London Transport's "One Leg" Bus
Page 7
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BECAUSE the clutch pedal has been removed from RT 778, one of London Transport's latest buses, it is now known among the rank and file as the " one leg bus"
Technically, it is described as the Miller constant-torque-gearbox vehicle. RT 778 is an A.E.C. Regal MarkAII chassis with a pre-selective epicyclic gearbox, in which the gears are selected and engaged by a hydraulic arrangement. The driver can move the steeringcolumn gear selector to any desired position, but the change in ratio does not take place until the engine speed reaches a predetermined level consistent with the gear selected.
A representative of "The Commercial Motor." making a journey on the bus, observed a time-delay in the gear engagement when changing to a higher
ratio, A• hydraulic piston, of shockabsorber pattern, affords a time-delay in the gear selection and permits smooth engagement of the succeeding brake band. All gear changes, over a route with varying conditions and loads, were made without shock to the transmission or body. .
[This semi-automatic control could be easily modified to a fully automatic system in which the toggle levers could be selected successively by an electrical arrangement governed by the engine speed.] B.S. ON STAINLESS STEEL
AN addendum to B.S.1499: 1948, dealing with requirements for stainless-steel sheet and strip, has been issued by the British Standards Institution, 24, Victoria Street, London, S.W.!. Copies can be obtained from the B.S.1. at Is. each.