Birmingham-London Road Service Averages 41 m.p.h.
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FROM P. A. C. BROCKINGTON FOR the first time in this country coach passengers have had the satisfaction of travelling in a vehicle with a higher cruising speed than the majority of private cars. Cruising at speeds generally in excess of 70 m.p.h., two Midland "Red" coaches of the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., competed an inaugural motorway run on Monday from Digbeth, Birmingham, to Victoria Coach Station, London;
a distance of 116 miles, in 2 hr. 50 Scheduled time for the trip is 3 hr. 25 min.. and the motorway service that was started later in the day comprises three runs in both directions. A fleet of 10 C.5.I 34-seat -coaches, powered by 8-litre turbocharged engines, is employed for the service. Return fare is II Is. 3d.
The motorway section-extends 65 miles from the Dunchurch Spur at the northern end to the M.10 spur in the south, and was covered in 59 min. at an average speed of 66.1 m.p.h. On the steepest gradients the speed was reduced to around 60 m.p.h., and near Dunstable the driver took the precaution of throttling back to 50 m.p.h: to avoid passing other vehicles without ample space to spare.' At no other time did traffic conditions cause more than a momentary hold-up.
A notable feature of the run was the small number of private cars which passed the coach. There. were only six, three of which were high-speed sports saloons.
Outstanding operational features of the vehicle were the quiet running of the turbocharged engine, the smooth efficiency of the disc brakes, and the obvious suitability of the rubber suspension for motorway runs. particularly with regard to handling characteristics at sustained high speed and in an emergency.
Tyre Blow-out
This was dramatically demonstrated on the return trip when there was a blow-out of the off-side front tyre of the leading each at a speed in excess of 60 m.p.h. The driver maintained full control of the coach without difficulty, and the vehicle barely deviated from its original • course.
The blow-out occurred some five miles from the junction of the Donchurch Spur abd A45, after the coach had . covered 60 miles of the motorway route at an appreciably higher average speed . than that attained on the outward run. Many sections were covered at a speed, of approximately 75 m.p.h., and this was sometimes exceeded when the driver coasted the vehicle on long gradients. The tyres were of the textile-plied type, the front covers having 12 plies. Rear covers were of the 10-ply type.
According to an authoritative assessment of fuel consumption, the coach averaged about 15 m.p.g. on the motorway and other unobstructed parts of the route, whilst the average was reduced by the dense London traffic to around 13 m pg. The distance from the motorway
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min.—an average of nearly.41 m,p.h.
spur to Victoria Coach Stationis about 21 . miles, and this " was covered in 1 hr. 6 min.
. The saving in journey time of 35 min. compared with the service schedule is approximately equal to the gain in operating time ttvat would be afforded by an increase in the speed limit to 50 m.p.h. on dual _carriageways.
As an appropriate tail-piece, an elderly lady who was a passenger on the first London-Birmingham coach may be quoted: "It was," she is reported as saying, 'like flying in an aeroplane on wheels; but I do think that the driver could have made a greater effort."
LEYLAND INNOVATIONS DOWER assistance for the hand-brake I mechanism of Leyland Royal Tiger Worldmaster underfloor-engined passenger chassis is now available. A diaparz.gmtype air-pressure brake chamoer, mounted on one of the chassis crossmembers, provides the power. The operating pressure is 65 p.s.i.
The servo is controlled by a pull-type clutch valve actuated by the hand-brake linkage, and manual operation of the hand brake is not impaired in the event of a failure in the air-pressure system.
Leyland Comet and Super Comet chassis are now available with abbreviated cab front-end assemblies. It will help body manufacturers who wish to incorporate integral cabs, particularly on pantechnicons. The assemblies consist of the standard cab floor, engine cowl, front structure and windscreen.
Motorway Will Save 2m. Vehicle-hours ACCORDING to.a report prepared by fl the .Road Research Laboratory and Birmingham University, issued yesterday, the London-Birmingham motorway is estimated to save 1.6m. Vellicle-hours a year. Reduced congestion on existing roads should save a further 400,000 vehiclehours a year. Allowing for all the benefits, it is calculated that the net rate of return in 1960 on the capital cost of the motorway would repay the original capital cost, plus interest, in six to eight years.
[The report is summarized on page 4521
C.I.E. PLAN TO DECENTRALIZE THEpresent provincial management system of Coras lornpair Eireann was to be replaced by four strong autonomous areas based on Waterford, Cork, Limerick and Galway, said Mr. F. Lemass, general manager, at Limerick last week. A research and development officer would be appointed to keep abreast of progress elsewhere, and initiate developments in Eire.
BEDFORD BASE FOR B.R.S ?
THE aPplication by British Road Services to set up a base at Bedford will be heard by the Eastern Licensing Authority at the Shire Hall, Bedford, on November 18-P...