The Agricultural Hall Show.
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Completion of our report.
Wednesday of Show Week was the busiest day, for several hundred representa.tive.s of municipal and county authorities foregathered in deputational array. It is hard to say whether omnibuses or sanitury wagons received the greater attention. One noticed groups of six or more worthy councillors drinking in the virtues of gearless drives and magneto ignition, or maxshelled round their courier-engineer surveying the light car which was to save those precious hours. !Ilayors and worthy aldermen stood to attention over the various exhibits, and it must be allowed that all seemed to take a lice interest in the facts and figures olaced before them. The authorities which accepted the invitation of the Acitornobile Mutual Protection Association to visit the show included the engineers and surveyors, together with, in the majority of cases, at least two and sometimee 12 members of the council, from Liverpool, Wimbledon, St. Pancras, Leicester, Worcester, Staines, Old Trafford, Watford, Wood Green, Acton, Tynemou th, Godal m ing, Harrow, Hatfield, Shoreditch, Woodford, Sinethwick, Preston, Deal, Paddington, Exmouth, Woolwich, Wandsworth, Newport, East Ham, Southgate, Ryton, Epsom, Hampstead, Leatherhead, Dorking, Kent, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, Colwyn Bay, Nottingham, Richmond, Matlock Bath, lichen, Stoke Newingtoa, Hertford, Beckenham, Bethnal Green, Chetsea, Come, Nuneaton, Sutton Coldfielcl, Finehley, Hackney, Biz-mingham, Worthing, Walthanistow, Lej.ton, GocIstone, Southwark, Bridgwater, Farnborough, Sutton, Kensington, Felixstowe, Strood (Rochester), Reigate, Tiverton, Ilford, Hitchin, and other places.
THE .MAUDSLAY MOTOR CO., LTD., Parkside, Coventry, staged a single decked omnibus built to the order of the Great Western Railway for the short route (about three miles) between Slough and Fernham lioyal. Accommodation is provided for 12 passengers inside and two at the side of the driver. The knee or leg room afforded is in striking contrast to that usually found in horsed 'buses. A guard rail around the top gives plenty of luggage capacity, and the rear platform will enable a few heavy parcels to be carried thereon. The doors to the rear slide together, giving needful comfort in wet or cold weather, whilst ample ventilation
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End there should be no feeling of stuffiness when the vehicle is full. The twocylinder vertical engine is placed under the front bonnet and develops ei,b.h.p. Both the M.O. inlet and the exhaust valves arc placed at top of the cylinders, and their general arrangement departs somewhat from the well-knnwn "Mendslay " system. Accessibility of the valves and their actuating mechanism is the point aimed at and at• tained, as by the reineval of two nuts, the whole of the overhead gear can be swung clear of the cylinders. Particular attention has been devoted to the water-jacketing, an d there is no skimping of metal to save a few pounds in weight in this vital feature. The radiator tubes (in front of the bonnet) are fixed vertically, and each tube is wound spirally with wire of triangular section instead of the ordinary gills. A gear-driven centrifugal pump circulates the water, and a fan (driven by a twisted hide belt) aids the cooling. lg. nition is secured by two sets of accumulators supplying current to a high speed trembling coil, the low-tension contact makers being of the wipe variety, and the sparking plugs arc inserted horizontally into each cylinder. A large hinged inspection door (not a screwed down plate) enables the driver to instantly see if the correct oil level is being maintained, or if any adjustments are needed for the big ends of the connecting rods, At the other side of the crank chamber is the single shaft for the valve cams ; this is quite enclosed, but is made both accessible and detachable. The carburetter is a float feed spray with automatic air inlet, The control is
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time and throttle; declutching also throttles the engine, but the gas passage is opened again to the point set by the hand lever immediately the clutch is let in. Four forward speeds and a reverse are motioned, by a single lever; the change speed quadrant is on the " locking gate' principle, and a safety catch has to he lifted before the reverse can be brought into gear. The three brakes are exterior
contracting, one bein,g connected from the countershaft drum to the pedal, the other two acting on the rear wheel hubs from a side lever. A sight feed drip lubricator supplies the engine, and a screw-down greaser has six pipes leading to the gear be e bearings. A separate greaser is fitted o the steering worm, arid projects up into the bonnet space so as to be accessible. Driving is by two side roller chains off a countershaft. The front wheels are shod port on March tfith. Design has been varied but little, whilst the alterations in detail have been very considerable. The wagon is constructed to carry a normal load of 20 barrels, without tailboard or " riders " in a second tier, that is five tons, but is generally used with a trailer carrying a further to barrels, making six tons in all. When it is used without a trailer, five tons may