AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

ASHTON ADOPTS TROLLEY-BUSES.

3rd July 1923, Page 40
3rd July 1923
Page 40
Page 41
Page 40, 3rd July 1923 — ASHTON ADOPTS TROLLEY-BUSES.
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Another Enterprising Municipality Follows the Lead Set by Other Provincial Authorities.

'V OR some time past the Ashton': under-Lyme Corporation has been closely watching the development of the trolley-bus system of traction, and after receiving reports from Birmingham, Bradford, and Leeds has decided that steps be taken immediately to obtain the necessary powers to enable a similar system to be inaugurated in Ashton. It is expected that the conversion to the new system a passenger transport will take place within the next 18 months, this being the longest period of "life" expected from the tramway rails now in use.

The chairman of the Ashton Tramways Committee reported to the council that the committee thought the time had now arrived for the change to be made' as the system of trackless vehicles had passed the experimental stage, especially when they found that places like

Keighley had decided to scrap the ordinary tramcars and adopt trolley-buses. Me. Hamilton, the general manager of the Leeds Tramways Committee, who was looked upon as an authority; predieted that electric trolley-buses might; eventually supersede tramcars, the determining factor being the lower cost of Maintenance of such vehicles, a factor Which had been clearly demonstrated by the figures secured by the Ashton authorities from Bradford and Birmingham.

In the report of the tramways . manager which had been presented to each-member of.the council, details were given of the working of the experimental track at Birmingham. From No‘smber 27th, 1922, to March 31st, 1923, the traffic receipts on the system amounted to £8,811, an averageof1.9.254d. per carsmile, while the expenses Were £5,788, an average of 12.648d: per car-mile; leaving the .handsome profit for the four months of £3,023. • When the authorities 'originally passed . the resolution, Said Alderinan Oldham, to revert to the single-Tine between.'AShton ind Hathershaw, they were afraid at that time that the trackless cars could not deal with', the heavy traffic at holiday times and in the morninre and evenings; hut from the figures they had received from: Bradford and Birmingham they found that in those places the vehicles rarried more passengers than they would be called upon to carry at Ashton.

Bo far as operating costs are concerned, the,traffie.expe.nses of •the:ordinarY track tars amount to 62-d: per car-mile, and for the trackless buses 70., the reason for the_ difference in the costs being due to the fact that the ordinary °assailed only. to pay a licence of 15s. each, whereas the licence for the trolley-buses is about £70 f Or each vehicle. The other expbrises are practically the same. In the .cost of. repairs and maintenance there is a slight saving in favour of the trackless system -amounting to about 11c1. per ear-mile. That is accounted for by the fact that, with the ordinary cars the authorities are compelled. to pay about 2d. per car-mile

• for the permanent. way, and with the trackless car they had nothing to pay. The power expenses are about equal for the two systems. The operating costs of the proposed system are about id. per car-mile less than those for the existing system. The gross working costs given are 24.461d. per car-mile for the present tramcars, which compare with a figure of 17.823d per car-mile, given by Mr. Wilkinsrn of the Bradford Corporation, for the trackless system.

In tables showing the comparative cost of instituting the three systems it was found that to lay a double track would cost £77,728, a single track £38,728, whilst to remove the old -track would cost £6,000; and allowing for the purchase of eight new trolley vehicles at a coat of gam() each, the total cost of the new system would be £26.527, representing a saying on the installation of is double track of Over £51,200.

The question of irrter-running with the .Oldham Corporation has not been lost sight. of by the Ashton authorities, who have extracted from the way-bills for a considerable time details of the number . of through passengers, aud they found it was only 10 per cent. of -the total number carried, so that the matter is' not of great importance at the moment. Before the Ashton Corporation is in a position to rim trolley-buses it is impeded that the authorities at Oldham will have adopted a similar system.


comments powered by Disqus