BUS BODY DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.
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Some of the Characteristic Features of Buses, Which Have Been Determined by the Particular Service to Which a Vehicle Has to be Put.
T"single-decker which operates in a populous area must have easy entrance and exit because many passengers will only be riding short stages. Often there are bustling and crowding at the doorway, so that wide and convenient steps are necessary, not only to ensure safety, but to save time when loading and unloading. A low step is always desirable, but a little extra height is more effective if the tread has a larger area. The average length of tread from side to side is usually more than sufficient for a single file of passengers, and no great advantage is gained in having greater length unless the bus has a central entrance and provision is made for opposing streams of passengers. Width of tread from back to front is a matter which is worthy of more attention.
With the rear-entrance body it is possible to design the chassis so that the hind platform is so close to the ground that no exterior step is required, consequently from this point of view the conditions are ideal. Again, the step from the platform to the interior of the saloon is an easy one. Such an arrangement cannot, with the conventional type of power transmission, be utilized for a front-entrance bus. A front-wheel drive or the body mounted as a trailer behind the power unit is an alternative which would give more scope in this direction.
The front edge of the steps of a front-entrance bus, as viewed in plan, is often inclined towards the dash aud parallel with the side of the body here so as to reduce the width of screen required, and occasionally to allow the formation of a scuttle panel running flush into the sides of the bonnet. But a better entrance is obtained if there be only an inch or two contraction; or, better still, if the step line be a. continuation of the rest of the side of the body. When the chassis has forward control and the body is built over the bonnet, there is the opportunity of combining a " parallel " step with a reasonable width of windscreen. Pushing out the line of the edge of the step also ensures that the edge of the next step or floor, whichever it may be, is also well away from the centre of the body, leaving more area at the landing. A similar advantage is gained if the front entrance he not immediately behind the dash, but a side panel with window above be interposed between the windscreen and entrance.
Making the Most of the Gangway.
A bus for town work should be made as wide as the licensing conditions allow, so that the central gangway with cross-wise seats is not unduly restricted. Drop windows are now looked upon as a standard item of almost any kind of single-decker, but the sides of the body have to be thicker than for fixed windows; consequently, the gangway is reduced, generally about two inches. The alternatives ,are fixed main windows and small hinged ventilating frames above, or the glass is made to slide. The gangway width is also increased if the seating plan be so arranged that the cross-wise seats are not always directly in line, but staggered or dodged, a device which is often to be found on the roof of a double-decker.
Door or No Door for Town Work.
The type of door used on a bus employed on a wellpatronized route is of importance. If the frontentrance variety of body be used and it is a large one, a conductor being carried, no door may he provided, the passengers being protected by the width of the screen and the panelling and glazing of the front bulkhead. In a back-entrance bus the rear vestibule performs a similar function. If a door be provided, then it can be used merely as a means of extra protection in bad weather.
For occasional rather than constant use the sliding door behind the bulkhead has certain advantages. It is out of the way when not in use, whereas a hinged bulkhead door, if kept open, is somewhat of an obstruction. A pair of doors which are mounted at the steps and open separately by hand are not the best type if they are to be constantly opened and closed, whereas the mechanically operated type not only ensures safety, but it is suitable for the quick manipulation necessary on a busy route. Although this kind of door is usually associated with the front-entrance bus, it is highly probable that more of this pattern will be used for backentrance buses for operation by the conductor, especially for those vehicles which have both front and back entrances.
Simple Seating Plans for Town Work.
The seating plan should be straightforward. Opposing longitudinal seats are without rival for simplicity, but for all size'z of body, except the smallest, they have given place to the cross-wise pattern forward of the wheel-arch. Vis-lt-vis and back-to-back transverse seating should be adopted only to improve the convenience of access to a gangway or to avoid a wheel-arch, but should not be adopted merely to lend variety to the interior accommodation. As already mentioned, the continuous corner seat is seldom a satisfactory way of adding to the seating capacity, although It may, to a limited extent, have its uses for more luxurious types of body.
