The War Department' s Competition.
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From a User's Point of View.
That the tractor entered by Messrs. John I. Thornycroft and Company, Limited, of Chiswick and Basingstoke, was the best tractor from the War Department's point of view, and moreover complied with its requirements better than any other tractor submitted, nobody will deny. A different view may, however, be taken by the ordinary commercial user, who has to work under the conditions laid down by the Heavy Motor Car Order.
In the first place, the weight of a tractor must not be more than 4 tons, i9cwt., 3qr., 271b. Next, the user in this country—or anywhere else—has to consider, above all other points, the first cost and the cost of running per ton-mile. From a commercial user's point of view, the price of the winner of this competition almost prohibits its employment in competition with the steam tractor, in spite of the many advantages obtained from the displacement of the boiler, fire-box, etc., etc. These tractors, to be of any service in ordinary trade circles, must be sold at a price in the neighbourhood of, say, from £450 to 47500, and in this respect the other internal-combustion tractor, that of Messrs. Broom and Wade (No. to), looks more likely, in my opinion, to fill the bill.
The War Department has bought the Thornycroft tractor, at a price of ,&75. As a user, I should prefer to have two of the entry No. to, at ;C495 a piece, each capable of dealing with a 6-ton gross load, giving a net load of 9 tons at a, speed commensurate with that of the winner. This would mean higher wages and consumption, but the advantage would be obtained of having another unit and a bigger service area. The consumption would not be so great per mile with a lighter load, as higher speeds would be maintained, thus reducing the consumption as compared with an eight-ton gross load.
Let us consider the advantages of an internal-combustion tractor, as compared with a steam tractor. Across country, and over such ground as was traversed in these trials, all the advantages are with the former. No boiler, no water, no stoking, no gauge glass, no pressure to he watched, no priming on steep inclines, no boiler cleaning and so on. Whatever power is used is ready at hand on instant demand, and in agricultural districts no fear of sparks from funnel or ash-pan. The tractor is ready to start at call, and another big advantage is that all the weight of the vehicle can be placed in the running gear, and not in the power-producing plant. Where the journeys are made on unknown roads, the value of internal combustion is obvious, and in such trades as furniture removing where " unproTected " long-distance runs are made, the internal-combustion tractor should easily compete with and outrival steam. Also, for the delivery of loads at a point where roads are weak, the internal-combustion tractor should be pre-eminent, as, owing to its light axle-weight, it is enabled to traverse any country, and to take its load after it, by means of the winding drum, where a steam tractor might fail to cross. It is a very interesting comparison, to work out the running cost per ton-mile of the two internal-combustion tractors from the figures obtained in these trials, when bearing in mind that with betelroads the winner could not, because of the legal limit, go much faster, whereas, in the (-Ilse of No. lo tractor, lighter roads would give a higher speed and a less consumption. The running cost per ton-mile would not give a great advantage, if any, to the winner, and. it then becomes a question whether tractor No. to is not a more simple vehicle, one easily driven, and one requiring neither the skill nor the knowledge demanded by the winner.
To the commerI mercial user, the trials have proved that the internalcombustion tractor can do this work in o r e efficiently than the steam tractor, at a cheaper cost, and with less delays. Whilst, beyond all the advantages mention e
no one can deny that the hind-axle springs of the internal combustion tractor are far ahead of those upon the present form of tractor, the "spri 11 g s " to many of which machines are nothing more than short bars of steel.
with the " Commer Car " char-abanes that was illustrated in our issue of the 25th ultimo. A deputation of Stoneferry ratepayers and manufacturers went, per this vehicle, to protest at the Town Hall.
Fulham Borough Council is the latest London authority to decide that it will raise no objection to the use of the Newcomb non-skid device.
Beginning to-day, the 1st instant, the London and North-Western Rail
1,300 way will run a service of motor omnibuses, between Mold and Buckley, on
Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The Wigan and Chorley District Motor Bus Company, Limited, has been registered, with a capita! of £5,000, to establish, at the outset, a service between CuppulI and Standish.
