PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS.
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
, A 24-SEATER CORRIDOR COACH.
A Type of Vehicle Which is Specially Suitable for Select Road Touring.
TRE CORRIDOR type of motor coach chiefly appeals to a select class of road tourist. It possesses many features not associated with the conventional .design of vehicle in which the transverse seats extend across the full width of the body, and although, as a type, it offers semi-privacy in its seats arranged in pain it does not. destroy the possibility of social intercourse which is usually desired by parties. Moreover, although
certain objections have been raised against the corridor type of coach, there is no gainsaying the fact that it offers greater comfort and less inconvenience to passengers, and, in so far as it dispenses with numerous door openings, it simplifies and strengthens the construction of the body.
That this is so can be clearly gathered from the accompanying illustrations, which show a 24-seater body built on a
B.T. typ.e Thornycroft chassis by the Chelsea Motor Building Co., Ltd., 164, King's Road, Chelsea, London, S.W., to the order of Messrs. Giles and Balen, of King's Lynn.. The general build of this body„follows-,orthodox practice, but it also incorporates several features which are peculiar to bodies of Chelsea manufacture. Thelframing is-of welt-seasoned ash, the doors, wheel arches, and framing itself being well plated in order to give strength where it is most required. The body panelling is carried out in C.R.C.A. steel, the panels being securely attached to the framework. The front ends and the rear corners of the body are hand-beaten to shape and improve the general appearance of the coach. So far as the seating is concerned, four rows of seats, each accommodating two
persons on each side of a central gang way, are provided, the only full-length seat being that. which runs across the hack of the body, and which seats five people. The remaining accommodation is provided by one fixed seat ou the near aide, in line with the driver's seat, one tip-up seat attached to the near side of the driver's seat, and one fixed seat on the off side of the driver—making in all a total seating capacity for 24 people.
Attention has been specially paid to passengers' comfort, and deep spring cases and good quality springs are accordingly used. The back squabs and the cushions are upholstered in hand buffed leather and are well-padded with horsehair. The backs of the seats are covered with carpeting which is not. so liable to be scratched as is paint, whilst linoleum is used as a floor covering.
The body has two wide doors, that on the near side being the passenger entrance. Each of these doors is hung on stout coach hinges, fitted with dovetails, the locks with which they are pro vided being of the railway pattern, which are operated by outside handles and inside slides. Grip handles are fitted to facilitate getting in and out of the coach. The insides of the doors are panelled in three-ply, and at the bottom of each a 6-in. Duralurnin kicker-plate is fitted. This Chelsea coach body is fitted with a special compartment on the off side, which is divided into two parts, the front portion being intended to serve as a receptacle for tools, whilst the rear portion, 'which extends beneath the chassis frame, is built of such proportions as easily to accommodate a spare wheel and tyre. This arrangement is a most convenient means of disposing of this supplementary equipment.
There is a double step below the door on the near side, the lower step for part of its length being hinged in the centre so that when not in use it can be folded back. Boxes for accommodating loose tools and petrol tins are provided beneath the body on the near side to the rear of the double steps. There is also a compartment for light articles beneath the rear seat, with drop-down door in the rear panel, which is protected from damage by loose articles being shaken about by fitting separating beards, The usual Cape-cart hood, which has a front extension operated by patent. sliding fittings, is provided. The hoopsticks are fitted with rubber spacers.
B36 The finish of the coach is in the best style, and such refinements as rug rails, match-strikers and the like are sure evi deuce that. considerable thought and care have been given to the construction of the body.