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PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.

4th September 1923
Page 24
Page 25
Page 24, 4th September 1923 — PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.

DURING THE past few years the motorbus has made rapid advancement in Spain, and the authorities in that country have shown a distinct partiality for vehicles of • British reanufaetnre, and. as a. matter of fact, we believe that the bus services which have been established have, in some instances, owed their origin to British enterprise and capital Tilling-Stevens Motors, Ltd., of Maidstone, hare paid considerable attention to this merkeeand its potentialities, and have, to date, supplied as many as 50 buses for use in Madrid

_ These buses, which are 30-seaters of the type shown in an illustration which

we reproduce on this page; are dissimilar in construction from the type of saloon bus which is familiar in this country and, following what is more or less Con. tdnental practice, its construction is such that provision is made for 12 additional passengers to be accommodated on the rear platform. It might be mentioned that in securing the contract for the vehicles it was eecessary for one of the compeny's petrol-electric models to compete in a. stringent official test which was supervised not only by the R.A.C. of Spain, but by the Spanish military authorities. The chassis which participated in these trials came through with flying colours,. and gained the highest

marks awarded to the various competitors.

We propose to give brief constructional details of the machine which we illustrate, this, with one exception, is representative of the type which has been chosen for service in Madrid, the only difference being that the majority of the fleet is fitted with solid tyres and not with pneumatics.

The chassis are Of the company's well known T.S.3A petrol-electric type. The engine of this model develops 40 hp., and it has four cylinders of bore and 50n. stroke. The controllex and resistance are carried in separate aluminium cases, the controller being of the tramway type and the resistance of the multiple contact type. The rear axle is of the worm-driven type.

So far as the body is concerned, it is of the company's Continental type, The bottom frame, pillars, frame, and rails are of English ash mortised and tenoned and supported by steel edge plates of a special design. All body panels, with the exception of the bottom rocker panel, are of steel. The roof is constructed of g-in. silver spruce, which is covered with a prepared waterproof canvas, chutes being fitted to carry the water off the roof at the forward and rear ends.

All the side window frames are of the fold-over type, being hinged in the centre, and suitable locks are incorporated to enable them to be fixed in either the open or closed position. Polished .plate glass fixed in rubber channels is used for all lights.

Sliding doors which run on ball bearings are fitted at the front and rear of the vehicle. The, platform at the rear is framed up of English ash, swept metal protecting hands suitably swaged and fixed to metal uprights and handrails being provided. This platform is fitted with wood tip-op seats. The cushions and back squabs of the interior seats are upholstered in rattan.

Sliding curtains are fitted to the side windows and these_ are retained in the drawn-over position by special fittings. A roll-up blind is fitted.at the back of the driver to prevent refraction from the interior lights, Of which there are six. SINCE.• THE introduction of the Garner bus-van several years ago, we have had more than one occasion to refer to the merits of this particular type of dual-purpose vehicle for • use in country areas where sufficient work may not..be found at all times to enable a vehicle to be employed in a single guise. To refresh the memoXies of our readers with the .general design . of this dualpurpose vehicle, we will refer to one or two of its outstanding characteristics. In general appearance it resembles a single=deck bus and it does not possess any feature which would give the impression of makeshift construction.. When used as a bus, the seats are disposed on each side of a Staggered gangway, a form of disposition which is adopted in order to secure proper distribution of the load. Each seat is made to fold up against the sides of the vehicle, the back having first been folded down, and to strap to the window frames. When it is intended to use the interior for the purpose of carrying goods, the seats do not offer any projections to.the interior. It is pleasing to hear that the Garner bus-van is making considerable headway, especially amongst enterprising country carriers who are keenly alive to the imperative need for a more efficient mode of passenger and goods transport than the horse-drawn vehicle or the smallest type of van can provide. In considering the question of the adoption of an up-to-date means of transport, the country carrier's • chief concern is to secure a vehicle which. whilst giving edonomical and reliable results, is low in first coat, and these conditions are met by the dual-purpose vehicle which is produced by Henry Garner, Ltd., of Moseley Motor Works, Birmingham. One of the latest converts to the modern school of carriers is Mr. Povey, who runs a. vehicle on the route from Shipston to Stratford-on-Avon and Bir mingham. This user recently spoke enthusiastically of the Garner bus-van, and particularly 'of the unique feature which enables the vehicle to be readily converted from a passenger-carrying to a goods vehicle or vice versa. When in use as a: goods vehicle the bus-van can carry 35-cwt. loads, and when converted to passenger uses— an operation which occupies only a minute-20 people can be comfortably accommodated in the saloon interior. Another carrier favouring modern methods, of transport is Mr. J. G. Johnson, of Henley-in-Arden. He has used Ia 2-ton Garner lorry for several years, to which he has now added one of the latestS-type Garner bus-vans This vehicle will be used between SBir mingham, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick and Leamington, and over sections of a route where passenger-carrying road vehicles have not previously been used

Tags

People: Povey, J. G. Johnson
Locations: Madrid

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