CIE BACKS SERVI
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By alley F. Taylor.
A.I.R.T.E.
With a Fleet Numbering 390 Vehicles, 180 Regular Routes • and Workpeople's Special Services are Operated, the Total Overall Mileage Figure Exceeding 13,000,000 Per Annum
T.HE Potteries Motor Traction Co., Ltd., which, in conjunction with independent operators; has built ' up the highly co-ordinated system of bus services described in "The Commercial Motor " on February 25, celebrated its Golden Jubilee last year. It was formed in 1898 as the Potteries Electric Traction Co., Ltd., and changed its title to the present form in 1933.
Back in the steam-locomotive days, half a century ago, less than seven miles of route was operated and the fleet of 40 trams carried 4,000,000 passengers a year. Under the, control of P.E.T., the system was electrified and , rapidly extended, so that by 1902. over 14,000,000 passengers were being carried annually by 105 trams working over a system of 28.95 route-miles.
Those who think of public inquiries as a purely modern evil may be interested ta know that the desire to extend met With vigorous opposition by local authorities and the railway, the • latter's representatives protesting that their " preserves " were being poached upon to the extent of 800,050 passengers a year.
The old steam trams had provided a parcels service,. and P.E.T. set out to build up this section of the business, popularizing the slogan "Prompt Economical Transit." Those concerned were certainly. enterprising, for they did not limit their activities to the locality, but accepted national and foreign traffic, whilst goods could be received from other areas in bulk, stored, divided up and distributed according to the consignors' instructions.
Local. newspapers were also handled under this scheme. Special baggage cars were run and vans were used to supplement the tram service. Unfortunately, war-time. staffing problems resulted in the suspension of the arrangement six years ago.
In common with those of other similar undertakings, the trams were fighting a losing battle during the early twenties, and the average of 1/74 passengers per
B12 car-mile recorded for 1919 had fallen to 10.09 five years later, with the result that difficulty was experienced in meeting essential maintenance costs. The trains were finally abandoned in-1928.
In addition to stage-carriage services, excursions and tours are run, and contract work is done. Over 180 regular routes are now in operation, in addition to workpeople's special services. Besides effectively covering the Potteries and Newcastle-under-Lyme areas, they radiate to Crewe, Congletori, Knutsford, Sandbach, Buxton, Leek, Uttoxeter, Derby, Lichfield, Stafford, Newport (Salop) and Market Drayton. Services are also provided to Manchester and Birmingham, the combined route mileage totalling 1,250.
Since the end of the war, over 100,000,000 passengers have been carried annually, .this being twice the 1935 figure. During the intervening period annual Mileage run has risen by 50 per Cent. and now stands at well over 13,000,000. The fleet, which numbers 390, consists of 122 double-deckers and 268 single-deckers.
All the single-deckers have front entrances and the double-deckers rear entrances. Full-height dOubledeckers were introduced in the spring of 1946, only low-height vehicles having been used formerly. The many town services on which there are height restrictions, because of low bridges, severely limit the use of vehicles with full headroom.
Chassis are of A.E.C., Daimler,. Dennis, Guy, Leyland and Tilling-Stevens manufacture, with bodywork by Burlingham, Northern Counties, Duple, Strachan, Brush, English Electric, Willowbrook and MetropolitanCammell-Weymann.
What were formerly the Six Towns were linked together in 1910 to form one borough under the name of Stoke-on-Trent Fifteen years later the united borough was granted the status of a city, but there still remain six town halls and all the problems associated with an area that has half a dozen main focal points. With its heavy peak traffic. P M T staffers much the same problems as many municipal undertakings, perhaps without the advantages sometimes enjoyed by • the corporations The average ticket value is between lid and 2d For ticket issuing, the Bell Punch system is used exclusively.
The largest of the company's depots is that at Stoke, where 208 buses are housed in two adjacent garages overflowing onto open ground. Other depots and the number of machines accommodated are at Newcastleunder-Lyme (58), Fenton (54), Vale Place (Hanley) (31), Golden Hill (17), Cheadle (15) and Stafford (7).
, Steady Expansion The first bus depot was at Fenton, but in 1922 Stokeon-Trent Rectory and the land on which it 'stead were acquired for the construction of new premises, the site being on the opposite side of the road to the Stoke tram depot The new building provided first-class facilities for overhaul and repair work In 1937-38 the former tram depot was swept away and a further bus garage constructed, with additional repair, and main tenance shops, . •
-The Newcastle garage was opened in 1932: having " been built on land attached to a house known as " The Beeches." The garage ig-a steel-framed building which has an uninterrupted span measuring 220 ft. by 91 ft. The house was converted into a modern cafe, where refreshments and meals can be obtained day and night. A section. of the depot is leased to CroSville Motor Services, Ltd., for the pawpaw of accommodating a dozen buses and providing for the staff working services that terminate in the Newcastle district.
