Commer Two-stroke Oil Engine in Coach ?
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A NEW Beadle integral-construction coach, at present being "operated experimentally on a service to London by Maidstone
and District Motor Services, Ltd., is equipped with a semi-underfloor supercharged three-cylindered two-stroke oil engine located immediately behind the driving seat.
This is the normal position of the power unit in Commer passenger models. Commer Cars, Ltd., hold a patent for an oil engine of this type, which was described in The Commercial Motor on February 2, 1951.
In the arrangement of this unit, the three horizontal cylinders are parallel and each contains two pistons. The pistons are connected to a common crankshaft, which lies at right angles centrally below the cylinders, each having a rocker arm and a pair of connecting rods. One rod is secured to a piston and the other to the crankshaft. The combustion chamber is formed between the piston crowns of pairs of opposed pistons. The unit is designed to carry the accessories on the top of the cylinder block where, as in the Commer underfloor petrol engine, they are more accessible for servicing. According to the patent, the fuel injection pump is mounted horizontally.
The 35-seat central-entrance body of the Beadle coach is built to maximum legal overall dimensions and the vehicle weighs 5 tons 1 cwt. An Eaton two-speed axle is fitted.
The encroachment of the engine into the passenger compartment has necessitated the removal of the near-side passenger seat beside the driver. The area occupied, by the driver and engine cowl is enclosed by a rail.