The latest Polack order is from L'Autobus, Limited, of Brussels, for the tiring of the whole fleet of that undertaking's omnibuses-36 in number. The contract covers the maintenance of the tires for a long period.
Trailer Tramcars.
It is announced that the London County Council wishes to have powers to use trailer cars behind certain of its tramcars. Are not the L.C.C. tramcars bulky and cumbersome enough at the moment, and do not they cause sufficient obstruction without this addition? The estimated cost per " equipment " is L'410, and authority is sought to make tests with one set of couplings for two cars. This proposition is one which should, we feel confident, be stoutly opposed by all other owners of vehicular traffic, whose interests will be affected most adversely if the innovation be allowed. In certain Continental cities, it is true, small trailer cars are to be seen, and clumsy ones in others, but no parallel can be found for such a monopoly of the streets as is now to be submitted to the Board of Trade, quite apart from one practical difficulty which occurs to us. The L.C.C. single cars already travel 6o closely to one another, in open defiance of the Board of Trade by-laws under which they are supposed to work, that there would really be no room to put in the extra trailer cars as is suggested. Perhaps, having regard to the unfair advantage which the L.C.C. tramcars enjoy in comparison with motorbuses, permission might be obtained to put one tramcar on top of another, instead of behind it? Following the aspirations of the Associated Omnibus Company, Limited, to be amalgamated, it is now stated that the Star Omnibus Company, Limited (in liquidation), hopes to be resuscitated.
Lighter Motorbuses.
Following upon private intimations which date back some 18 months, the Chief Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has publicly notified his decision not to license new motorbuses in excess of 34 tons unladen (page 86). The notification has caused no excitement in the manufacturing or motor-omnibus world, owing to the general anticipatory discounting of its effect, which is not tetrospec-tive.
Apropos this change, we quote, respectively, from our issues of the 2nd, oth and 16th Max', 1907-nearly two years ago :
" The Paris Commission subsequently attended a test, at Scotland Yard, of a number of motorbuses, and was informed that nearly every day construe tors were submitting fresh vehicles for approval, but that many of them had to be rejected on account of their weight. In fact, the authorities were going to reduce the carrying accommodation of the motorbus from 34 places to 28, so as to secure lighter vehicles."
"We are authorised by the Commissioner of Police to state that it is not proposed at present to make any alteration in the regulations in respect of motor omnibuses."
" Proprietors may, we feel confident, rest assured that no arbitrary Order on the subject will be issued by Sir E. R. Henry, who has shown himself fair and considerate in regard to the affording of opportunity for discussion before any drastic changes in dimensions have been enforced, but the seriousness of the proposition, from the standpoint of motorbus takings alone, is sufficiently obvious, none the less, to justify more than a passing reference to its possible operative effect. All dispassionate and impartial observers of the problem of motorbus traffic in London will agree that the various conditions which obtain to-day cannot be regarded as other than tentative. Changes will have to come, some gradually and others with at least outward appearance of abruptness, before the motor-omnibus companies settle down on a profit-earning basis. This journal has, since the advent of the double-deck motorbus in London, combated the arguments of parties who desire to see enormously large vehicles upon the streets, and our Editorial referent:es some ten months ago, under the title of Multiple axles, smaller units, or better roads?' (Vol. III, No. 73, pages 447 and 448), expressed our beli.21 that, in the absence of improved road surfaces, a reduction in axle-weight offered the next likely direction of modification."
Services in Turkey.
Further to our previous references, we now learn that Mr. T. NV. Armstrong is en route for Constantinople,. to inaugurate, with four Scott-Stirling chassis, a service for the Turkish Motor Bus Company. It is expected that 16 more vehicles of the same make will be shipped about the middle of May. Extensive overhauls were carried out before the vehicles were shipped, at the Panhard-Levassor Acton works, and Mr. Armstrong personally selected his drivers.