• A NEW DESIGN OF BUS BODY
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A Body Constructed for Use as a Single or a Double-decker.
AN INTERESTING and novel type of motor omnibus body has been designed by the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd. The principal object of the designer has been to arrive at a construction which would facilitate the Manufacture of motes omnibus bodies which could, with very little trouble and slight modification, be turned out either as single-deckm or double-deckers. Apart from this important feature, however, the detail construction is interesting, as it exemplifies the modern tendency towards the elimination of clumsy and heavy woodwork joints and their substitution by light sheetmetal brackets, in the construction of -• which autogenons welding plays an important part. Such brackets are employed for connecting the body pillars to the floor, to the cant-rail and: to the hood sticks, which, in the case of an omnibus'. body, support the roof. These brackets in all cases' are formed of sheet metal, which is first bent to shape and subsequently welded. In some cases woqden blocks are used as stiffeners to reinforce the metal work.
The upper deck seats of this new design of bus are arranged on the jaunting car or knife-board style, the passengers sitting back to back and looking over the sides of the bus.. The advantage of this construction is that it allows ample height to the ceiling of the interior of the vehicle in the centre where such height is required; as that portion of the ceiling • extends upwards underneath the longitudinal seats_, dropping, at the sides where such height is not So necessary for the interior of the bus. The result is Comfort for the inside paissengess and Convenience for 'those outside, without unduly increasing the ,overall height of the bus.
Entrance to both decks is at the front B37 of thei bus, immediately behind the driver, who sits well forward by the side of the bonnet. There are two steps at the front near-side of the vehicle to the inside floor level, and a further flight emerges at the offside of the upper deck, this flight of steps being covered by an extension of the roof which serves as a back to an additional pair of seats which are arranged to face the near side of bus.
The same peculiar style of sheet steel bracket is utilized to secure the upper deck seats, and it should be noted that these are.so.arranged as: to be removable en bloc from the vehicle. Altogether an ingenious design of body, the development of which will be watched with considerable interest.;