COACH and BUS BODIES for the OPENING SEASON.
Page 58
Page 59
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Some Examples Now in Production in the Works of a Prominent London Concern. Big Orders Being Hurried Through for the Easter Holidays.
PRING is approaching and the Oseason of greatest activity in the growing business of passenger-carrying by road motor is before us. Easter is but four -weeks hence, and coach and motorbus proprietors are busy arranging programmes and summer timetables, improving last year's vehicles and ordering new ones, embodying the latest of equipment, in order to enhance and to extend their services.
No better impression of the--tense activity that prevails in preparation for the warmer weather could possibly be obtained than by a thorough inspection of the works of the prominent coachbuilders engaged in the construction of bodies for motorbuses and long-distance vehicles. A walk through the extensive works of Hall, Lewis and Co., Ltd., a few days ago, revealed a large concern working to the limit of its capacjty to complete in time for Easter large orders for all classes of passenger body. Here we have a works with a covered area of six acres and employing 750 men, which is a veritable hive of industry.
Layout of Shops.
The Hall-Lewis works at Willesden are, practically speaking, housed in two large buildings. In one are the timber store, smithy, sawmill, panel-beating and welding shops and erecting bays— with accommodation for upwards of 50 large coaches—and in the other are the painting and varnishing room§, seatmaking and fitting shops, several erecting bays for double-deckers and the interior equipment and finishing departments.
In the second building the erecting bays for double-deckers are interesting. The girders supporting the roof have been specially arched to provide good working space above this type of vehicle, and permanent scaffolding at the sides enables workmen easily to reach all parts of the structure.
A Works Fully Occupied.
Every part of the works, every assembly bay, every painting and varnishing romais occupied by pneutnatic-tyred chassis carrying bodies in varying stages of completion,and our purpose is to. give some impressions of the styles of coachwork that are being followed— for these are the vehiclesthat will be in 'service by Easter, representing the selection made by the country's largest operator§ in their endeavour to satisfy, as fully, as they possibly can, the needs of the travelling public.
One of the most popular types of vehicle, • now that limited-stop road travel is develoPing so rapidly, is the long-distance saloon with a doublecamber roof. Hall, Lewis and Co., Ltd., is at present building several of these on Leyland Tiger chassis. The object of the doable camber is to obtain additional headroom over the central-gangway without giving the vehicle the c3
appearance of having a roof of excessively deep camber. The body has a double floor, this form of constraction providing a compartment 9 ins, deep for carrying luggage. 'Lightness of this body is secured by spindling the floor cross-members and by the strength ening with • steel plates of roef sticks and other parts. The coach is lined throughout with walnut faced plywood and rubber flooring is employed.
For vehicles used more upon pleasurecoaching services than upon local town-to-town sehedtiles, an up-to-date and suitable body, and one for which this company is executing large orders, is the Halcyon Sun-saloon all-weather coach. Several examples of this body are now in construction on Maudslay ML4 (normal control) and ML3 (forward control) chassis, and a fleet of 10 of them has recently been delivered to a London operator.
The Halcyon body carries the Sunsaloon patent folding roof mounted upon fixed sides, an arrangement giving passengers the benefit of the sunshine as well as protection from bad weather, and calling for no interference with their comfort in the operations of opening or closing the roof. Bows of light metal tube and spring steel carry a waterproof fabric hood and cloth lining, and are constructed to slide fore and aft on rollers upon side rails. The front beam is of wood, incorporating a -shaft with sprockets at the ends which engage in holes in the rails, the shaft being very
simply operated by the driver by turning a handle in 'the front beam and walking down the central gangway of the coach as the hood folds or unfolds. • In the folded position the pleated fabric rests inconspicuously against. the fixed rear dome of the saloonand a canvas cover is fitto over it. On the Halcyon coach there are 24 seats. Five persons are seated in the rear part, in front of which is a seat for three on the off side, this being opposite the rear entrance. The remaining seats are in pairs, facing forward, with a central gangway.. Over the wheel-arch, forward-facing seats are employed; the frames of them are 2 ins, higher than those of the other seats, this difference being allowed for by fitting pneumaticcushions which are not so deep at the ordinary spring cases: The seats are covered with real hide.
