TESTING A COACH CHASSIS AT 30'M.Pli.
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A Six–day Demonstration Test Around Great Britain of the New Associated Daimler Coach.
MHE 33-passenger chassis known as the 416A was intro-1 &iced by the Associated Daimler Co., .Ltd., for 1927, and has lately been remodelled, chiefly in respect of its engine, which latter component was described in The Commercial Motor dated January 17th. For the purrlose of testing its efficiency and reliability (the latter within prae7 tical limits), a demonstration vehicle was sent upon a trip around Britain during the third week in February loaded With the equivalent weight of 43 passengers. This consisted of ballast in sand-bags to the extent of 46 cwt.,-and, in addition, an average of ten passengers per day, so that this virtually gave an overload of ten passengers. The journey occupied six days and was taken in the following stages :-(1) Southall to Land's End (315 miles) ; (2) Land's End to Shrewsbury (312 miles) ; (3) Shrews-. • bury to Glasgow (289,6 miles) ; (4) Glasgbw to Aberdeen (288 miles) ; (5) Aberdeen to Newealtle (294 miles); (6) Newcastle to Southall ,(286 miles). The total distanee covered was 1,829.6 miles. The longest day's journey was on the first day to Land's Icnd, when the running time. was 134 hours, and on this day Porlock Hill and Countisbury Hill, each with a gradient of 1 in 4, were negotiated; two standing starts being made
on the Steepest parts. , On the third day the journey -embraced the climb over Shap Fell, where the .gradient is 1 in S for 16 miles.
The fourth day's journey from Perth covered the main road from Blair Atholl through Aviemore. to Inverness; that is to say, over the Drumoetiter Pass, where the country is always snow,eovered at this time of the year. The total running time was 61 hours 51 minutes, so that the average speed throughout the whole of the journey Was 29.54 m.p.h.—a particularly good performance. The petrol used was 226 gallons which gives a consumption of one gallon per Si miles, Whilst the oil consumption was one gallon per 732 miles. The quantity of water supplied to the cooling system each day was half a gallon. The mechanical troubles might almost be set down as nil. They consisted of the working loose of a nut on the Autovac suction pipe, which ,involved 15 minutes' delay; the breaking of the speedometer belt, which' lost 10 minutes; and the loosening of the toggle pins in the carburetter, which, again, caused 15 Minutes' delay. The conditions throughout the route were fairly severe. and, of course, the road to Inverness was naturally in a very rough state, snowdrifts in many places momentarily taking the steering out of the driver's hands. The climb over. every one of the test hills was performed in very good style, and the sales department of the Associated Daimler Co., Ltd.: is certainly in a position to quote the behaviour of this vehicle throughout this gruelling test as definite proof of the good quality of Associated Daimler work and the strength of the chassis and body.