1,160 Miles in British Coaches
Page 47
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
By Alfred Woolf ATHREE-DAY journey of 800 miles in a Paden rear-engined coach powered by a Foden two-stroke engine, such as the one I made two weeks ago in the Whitsonbodied observation coach which competed in the Nice Coach Rally, provides convincing proof of •the value of the rear-engined layout and of the remarkable qualities of the two-stroke supercharged oil engine.
From the outset, the traveller in a vehicle of this type is impressed by the low level of noise. 'Seated in the front seat of the coach, alongside the driver, a passenger hears virtually no noise other than that of the tyres. With the type of body in which I travelled, there was also a notable lack of wind noise in the interior, even at the highest speeds at which the vehicle could safely travel.
Even at the rear of the body, the general volume . of engine noise is reasonable. A slight whine from the supercharger becomes noticeable when the engine is accelerating hard, but under cruising conditions the noise of passengers conversing in the coach will almost completely drown the engine noise. There is an entire absence of vibration—the engine being, of course, like a 12-cylindered design in this respect—and of "Diesel knock."
This silence naturally reduces the fatigue which is experienced on long journeys and enables the length of journey which can be contemplated in a day to be greatly extended. Coupled with this is the remarkable turn of speed possible with the Foden. • The 5 : 1 rear-axle ratio of the rally coach gave a maximum speed, it was found, which enabled the Foden.to leave most other public service vehicles behind— even those fitted with more powerful engines.
Its particular advantage lies in its ability to pick up engine speed rapidly. Naturally, if this be allowed to fall too far, on a hill, for example, before a change into a lower gear is made, the advantage can be lost. But a driver accustomed to the torque characteristics of this type of engine can maintain a high average even in hilly country.
40 Miles in an Hour En route to Nice, the Foden several times covered 40 miles in one hour. On the first day, the 64 miles from Dunkirk to Arras were covered in exactly two hours, over roads which are in parts extremely rough. In all, 262 miles were travelled from 5.30 a.m, to 6.15 p.m., during which time two prolonged and two short stops were made for meals, occupying a total of over three hours.
The climb through the Esterel mountains to .Cannes and Nice was accomplished mainly in third gear at 30 m.p.h. Proirided that engine speed is kept up, few vehicles can climb as well as the Foden, and ample proof was seen of the inability of other coaches to accelerate as rapidly.
From Nice, I travelled the 360 miles to Montreux in an A.E.C. operating on the regular Linjebus route. This vehicle was also a competitor and prize-winner at Nice, and prin cipal prize-winner at Montreux, where it attracted much attention.
Compared with the 39-seat Foden, which weighed 8 tons 8 cwt. atitl is operated in this country by Salopia Saloon Coaches, Ltd., the Swedish vehicle, with Chapman adjustable seats for 28 passengers and a mass of special' equipment, weighed almost 11 tons unladen. It is 35 ft, long, is powered by the A.F.C. 11,1-litre engine, which develops 150 b.h.p., and has a five-speed gearbox, an exhaust obturator and Michelin Metallic D20 tyres At the front of the body, behind the partition—in which there is a door for the spare driver or hostess—there is a small circulating space, fitted with magazine racks. Two small glass sliding roofs can be covered by blinds.
A telephone for communication between the driver and hostess, a radio and public-address system, a roomy toilet fed by a 100-gallon fwater tank in the roof, a refrigerator and bar, a large bookcase, a wardrobe, and a special map case enabling passengers to. follow the route are located at the rear of the body. The hostess sits at a table inside the hinged entrance door. at the rear, with an indicator to show whether a passenger has called for attention. Under the floor are large luggage compartments extending the whole width of the body.
Through the courtesy of the directors of James Whitson and Co., Ltd. and of A/B Linjebus, I was able to examine not only the fitness of British vehicles for duty on transcontinental journeys, but also some of the many difficulties which these journeys entail. They call for a mass of equipment and for powerful, easily manreuvred vehicles, in the design of which both drivers and passengers have been studied. Speed, economy and reliability are other primary requirements. It is only on such long, journeys that their importance can be clearly reVealed: