Football Coaches Raise Coal Output
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I NCREASED production at Hanistead colliery on Saturdays since the introduction, niVo years ago, of private-party coach.trips to football grounds at Villa Park, Birmingham, and The Hawthorns, West Bromwich, was evidence advanced in support of an application made by Sugderi's Garages, Ltd., Handsworth, to the West Midland Licensing Authority, last week, to run express services from the pit to the two grounds.•
Mr. D. Skelding, for the applicant, said that before the travel facilities were inaugurated, production had been affected, as men absented themselves from the Saturday-morning shift because they could not leave in time to see a match.
For West Bromwich Corporation, Mr. F. W. Colquhoun stated that there had been a Harnstead-The Hawthorns service running since November 14 and this was anadequate facility. Mr. T. Hayes, for Birmingham Transport Department, said that it was not unreasonable to wait half an hour. for buses on the connections to Villa Park.
The application to run to Villa Park was . granted, but that to serve The Hawthorns was refused. A stipulation was made that the coach from Hamstead to West Bromwich could carry only colliery workers.
TESTING ANTI-FREEZE
WHEN an anti-freeze solution is in use in the radiator, repeated topping-up with water will eventually dilute the solution to a dangerous extent. A mean i for testing the strength of anti-freeze solutions has
recently become available from Wingard (M.A.), Ltd., Chichester, Sussex.
The instrument is similar in appearance to a hydrometer and is used in much the same way.
£4,800 SAVED ON FUEL
ECONOMIES in the use of fuel by Southampton Transport Department are expected to save £.4,800 in the current financial year. Experiments with light oils have accounted for 70 per cent, of the saving and modifications to fuel-injection systems for 30 per cent. Greater savings arc expected next year.
ENGINEERS' NEW PAY CLAIM
THE Engineering. and Allied Employers' National Federation has received a claim from the trade unions for a substantial increase in pay for draughtsmen, clerical and scientific workers employed in engineering. Adult engineers recently received an advance in pay of 7s. 4d. a week.
JIG UPHOLDS MEN'S COMPLAINT
rOMPLIVINTS by Middlesbrough
Transport Department employees that the time-table for a new service to the Beechwood Estate was inadequate have been upheld by an emergency committee of the Joint Industrial Council. The committee made a test over the route and afterwards agreed that 30 minutes for the round trip was not sufficient
It was proposed to start the service some time ago, but the employees would not operate it as they did not approve the time-table. In view of the emergency committee's report, a revised time-table is to be prepared.
The committee commented that it was " improper" for the employees to refuse to try out the service, but added that there should be consultations with the platform staff over timings.
TRICO PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
PLANS to build a new factory on . the Gosport-Fareham road, in which to concentrate production, are being pursued by Trico-Folberth, Ltd., Great West Road, Brentford, Middx. Building licences have now been received and the work will be under
taken over four years. Eventually, 1,500 people will be employed at the new factory, which will cover 150,000 sq. ft.
Improved Braking on Trolleybuses
I N an impeoved rheostatic braking system for trolleybuses, the General Electric Co., Ltd., Magnet House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2, has arranged the power circuit so that only a portion of the series field winding remains in circuit and the current flow relative to the armature is reversed. A braking circuit is, therefore, formed through the armature, the braking resistor and the series field winding.
As the speed-brake characteristics with this arrangement would not, alone, be suitable, the design is such that, at maximum build-up, it will not produce sufficient braking torque to damage the transmission, although it may exceed a safe continuous running torque.
The regulating shunt field winding is energized in series with the motor armature across the line. Thus, when the voltage of the armature is high, as in high-speed braking, the armature voltage exceeds line voltage and creates inverse excitation. At low speeds the excitation will be cumulative, because the line voltage exceeds the armature voltage.
This results in a more constant tractive-effort curve than was obtained with past systems. An important advantage of the new system is that there is little difference in torque between the hot and cold state.
DOUGLAS ELECTRIC WORKSTRUCK
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ANEW entrant to the electric works-truck field is Douglas (Sales and Service), Ltd., Bristol. • A new model designed for 30-cwt. loads has a form of control which enables the truck to run forward or in reverse without turning the front driving wheel completely round. A safety foot switch must be depressed before the truck can be started.
The platform is elevated and lowered by a hand pump, which can be operated from the driver's seat. Access to the batteries for charging is gained by removing the driver's seat. While the seat is removed the vehicle cannot be driven away. The price of this new truck is £350.
16 MORE TROLLEYBUS ROUTES WALSALL is to apply to the !Minister VI' of Transport for a provisional Order to run trolleybuses on 16 additional routes in the borough. Originally, the council proposed to electrify the Wednesbury and Darlaston services, but there was opposition from the local authorities and the matter was not pursued.
HEAVY HAULAGE LECTURE
ALECTURE on heavy haulage will be delivered by Mr. R. T. Wynn to the London branch of the Industrial Transport Association on December 9 at 6.30 p.m. at the Royal Society of Arts, John Adam Street, London, W.C.2.