THE TREND OF COACH BODYWORK DESIGN.
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The Aim to Attain a General Similarity in Appearance to the Private Vehicle. Protection from Weather, Insulation from Vibration, and Luggage Accommodation the Three, Great Features. I TEE GENERAL trend of the design of the motor coach body is to reproduce, only on a larger scale, the shape, appearance and comfort of the trrivate Open touring body. The up-to-date body has, therefore, flush sides, mouldings are eliminated, and the -side panel has a turnover or "tumble borne" along the top at the elbow, and it is turned under again at the bottom. In front every effort is made to copy the scuttle of the touring ear, with its gently sloping top continuing the line of the bonnet, whilst at the sides the body curves in sharply so as to coincide with the bonnet width at the dash. The sides of the body must not only be flush-sided, but be of moderate lieight, again repeating the general effect of the torpedo body. Also, the design of the backs of the seats must be carefully planned out, so that they do not project too much above the body sides. The rail forming the top of the back of each row of seats is nicely curved from end to end, and, in most cases, the ends Will be swept down, so that they merge into the contours of the side panels. Upholstery is not allowed to run along the elbows, but in its place is usually to be found a neat finisher of polished wood.
Approaching the Touring Car in Appearance.
It will be seen, therefore, that the aim of the discerning coach proprietor is for a vehicle which shall have an air of -refinement and, withal, a high-class appearance. The builder of the body is always ready to co-operate with him in the production of a comfortable and stylish coach, and the Only Obstacle, apart from considerations of price, is the general layout of the chassis. The motor manufacturer no longer expects the coach proprietor to be satisfied with a, lengthened lorry chassis, but has come to tin/ conclusion that this class of work demands a spec'al chassis. In some instances the modifications made from the ordinary patterns are but trifling, whilst in others one may see that the engineer has accepted the fact that what is wanted is a very large touring car. But further alterations are necessary before the perfect coach chassis is attained, and it must be admitted that some imported chassis tend to anticipate what may be expected of our home manufac'
turers in the future and it is to be hoped that this time is near.
The first requirement of a coach chassis is an im. posing radiator and bonnet. As the coach body is much longer than the touring car, the same proper, tions are retained if the sides are made some four to six inches deeper than the private body. Extra depth of side is also necessary, because the seats, being closer coupled, must be higher. The ideal bonnet is one which has a hinge line almost as high as the top of the body sides, so that Ellis line, if continued, can be made to run into the elbow line ; then the top line of all of the bonnet is sufficiently high so that it can form, without a break, to the top of the scuttle. One is well aware that the engine for driving. a large coach need not be of any greater dimensions than that of a powerful touring car. Yet the bonnet covering it must be bigger, in order to harmonize with the ample bodywork behind it.
It is not Wise, however, to have a well-raked steering column for a public-service vehicle, because such an arrangement demands cushions which are practically laid on the floor, and, moreover, must have the maximum of leg-room, owing to the lounging position taken up. The coach must justify its capital and maintenance expenditure by earning a steady income which will compensate the owner for his outlay, so that a "reasonable seating capacity must alWays be kept in view. It has been found that the riding public will occasionally pay a little extra for an additional degree of comfort, but, after all, this extra is not enough to permit drastic reduction in seating.
Seat Height in Relation to Comfort.
The position of the steering wheel decides the height of the cushion of the front seats, and this height is repeated for the other seats. In the old type of coach each succeeding row of seats was made an inch or two higher than the one in front, but this practice has been abandoned simply because it detracts from the appearance of the coach as a "touring" oar. The height of the steering will then be so arranged that a general height of seat is provided throughout the body, which allows a thick. cushion
to be furnished, one which is from 1 ft. 4 ins. to 1 ft. 6 ins. off the floor to the top of it, enabling the passenger to sit in comfort, even if only 12 ins, of knee room is available in fronle of it.
The cushion is sloped to the rear, so that the occupant reclines without effert against the well-sprung back. No modern coach chassis can possibly have the tank under the driving seat, 'because it means that the seat-board must be comparatively high. A tank on the dash has the drawback that it is apt to spoil any streamline effect required at this part of the body. No, the tank must be below the floor and
in keeping with present-day ideas of safety, provided with a filler which can be operated from outside and without disturbing any of the passengers.
Another reason why the tank must not be under the seats is because of the value of the space under them for increasing the comfort of the passengers. One is apt to think of luggage, luggage, and again luggage when anything in the nature of a free space is available in a coach body, but the space under the seats is put to much better use if it provides extra leg-room, and, best of all, if a sloping footboard be placed here. It is a simple matter to provide a board set at an angle of about 45 degrees, which makes all the difference to the enjoyment of the passenger during a lengthy journey. The front-seat passengers are• always provided for in this way because the floor is sloped up to form the natural foundation for the operation of the pedals. Instead of a board, a rail will answer the purpose.
The Disadvantage of the Forward Steering Position.