The panelling of this coach is of sheet steel, which gives great strength to the rear dome, so that luggage may be borne on the roof of it. Further accommodation, for luggage and for the spare wheel, is provided in a deep rear locker, accessible from the back of the vehicle. A detachable ladder is provided for loading luggage on the roof of the rear dome, and is carried on the near-side running board when not in use.
All the windows of the HaWon body are made to drop. The pane is raised automatically, by. piano wire wound on a spring-loaded roller, and is held in any desired position by a Rawlings rod-type cam lever, with rubber pads. Glass louvres are fitted above the windows, a practice that is becoming general nowadays with the better class of vehicle. There are two front doors and one door on the near side at the rear, each opening upon two steps. Backs for light parcels are supported by cast aluminium brackets which incorporate electric lamps in their design.
The Halcyon coach body has a handsome appearance and may be looked upon as a typical example of the type of all-weather coach likely to prove popular during the forthcoming season. It gives comfort in the rain as well as on hot and sunny days and the seats are sufficiently high to give pas
sees a view of the country, unobstructed by hedges. The body is mounted equally well upon a forwarddrive chassis, and this design of body is in production now on the Maudslay ML 3 model.
Another very popular all-weather touring coach is made by Hall, Lewis and Co., Ltd., with the Beatonson head. Some that we saw being built for a big South of England concern, for use on long-distance touring services, were 22-seaters and had no
gangway. To secure the greatest comfort four passengers are seated abreast, occupying the full width of the vehicle. Fireside armchairs could not be more luxurious than these wide and de epl y sprung seats.
The usual three doors are provided on this body, two at the front and one on the near side at the rear, and access to the seats is obtained by a clever arrangement by which the near-side seat of each row (except one) folds up. Two passengers are accommodated beside the driver, and behind them are two rows of four seats, of which the nearside seats fold. The third row has no folding seat and acts as a strengthening bulwark to the body. Access to the fourth row (which also has a folding near-side chair) is obtained from the rear door, and the fifth row occupies the full width of the body at the rear, so that there is accommodation for 22 passengers in all. Between the seats, which are covered in hide, are folding arm-rests.
The Beatonson head employed on this model provides a wide roof opening. The folding fabric top is carried by rollers immediately on the cantrails, and as these and the window Pillars are constructed of metal it is possible for them to be narrower than if coachbuilt in the ordinary fashion. The pillars and cant-rails are chromium plated, and each pillar incorporates an electric light.
An outstanding feature of this
coach is the extensive luggage space which it affords. The body is built with a double floor and large lockers in the side valances ; there is also a rear locker of ample depth. It will be seen that this is a coach admirably suited for long tours on which passengers will carry a fair amount of luggage and will require seating comfort of the highest order.
Double-saloon Buses.
Hall, Lewis and Co.,. Ltd., has several motorbus bodies in course of construction, all incorporating the very latest ideas in design. There are same 48-50-seater double-deckers of orthodox type in which Leyland Titan chassis are being used, and a particularly interesting type which we saw in the early stages of production is a special lightweight double-deck body of which a dozen or more are being built upon Dennis H-type chassis. This is a more expensive body, the lightness being obtained by scientific construction and a special choice of materials which is not possible without a considerable increase in cost. Tucker's armoured plywoods are extensively used on this special double-decker, the overall height of which is only 13 ft.
Single-deck Bus Examples.
Some buses that are shortly to be delivered to the Salford Corporation have 32-seater bodies mounted on A.E.O. forward-control chassis.' These are constructed with deep side valances, the skirts of which are detachable to give access to chassis parts, a feature which has not been common hitherto, although essential for chassis attention, if frequent use of a pit or ramp is to be avoided.
There are also some very modern 32-seater single-deck buses on Leyland Lion chassis (with forward control) in construction for a West Country bus company. A feature of these is the provision of a luggage rack with three shelves in the rear bulwark on the near side, two passengers being accommodated adjacent to it on the off side.
Hall, Lewis and Co., Ltd., has orders in hand for over 200 vehicles to be completed by Easter, an indication of the busy time which operators are expecting. to have in the season that will shortly open.