carrying rollers which are glass-hard on the periphery and to a depth of more than / in. This greatly lengthens the life when the tracks are run in soil containing a high percentage of sharp sand.
A FACILITIES School has been established at Dagenhain by the Ford Motor Co., Ltd. Here mechanics from all parts are taught the most up-todate methods and become familiar with the equipment utilized in Ford service stations. The "Ford Bulletin" also gives many interesting pointers on efficient maintenance and testing.
SOME years ago a new lorry was delivered in Ireland. On a desolate road in that country a stud forming the fulcrum of a part of the brake gear broke. The driver, who relates the story, discovered a blacksmith who forged a bracket to carry a new stud. This was bolted to the frame, and after five hours' work the repair was completed. On returning to London the, driver missed from his tool kit his favourite adjustable spanner. Seven years afterwards, he thought he recognized this lorry standing in a London street. To verify its identity, he lifted a footboard to look for his repair. There it was, sure enough, and in the channel of the frame, wedged on a bolthead, was his long-lost spanner. TEE recent trans-Saharan trial of oil-engined vehicles has emphasized an important advantage of the fuel-economy of the compression-ignition unit. Quite apart from the cost, the saving in actual bulk and weight of fuel to be carried for a long desert journey is a most satisfactory feature.
IN addition to this, the fact that Diesel oil is not subject to such rapid evaporation as petrol in tropical climates is a distinct convenience, for the loss With petrol amounts to a costly factor.
ONE of the Laystall processes for relining worn cylinder bores is especially interesting in view of the fact that a split liner is used. Made of Nitralloy steel, this is rolled from sheet to form a perfect cylinder, hardened and inserted in a 200-ton press. The adjoining edges are, of course, g,.onnd with extreme precision, so that when in position the joint is hardly discernible, and, after honing, its presence is quite undetectable. This method, we understand, is perfectly satisfactory, but is suitable only for small bores and cannot be used when the sides of the base of the cylinder are cut away to clear the connecting rod. MANCHESTER municipal transport employees are reminded to exercise care in their work by means of slogans printed on their weekly wages envelopes. This advice on how to avoid accidents is said by Mi. R. Stuart Pilcher, the transport manager, to have reduced considerably the number of mishaps.
IT is now being found that out-of-date taxis, of which there is still a large number in London, are a positive hindrance to trade. Tentative riders, seeing an old vehicle at the head of a rank and being diffident of taking other than the first, even if they be aware of their legal right to choose, will often turn to the alternative of bus or tube rather than hire the old-fashioned cab.
THERE are 'compensations, it appears, even for those hauliers who devote themselves during the winter to the arduous task of hauling beet. One huge heap was noticed by our special contributor, on the road from Hatfield Broad Oak to the Felstead factory, deposited in a paddock behind a pleasant and attractive country inn. We note that our contributor omitted to state whether there were hauliers within the inn.