Interior Finish for the Service Bus.
No matter how arduous the daily running conditions, the town bus should have comfortable seats, but without any attempt at luxury, whilst the decorative scheme and general finish should be simple without being too plain. It is the amount of attention which has been paid to these two items that bas made the bus so attractive to the riding public ; but, if overdone, the cost of maintenance is most likely to be increased, it becomes snore difficult to keep the bus in a hygienic condition, and may even defeat its own ends since ample seating may be obtained only at the expense of legroom when the seats are close together.
The use of moquette for covering the cushion gives plenty of scope for introducing a patterned material and is of value for giving colour and variety to the interior display. Moquette also gives a firm seating. Leather is excellent for bus work because of its durability and the ease with which it can be kept clean, whilst if plainness is to be avoided, then one has a wide choice of grainings, the antique patterns being worthy of special consideration. For town work, and with passengers continually passing up and down the gangway and on and off thd steps, plenty of easily grasped commode handles and poles are necessary. The use of white enamel for the interior above the waistline and for the underside of the roof is the best style of finish. If these parts are stained and varnished the effect is apt to be somewhat depressing.
c40 The bus which runs from the centre of the town to outlying districts, or acts as a means of communication between various towns and villages in a country district, has often the same kind of bodywork as for town service work. In some instances large-capacity, double-entrance buses may be required, the size of vehicle required depending on the local density of population. Buses used for this class of work usually require ample protection from the weather, so that doors to the entrances are seldom omitted. Another characteristic feature is the provision made for carrying luggage.
The whole or part of the roof is enclosed with a luggage rail and netting or boards, together with an iron ladder for mounting. A convenient position for this ladder is at the back of the body on the near side. It is securely fastened at the top and bottom and Kt at a few inches from the panelling and glass, so as to give room for a foothold and prevent damage to the body. if the last thirty inches or so of the ladder
be hinged, this portion can be folded up to prevent unauthorized`mounting and plenty of ladder length will be provided, so that it may, be easily reached from the ground without having to utilize any step on the body. A fixed side ladder has the disadvantagethat it increases the overall width of the body unless it is specially recessed by the driver's seat.
Wearing Slats for the Roof.
Single-deck buses are often built with lightly boarded roofs—say, only a quarter of an inch thicl, Or even less if plywood be used, with hoopsticks little heavier than those adopted for private saloons and limousines. But if luggage is to be carried, then thicker boarding is necessary, not only to support the extra weight, but to provide sufficient substance for the screws securing the wearing slats which are added to take the friction. These run lengthwise and are chamfered at the ends. If a large area of the roof be enclosed, then crossrails are added so as to prevent the load creeping.
The disadvantage of wearing slats is that they are liable to set up leakage in the roof. When the roof is boarded it is covered with a strong calico material, often referred to in the trade as " moleskin," which is stretched over the whole roof while wet, the roof being painted both before and after the application of the cover. This is done to make the roof watertight and to seal effectively the joints in the roof boarding. But when the slats are screwed on, the cover is pierced in many places and may eventually let the water through. The ideal roof is, therefore, the jointless one, and it would appear that the use of a thick plywood or special "composition board has special claims in this direction.
Another plan is to mount the slats first on transverse pieces so that they need only be fastened at the sides, or at least require only a very small number of fixing screws. The floor mats used by the L.G.O.C. are made on this principle. Some bus proprietors prefer the portable ladder which gives direct access to any part of the roof ; it can be folded in half and carried on a platform step or other convenient part of the vehicle.
Long-distance Work.
Although buses often do regular journeys twice and three times as long as was customary a few years ago, it is exceptional to find the closed type of vehicle performing a function similar to that of the open coach. There are already the Bristol and London " Greyhound " saloon coaches, and it is probable that, in the near future, this -form of enterprise will receive increased attention: In addition to carrying passengers for intermediate stages, th'e bus may also become a rival to the conventional type used for public touring and sight-seeing.