safely be put on its own platform. The boiler is of the vertical type, centrally stoked from above, with straight fire tubes made of copper. There is a greater space between the tubes than was the practice a year ago, and the curve of the crown-plate has been settled after careful observation to allow any deposit to fall into the water ring round the firebox. The tubes are screwed and beaded at the lower ends, but only expanded at the tops, whilst the fire bars have been dropped about kin. to allow of a good thick fire. The engine can be run free if required, and the feed pump is driven relatively to the engine crank shaft, which arrangement always gives an excess of water from the automatic pump, but a Gresham and Craven injector is fitted as well. The safety valve escape pipe no longer discharges into the water tank, so there is no risk of pump or injector troubles from hot feed water. The engine casing also contains the second motion and compensating gear shafts, no gear being exposed except the chain pinions and chains which carry the power to the driving wheels, which are 42in. diameter and have tyres min. wide. The brakes are of the internal expanding type, working inside the sprocket wheels on turned faces, and wheel caps are bolted on instead of being screwed on. The features in the Leyland design include the use of Joy's valve gear and renewable liners to piston valves; an increase of cylinder dimensions to give an extra zoh.p. ; larger boiler with copper tubes ; stronger chains ; the use of stampings and forgings instead of castings ; all gears machine Cut: the hardeninu and orinclina of all
the motions, such as joint pins, piston rods, and valve spindles; driving wheels 42111. dianieter againSt 36in. ; main axle diameter against sin. A new trailer brake has also been introduced, which is conveniently fitted to the left side of the driver's seat, and Which gets over the law about carrying a man on the trailer.
MESSRS: THE ECLIPSE MACHINE CO., LTD., of Oldham, had -a light delivery van on their stand. The van body is designed to be in proportion to the general size of the chassis. The engine is a two-cylinder, developing tzh.p. at 1,200 revolutions a minute, and has an automatic governor acting on the throttle. The gas is supplied by a T.onguemare carburetter of the latest type. Water cooling is by means of a gilled tube radiator (employing a well-designed centrifugal pump) and having behind it a 'belt-driven fan. This latter is an important feature for van work where frequent stoppages at short intervals have to be made, or where the work entailed necessitates continued climbing of heavy gradients. Three speeds and a reverse are controlled by a single side lever, and the three brakes are managed in the usual manner. The ignition system follows well-accepted practice by means of accumulation high-speed trembling coil, and wipe contact breaker, whilst the control levers for this and the throttle are brought up to the steering wheel. The type of construction adopted for the frame is a combination of selected ash timbers reinforced by steel flitch plates and haying angle plates at the corners. Such a method gives a frame of sufficient rigidity to withstand the strains set up by the road, and yet of sufficient elasticity to prevent shocks being communicated to the engine and driving mechanism. Very long, tempered steel springs, semi-elliptic, are fitted, those in the rear being oin. and the front szin. in length. The steering is irreversible, wheels are of the artillery type, szin. in diameter, and amnlp Inhriratenn ;.1 nrnvidarl for enpine and all working parts of the mechanism. Tyres as. usually fitted are pneumatic but solids are arranged for if so desired by the buyer. All the three brakes are internal expansion, and act equally well forwards or backwards. The price of this vehicle, with a full kit of tools, is 4.29o.
The " S " type omnibus of the Motor Car Emporium has roller bearings on the big ends and built-up cranks.
The Lancashire Steam Motor Company sold four Crossley-Leyland omnibuses at the stand ; two of these were ordered by the London General Omnibus Company. The new design of Yorkshire steam wagon has a third intermediate shalt. and all the gearing runs in oil. The boiler has stood the test of five years without any necessity arising for a change in design.
The Londonderry wagon is fitted with wheels of the Mansell type, except for having sections cut out, in which matter the hand of railway carriage practice is discernible. The circular horn blocks to the back axles are also an interesting feature.
Messrs. Wallis and Steevens have adopted laminated springs in place of spiral springs on the front axles of their tractors. Automatic pumps are no longer worked off eccentrics on the crank shafts, as this arrangement proved to work the plungers too fast. Moore steam pumps and Penberthy injectors are now fitted.
The annual general meeting of the Automobile Mutual Protection Association was held on the closing day of the Show. The Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot presided, and congratulated the members on the growth of the society. He alluded to the large display of commercial motors and the great progress which this branch of the industry had made in the last 12 months. The report was adopted, and the new Council duly elected.