The forward position for the steering has been advocated as a means of gaining a seat or two when, comparing such a chassis with one having the conventional arrangement of control. • The disadvantage is purely an artistic one' and it is impossible -Co design a stylish-looking body when the forward part must be rather lop-sided in appearance. One is willing to forego this drawback on such a utilitarian vehicle as an omnibus, but, -if balance and proportion of the whole design are to be studied, then the room taken up by the steering must be made more compact by other means. It is suggested, as a large bonnet is required and one that is likely to be long also, that it should be possible to have a false dash line—that is, with pedals under the back of the bonnet, something after the style of the Lanehester ear and in a modified form on the Packard chassis.
The private touring car has never more than a Single platform step and many chassis are low enough So that an agile motorist could dispense with the step if necessary. *Here, again, if the niceties of the private car are to be repeated, the double platform step must be abolished. On some chassis this is already possible, making a marked improvement in the tout ensemble. But, of course, it is no use pro
viding only one step if the chassis be not low enough for this arrangement. The single step is also a practical, advantage, because the actual available width of tread is wider and, therefore, safer. A coach body is of maximum width ; therefore, the steps, if not hinged, overhang but a few inches beyond the .overall width of the body ; consequently, even allowing for the side turn-under of the panel, the distance from the front edge of the step to the next one, and then to the door threshold, is seldom enough for comfort when the body has two steps, and is particularly awkward when descending. Hence, if one step can he dispensed with, there is more width of tread available. With coach chassis design we want the same drastic alteration of height of chassis or loading line as is exemplified by the N.S. type of chassis.
The low loading line brings in its train the large wheel arch, which interferes with the disposition of the seats in its immediate neighbourhood. There is no way out except to sacrifice probably a couple of seats, unless, by the use of a somewhat smaller wheel and one giant tyre instead of twins, more space is left between the inside faces of the tyres on each side. There is seldom much scope for an increase of track, but, should there be any available, it should be The question of weather protection for the coach body is one of perennial interest. The Cape hood is still the most popular method of shielding the passenger from the rain, but, so far as we are aware, there are no improved types to record. Where the body has a door to each row of seats, the Bartle hood maintains the refined appearance of the modern flushsided body, owing to its extremely neat appearance and general compactness. When the body is small, such as a 14-46-seater, the builder is able to provide a pattern of hood much after the style of a private car, whilst, with larger bodies, if more time is necessary in order to operate the hood, it is vastly improved over older patterns, because the side curtains are rigid and those above the doors open with them. With the central gangway type of body the curtain problem is much simplified, owing to the fact that at the most there are only two doors on one side.
That Perennial Problem—The Hood.
The Cape hood of a coach, even when it is not of maximum width, has the inherent disadvantage that it is supported between centres which are at least 6 ft. apart. The hoop-sticks which hold up the hood material must be as light as rigidity will allow ; consequently, one cannot expect the same ease of operation as with the hood of a private car. If appearances could be disregarded, then a longitudinal rail. or support running the fall length of the body would materially facilitate the operation of a wide hood. In a class by itself is the quadruple-purpose body, With its Beatonson fittings, as made by London Lorries, Ltd. It continues to make fresh conquests, and, since it achieves what might well have been conisidered impossible .a few seasons ago, it may be said to have became popular simply, because it thoroughly deserves to. Here is a body vahich has all the features of the private all-weather or cabriolet body, only on a more generous scale. Glass windows are available for use with or without the hood, the windows are controlled mechanically and disappear at will, and, when up, are utilized to form a bearing for the hood.
For some years to come it is unlikely that it will be possible to state what form of weather protection is the hest. If one would still keep up the analogy of the private ear, then it is notorious that the moment the assertion is made that the saloon is preeminent and will ultimately prevail, one is presented with statistics that the open body is growing in favour. It is stated, however, that, in America, there is such a brisk demand for the closed car that. it is actually cheaper to build than the open one.
If it be difficult to decide which is the ideal type of coach, it is an easy matter for th2 coach owner to say what is the ideal type of passenger. It is one who (apart from keeping his feet on the floor and behaving himself as a respectable citizen) never thinks of bringing any luggage with him—not even a "valise of reasonable size." But there are occasions when the problem must be tackled, because it is diplomatic to encourage the individual who asserts that he has not travelled on the railway for years since he succumbed to the charms of the open road.
The central gangway type of body is the best luggage carrier, for one can have a broad platform step on each side, the greater part of which is not required for mounting purposes. The fact must be faced boldly that, if a fair quantity of baggage is to be carried, then there must be a slight loss in seating capacity. The length and width of body which would normally be taken up by the last row of seats must be given up to a luggage locker, and it will have the advantage that it forms an excellent support for the folded hood. The doors for this locker will be at the rear and the locker elin be extended below the chassis Level, but it ,should be made perfectly dust-tight. The body having a fixed roof, and the composite type of coach which has a saloon rear portion, each has a large space available where luggage can be carried without detracting from the seating space.