In any case, if many of the passengers are likely to be riding for two or three hours or more, the seating should be more comfortable than for service work. The rows of seats should be spaced a couple of inches wider apart. This will, of course, restrict the seating capacity, but this is a better expedient than taking up the same amount of room by adding to the thickness of the back squabs. The backs of the seats should be made up with spring steel supports. Cushions should be deeper, lower and more raked, but not appreciably wider from back to front.
A most useful accessory, which is conducive to the rider's comfort, is the fitting of a sloping footboard or rail under the seat in front. Nothing is so tiring on a long journey as a. flat floor, a common experience of railway travel. With the opposing seats of a railway c-oach any sloped footboard would impede the gangway, but with rows of seats it is quite a simple matter to arrange.
The regulation 1, ft. 4 ins, of seat length per passenger is not .sufficient for long-journey work. The body must be built well up to the 7-ft. 6-in, limit of width, so that additional seat length can be provided and still leave a fair gangway. The smallness of the gangway, however, is not of so much importance as on a vehicle which is continually taking up and setting down passengers, but, on the other hand, local regulations hove often to he taken into consideration. The best seating arrangement, but at the same time an extravagant one, is to use rows of double armchair seats on the off side and single ones on the near side, with a sociable compartment at the rear which embraces the wheel-arch.
Further Refinements.
Tf the proprietor desire to tempt the traveller to forsake the railway, he must not only bear in mind the equipment of a modern first-class railway corrider coach, but try to give one or two items in addition, and he should not depend too much on the lure of the open road as against that of the permanent way. The single-decker which is to perform a daily 80 or 100-mile run must have plenty of headroom. This is not only to ensure good ventilation and comfort for the tall man when passing from one seat to another, but it also provides accommodation for light luggage racks. Then a small folding table to each seat is almost a necessity, whilst such articles as one or two mirrors let into the panelling or framework, a neatly framed map of the route traversed, and a clock inserted in the rail above the doorway in the bulkhead, or other prominent position, will be much appreciated.
Spring blinds to the windows will shield the passengers should the sun be extra bright at any„,time, whilst, for winter work, an effective yet easily controlled exhaust heating system should be fitted. As the interior will suggest the luxury and the appointments of a private car, the owner will probably desire-to express the same note for the exterior of the vehicle. The front entrance will have a flush-sided door reaching to the cant rail, complete with mechanically operated window. The roof will be domed with the top back panel in similar style.
Passenger-goods Bus.
The carrier's wagon is being rapidly replaced by specially designed vehicles which combine the function of an omnibus and light delivery van. At first there was a tendency for the general design of the bodywork to suggest the good's, rather than the passenger vehicle, as it was somewhat boxlike in outline and pierced with a few small rectangular windows. To-day the modern dual-purpose body is more shapely and tends to conceal rather than proclaim its sterner uses. The front may be totally enclosed with a mechanically operated door, the sides above the waist consist almost entirely of drop windows, and there may be a pair of large doors at the back to facilitate loading goads, the doors being provided with guard rails so that bulky articles may be piled up without fear of broken windows. The back doors have also large Windows, so that the bus contrasts strongly with the gloominess of the carrier's wagon of yesterday.
A tailboard adds to the loading space and the roof is provided with a deep luggage rail with rear ladder for mounting. In the Garner bus-van the seats fold up against the side of the body, whilst in the Chevrolet rural bus there are longitudinal seats at the sides with padded backrests. The seats are removable and fittings are provided so that the seats can be strapped to the interior of the roof, thus leaving the floor space clear.
The Mail Bus.
If a country bus carries the mail regularly it will differ from the usual passenger-goods pattern, since it is not designed to vary the proportions of the kinds of load, but each portion is permanently fitted up for its particular use. If longitudinal seats be used, the mails may be carried in a separate compartment with its own side door immediately behind the driving seat bulkhead. In this position it is well protected, but with the coming of cross-wise seats the mails are naturally relegated to the rear, so as not to interfere with the outlook of the passengers. The rear position givesscope for the use of back or side doors, or even roof flaps if required.