Five Times Unlucky
Page 50
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WHAT is happening to all the units of British Road " Services? What must one do to get hold of one? Five times I have tendered and every time my tender has been rejected. What is the answer to this? My last three tenders in List 7 were 1.900 for unit 4251, consisting of a 1948 Vulcan o.ler (3 tons 10 cwt. unladen); £1,000for unit 3574 which was a 1949 Seddon fourwheeler (2 tons 19 cwt.) and £1,800 for unit 3575, this being a 1949 Seddon 10-ton articulated vehicle of 2 tons 19 cwt. unladen, plus trailer.
It seems that the B.R.S. expect to receive fantastic prices for these vehicles, but who benefits most in the long run? I wonder where your journal gets the idea of a price of £85 per ton of unladen weight. Who is lucky enough and how many does he have to buy to obtain • them at that price?
I have noticed that a certain firm has been assigning vehicles and licences after nearly every list has been put on the market. How can this be done and what sort of a profit do they make? I am sure that they do not work for shillings. It does not seem fair that they should be granted all these licences if they are going to assign them to other buyers. Why cannot the B.R.S. grant them direct to the people who really want them and thus do without the middle man?
Incidentally, all the vehicles for which I have tendered have been on trunk services and, therefore, have had their fair share of wear and tear. To my mind, the " pirates " should be congratulated and not prosecuted for getting on with the work instead of wasting time in filling up useless tender forms and getting nowhere fast.
North Greenford, Middx. J. O'CONNOR, Jnr.
One of the Few—An Appreciation
JHAVE only recently found time to read the leading article entitled "The Quick and the Dead" on page 146 of your issue dated September 10.
May I express to you my sincere appreciation of your being one of the few people who have interpreted correctly the purpose of my recent paper to the Municipal Passenger Transport Association at the Southend Conference.
So many people seem to have missed the point of my writings. Perhaps this is due to the pseudo-literary padding, but, of course, it had to be of some reasonable length. .Darwen, Lancs. G. BECKETT, . General Manager and Engineer, Darwen Corporation Transport.
The Cost of False • Economy?
AS a driver with a large nationalized bus company, I find that their frenzied application of economy— which is false to my way of thinking—is making our job more and more difficult. It seems that the people who run such undertakings are willing to cut everything except their own salaries.
We have engines absolutely starved of fuel, with the result that their performance in heavy traffic is too poor for words. We have to flog these buses all day, a nerve
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racking business, for gears are crashed, brakes banged on hard, in fact, every trick in the trade used to keep on time, all to economize to the extent of a few pints of fuel per bus. This enforced treatment means that the vehicles do not last nearly as long without repairs as would buses which are fit for the work that they have to do. I would dearly like to see some of these windbags who attend conferences, etc., try to keep time on some of our schedules.
Paisley. J. CONNELL.
Successful Vehicles of Early Days
RECENTLY two contributors to The Commercial Motor have admired the choice of the East Kent Traction Co. in selecting vehicles of Dennis make.
As an example of what this make of vehicle can do, I would like to mention that in 1920 I was a member of a boys' band, numbering 30. We hired from a local contractor, an ex-W.D. Dennis 3-ton lorry to run us from Leyton to Canterbury. Apart from the boys, there were six adults and musical instruments.
The vehicle took us both ways practically non-stop, without any trouble, which was quite an achievement for one produced between 1914-1918. From that day, I had a keen interest in Dennis products and noticed that many of the municipal undertakings had then standardized on them. In other words, Dennis vehicles for both passengers and goods were concerned with much of the early road transport economy of the country, which was, however, helped at that time, although perhaps to a lesser degree, by those of Leyland make. Many of the independent buses, at that time called " pirates " by foolish people, were of Dennis make, bought by little men and run in opposition to the bigger companies. They had to stand up to a lot of hard work, because they were on the road seven days a week and ran for long periods. Part of my experience was gained while in charge of a mixed fleet of passenger vehicles. I found that those of Dennis make were seldom in .dock for repairs, except at their proper overhaul times and they used much less fuel.
I may add that I have never been connected with the makers.
Bren tford, Middx. H. A. L. KING.
Axle Loading on the A.E.C. Reliance
THE recommended maximum front-axle loading for the A.E.C. Reliance chassis, a road test report of which appeared in the September 10 issue of The Commercial Motor, is 31 tons when used on coach service, although we do prefer, if possible, that this loading be kept below 31 tons in order to come within. the rating of 9.00-20-in. (10-ply) tyres. The front-axle weight of 3 tons 141 cwt., which includes the 31-cwt. allowance for driver and observer, is therefore within our recommendations.
London, W.I. Chief of Engineering Section, A.C.V. Sales, Ltd. .