At Langton the company has its only bus station, and from this point there are as many as 100 departures an liar at peak periods; among the facilities is a public ck bar. Another busy centre of activity is Cheadle, • is, where a local undertaking was •acquired some • ,rs ago.
Umbrella-type Shelters
garage there was enlarged in 1943 and, apart the depot accommodation alreadymentioned, •
s„ ng, inquiry and traffic offices were established at
iuint convenient for the public. In recent times, Iters, usually of the umbrella type, have been, vicied at a substantial number of the town terminal ints
The Potteries organization has been fortunate in its ,bour relations, for since the General Strike of 1926 1,-.;,1 has been only one stoppage, and that not from causes. , s has already been indicated, the first specifically
garage at Stoke was supplied with modern maintance equipment, but much of this work was
ansferred to the new, or No 2, garage when the latter ,ras constructed. Here there are facilities for chassis ...--overhaul and a body shop with adjacent upholsterers section.
Light dock overhauls take place every 10,000 miles and are performed at the Fenton, Newcastle and Vale Place depots, as well as at Stoke, where the heavier work is concentrated. Here heavy docks take place at 40,000-50,000 miles and complete overhauls at 120,000
imiles • .
When a bus comes in for an engine change or body overhaul, the chassis is cleaned by a steam jenny before dismantling. After being taken down, the various components are passed through a cleansing vat. All 814 are then tested for cracks and defects, and engine parts are passed to the specialist litters Bearings are remetalleti and shafts are re-mated with the bearings, whilst pistons are reconditioned by the cleaning out of ring slots and the fitting of new rings. Camshafts are checked for cam lift, push-rods renewed as required, valves changed or trued up, and springs checked for liveliness. Crankcases are checked for cracks, wcar and the accuracy of bearing fittings, if necessary being bored oversize and equipped with sheaths. In each instance the main bearing is fitted up_ in the crankcase and bored out in line The oil system is taken down and checked, cxhausters are examined and rebuilt, and pump bodies are reconstructed. When the engine has been entirely rebuilt, it is run by outside power for four hours and then under its own power for another four hours The same principles are applied to rear axles, gearboxes and other sub-assemblies.
From the unit-reconditioning shop, the completed work passes into the stores, so that replacements required by the dock and overhaul shop are provided from the finished items lying ready.
Up-to-date Machine Shops Particularly good conditions are provided for employees in the workshops, extensive use being made of light paint and fluorescent lighting Machine tools are made brighter and kept cleaner as a result of their being finished in can-dc-nil paint Amongst the equipment of the machine shop which was completely reorganized in the latter half of 1948, are five centre lathes of various capacities, a radial drill, a Brown and Sharpe centre grinder, a 3-ft. milling machine, an 8-in. shaving machine, a cylinder borer, a pillar drilling machine, a Kitchen and Wade honer, a slow surface grinder, a power hacksaw, a connecting-rod borer, a power-driven Newton boring bar and pneumatic hoists for lifting gear.
Mention has already been made of the body and trimming shop, and there is a paint shop capable of dealing with four vehicles per week. In the overhaul section, pits with stink benches facilitate repair work. In addition to the amenities already mentioned, there is a well-equipped electrician's shop and a carefully planned stores.
Consideration for Staff
Close attention has been given to the welfare side of the organization, and staff buses are provided to take home crews who have been working late turns. On the question of catering, I was' interested to observe two' tea tr011eys tauring the workshops twice a day. They supply tea at approximately 10 a.m. and 3 p.m, at a charge of Is. 3d. for a five-day week and between them distribute drinks to 240 people in a matter of 20 minutes.
In the works themselves there are ample supplies of hot and cold water for washing whilst heated coat racks are now provided, so that: although outer clothing may be wet on arrival at Work, all should be dry before the employees return home. The total number employed is 2,050, of all grades, and as workers include a number of conductresses; a qualified woman welfare officer is engaged to take care of their interests.
The Potteries area, by its very nature, provides a number of unusual problems, but modern times have seen the emergence of a system which offers intensive, efficient and economical service, not only to the dwellers, but also to those who live in the scatteye suburbs or in the remote villages of the countryside.