AN ECONOMICAL PETROL RAILCAR.
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The Use of Two Adapted Road Vehicles, Working Independently or In Tandem, Solves a Branch Line Traffic Problem.
WE HAVE made many references in the past to the adaptation of ordinary petrol-propelled road vehicles for use on branch railways where it has been found inexpedient to employ heavy steam locomotives on account of the cost of operation being out of all proportion to the value of the traffic available. By the use of such vehicles many services which have hitherto proved totally unremunerative are now paying their way,
whilst in other .cases the working loss has been considerably reduced.
A concrete instance can be cited by referring to the passenger service maintained by the Derwent Valley Light Railway Co., in a sparsely populated agricultural area in Yorkshire. This particular line, which was established in. July, 1913, is 16 miles in length, and was primarily constructed to meet the growing needs of agriculturists in the district. The line also serves as a direct feeder to the North Eastern Railway system with which it connects at Cliff Common, near Selby.
For the operation of this service the Demerit Valley Light Railway Co. have, until recently, relied upon locomotive power hired from the London and North Eastern Railway Co., but the revenue from the service has proved to be so meagre that losses were incurred, with the result that the company set themselves the task of discovering ways and means whereby economies could be effected. In this matter they turned to the possibilities _of road vehicles and decided to carry out certain experiments with such machine-, for rail work.
The petrol railear service was inaugu• rated a short time ago, and preliminary results which have bean obtained certainly suggest that a very great saving in running costs will ultimately accrue.
The train, if one may trse the term, is composed of two distinct and separate vehicles coupled back to back, and each is capable of being uncoupled from the other vehicle and run independently, if the number of passengers be not sufficient to justify the operation of the vehicles in tandem.
Th..e chassis which are used for the rrrpose are ordinary Ford tonners, and it has only been found necessary to make slight alterations in order to adapt the vehicles to suit the new conditions under which they have to run. The front axle is is solid forging of square section slotted to reeeive the frontspring perches as on the standard axle, and Timken roller-bearing journals are fitted. The wheels are of the ordinary type, with ash spokes and felloes, the steel tires being somewhat lighter than the standard rail type A high-tension magneto hoe been substituted for the Ford low-tension coil system of ignition, and the hand-brake has been considerably strengthened, being so arranged that the operation of one lever applies the brakes on both coaches. It is worthy of note that Supaphord gears are fitted, and all controls and brakes can be locked in the trailing vehicle. For linking up the two vehicles the A.B.C. combined centre buffer and coupler has been utilised.
Each of the vehicles is arranged to seat 18 passengers in addition to the driver, and the disposition of the seats can he clearly seen from one of our illustrations. Each coachis provided with two entrances for passengers, one on each side. The question of maintaining a supply of fresh air for the interiors has not been overlooked, and swivelling ventilators, which roar be locked in any position between full' open and closed, are fitted.
The bodies were built by Charles H. Roe (1923), Ltd., of Crossgates, near Leeds. They are each 13 ft. long, the interior width being 6 ft: 91 iris, and the overall width 7 ft. 3 ins. The overall height above the rails is 9 ft. 9 ins., and the headroom available in each vehicle is 6 ft. When the cars are operating in tandem, the overall length of the train is 34 ft. 9 ins., and when operating independently the overall length of each vehicle is 17 ft. 4 ins. Of course, it will bo readily understood that only one engine supplies the power when the vehicles are operating together.
From records which have been kept it has been found that each coach rims, when loaded, an average of 17.55 miles to the gallon of fuel consumed, and that when operating in tandem the average fuel consumption is a gallon for every 1423 miles run.
The service normally operates between Ybrk (Layerthorpe Station), the northern terminus of the line, and Skipwith, although at certain times Cliff Common, which is the southern terminus of the system., is also served. Four intermediate stations are called at between York and Skipwiih, and the timetable of the company provides for three trains in each direction per day, except on Saturdays, when the service ,is increased.
The petrol railcars have replaced a steam locomotive and the three coaches which it hauled. Renumbering London Routes.
In order to meet the requirements of the London Traffic Act, 1924, it has been necessary for the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., to effect a wholesale me numbering of many of their bus routes. So far as practicable, the police authorities (who are now responsible for the numbering of routes) have retained the old numbers, and where it has been fcund necessary to alter them they have been moved as little as possible so as to assist the public memory. Only where the servh,es operate on the same route, but for different lengths of the route from a common terminus, do they carry one number, the varying turning points being distinguished by the addition of the letters " a," " h, ' e," etc. In other cases two services hitherto worked tinder a common number will, in future, he operated under consecutive numbers.
Services in the Argentine: In their recently issued report the Anglo-Argentine Tranivvays Co., Ltd., mention that since the end of 1922 numerous motorbus services have been started in the Argentine. Except in one case, however, the Concessions are reported to be only for short periods. Liar Problems.
There has been a new and significant development at Hartlepool in connection with the ttessla which is expected in the near future between the corporations of Hartlepool and West Hartlepool for running powers between the sister boroughs, details of which wel'e given in our last issue. The possibility of such a struggle was indicated at a recent Ministry of Transport inquiry, when the Hartlepool Motor Services appealed against a refusal of the West Hartlepool Corporation to grant them certain powers.
The latest phase of the problem takes the form of a decision by the Hartlepool Corporation to promote a Parliamentary Bill in the next session Seeking permission to operate motorbuses inside and outside the borough of Hartlepool. This move provides a counter to the recent decision of the 1Vest Hartlepool municipal body to seek similar powers for the operatio of trolley-buses.
Oldham's Plans.
Oldham Corporation has decided to seek Parliamentary powers to enable it to run trolley-buses in the borough and in the urban districts of Chadderton, Lees, Crompton and Royton, and to run motorbuses in and out of the borough.