Tilling-Stevens Petrol-electrics for Liverpool.
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A 40 h.p. Type has now been Introduced for Service in Hilly Districts.
A representative of TETE COMMERCIAL aloroa was present last Tuesday on the occasion of a demonstration of the capabilities of the new and larger type of TillingStevens petrol-eiectrie motor omnibus, of which six are on order for the Liverpool Corporation Tramways. Fleets are also in hand for Loughborough, N esvcaetle and Edinburgh, whilst. of the 43 for Birmingham 30 are to be of the new model for the hilly Harbome route. Tillings mail services are, we also understand, in the near future to be maintained by the bigger petrolelectric machines.
The second machine of the new type was, on Tuesday last, employed to give a demonstration of its hill-climbing capacity and of its still further improved acceleration and deceleration properties ; these were satisfactorily demonstrated in the course of a run through London traffic, and later in the Putney district ; the machine is illustrated on page 298.
After a preliminary examination of the new chassis, which is provided with a 40 h.p. engine of 121 mm. bore and with a stroke of 140 tram., and with electrical equipment of corresponding capacity, an inaugural luncheon was offered to a number of visitors at the Holborn Restaurant.
Mr. Walter Wolsey, jun., and Mr. W. A. Stevens jointly presided, and amongst the guests were Mr. H. Kerr-Thomas, Mr. Frank Brown, and a number of representatives of the Press. Mr. Percy Frost Smith and Mr. B. Thompson were also in evidence.
Mr. Stevens, in the course of a short speech, intimated the possibility of the application of the Tilling-Stevens petrol-electric system to road-train purposes in the near future. He paid a hearty tribute, for the financial assistance which he bad received in the course of the development of the TillingStevens system, to Thomas Tilling Ltd., to Mr. Percy Frost Smith, and to Mr. H. Kerr-Thomas, who was, in the early days, responsible for the design of the mechanical parts of the first few chassis, and for their manufacture.
Mr. Stevens went on to recall that the first machine was put through a trial over a. distance of at least 130,000 miles, and that, as a result of the success of this preliminary test, seven of the new machines were at first ordered, then 32, and subsequently it was decided to increase Tilling's London fleet up to a maximum of 200, of which, at the present time, there are 60 on the streets, all of them creating a most favourable impression. Owing to the number of inquiries whicil have been received as tne result of publicity given to the successful operation of the first batch of Tilling-Stevens motorbuses in. London, a, large number ot inquiries ha 8 been received from provincial districts in which the conaitioas are entirely different from those obtaining in London. This has been the circumstance which nas caused the decision to be arrived at to manufacture a more powerful model Isirrningliam's requirements in this direction are notable.
Inc motorbus which had been inspected previously to the luncheon was one of the earliest of this new type. On Wedne8day, Mr. Stevena continued, it. was proposed to run it through to Liverpool, when it would probably accomplish an average speed, over give-and-take roads, considerably in excess of the legal limit, although he trusted that this point would not be reported !
At the urgent request of a number of his friends, Mr. al. Kerr-Thomas, now of the Pierce-Arrow Co., of America, and formerly of J. and E. Hall, Ltd., replied in an interesting speech, during which he dealt with some of his earlier experiences in connection with the Stevens petrolelectric system. He considered that in the present model all the most desirable features of this class of machine had been embodied,
He was most astonished, upon his arrival this time from America, to find that the L.C.C. tramway authorities-most unbelieving as they are in regard to self-propelled machines, were applying the Tilling-Stevens system to certain of their tramcars for experimental purposes. Although he believed that the electric tramcar pm. se would soon be relegated to the national museums, he felt that the trams must go on, on account of the large amount of capital invested, but that some form of self-contained petrol-electric system would undoubtedly afford a method of employing them that was less objectionable than those on the streets at the present time.
In the U.S.A. there were more trams per head of population than in any other part of the world, and yet in New York the few motorbuses which operated there had undoubt edly the cream of the traffic. It was not generally known that in America almost the whole of the electric tramcar undertakings were operated by British capital. It was possible to go from Boston to New York— a journey of 260 miles, which, by the way, took nearly two days, by tramcar. In places, the trams reach speeds of 50 miles an hour. There were, however, distinct signs that this tramway monopoly was coming to an end in the near future in America.
Throughout the United States he had found that all traffic authorities were busily engaged in watching the extraordinary development of motorbus transport in England. .de recalled that in the states there were at the present time at least live petrol-electric machines, all of them most unsatisfactory, noisy and uncertain in operation. This was entirely due, however, to the fact. that the models were merely a conglomeration of many embryo ideas,
In the States he felt that the petrol-electric system had a long start over its rivals, in view of the fact that any machinery of the electric type had a peculiar fascination for the American. Electricity was a kind of fetish in the U.S.A. The fact that the few motorbuses which were running in America at the present time were all of European origin was undoubtedly largely due to the fact that there is a 45 per cent, import duty on such machines. into the country, and as yet no domestic or local factory had turned its attention seriously to the production of machines which would be suitable for this class of employment. He felt very strongly, however, that, in view of the favour with which America regarded electric machinery of all kinds, a petrol-electric system of approved type would ultimately find very oonsiderable favour in the country, In conclusion, he hoped that, in the near future, he might see many of his friends in Buffalo, where he was now living, and he would then be happy to demonstrate to them the conditions which pertain in the States.
We append herewith a list of typical running costs.
Average Running Costs of "Tilling-Stevens " Petrol-Electric Omnibuses, for nine months, from 4th January to 25th September, 1912:
Pence.
Running ... 0.868 Maintenance 0.240 Tires ... 1.098 Drivers 1.251 Petrol 1.067 Lubricating oil 0.078 Grease 0.018 Paraffin 0.021 Lighting 0.069 Depreciation, rent, rates and taxes 0.849 Trade vehicles 0.151 Conductors ... 0.847 Body upkeep 0.235 Traffic expenses ... 0.270 Clothing ... 0.001 Per mile ... 7.063